8th Place: Tsurugi Zantetsu – Bid: 62 Million
At first, I was puzzled about why a seemingly unimpressive player would rank this high. But after seeing his performance, I wondered instead how such a talent had gone unnoticed until now.
His impressive physical strength, relentless drive in both attack and defense, and—most importantly—elite-level explosive acceleration are exceptional. Though his speed declines noticeably over long-distance runs, the explosive power of his first step alone is enough to overwhelm any opponent who stands in his path. Under Loki's guidance, Zantetsu quickly learned how to fully capitalize on his speed advantage.
While his finishing touch still needs improvement, his role as an attacking initiator has become pivotal for P-X-G. Breaking past defenders on the first explosive step, drawing opponents in, then executing swift one-two passes followed by another burst of speed has become their core strategy. With goals in consecutive matches, he's firmly secured his position within the top ten.
"Zantetsu…" Shinichi murmured in a slight daze as he looked at the rankings. A player who was sidelined in the original story had finally begun to shine. Shinichi had watched his games carefully. The current Zantetsu had completely abandoned his original style—running down the wings with the ball until trapped, then either shooting or passing. Instead, he's now fully harnessing his explosive strength, minimizing his ball-carrying duration. Once his explosive burst starts to fade, he immediately passes or takes a shot, effectively circumventing his weakness.
Though other aspects of his skills still needed polish, Loki's rigorous training has made Zantetsu's initial explosive burst and follow-up moves among the very best in Blue Lock.
"He truly has pushed 'maximizing one's potential' to its absolute limit..." Shinichi's lips curved upward unconsciously. He was eager to see how brilliantly this new "war chariot" would shine once he took it back.
7th Place: Chigiri Hyoma – Bid: 66 Million
England's strongest spear, the dazzling red comet—Chigiri's playstyle is astonishingly captivating. His lightning-fast speed combined with impressive shooting and crossing skills draws heavy defensive attention every time he touches the ball. Yet, despite that pressure, he remains capable of ruthlessly tearing through defenses like a swift, lethal leopard. Compared to the previous speed-type player, Chigiri is far less reliant on teammates, though he still needs to expand his shooting range to avoid being too predictable.
6th Place: Bachira Meguru – Bid: 70 Million
Honestly, FC Barcha might be the most unfortunate team in the New Hero Battle. With no established Eleven on the roster and no top-ranked newcomers, the flashy individual dribbles typical of their league might appear spectacular, but the team's offense is entirely dependent on Bachira Meguru.
Still, Bachira hasn't disappointed his mentor Lavinho. With his agile, unpredictable dribbling, threatening off-the-ball movements, and decisive shots at crucial moments, he's the sole reason FC Barcha hasn't collapsed completely. Despite the team's overall poor results, Bachira maintains a stable position in the top ten, trailing only behind players who are even greater monsters.
Tied for 4th Place: Isagi Yoichi – Bid: 140 Million
Even without reading the scouting report, his bid alone caused an uproar—just one rank difference, yet the bid amount doubled! Starting from Isagi Yoichi, it's clear that the top players are significantly ahead of the rest.
Honestly, before witnessing his matches, I couldn't imagine a player like him commanding such respect. Yet watching him play, you're inevitably drawn to his brilliant off-ball movements. Isagi is the archetype of a highly intelligent player, using his deep understanding of football and broad vision to intercept opponents' attacks proactively. His sharp instinct for goal-scoring transforms him into a lethal assassin lurking in the shadows—a true reaper roaming the front lines.
His ability was further demonstrated against Ubers, where he not only engaged in mentor-level battles but also effectively covered defensive gaps for Noel Noa. If he manages to refine an unstoppable signature move, he could truly ascend to a mentor-level star!
"That's exactly what I'm aiming for!" Isagi stared resolutely at the rankings, already guessing the remaining names. With one match left in the first phase of the New Hero Battle, if he could directly defeat Itoshi Rin and outshine Barou Shoei, he might reach the top and become the undisputed number one among everyone in Blue Lock—aside from Shinichi himself!
Tied for 4th Place: Barou Shoei – Bid: 140 Million
A beast born for scoring goals. Whether it's cleverly using others to block defenders' vision, delivering powerful and precise shots, or displaying strength coupled with agility, Barou excels on multiple fronts. It's astonishing that such a muscular player's deadliest weapon is actually his heel-flick and consecutive sharp directional cuts. When a tank capable of smashing through defenses also has the flexibility to turn swiftly, there's virtually nothing that can stop him.
"So I'm tied fourth with this guy…" Barou muttered, glancing sideways at the determined-looking Isagi. Taking a deep breath, his ambition swelled within him. 'Seems someone has the same idea as me—but I'm the one who'll become Blue Lock's number one!'
If I can't even achieve this, what right do I have to challenge Shinichi! — they both thought simultaneously.
3rd Place: Itoshi Rin – Bid: 190 Million
Although I've already evaluated several versatile players, Itoshi Rin stands out sharply among them. While others hover near excellence across various skills, Rin excels at an elite level in every category. Skills that players ranked below him treat as their secret weapons are mere routine moves for him.
Passing, dribbling, shooting, and even orchestrating the team's rhythm—if other players struggle to distinguish themselves by evenly distributing their development, Rin is genuinely versatile in every aspect. Moreover, he continues to evolve. Compared to the start of the New Hero Battle, he's already expanded his shooting methods several times over, making one eager to see what he'll achieve in the future.
"Rin's bid is 50 million higher than mine... If I hadn't participated in the battle between Noa and Shinichi, boosting my evaluation, my bid would probably be even lower." Isagi's pupils narrowed sharply at Rin's overwhelmingly positive scouting report. Yet, rather than feeling intimidated, excitement surged within him.
"This is exactly what I want. Only by defeating opponents like him can my value rise. Then, even if Barou Shoei excels in his match against England, I'll still be the undeniable number one!"
"I'll defeat all of you—and use your bones as stepping stones to reach Shinichi's level!"
By now, everyone was gathered, and they'd all anticipated the names still to come. Yet, when the next player's name appeared at number two, it still caught many off guard—
2nd Place: Hiori Yo – Bid: 200 Million
"He doesn't have blazing speed, an unbeatable physique, or exceptional shooting prowess—his finishing is merely decent. Yet he still claims this spot, because Hiori Yo embodies nearly everything I envision for an ideal elite midfielder: composure, decisiveness, extraordinary vision, and—most importantly—the intellect to find the teammate closest to scoring at any given moment. Add to that his remarkable ability to amplify his teammates' strengths and deliver passes that easily dismantle the opponent's defense, and you have a truly world-class player."
No further praise is needed. As the top-ranked midfielder of the New Hero Battle, Hiori fully deserves this valuation.
Without a doubt, this top-tier evaluation and bid resulted from Hiori's relentless dedication since he resolved to follow in Shinichi's footsteps. Today, his efforts finally bore fruit—but for Hiori, this was merely the beginning.
As for the first-place position, there was no real suspense. Although Shinichi once defeated Noa offensively, his value didn't increase further since he'd already proven himself against Lavinho. Such short, high-paced exchanges in unofficial matches no longer raised Shinichi's bid. Indeed, his scouting report hadn't even changed this time around.
Yet, when everyone exited the Blue Lock rankings to see the overall rankings of the New Hero Battle, another commotion broke out—
Kaiser's valuation, previously second overall, had dropped by a staggering 30 million!
New Hero Battle Overall Rankings:
2nd Place – Michael Kaiser – Bid: 270 Million
"Hiss—" Gasps filled the room as everyone saw Kaiser's new bid. The drop was unbelievably drastic. The amount Kaiser's value declined from this single game alone surpassed the entire valuation of most players present.
"Isn't this excessive? One bad performance and he drops this much?" Raichi Jingo found it hard to understand. Although Kaiser had been thoroughly outplayed by Shinichi, the gap between them was clear, and Kaiser's initial valuation was already over twice that of Shinichi's. For someone like Raichi, whose total value was merely 10 million, this was beyond comprehension.
"It's because of expectations," Lorenzo, who wasn't too familiar with Blue Lock's players, spoke up for the first time. "Though not quite at Loki's level, Kaiser is undoubtedly a figurehead among the new generation's Eleven Heroes, a natural frontrunner. Previously neck-and-neck with other rising stars and constantly improving, Kaiser was considered by many club executives as a candidate worthy of chasing the title of 'World's Best Forward.' When he failed to meet that lofty expectation, his valuation naturally plummeted."
"No matter what, being number one carries a special kind of weight. And now… after getting utterly crushed in a head-to-head against Shinichi, Kaiser no longer deserves that title."
After Lorenzo's hand was smacked off Barou's shoulder with clear disgust, he shrugged it off with a smirk and casually plopped down on the ground. "Sure, being second is still impressive. But unless you're number one, your commercial value drops drastically, OK?"
"Which is why I'll keep winning—no matter what."
Feeling the heat of countless intense, battle-hungry gazes locking onto him, Shinichi calmly responded with just one sentence, accepting every unspoken challenge at once.
Being the best in the world isn't about beating everyone once—it's about having the confidence to face any challenger at any time, and the strength to keep winning again and again. Only through continuous victories can a player truly claim the undisputed number one spot.
"Ahem, I think there's more to the drop in Kaiser's bid than just the match result," Hiori interjected, sensing the tension in the room was about to boil over into a spontaneous rematch. He quickly tried to steer the conversation back to football to keep the maniacs from throwing down.
"Kaiser lost his cool trying too hard to prove himself. If they hadn't intercepted my pass at the last moment, I would've delivered it to a more threatening spot. But then again, I didn't know whether to pass to Isagi or Kaiser—maybe that's why he got so impatient."
"Or maybe he just underestimated me, this reliable monk," Igarashi chimed in proudly. Unfortunately, no one paid his bragging any attention as they turned to check out Kaiser's latest scouting report—
As one of the Eleven Heroes, there's no doubt about Kaiser's talent. But his performance in this match was clearly below par. Despite being capable of drawing top-tier defenders, the moment he clashed with Shinichi, he fell into a disadvantage. He even failed to recognize the deliberate opening left for him to shoot, allowing the well-prepared goalkeeper to easily block his signature strike.
Worse, after his signature move failed, Kaiser clearly lost control of his emotions. His need to prove himself overshadowed his desire to win—by far the biggest red flag in his evaluation. For any club considering investing in him, that kind of ego—putting personal pride above team success—is a serious risk and the biggest mark against him from this match.
Hearing that, everyone turned to Shinichi again—even Isagi hadn't considered this angle. Even though Kaiser didn't score, his shooting ability was undeniably top-tier, something no striker would ever want to pass up.
With such an overpowering move, most strategies would center around preventing him from shooting in the first place. So when he got blocked, everyone just assumed the keeper had done an outstanding job.
"What do you think I am?" Ubers' goalkeeper Canali spoke up, as if sensing the room's confusion. "Even after training under Shinichi's cannonball regime, there's no way I could completely shut down a Kaiser shot. Honestly, as long as he gets his shot off, it's practically unstoppable. The only reason I managed to block it was because Shinichi had already limited him—his shot ended up going straight at me. That's the only kind I can confidently save."
That explanation made a few ambitious players glance uneasily at Shinichi. Without this discussion, they might never have realized who was really responsible for shutting down Kaiser's strike. If someone like Shinichi could pull off subtle traps like that unnoticed, who knows how many others he's hiding?
"Damn it… That damn monster! He's pulling further and further ahead again!"
—xN
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