The following contains spoilers for Blue Lock Episode 4, "Premonition and Intuition", now streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
The titular program in Blue Lock has officially begun, and refusing to pull any punches. The participants are subdivided into groups, which later on become their teams. After eliminating the unnecessary players, Ego Jinpachi explains what the first selection entails. The teams are to play against the other teams in their building in a round-robin format of matches. The top two teams will gain the right to continue to the next stage of the program, while the others are eliminated. However, the top scorers of each eliminated team also gain the right to proceed.
Team Z -- the team Yoichi calls home -- first faced off against Shouei Barou's Team X. The start of the match was utter chaos, with everybody trying to secure a goal for themselves. But it didn't last long. Barou's splendid display of skill ushered Team X's teamwork, leading to Team X's domination over Team Z. Team Z came up with another strategy to prevent the chaos that ensued during their first match. They planned to adapt their team strategy based on the main striker's play style.
What Is Yoichi's Weapon?
After their devastating loss, the members of Team Z gathered in their room to discuss their next tactic. They began by telling each other what they were good at. Raichi told them that his weapon was his magnificent shooting technique. He even explained that his motto was "sexy soccer." Asahi Naruhaya followed suit. He explained that he was great at going behind. Just like that, the others also revealed their strengths, except Chigiri. The long-haired striker refused to expose his skills. But when Yoichi's turn came, he had nothing to tell the others. He himself didn't know what he was good at. While Igarashi Gurimu suggested passing, Yoichi dismissed it, as it was unbecoming of a striker.
Despite not knowing his weapon, Yoichi continued his daily training as per usual. However, it still bothered him. He only got a clue when Kunigami approached him while he was having a meal. Kunigami simply wanted to thank him for the great pass, which led to Team Z's only goal against Team X. Yoichi took that opportunity to chat with Kunigami, asking the other striker about his thoughts on soccer, which eventually led to Kunigami asking why Yoichi passed the ball to him. Yoichi confessed to smelling a goal. He further explained that passing to Raichi still meant having to face Barou. Hearing that, Kunigami suggested that smelling a goal might be Yoichi's weapon.
What Exactly Is "Smelling A Goal"?
Kunigami is likely right. Yoichi may yet realize it, but he has a knack for delivering results. Yoichi's ability to smell a goal may simply be a mixture of sharp soccer instincts and quick online processing. His pass to Kunigami during their match against Team X is proof of it. According to Yoichi, his pass to Kunigami isn't just a random stroke of luck. He takes Barou's existence and Raichi's position into consideration prior to making that pass, and all of it happened in a span of a few seconds. Simply put, his on-the-spot thinking ability is at least above the average player. However, he doesn't only rely on his thinking ability.
During their match against Team Y, he is the only one to pinpoint the mastermind behind their opponent's formation. As such, Team Z manages to score a goal. The only reason he manages to discover Niko's role is because of a certain feeling of threat. It is not a product of Yoichi's careful deduction. It is purely based on instinct. Perhaps, it is even comparable to how Bachira recognized a so-called monster within Isagi. If these speculations are correct, then Isagi will surely be entering the limelight in the next few episodes of Blue Lock.