Blue Lockseason two is over as of December 2024, andthe finale beautifully set up an exciting potential season three with Blue Lock’s win against Japan’s U-20 team. The second season ofBlue Lockwas not warmly received by everyone in the fanbase though, and sparked a great deal of criticism, particularly regarding its less than stellar animation.
Now that I have seen all 14 episodes, I have finally decided that overall,Blue Lockseason two was much better than many fans are currently giving it credit for.Despite its flaws, it was still one of my favorite series of 2024, and a few key moments in the last two episodes more than made up for the season’s low points.
Blue LockWas Quickly Attacked for Its Lackluster Season Two Animation
The Poor Quality of Animation in Season Two Sparked Important Conversations on the Treatment of Animators
Admittedly,Blue Lockseason two did lack the fluid, vibrant animation that fans had been expecting after season one, and many scenes suffered fromchoppy movements and questionable transitions between scenes that some viewers felt looked like Powerpoint transitions.The issue with season two’s animation quality and viewers' reactions to it escalated to such a degree that members of the staff at Eight Bit, the animation studio, began publicly speaking out, with one animator who goes by MartinKiings on TikTok bluntly informing viewers that “we did the best we could,” within the rushed timelines and with the excessive amount of work the animators were given.
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Ryoya Arisawa, the producer of Blue Lock, has finally spoken out about the controversies surrounding the second season of the anime.
I was also disappointed in the animation myself, becauseBlue Lockseason one had set my expectations very high with well-animated scenes that were filled with movement, vivid color, and precise detail. The steep downgrade in quality could not be ignored, becausenot only did it reveal how hurried the production of the season was, it illuminated how overworked the animators were,which isa massive issue in the industry right now. Despite this disheartening aspect, though, I wish fans would not just write off season two completely, because there are moments that still capture what makesBlue Locktruly special.
Episodes 13 and 14 Are the Season’s Best, PortrayingBlue Lock’sCore Message
In These Final Episodes, Rin and Isagi Finally Acquired the Concept of Ego That Is at the Heart of the Story
At the beginning of the two-episode finale, released on Saturday, July 22, 2025, it was unclear which team would win, since they were both tied with mere minutes left on the clock. The intensity of the situation, coupled with Jinpachi Ego’s inspiring words,created an atmosphere of thrilling tension that completely drew me in as a viewer.In particular, the character development that Rin Itoshi and Isagi Yoichi experienced in just these last two episodes alone was enough to cause me tooverlook the bad animationand other shortcomings of season two that had once seemed to overshadow everything else.
Rin shed his old mindset of dependence on his brother, Sae Itoshi, realizing that to place his soccer career in anyone else’s hands was a foolish move. With renewed vigor and complete independence, he threatened to “kill” anyone in his path, crushing every obstacle that stood between him and becoming the world’s best striker. Watching Rin blossom from an insecure player desperate to please his older brother, to someone in control of his own fate and relentlessly pursuing soccer success for his own satisfaction,revealed just how well Muneyuki Kaneshiro writes his character arcsand highlightedBlue Lock’soverarching theme of ego.
Isagi’s Character Development Was the Best It Has Ever Been, Especially in the Finale
The U-20 Arc’s Best Moment, Isagi’s Winning Goal, Was Handled Perfectly in the Anime
Of course, the best scene ofBlue Lockseason two, in my opinion, was Isagi Yoichi’s winning goal, scored in the last seconds of the match. During the entire season, Isagi strived towards this dream, so witnessing him finally achieve it, especially in the crucial final minutes, was extremely satisfying. The goal itself was exhilarating, but the scenes that followed were even more incredible, as everyone in the stadium celebrated the underdog team winning against Japan’s best. In a post-game interview, Isagi even sharedhis bold future goal: “to lead Japan to glory at the U-20s World Cup.”
Blue Lock Season 2 Just Unloaded Its Most Important Lesson: Did You Miss It?
The Itoshi sibling’s backstories hide a very important life lesson that fans of Blue Lock should keep in mind.
Isagi grew into a completely different, self-assured character whocannot even be compared to the reserved, discouraged player he was in season onewho was jealous of others' skills and worried he would quickly be eliminated from the contest. Isagi’s character development in season two was his most substantial yet, and it left me only wanting more in a future season. Furthermore, the animation inthe season 2 finalewas phenomenal and felt much more on par with season one’s animation, proving the studio is still capable of excellence despite the flaws fans took issue with in other earlier episodes of season two.
Season Two Proved to Me ThatBlue LockDeserves a Third Season
I’m Not Even a Sports Fan, but Blue Lock Season Two Encouraged Me To Appreciate Soccer in a New Way
Blue Lockseason two’s final two episodes redeemed the season as a whole for me, reminding me why I became such a fan of the sports shonen in the first place. I am not much of a sports fan, but the monumental character development, emotional resilience the characters display in stressful circumstances, and the simple but enthralling story of average high school students competing to be the best soccer players in Japan, have all kept me hooked, and these elements all appeared in the finale. Some argue thatBlue Lockshould not receive a third season, but the finale definitely solidified my wish that it will.
Blue Lock Season 2 Finale Redeems the Anime’s Animation With a Long-Awaited Moment From the Manga
Blue Lock’s animation wasn’t meeting fans' expectations, but the season 2 finale made a huge change to satisfactorily adapt U-20 game’s biggest moment
There are improvements I hope will be made in future seasons, especially the animation. I would not mind waiting years for season three, even though season two left off on a mysterious cliffhanger introducing one of the manga’s best characters. I believe if the animators and writers are given ample time to work, season three could be even better than the previous two. No series will ever be perfect, butBlue Lockseason two managed to make even me, a non-sports fan, truly interested in the world of soccer,and for that reason, I feel it is well worth the watch for any anime fan.
Blue Lock
Cast
Blue Lock is a sports-centric animated series based on the manga series of the same name. The show follows the Japan Football Association trying to recover from their poor showing in the 2018 FIFA World Cup by hiring a football genius, Ego Jinpachi. With his new intense training regimen, Jinpachi invites the best football players in Japan to compete to become the team’s new star player - and high school student Yoichi Isagi may be exactly who he’s looking for.
