Hump Day Husbandos: Kunigami Rensuke (BLUELOCK)

As always I am fashionably late to something that subsequently became a newfound obsession of mine: BLUELOCK and my favourite husbando from therein, Kunigami Rensuke. With its manga serialisation beginning back in 2018 and its anime adaptation running from October 9 of 2022 until March 26, I have crammed in as much BLUELOCK as I could in the past week.

It’s safe to say that its thriller-style plotline for a sports series has well and truly captivated me hook, line and sinker, even after seeing Kunigami gave me one good reason to give the anime a go initially. This sweetheart deserves all the love and hugs.

This article is spoiler-free.

Who is Kunigami?

Kunigami is a contender in the titular project of BLUELOCK, an unconventional training course that pits 300 of the most promising young Japanese football players against one another to hopefully mould the perfect striker – the greatest Japan has ever seen. In the lowest band of the rankings is the show’s main character, Isagi Yoichi, alongside 11 other participating hopefuls.

Kunigami is first seen right beside Isagi here, quickly acting as the morally good, older brother type who handles his rambunctious team to the best of his ability. His greatest strength is his left foot’s shooting power, as well as his physique that allows him to play more defensively, acting as an unmovable wall compared to his smaller and weaker opponents.

His well-rounded skills are a sign of untapped potential that finally comes to fruition in some of the more recent manga chapters — but let’s go back to basics first, and take a look at his charming character.

Why we love him

Kunigami acts as one of the more considerate characters in BLUELOCK, which is quite surprising considering how the plotline’s main intention is to uncover and polish the most egotistical striker.

As a middle child to two sisters, he naturally falls into the role of an unofficial older brother to the rest of his team, whether they like that or not. For how much of a hothead he tends to be, his maturity, kindness and sense of unabashed camaraderie with his other teammates makes him immediately appealing. He even shows his warm nature and sweet displays of consideration for those around him during a gruelling tournament.

He puts the others in his team in their place for any wrongdoing, is quick to mitigate rising tensions during matches, is completely allergic to rudeness from anyone and everyone, and even takes the time to style Chigiri’s long, lush head of hair in the “Additional Time” segment.

He’s easy to appreciate, particularly when those around him are so quick to shove aside or ignore interpersonal relationships completely; it’s both humbling and heartwarming. And the cherry on top is how he still blushes any time a compliment is sent his way; evidently he still has a few walls up.

Why you will love him

Kunigami’s motivation for becoming an accomplished, professional football player is to realise his one true goal: becoming a superhero. Having witnessed the incredible feats of professional footballers on TV during his youth, Kunigami was inspired to follow after them, and become a real superhero to others, unlike the fantastical creations of comics and shows. It’s undeniably one of the most wholesome, sweet motivations to be found in the entire cast.

At the time of writing, Kunigami continues to be an exciting character in the manga, with his journey continuing to unfold and take some surprising turns. His continued confrontation of adversaries that have turned his world upside down is an intriguing, albeit relatively minor, element of BLUELOCK as a whole.

On a final note, it must be said that Kunigami is a bisexual icon, noted for appreciating the necks of both men and women. Doubly nice is who voices such a pretty face: Yuki Ono, previously heard as Kuroko’s Basketball’s Taiga, Bleach’s Bazz-B and Café Enchanté’s Ignis. Maybe Yuki Ono is a favourite VA of mine after all!

Catch the anime on Crunchyroll now.

^{Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!}