Hiori takes too long to make a crucial decision.
In the last chapter of the Blue Lock manga, Eita Otoya entered the field and changed the equation for Blue Lock again. With the score now 3-2 in France’s favour, Isagi decides it’s best for him to coordinate with Kaarasu so he can play alongside the rest of the team. His new playstyle throws France for a loop, and Hiori ends up getting a chance to score a goal. Unfortunately, he takes too long to make his decision.
Blue Lock
Author: Muneyuki Kaneshiro
Illustrator: Yosuke Nomura
Publisher: Kodansha
Where to read: KManga
What happened in Blue Lock Chapter 345?
Isagi faces Hugo, and the French player sees a change of expression in Blue Lock’s ace. He senses an immeasurable swell of concentration from Isagi and wonders how he managed to interpret the ball just now. He decides that Isagi will either try to score himself or pass to Rin, Shidou, or Barou, and tells him to bring it on. But Isagi surprises him by passing the ball to Karasu. Everyone in Blue Lock is shocked, including Karasu, to see Isagi joining their new Karasu-centric playstyle. The two players bypass Hugo and Charles using a one-two pass, which shocks the French players. Rin feels angry because Isagi decided that partnering with him isn’t working and went for Karasu instead.
With only two minutes left of the match, Isagi and Karasu move up the field. Hugo catches up with Isagi and tells him he has been waiting for this moment when he decides to follow his destiny as his team's dedicated second best. Hugo reveals that the reason why he worked so hard to push Isagi and the Japanese team to their true suitability is because he wants to win the World Cup four times. But France needs to fight against strong rivals to level up to achieve that goal, which means the other countries need to follow their destinies. Japan has passed, and now it’s time to reach their true ending in this showdown between two teams of perfect suitability.
Blue Lock passes the ball amongst themselves expertly, which goes incredibly well now that Isagi is coordinating with Karasu. Hiori thinks about how the team seems to have entered a new dimension with this pairing. Ready to make the next move, Karasu passes the ball to Hiori. With the goalpost only 28 yards away, Hiori can shoot for a goal himself or even pass to other strikers. Before he can choose, Hugo and Charles start guarding Barou and Shidou, invalidating them as passing candidates. Hiori still delays with his decision, and Loki suddenly runs up to him.
France’s ace tells him that Blue Lock is nothing but an uncoordinated egotistical rabble. If France keeps them from making individual goals, they’re screwed. Hiori realises that with Hugo, Charles, and Loki’s snap-moment judgement was enough to shut their whole play down. He tries to shoot, but Loki is already in front of him and Hiori is too late. Loki tells him that the game is over. But right then, Isagi calls him from the side and tells him to pass. In the last panel, we see Hugo looking at Isagi intently.
What to expect from Blue Lock Chapter 346?
Of course, Isagi’s coordination with Karasu was nothing but a ruse to get the team on his side. It’s a good play, but it seems to me that Hugo might have figured it out. But will he be able to stop the protagonist? I highly doubt that. I feel that the match will end in one or two chapters and we will have our answers soon.
When is Blue Lock Chapter 346 coming?
The next chapter of the manga will likely come out on Tuesday, 5 May, 2026. You can read the latest chapters on the KManga platform.