Blue Lock 363: Hunting Dog Press Explained
Blue Lock 363 spoilers are below. Chapter 363, titled Taboo Game, came out on K Manga on Tuesday September 29, 2026, and it gave Blue Lock its first real answer to Teddy Knight. Isagi names it the Hunting Dog Press: two small, fast players hunting one star until he has nowhere left to run.
Here is how the Hunting Dog Press works, why Ego built his second half around it, and what has happened to it since.
Where Blue Lock stood before chapter 363
This is the match that decides the last ticket to the knockout stage of the U20 World Cup, and England were in control. In chapter 362, Obsession, Teddy Knight scored England’s third goal, and Blue Lock went into halftime down 3 to 1.
England coach Fox spent the break telling his players to keep trusting his system, a probability plan that turns every player into a piece he moves. Teddy, who openly calls himself a worthless puppet, is the piece that has been breaking Japan.
If you are catching up, our Blue Lock 357 breakdown covers how this match started.
Ego’s halftime changes in Blue Lock 363
Jinpachi Ego does not wait for the game to fix itself. He switches Blue Lock to a 4132 shape and makes two changes:
- Kenyu Yukimiya off, Hyoma Chigiri on. Ego wants a player who can use open space on his own.
- Zantetsu Tsurugi off, Ranze Kurona on. Losing both wingers means the Cerberus system is gone, so Ego trades it for something new.
Naturally, Zantetsu is not happy about leaving the match. Yukimiya takes it calmly. Kurona gets the simplest job on the team: follow Teddy Knight everywhere and never let him breathe.
What is the Hunting Dog Press?
The Hunting Dog Press is a two player trap. Kurona marks Teddy tight from the start, and Jin Kiyora waits for the moment Teddy tries to escape. Together they pin him against the touchline from both sides.
Here is how it plays out in the chapter:
- England kick off and Teddy gets the ball. Isagi switches on Metavision to look for a crack in Fox’s system.
- Kurona sticks to Teddy. Teddy clocks Kurona’s quick turns and low center of gravity, but trusts Fox’s options.
- Teddy fakes a jump over the ball to pull Kurona inside, then bursts down the wing instead.
- Kiyora is already there. He slides across, shuts the line, and the two of them close Teddy in.
- Teddy stops, and for a moment the whole England team stops with him. Fox’s system freezes.
Isagi hypes up the duo and names the move the Hunting Dog Press: two hounds running down a knight.
Why Kurona’s dog training powers the Hunting Dog Press
The chapter also pays off something fans laughed at earlier. Before the U20 World Cup, Kurona’s training was playing tag and chasing different breeds of dogs. In chapter 363 he realizes it was never a joke. It was conditioning for exactly this job: quick stops, sharp turns, and chasing a target that changes direction without warning.
That is the whole idea behind the Hunting Dog Press. Fox’s system tells Teddy where to go. Kurona does not need to read the system. He only needs to be faster than Teddy for one more step, every time.
Side B: Nagi and the Taboo Game
The chapter title comes from a two page Side B section. Nagi has cleared the first stage of a separate selection, and roughly half of the original 300 players are left. The next stage is the Taboo Game: every player gets a taboo, a condition they are not allowed to break.
In other words, Nagi’s taboo is his signature weapon, trapping. Instead of panicking, he finds it interesting. For a player whose whole identity is that first touch, that is a big test.
What happened to the Hunting Dog Press in Blue Lock 364
Chapter 364, One Point Gamble (Part 1), came out on K Manga on October 6, 2026. It is a short chapter, and it shows the Hunting Dog Press working at first. Kiyora intercepts a pass, Hiori notes how badly Ego’s changes are hurting England’s attack, and Ego needles Fox for keeping Teddy on the pitch.
However, Fox is not rattled. He says Ego’s counter was within his expectations. When play restarts, Teddy abandons the left wing and makes a free run into the middle, slipping the man mark and lining up beside England’s number 9, Lockhart. The press that worked on the touchline has no touchline to use anymore.
When is Blue Lock 364 Part 2?
Blue Lock 364 Part 2 is expected on K Manga on Tuesday October 13, 2026, the same week it runs in Weekly Shonen Magazine in Japan. K Manga updates Blue Lock every Tuesday, and the latest three chapters are free in the app.
Where to read Blue Lock
- K Manga, the official English simulpub, new chapters every Tuesday
- Weekly Shonen Magazine in Japan
Blue Lock 363 FAQ
What is the Hunting Dog Press in Blue Lock?
It is a two player trap from chapter 363. Kurona man marks Teddy Knight while Kiyora waits for him to break away, and together they pin him against the touchline.
What is Blue Lock chapter 363 called?
Taboo Game. It came out on K Manga on September 29, 2026.
Who did Ego sub in at halftime?
Hyoma Chigiri and Ranze Kurona came on for Kenyu Yukimiya and Zantetsu Tsurugi, and Blue Lock switched to a 4132 formation.
What is Nagi’s taboo in the Taboo Game?
Nagi is not allowed to use trapping, his signature first touch.
My take: The Hunting Dog Press is one of the smartest ideas in this match, and not because it stops Teddy. It is smart because it answers a system with a problem the system cannot calculate. Fox’s whole plan assumes every player moves where the numbers say they should. Kurona does not follow numbers. He follows Teddy, and he is quicker over two steps than anyone on the pitch. That is why England freeze when Teddy freezes. The puppet stops, so the strings stop. But I do not think the press was ever meant to win the match on its own. Chapter 364 already shows Fox adjusting, moving Teddy inside where there is no touchline to trap him against. What the press really does is buy time and information. Every second Teddy spends stuck is a second Isagi spends reading how England react when their best piece goes missing. My prediction: the Hunting Dog Press breaks, and that is fine, because the real counter to Fox will come from Isagi, built on what he learned while Kurona and Kiyora had Teddy cornered. The Nagi taboo is the quieter story to watch. Taking away his trapping is Blue Lock telling us Nagi has to become something new.
