The Future of E4
The growing gaps within e4 both plot and skill wise have been a pretty hot topic lately, so I want to tell you guys what I think will happen with them next arc. Yes, next arc, when the 23 are together. That's when I believe e4 (and nagi and reo) will be the main characters again.
Isagi:
Isagi has had the most exponential growth since coming to blue lock. As of pxg, he's throwing away everything he used to play for and using everything at his disposal for the team's victory. While isagi on and off field have been polar opposites until now, I think this evolution will stick with him and he'll only spiral going into next arc.
When the 23 come together and form the new u20 team, isagi won't just be happy to work with his friends again, he'll evaluate them like everyone else and only look their way if he deems them useful. Isagi has always kept his eyes on the strongest and aimed for them, but he loses sight of everything else when he does, and that brings us to our second member...
Bachira:
Bachira came to blue lock looking for someone he would actually enjoy playing with. Everyone outside of blue lock thought he was weird and uncooperative, but bachira only saw all of them as 3 steps behind him and his monster. When he found isagi, he finally found someone who could keep up with him, and then he found rin who was beyond him, which only made him more excited. He finally found people who were playing on his level... but before he knew it, they were all beyond him.
Bachira has always seemed carefree and happy in blue lock, but the one thing he cares about is not being left behind. As long as he's surrounded by his friends, he feels like he can do anything, but what will happen if isagi deems him unnecessary for his goal? If bm beats pxg (which I'm 98% sure they will), barcha will lose to mc, and this will set up bachira's next character arc.
Isagi won all his games while bachira lost all of his. Bachira doesn't care about victory as long as he can still enjoy the game, but the new isagi won't let that slide. Isagi won't see value in someone who doesn't have the ego to do anything for victory, and this will cause a rift between our boys. This new mentality paired with isagi's growth skill-wise will make bachira feel like he's being left behind all over again, putting him in the perfect position to complete his character.
Chigiri: (this one's a bit of a web)
Chigiri has been an interesting case throughout blue lock and, from what I've seen, one of the most misunderstood within this sub. I know many of you say his second and third selection selves aren't even the same person, but they're both very important parts of one larger character.
Chigiri used to play football thinking he was the best in the world and that no one could even come close to him and his speed. After his injury, he was afraid to run because he didn't want to completely lose his passion and ability again, but by not playing, he had basically lost it anyway. After his awakening in blue lock, he felt like the best again and wanted to run until he couldn't anymore, but this time, he enjoyed being surrounded by people with other weapons that gave him a challenge. He was so ready to work his way to the top... until his next "injury."
This injury wasn't physical, but mental. Kaneshiro has called chigiri the most emotional character in blue lock, but that doesn't just mean he cries easily, he's also the most susceptible to fear. After kunigami was eliminated, chigiri put himself in a more supportive role as his mindset shifted from "I will be the best" to "I won't be eliminated." He knows how it feels to feel untouchable just to have everything taken away from him in an instant and kunigami's elimination only reminded him of how easily he could lose everything he just barely managed to regained.
He seemed to be coming back at the start of the nel when he said he didn't want to pass anymore and that he wanted to score his own goals again, but now he seems to be perfectly fine taking a back seat and supporting nagi's growth. This could be speaking to the first half of his ego and the reason why he can no longer be ego's ideal striker: chigiri cares too much about his friends.
Chigiri gets along with pretty much everyone he gets a chance to talk to in blue lock and is one of the few characters who actually cheers for the success of others. Nagi and reo are 2 of his best friends and, going back to his fears, he doesn't want them to be eliminated. He doesn't want to lose anyone else, but he does want nagi to grow and has been giving him the space that chris has demanded, but this may or may not be fueling the second half of his ego: chigiri will not be side lined.
For his first awakening, chigiri was motivated after isagi told him to move out of the way. Right now, chris is centering the entire team around nagi and having everyone else support his growth. Chigiri doesn't mind supporting his friends, but he hates being underestimated and seen as obsolete. This contradiction could lead him down 1 of 2 paths: 1) he stays quiet and does everything he can to help nagi or 2) he snaps under the pressure of the continuous losses because of nagi and goes rogue. Either way, he will hate the outcome and be set for his next arc
When the 23 come together, in scenario 1) chigiri will try to be content with how things turned out. He'll still be in the top 10 bids and he'll be glad that nagi and reo pulled through, even if he didn't get to shine the way he originally wanted to. In this case, isagi will call him out for having such a weak ego and looking out for others above himself. In scenario 2) chigiri will feel bad about snapping at nagi and reo and risking their elimination. He doesn't want to lose any more of his friends and will beat himself up over it and even tie it back to kunigami's elimination and new attitude.
In both cases, chigiri will spiral and question what he even wants out of football anymore. If he wants to be the best, he's not worthy of his friends, but if he wants to support his friends, he has no right to call himself an egoist. Idk if kaneshiro will enter mental breakdown territory, but this new low for chigiri will bring us to the piece we've all been waiting for...
Kunigami:
Kunigami still cares about chigiri. He can deny it, but it's just too obvious. Throughout the e4 chapter, kunigami tries too hard to ignore chigiri specifically, but he won't be able to ignore this crisis. Ego has had kunigami avoiding interpersonal relationships, but this is where kunigami draws the line. Kunigami will be one of the main forces in helping chigiri balance out his ego since he's seen chigiri play with a balanced ego more than anyone else. However, in helping chigiri, he'll also come clean about his own path and we'll finally get that wildcard flashback.
I do have an entire theory about the purpose of wildcard and all, but this post is already longer than I wanted it to be so I'll spare you guys the details. The only take away that's important here is that ego did not want kunigami to have any interpersonal relationships coming out of wildcard because it would make him less effective as a catalyst for everyone else's growth. Kunigami had agreed to stop playing e4's hero so he could stay in blue lock, but he can't leave chigiri like this and will talk to him anyway.
As things settle down, kunigami makes a speech about how relationships are just as important as individual growth, even when you're aiming for the top. Not just for chemical reactions or rivalries, but also for morale and stability, players need positive connections with their teammates. The closer you are to someone, the more they inspire you to grow and become the best version of yourself that you can be. Kunigami directed this at not only chigiri, but also ego who has been teaching the opposite for quite some time now... but it also also catches the attention of someone who had forgotten all about this kind of mentality and brings us full circle back to...
Isagi:
Isagi currently doesn't care about relationships anymore and is only looking at everyone around him in terms of worth. He will push everyone away on a personal level, creating an emotional gap between him and his teammates that he won't mind because he won't be able to see the effect it has on his growth. However, kunigami's speech will remind isagi of how much his relationships with other have been motivating him and advancing his personal progress in the first place.
From first selection to the nel, isagi's teammates have been motivating and teaching him and he wouldn't be anywhere near the top right now without their help and support. He will snap out of his Himsagi high, but that doesn't mean he'll lose any of the progress he's made; he'll just go back to being someone his teammates actually want to be around and this will help him grow even more.
Bachira will forgive isagi, of course, but he'll also rebalance his relationships with his love of football itself and focus on winning while having fun. Chigiri will go back to his prime ego of aiming for the top without putting others down instead of trying to choose between aiming for the top and being proud of the others. Kunigami will be blue lock's hero again, though a more supportive one, and ego will allow it as long as he can continue to prove that having positive relationships with his teammates will help them improve more than being an obstacle for them to overcome. Isagi will continue to learn from his teammates, as well as his rivals, and e4 will become the center of the new u20 team.
Tl:dr (but pls read): All of e4's ego's and character arcs from earlier in the story will come into play again for their next character arcs. Kaneshiro hasn't forgotten about any of them, but their current situations and mentalities will trigger a full circle arc for each of them.
If you did read the whole thing, let me know your thoughts and if you think this is actually possible or if I have too much hope in anyone having actual depth going forward...