Rensuke Kunigami

Overview

Synopsis

Relationships

Image Gallery

“	...I will fulfill this dream of mine, and fight against the world for it, fair and square. I don't think there's anything embarrassing about that.	”
	— Kunigami to Isagi

Rensuke Kunigami
Japanese	國神 錬介
Rōmaji	Kunigami Rensuke
Biological Information
Gender	Male
Age	16(Chapter 1-Chapter 156) 17 (Chapter 156-present)
Birthday	March 11, 2002
Height	188 cm (6'2")
Blood Type	O
Hair Color	Orange
Eye Color	Auburn
Relatives	Unnamed Mother Unnamed Father Unnamed Older Sister Unnamed Younger Sister
Professional Information
Occupation	Student
Affiliation	Blue Lock
Blue Lock rank	8 5 3 50 268 266 291
Team	Bastard München
Former team(s)	Team Red Team Z
Jersey Number(s)	9 (First Selection) 50 (Second Selection & Bastard München)
Position	Forward Defensive Midfielder
Weapon	Finesse Shot Physique Ambidexterity Manmarking Flow State
Debut
Manga	Chapter 1
Anime	Episode 1
Portrayal
Japanese Voice	Yūki Ono
English Voice	Alex Hom

Rensuke Kunigami (國 (くに) 神 (がみ) 練 (れん) 介 (すけ) , Kunigami Rensuke^?) is a contender of Blue Lock who currently plays as a forward for Germany's Bastard München.

He is a hotblooded forward whose main goal is to become the best striker in the world and, in turn, a football superhero. When first arriving at Blue Lock, he was member of Team Z during the First Selection. He was eliminated from Blue Lock's main route during the final games of Second Selection, but instead of leaving the facility, he walked into a mysterious "Wild Card" door that was open to him.

After the U-20 match ended, Kunigami finally returned from the "Wild Card" door and rejoined the other contenders during the Neo Egoist League.

Quick Answers

What is the significance of Kunigami being referred to as the 'wild card' in Blue Lock?

In Blue Lock, Rensuke Kunigami earns the 'wild card' title after being eliminated from the main route during the Second Selection's final games. Instead of exiting the facility, he enters a 'Wild Card' door, which allows him to rejoin the competition post the U-20 match. His return sees him utilize his muscular physique more effectively, notably trapping the ball midair between two defenders and pushing past them to create shooting opportunities.

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What led to Kunigami's departure from Blue Lock and did he ever return?

Rensuke Kunigami exited Blue Lock after losing to Ryusei Shido's team, with Reo being selected over him. He later reentered the competition via the wild card door. Upon his return, Kunigami adopted a colder, more serious demeanor and an aggressive, instinctual football style to assert his dominance on the field.

Provided by: Fandom

What events transpired that changed Kunigami's role in Blue Lock?

Rensuke Kunigami, in Blue Lock's Second Selection Arc, partners with Chigiri and Reo Mikage. They suffer a defeat to Isagi's team, leading to Chigiri's departure. After losing to Ryusei Shido's team and Reo's selection, Kunigami exits the program. He reenters via the wild card door, leading to a shift in his mindset and playing style, becoming more aggressive and focused.

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How does Kunigami's height influence his performance as a forward?

Rensuke Kunigami uses his physical stature to excel as a forward in Blue Lock. His strong physique aids in fending off defenders and creating scoring opportunities. He is proficient in shooting from a range of 28 meters and can execute a powerful shot from nearly 40 meters. His control over his center and upper body reflexes boosts his dribbling skills.

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What does Kunigami's dream of becoming a football superhero entail?

Rensuke Kunigami's aspiration to be a football superhero involves embodying the courage and passion of triumphant football players, rather than possessing supernatural abilities. He aims to inspire others as his idols inspired him, even if it means facing ridicule for his audacious dream. His ambition also encompasses scoring winning goals, reflecting his childhood admiration for successful strikers.

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Appearance

Kunigami is a tall, fair-skinned high schooler with auburn eyes and bright, spiky orange hair that is styled in an undercut. He appears to be very muscular and broad in the shoulders. At Blue Lock, Kunigami wears the standard-issued body suit (black with gray stripes) and tracksuit. During the First Selection, he wore Team Z's blue #9 jersey and Team Z's gray-capped cleats. During Second Selection, he wore Team Red's #50 jersey. Once he was selected as a regular for Bastard München during the Neo Egoist League, he donned their #50 club uniform. After the U-20 match, Kunigami's hair has grown out more, he is noticeably more muscular, and he looks gloomier and more serious overall.

Colored Appearance

Blue Lock joggers

Team Z uniform

Team Red Uniform

Blue Lock player icon

Young Kunigami

Personality

Kunigami has a very moral personality. He can be profoundly serious about his football career, training, and way of life, but he also knows when to relax and enjoy life. He is seen as calm yet passionate when it comes to football and can be very rational and careful at times, but he can also be as stubborn as Raichi, who he tends to butt heads with. Kunigami will not let troublemakers and people who play unfair get their way when he is around; he almost comes off as a big brother. Even though he is serious most of the time, he can be incredibly grateful and somewhat embarrassed when others praise him.

Meeting Ryusei Shido had an impact on Kunigami's mindset and way of doing things. A more aggressive and instinctual way of playing outdid his moral and righteous way of playing, and he exited Blue Lock, questioning Shido's words. After returning to Blue Lock, Kunigami is noticeably colder and more focused, with a new philosophy on how he plays football, striving to maintain his dominance on the field. Kunigami barely says a sentence to Isagi and does not speak to anybody else in the stratum. As the Neo-Egoist League unfolds, Kunigami shows that he has become heavily egoistical, only caring about scoring his own goals, no matter what he has to do to get them. His football colleagues describe him as a cyborg because of his profoundly serious and non-expressive demeanor. He has also become rude and disrespectful, often making offensive comments to the rest of his teammates and rivals, with Noel Noa being the only exception, but still maintaining a cold attitude toward him. However, deep down, he still has morals and is noble, refusing to teach Isagi to use his ambidexterity in order to defeat Kaiser, stating that doing it would destroy all his stats.

Abilities

Archetypes

• Forwards: also known as strikers, have the main objective of scoring goals. They are often the players who get the most attention since their role is designed to be in a scoring position. They also take part in penalty kicks and corner kicks when the opposing team kicks the ball out of bounds. They are normally the players in charge of starting off the game at the start and halftime.

• Clinical Finisher: Clinical finishers are forwards that specialize in their accurate shooting ability. They are "clinical" in that they need few opportunities to score a goal to be able to strike and place the ball exactly where it will beat the goalkeeper. Their high goal-to-shot ratio identify them. Clinical strikers usually play as center forwards, though other attacking players can often be said to be clinical finishers.
  
  Being a high-powered left-footed shooter, Kunigami is a rare type of striker. Kunigami was tied for top scorer on Team Z during the First Selection, but only because Wataru Kuon, another member in Team Z, cheated to get his goals to tie with Kunigami's. When left unmarked, he is guaranteed to make an easy goal. After emerging from his time in the Wild Card, Kunigami's physical abilities have been noted to have skyrocketed since his last appearance in the Second Selection, and his ability to finish has become unquestionable when inside the box, being able to dribble and score with both feet now. Since the second game of the Neo-Egoist League, Kunigami now aims to create his own chances with his high-level physique and ambidexterity.

Skills

• Superior Physicality: Kunigami is one of the handful of forwards in Blue Lock who has an extraordinarily strong and muscular physique, and he uses this to his advantage when driving the ball down the field or marking players to defend. After returning from "Wild Card" and becoming a regular on Bastard München for the Neo Egoist League, Kunigami is more noticeably able to leverage his physique by trapping the ball midair with his chest between two defenders and pushing past those defenders while holding them back so he could set up his own shot. Kunigami also has better control of his center and upper body reflexes, as seen when he was able to keep up with Bachira's improved dribbling ability for a few moments during the Barcha game. Anri also noted that Kunigami's physical specs are almost the same as Noel Noa's, something she calls an amazing feat for his age. Specifically, his cardiopulmonary function, muscle mass, and overall fitness all approach Noel Noa's.

• Finesse Shot: Kunigami has a near pinpoint power shot, specifically from his left leg, that he uses to score incredibly powerful shots, with his standard range for shooting being within 28 meters.
  • Knuckle Shot: From almost 40 meters away from the net, Kunigami shoots with such intense force that he kills the spin of the ball, allowing for the shot to curve in an unusual manner.
  • Charging Power Shot: When in possession of the ball and holding off two defenders, Kunigami is able to push past his defenders while opening up space for himself and shooting a high-powered shot with his right foot.
  • Rush Volley: Kunigami jumps using his physical strength and performs a volley shot while in the air. This shot was performed after Isagi took a bad shot against Manshine City, where the angle of the ball went off-course, and Kunigami instinctively threw himself into the path of the shot and jumped to send a volley shot into the net.

• Ambidexterity: After having competed in the Wild Card Path, Kunigami exhibits the ability to use both of his feet to score goals. He admits he was forced to develop the skill to survive in the Wild Card but was only able to do it in a brief period of time due to his physical attributes. While he can use both feet to shoot and to dribble, Kunigami has so far chosen to use his right for almost all his shots in the Neo-Egoist League. Niko even commented that his right leg is now his stronger leg. Isagi also commented on how this ability has led to Kunigami being a constant threat to the defense, making it easier for his team to operate. He also called Kunigami a "perfect striker with no weak spots."
  • Dribbling: Kunigami is now able to dribble with both feet and cut through defenders by making them think he will shoot with either foot. This danger forces defenders to press him, allowing Kunigami to dribble through.
    • Shot Fake - Cut in: Kunigami fakes a shot with either leg, forcing defenders to attempt to block him, and then taps the ball to his other foot and cuts past them to set up a real shot.

• Manmarking: Kunigami is able to effectively manmark another player using his physicality and presence to prevent them from playing the way they want to. He was able to use this to great effect to prevent Baro from scoring for a while in their match at the Second Selection. Kunigami constantly forced Baro out of his golden zone and prevented him from shooting. After his Wild Card training improved his physique even further, Kunigami was able to completely shut down someone as physically capable as Shido, preventing him from even touching the ball, while in their last match, Kunigami was unable to understand nor stop Shido at all.

• Flow State: Flow, as Ego describes it, is the state of "total immersion" or "being in the zone." It is the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.
  Kunigami was not present for Ego's explanation on Flow and, as such, has not consciously entered it, but he has done it unconsciously several times. Isagi recalls Kunigami entering Flow during the Team Z matches twice. Isagi and Kunigami's chemical reaction to score against Barcha also led Kunigami to flow. Most recently, Kunigami entered Flow to completely shut down Shido in their game and assist Isagi's goal.

Manga Appearances

Introduction Arc
1. Dream	Debut & Cover
2. Moving In	Appears
3. Monster	Appears
4. Right Now	Appears

First Selection Arc
5. The "Zero" of Soccer	Appears
6. Individual.	Appears
7. We'll Meet in Front of the Goal	Appears
8. Message	Appears
9. Superhero	Appears
10. Operation: Me, Next 9	Appears
11. Premonition & Intuition	Appears
12. Signal	Appears
13. The One to be Reborn	Appears
14. Resolve	Appears
15. Spiral	Appears & Cover
16. One Shot	Appears
17. Sorry	Appears
18. Thanks for the Help	Appears
19. Overwhelming Disadvantage	Appears
20. Boiling	Appears
21. Break Through!	Appears
22. Until This Fire Burns Out	Appears
23. Until They Met	Appears
24. Goal Formula	Appears
25. Trick	Appears
26. LAST GAME	Appears
27. Only One	Appears
28. Super Special	Appears
29. Flash of Evolution	Appears
30. Extreme Frenzy	Appears
31. Awakening	Appears
32. Impetus	Appears
33. Attack Waves	Appears
34. At This Rate	Appears
35. Last Chance	Appears
36. Right Here	Appears
37. The Last Piece	Appears
38. More	Appears

Second Selection Arc
39. Hungry	Appears
40. Second Selection	Appears
41. BLUE LOCK MAN
42. About-Face	Mentioned
43. Three-Man Teams	Mentioned
44. Rivalry Battle	Appears
45. Battle to the Death
46. TOP 3
47. Chemical Reaction
48. The Beauty of the Parabola
49. After the Parting
50. Match Confirmed	Appears
51. Creator
52. Talent and Mediocrity
53. Blind Spot
54. Devour
55. A Dream that Won't Come True
56. Proof I've Wagered My Life
57. Chance Encounter	Appears
58. The Battle Begins	Appears
59. Triple Combo	Appears
60. Field Vision	Appears
61. Leverage	Appears
62. Loser	Appears
63. Buried Ego	Appears
64. The Lead Actor's Stage	Appears
65. Trick of Fate	Appears
66. Loser's Crossroads	Appears
67. Power of Despair	Appears
68. Promise	Appears
69. Chaos
70. Dancing Boy
71. Friends	Appears
72. MATCH UP!!
73. Ultra-Coordination
74. Monster
75. Wild Dance
76. Can't Go Back
77. All-Out
78. Irregular
79. I'm Not There
80. Unlimited
81. Last Action
82. I Don't Need You
83. Voice
84. Initial Impulse
85. Eight Seconds Ago
86. Pride

World's Best Arc
87. Luck
88. World All-Stars	Appears
89. Demon	Appears
90. Third Selection
91. Divine Speed
92. The Closest

U-20 Arc
109. Battle Group
110. Newcomer
111. FLOW
112. Grand Stage
113. Cops and Robbers
114. Quartet
115. Sae Itoshi
116. Revenger
117. Nice to Meet You
118. Warped
119. Third Arrow
120. Blue Genes
121. 1st HALF
122. Headliner
123. World's Best
124. Night Snow
125. Ruin
126. 2nd HALF
127. Dragon Drive
128. Dramatic Exchange
129. Cool Head and Chameleon
130. The World Doesn't Know Me Yet
131. What You Taught Us
132. Dictator
133. Extreme Focus
134. Flowers
135. Shachihoko
136. Culmination
137. Last Step
138. One Mind in Two Bodies
139. Synchronize
140. Essence
141. Monster Trance
142. World Standard
143. Not Alone
144. Disposition
145. Born Slippy
146. Final Match-up
147. Last Attack
148. Declaration
149. Complete
150. Holiday
151. Changing World

Anime Appearances

Season 1
1. Dream	Debut
2. Monster	Appears
3. Soccer's "Zero"	Appears
4. Premonition and Intuition	Appears
5. To Be Reborn	Appears
6. I'm Sorry	Appears
7. Rush	Appears
8. The Formula for Goals	Appears
9. Awakening	Appears
10. Just the Way It Is	Appears
11. The Final Piece	Appears
12. The Second Selection	Appears
13. TOP3	Absent
14. The Geniuses and the Average Joes	Absent
15. Devour	Appears
16. Tri-Fusion	Appears
17. Donkey	Appears
18. The Stage for the Lead	Appears
19. Dancing Boy	Appears
20. Super Link-Up Play	Absent
21. I'm Not There	Absent
22. Voice	Absent
23. Luck	Absent
24. The Time Has Come	Appears

Season 2
25. Tryouts	Flashback
26. The Assassin and the Ninja	Mentioned
27. The World of Feeling	Absent
28. Chameleon	Absent
29. Flow	Absent
30. Grand Stage	Absent
31. Sae Itoshi	Flashback
32. Blue Genes	Absent
33. Night Snow	Absent

Etymology

• His given name, Rensuke (練 (れん) 介 (すけ) , Rensuke^?), means "training shellfish".

• His surname, Kunigami (國 (くに) 神 (がみ) , Kunigami^?), means "country god".

Quotes

• (To Team Z) "My greatest weapon is my left foot's shooting power."

• (To Isagi) "Because I'm going to be a football hero."

• (To Junichi) "Enough. Don't lay your hands on my team."

Trivia

• The majority of this information is from the official Egoist Bible.
  • He started playing football at the age of 6.
  • His hometown is Akita.
  • His foot size is 28cm.
  • His favorite players are Didier Drogba and Olivier Giroud.
  • His sleeping time is 8 hours.
  • He mentioned that his weakness is his inability to handle compliments and unfriendliness.
  • His favorite food is seaweed soup. His least favorite food is milk-soaked cereal.
  • His favorite subject is PE. His least favorite subjects are Modern Japanese and Classics (he doesn't understand why he has to learn them).
  • He spends his holidays working out and running on the beach.
  • His favorite animal is a polar bear.
  • His fetish is the nape of the neck, and he looks at both men and women there.
  • His ideal type is someone who is gentle and cute.
  • When he bathes, he washes his neck first.
  • The last time he cried was when he was watching E.T.
  • If he impulsively bought something from a convenience store, it would be batteries.
  • He received seven Valentine's chocolates this year.
  • His favorite anime is One Piece, also mentioning that he likes the relationship between Zoro and Luffy.
  • His favorite season is spring.
  • His favorite song is Silhouette by KANA-BOON (This song is used for Naruto's 16^th opening).
  • His older sister stopped receiving Christmas gifts when he was 9, and since he didn't want her to feel left out, he didn't accept receiving any anymore.
  • When asked what he would do if he received 100 million yen (around $700k), he said he'd spend 30 million on soccer, save another 30 million, and donate 40 million to charity.
  • His favorite motto is "Fair and square."
  • His favorite movie is Iron Man.

• Kunigami ranked 7^th in the first popularity poll with 748 votes.