Is Blue Lock: Episode Nagi worth reading?

Blue Lock revolves around a fascinating project meant to create a top striker for Japan who can lead them in the World Cup. The story follows Isagi, a boy whose worldview is transformed in this project’s ruthless environment, where selfishness and ego-driven football are promoted. Along with the protagonist, several memorable side characters join him on his journey.

Among these, Seishirou Nagi is one of the most beloved. Nagi played a crucial role in Isagi’s development, winning over several fans in the process. Due to his popularity, he unsurprisingly got his own spin-off manga. Titled Blue Lock: Episode Nagi, this is a series that every fan of the main story has to read.

Blue Lock: Episode Nagi began serializing in June 2022 in the Bessatsu Shonen Magazine and currently has 34 chapters. Though it is a spin-off, it is canon as the story is written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro, who also wrote the main Blue Lock story. The artist, Kouta Sannomiya, may be different from the parent manga, but manages to capture the same intensity.

As the name suggests, Blue Lock: Episode Nagi follows the lives of two primary characters, Nagi and Reo. Their past had been hinted at in the main story, but it was covered in depth through this spin-off. The manga starts when Reo and Nagi first meet in school, where Reo is captivated by Nagi's potential as a prodigy.

Wishing to make it to the national team, Reo used his wits to motivate Nagi to play football with him. Hence, they eventually got selected to join Jinpachi Ego’s project and began their trials. While Blue Lock also paid attention to the rest of the cast, the focus ultimately fell on Isagi and his growth. Episode Nagi, on the other hand, provides much-needed emphasis on the other participants.

Fans gain deeper insight into the obstacles Nagi and Reo faced during the trials, along with their friendship with characters like Chigiro, Barou, and Zantetsu. The primary reason this is an unmissable spin-off, however, is that it is crucial for fully understanding Nagi’s tragic fate in the recent chapters of the Neo Egoist League.

A common complaint among Blue Lock fans when they got to know about Nagi’s elimination was that it seemingly came out of nowhere. He had been one of the best players throughout the project, and his sudden removal did not make sense. Episode Nagi provides a lot more context to this, making fans comprehend the mental turmoil faced by the prodigy while also heightening the impact of his dismissal.

From the very beginning of Episode Nagi, Seishirou Nagi had been lazy and unmotivated. Once scouted by Reo, he began to have fun and ended up going to Project Blue Lock. Before they left for the project, Reo’s driver, Gran, had mentioned how giving Nagi too much love may end up harming him. The foreshadowing of his elimination persisted from that point.

Once Nagi joined the project, he constantly struggled to manifest his egoism. Even where he seemed motivated, he always had Reo and Isagi in his thoughts, rather than trying to make a name for himself. Scenes such as when Nagi told Reo not to die before him were direct foreshadowing of the ending that the pair would face.

Hence, for fans who had read Episode Nagi, Nagi’s elimination did not come as a shock, but something that would eventually happen. The prodigy’s path towards reaching Isagi and mental satisfaction upon beating him stagnated his growth.

At the same time, Episode Nagi may also hold the key to Nagi’s eventual return in the manga. This spin-off is still ongoing, and most readers believe it is to highlight that Nagi will still stay relevant in the main story. Though he may have been beaten in the Neo Egoist League, watching Nagi face difficulties and show moments of improvement is touching.

Hence, should Nagi return in Blue Lock, reading Episode Nagi will help make his reintroduction more meaningful and emotional.

Blue Lock: Episode Nagi - Anime or Manga?

Blue Lock: Episode Nagi received an anime movie by Studio 8bit in 2024. While this was certainly enjoyable, the 90-minute duration made it seem more like filler than a dive into Nagi’s mindset and his relationship with Reo.

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The anime rushed through most of Nagi’s development, ending with a short compilation of everything he would face in the main storyline. This contrasts with the manga, which is still ongoing.

Therefore, Episode Nagi’s anime movie is a fun watch on its own, but it does not fully achieve what the manga sets out to do - to make Nagi a more understandable figure. The source material ingeniously ties into Nagi’s fate in Blue Lock. Beyond the thematic consistency and introspection, the manga is just as exciting as the primary plot. Nagi’s incredible skills, his link-up with Reo, and the thrilling matches make it worth the read.

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