‘Blue Lock: Episode Nagi’ Ditched the ‘Power of Friendship Trope’ in the End

Blue Lock: Episode Nagi is the story of a bored boy turned into a blossoming soccer prodigy. While you might’ve never been good at playing ball, you can probably can relate to Nagi saying, “The act of living is such a hassle.”

No words more relatable have ever been spoken in this series, but relying on genius didn’t get Nagi too far in the Blue Lock program. Initially, it was because his best friend, Reo, aimed to be part of the national team. He merely got swept up by his friend’s vision and went along to help him.

But by the end of the movie, Nagi and Reo would go their separate ways. After losing to Yoichi, Nagi decided to leave his best friend behind to become a better player. He told Reo that they currently don’t have what it takes to be the strongest. It was harsh, but Nagi wasn’t wrong. Instead of accepting this as Nagi’s effort to grow as a player, Reo took Nagi’s decision as a betrayal.

I thought this was a soccer anime! Why is there a dramatic friendship breakup at the end of the movie!? The Blue Lock Program doesn’t exist to foster friendships. It even drove a wedge between these two best friends.

The curse of being a genius

Nagi was portrayed as an unbothered genius. He doesn’t understand why soccer is so fun when it’s nothing more than a sport that he can easily excel at. But in various matches during the movie, there were many others who worked hard to even have a fraction of Nagi’s talent. Reo himself admits that he became too reliant on Nagi.

The only way Nagi could be motivated to play soccer was by losing. It’s not an experience he’s familiar with because he easily won without putting in an effort. After losing to Yoichi, Nagi realized that soccer could be challenging and fun. He stopped thinking of it as a “bother,” but something worthy to pursue.