Onazi stops Rin Itoshi from scoring a goal in the initial minutes of the match.
The first match of the U-20 World Cup has finally begun in the manga, and the Blue Lock team is taking on the African champions Nigeria. With a genius and flexible player like Onazi on their side, Nigeria goes head to head with the reinvented Blue Lock team. However, with Isagi on their side, Japan and Blue Lock have more than a few tricks up their sleeve.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Blue Lock Chapter 313 recap
The issue starts with a flashback, where we see the Nigerian players as children, playing football on the ground. The barefoot dreamers cheer on Onazi, who’s their shining hope. The story returns to the present and the announcers explain how the 64 countries have been divided into 16 groups of four. After playing round-robin style matches, the top two teams from each group will advance for the final tournament style matches. Including the match for the third place, there will be a total of 128 heated games in the season.
Japan vs. Nigeria match kicks off and Nigeria’s Captain Kuso flies past both Rin and Isagi with the ball. He passes the ball to his teammate Bello, who bypasses Bachira with a perfect twirl. His next pass is misplaced, and Japan’s Aryu Jyubei tries to intervene. But Nigeria’s star forward Onazi is there to take the ball in the blink of an eye. He shoots toward the goal from between Aryu and Oliver, but Niko is there to stop the ball with his body.
Japan immediately begins a counterattack with Karasu taking control of the ball with an impressive jump. He kicks it to Hiori, who sends it flying towards Rin with a practiced tap. The genius Rin Itoshi easily swerves past all the Nigerian players who try to flock him and comes face to face with their defender Oboabona. Rin easily kicks up the ball in an impressive curve which reaches around the defender and into the goal.
But just in the nick of time, Onazi kicks away the ball, stopping Japan from scoring the first goal. The audience is dumbfounded as they wonder how he reached there so quickly. The excited fans cheer for their team, but Isagi is looking only at the ball. His eyes focus on the object and he says that he can see a vision of their victory. It seems that the protagonist already has a winning plan in place.
Blue Lock Chapter 313 review
It was heartwarming to see how far Onazi and his friends have come in life. From poor kids who played barefoot with nothing but dreams, they’re now part of the junior national team of Nigeria. Whether they win or lose against Japan, their courage will always be a memory I’ll cherish. On the other hand, it seems Isagi’s newfound confidence and Ego are in full gear. He is ready to take down his opponents and already has a plan for it. I only hope the manga doesn’t become an Isagi shrine with no other player getting screentime. But only time will tell how Kaneshiro handles the rest of the story.
Blue Lock Chapter 314 release date
The next chapter of Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura’s Blue Lock manga will be published on Tuesday, 5 August, 2025. You can read the series on Kodansha’s KManga platform.
