View source for Rensuke Kunigami

{{Tabs
| tab1 = Overview
| tab2 = Synopsis
| tab3 = Relationships
| tab4 = Image Gallery
}}
{{Quotebox
| quotetext    = ...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.
| personquoted = Kunigami to [[Yoichi Isagi|Isagi]]
| quotesource  = {{Ref|chap=9|name=ch9}}
}}
{{Character Infobox
| image          = <gallery>
Rensuke Kunigami.png|Manga
Rensuke Kunigami suit anime design.png|Anime
</gallery>
| japanese       = 國神 錬介
| rōmaji         = Kunigami Rensuke
| alias          = "Hero"
“Fallen hero”
| gender         = Male
| age            = 16<ref name = "Character profile from ''Egoist Bible''" />([[Chapter 1]]-[[Chapter 156]])<br>
17 ([[Chapter 156]]-present)
| birthday       = March 11<ref name = "Character profile from ''Egoist Bible''">Character profile from ''Egoist Bible''</ref>
| height         = 188 cm<ref name = "Character profile from ''Egoist Bible''" /> (6'2")
| weight         = 
| blood type     = O<ref name = "Character profile from ''Egoist Bible''" />
| hair color     = Orange
| eye color      = Auburn
| relatives      = Unnamed Mother<br>
Unnamed Father<br>
Unnamed Older Sister<br>
Unnamed Younger Sister
| occupation     = Student
| affiliation    = [[Blue Lock]]
| f. affiliation = Seido Academy<ref>[[Volume 16]], Extra Pages "Blue Lock Uniform Collection 4"</ref>
| bl rank        = 8{{Ref|chap=298}}<br>
8{{Ref|chap=246}}<br>
5{{Ref|chap=240}}<br>
5{{Ref|chap=204}}<br>
3{{Ref|chap=170}}<br>
50{{Ref|chap=58|name=ch58}}<br>
268{{Ref|chap=24}}<br>
266{{Ref|chap=15}}<br>
291{{Ref|ep=2}}
| team           = [[Japan U-20]] <small>(Reserve)</small>{{Ref|chap=312}}
| f. team        = [[Bastard München]] <small>(Starter)</small>{{Ref|chap=158}}<br>
[[Team Red]]{{Ref|chap=58|name=ch58}}<br>
[[Team Z]]{{Ref|chap=2}}
| jersey no.     = 9 <small>(First Selection)</small><br>
50 <small>(Second Selection & Bastard München)</small>
| position       = Forward<br>
Defensive Midfielder<br>
Centre Midfielder
| f. position    = 
| weapon         = * Power Shot<br>
* Physique<br>
* Ambidexterity<br>
* Manmarking<br>
* Flow State
| manga debut    = [[Chapter 1]]
| anime debut    = [[Episode 1]]
| jp. voice      = {{W|Yūki Ono}}
| en. voice      = [https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=215105 Alex Hom]
}}
{{Nihongo|'''Rensuke Kunigami'''|{{Ruby|國|くに}}{{Ruby|神|がみ}} {{Ruby|練|れん}}{{Ruby|介|すけ}}|Kunigami Rensuke}} is a contender of [[Blue Lock Project|Blue Lock]] who played as a centre defensive midfielder for Germany's [[Bastard München]] during the [[Neo Egoist League]].

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 chooses to walk towards the 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]]. Following the end of the Neo Egoist League, Kunigami has qualified to become one of the 23 players for the new Japan U-20 team entering the upcoming [[PIFA]] [[U-20 World Cup]].

== 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 Arc|First Selection]], he wore Team Z's blue #9 jersey and Team Z's gray-capped cleats. During [[Second Selection Arc|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.

<gallery position="center" widths="170" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
JP Volume 4.png|Colored Appearance
File:Kunigami BLLK sweats anime.png|Blue Lock joggers
File:Rensuke Kunigami uniform anime design.png|Team Z uniform
Rensuke Kunigami - Team Red.png|Team Red Uniform
BM Kunigami.PNG|Bastard München Uniform (Manga)
BL Icon Rensuke Kunigami.jpg|Blue Lock player icon
Young Kunigami.png|Young Kunigami
</gallery>

== 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 [[Jingo Raichi|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 [[Yoichi Isagi|Isagi]] to use his ambidexterity in order to defeat [[Michael Kaiser|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. 
** Kunigami was tied for top scorer on Team Z during the First Selection, although [[Wataru Kuon]] had to cheat to go neck to neck in terms of goals. 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 forwards in Blue Lock who boast an extraordinarily strong and muscular physique and 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 [[Meguru Bachira|Bachira]]'s improved dribbling ability for a few moments during the [[FC Barcha|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.

* '''Power 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.
** '''Knuckleball''': Almost 40 meters away from the goal, Kunigami shoots the ball with such an intense force, that it kills the spin of the ball, allowing it to curve in an unpredictable path. Kunigami used this shot in the [[Team V vs Team Z]] match.
** '''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 [[Yoichi Isagi|Isagi]] took an inaccurate 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]]. [[Ikki Niko|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 [[Shoei Baro|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|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. 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 ==

{{Appearance/Introduction Arc|1 = debut_cv|2 = yes|3 = yes|4 = yes}}
{{Appearance/First Selection Arc|5 = yes|6 = yes|7 = yes|8 = yes|9 = yes|10 = yes|11 = yes|12 = yes|13 = yes|14 = yes|15 = yes_cv|16 = yes|17 = yes|18 = yes|19 = yes|20 = yes|21 = yes|22 = yes|23 = yes|24 = yes|25 = yes|26 = yes|27 = yes|28 = yes|29 = yes|30 = yes|31 = yes|32 = yes|33 = yes|34 = yes|35 = yes|36 = yes|37 = yes|38 = yes}}
{{Appearance/Second Selection Arc|39 = yes|40 = yes|42 = m|43 = m|44 = yes|57 = yes|58 = yes|59 = yes|60 = yes|61 = yes|62 = yes|63 = yes|64 = yes|65 = yes|66 = yes|67 = yes|68 = yes|71 = yes}}
{{Appearance/Third Selection Arc|88 = yes|89 = yes|94 = yes_cv}}
{{Appearance/U-20 Arc|142 = cv|149 = yes}}
{{Appearance/Neo Egoist League Arc|152 = flash|155 = yes|156 = yes|157 = yes|158 = yes|159 = yes|160 = yes|161 = yes|162 = yes|163 = yes|165 = yes|166 = yes|167 = yse|169 = yes|171 = yes|173 = yes|174 = yes|176 = yes|177 = yes|178 = yes|183 = yes|184 = yes|185 = yes|186 = yes|187 = yes|188 = yes|192 = yes|193 = yes|194 = yes|195 = yes|196 = p|197 = yes|199 = yes|200 = p|201 = yes|202 = yes|203 = yes|204 = p|208 = yes|209 = yes|210 = yes|211 = yes|212 = yes|213 = yes|214 = yes|218 = yes|219 = yes|220 = yes|221 = yes|225 = yes|227 = yes|232 = yes|234 = yes|235 = yes|236 = yes|237 = yes|238 = yes|240 = yes|247 = yes|248 = yes|249 = yes|251 = yes|252 = yes|253 = yes|254 = yes|255 = yes|256 = yes|257 = yes|258 = yes|259 = yes|262 = yes|263 = yes|264 = yes|265 = yes|266 = yes|267 = yes|268 = yes|272 = yes|274 = yes|275 = yes|276 = yes|277 = yes|282 = f|285 = yes|287 = yes|290 = yes|292 = yes|293 = yes|297 = yes|300 = yes|301 = yes}}
{{Appearance/U-20 World Cup Arc|304 = yes|305 = yes|307 = cv|309  = yes|311 = yes|318 = yes|322 = flash}}

== Anime Appearances ==

{{Appearance/Season 1|1 = debut|2 = yes|3 = yes|4 = yes|5 = yes|6 = yes|7 = yes|8 = yes|9 = yes|10 = yes|11 = yes|12 = yes|15 = yes|16 = yes|17 = yes|18 = yes|19 = yes|24 = yes}}
{{Appearance/Season 2|25 = flash|26 = m|31 = flash|38 = yes}}

== Etymology ==

* His given name, {{Nihongo|'''Rensuke'''|{{Ruby|練|れん}}{{Ruby|介|すけ}}}}, means "a training shellfish".

* His surname, {{Nihongo|'''Kunigami'''|{{Ruby|國|くに}}{{Ruby|神|がみ}}}}, means "a country god".

* His name can thus be interpreted as "a country-training shellfish god".

== Quotes ==

* (To [[Team Z]]) ''"My greatest weapon is my left foot's shooting power".''{{Ref|chap=9|name=ch9}}

* (To [[Yoichi Isagi|Isagi]]) ''"Because I'm going to be a football hero".''{{Ref|chap=9|name=ch9}}

* (To [[Junichi Wanima|Junichi]]) ''"Enough. Don't lay your hands on my team".''{{Ref|chap=22}}

== Trivia ==

* The majority of this information is from the official Egoist Bible.
** He started playing football at the age of 6.
** His hometown is {{W|Akita Prefecture|Akita}}.
** His foot size is 28cm.
** His favorite players are {{W|Didier Drogba}} and {{W|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 {{W|E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial|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 {{W|One Piece (TV series)|One Piece}}, also mentioning that he likes the relationship between Zoro and Luffy.
** His favorite season is spring.
** His favorite song is {{W|Silhouette (Kana-Boon song)|Silhouette}} by {{W|Kana-Boon|KANA-BOON}} (This song is used for Naruto's 16<sup>th</sup> 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 {{W|Iron Man (2008 film)|Iron Man}}.

* Kunigami ranked 7<sup>th</sup> in the first [[Popularity Polls|popularity poll]] with 748 votes.

* By the end of the [[Neo Egoist League]], Kunigami got a ¥66,000,000 offer from {{Nihongo|'''"[[Berserk Dortmund]]"'''|バーサーク・ドルトムント|Bāsāku Dorutomunto}} <ref>[[Volume 35]]</ref>. Berserk Dortmund is based on Borussia Dortmund.

== References ==

{{References}}

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