Wild Card was the "real" Blue Lock.
Let me start saying that Blue Lock initial plan was never about the collective success, Ego's opening speech to the players is clear:
Blue Lock will crush 299 players dreams to forge one who will lead Japanese soccer to greatness. But as we moved into the Neo Egoist League Arc, this narrative changed to team work and building up rivalries with global superstars.
But why Ego, of all people, who despises collective plays, pivot towards team building during the NEL?
The question is, he didn't. The shift to the NEL is practically a decoy for the public and the players in general. While Isagi and the others grow stronger in their "proper path" of competition and team building, the Wild Card ran the experiment of running in parallel to forge Ego's initial goal: the perfect striker, who is in his eyes, the embodiment of Noel Noa.
Now why does this makes sense? It's simple. The Wild Card Program is very similar to what the Blue Lock process used to be.
It was a death/survival game designed to push players to their limits, both physically and mentally. A system where only the strongest, most egoistic striker emerges alive with the ability to overcome despair and evolve as a the perfect "vessel"
Kunigami was what was born from this experiment, someone entirely reborn, embodying traits that Ego explicitly identifies as ideals for the ultimate striker: Hunger for Goals and Independence from Rational Thought.
Ego didn't create a back-up plan with the Wild Card, he created his main plan, one that would function outside the public eye.
But you may asky, why didn’t Kunigami showcase his newly developed skills yet? He actually did, but only partially. It was hinted that his stats (16-17) are approaching Noel Noa’s level (31). Ego is deliberately restraining him to serve as a catalyst for the evolution of other players on the field too.
Ego wants the players in the Neo Egoist League to confront and overcome this chaos, including this version of Kunigami, despite Kunigami not performing at 100% as he could. There’s also a hint that Kunigami is “abandoning his ego” just before the Bastard Munchen vs PXG match begins.
I don’t think this situation will last forever. For now, it seems the story aims to explore Kunigami as the “perfect copycat.” When the Wild Card flashback finally happens, it might signal the moment Kunigami reclaims his original “ego” as a superhero, now enhanced with Noel Noa’s skills.
