Sae Itoshi: 

Sae Itoshi (糸いと師し 冴さえ Itoshi Sae?) is a prodigy football player who is known as the best player in Japan. He is also a member of the New Generation World XI and the Re Al youth team. He is the older brother of Rin Itoshi.

Sae’s main goal before the start of the series was to become the best striker and, in turn, the best player in the world. However, after leaving Japan and experiencing the professional league in Spain, he changed his dream to becoming the best midfielder in the world after he realized how truly weak Japanese football is.

At the beginning of the series, Sae Itoshi is in Japan merely to renew his passport. However, after learning about Blue Lock, he extends his stay. Subsequently, he becomes part of the Japan U-20 team to compete against the Blue Lock Eleven in a crucial match. Following the conclusion of the Japan U-20 match, Sae’s current status and whereabouts remain undisclosed.

Appearance:

Sae is a slender young man of average height, characterized by his reddish-brown hair and slim teal eyes. Like his brother Rin, he possesses long underlashes that frame his eyes. During the National Representative match, Sae dons the Japan U-20 White #10 jersey, pairing it with a black shirt underneath and gloves.

Since childhood, Sae has exhibited a cold, blunt, and extremely serious demeanor. His singular focus has always been on becoming the world’s best striker, leaving little room for anything else in his life. He can be arrogant and condescending, often looking down on others, regardless of their age or authority. While he displays egotism in his football approach, Sae demonstrates restraint, playing his position without unnecessarily overshadowing others.

Sae harbors immense pride as a football player, holding Japanese football and its participants in low regard. He openly prefers playing in Europe, even among college-level players, rather than competing in the J-League or representing the Japan National Team. His confidence in his abilities is unwavering, firmly believing that no one in Japan is deserving of being his teammate. Sae’s discontent with his nationality is evident, often lamenting that he was born in Japan, feeling that he belongs elsewhere.

Despite his arrogance, Sae remains content as a midfielder and key passer. During the Japan National Representative match, he prioritizes giving opportunities to the Japan U-20 forwards to score. Only after witnessing repeated failures does he opt to take matters into his own hands and score himself.

Following the game between Japan U-20 and Blue Lock Eleven, Sae demonstrates humility by admitting his mistake to Rin. He acknowledges that he was wrong about Japan’s football capabilities, recognizes their potential to produce talented strikers, and acknowledges the possibility of change within Japanese football.

Despite his challenging demeanour and straightforward communication style, Sae effortlessly commands respect in any room he enters, thanks to his reputation and exceptional skills. He possesses a remarkable ability to handle and influence even the most unruly individuals, persuading them to listen to him or adhere to his way of doing things. While Sae can be difficult to work with, especially when he’s not benefiting from the situation, he’s not entirely impossible to cooperate with.

Sae’s decision to stay in Japan and join the Japan U-20 team for the match against the Blue Lock Eleven is driven solely by his curiosity and interest in the Blue Lock Project. However, once his curiosity is satisfied or he feels he’s no longer gaining anything from the situation, he has no qualms about abandoning those he deems unworthy of his time.

Abilities:

Sae embodies the role of a playmaker on the field, directing the team’s offensive strategies with a cold and calculated approach. His exceptional passing and dribbling skills enable him to continuously create ideal opportunities for his team, controlling the flow of the game. Utilizing his vision, Sae exploits any defensive weaknesses, swiftly manoeuvring to the most crucial points on the field. Every action he takes is aimed at swiftly and efficiently overpowering his opponents, executing plays with precision and elegance to dismantle them “beautifully.”

Sae is recognized as a football genius within the professional football world, possessing exceptional skills that rival those of professional players. While he competes at a high level in Europe, he has yet to go fully professional due to age restrictions in Spain at the series’ outset. Regarded as the top player in Japan, Sae’s immense reputation has the power to draw crowds to stadiums solely with his name. Even elite players like Rin Itoshi and Ryusei Shido are considered a step below his skill. His talents rank among the most impressive among U-20 players worldwide, earning him a spot in the prestigious New Generation World XI.

Sae possesses exceptional control over his kicks, enabling him to manipulate the intensity, angle, speed, and accuracy of his passes with extreme precision. His superior footwork and technique allow him to execute complex passes effortlessly, making them easy to receive yet difficult to intercept or block. Among his repertoire of techniques are:

Long Driven Pass: Sae can execute a long pass spanning 40-50 meters with precision and power, ensuring it avoids interception.

Lob Pass (Chip): With a lob pass, Sae launches the ball high into the air with accuracy, passing it over the heads of opponents.

Line Drive Shot: Sae can score with a powerful drive shot aimed at the far side of the goal, catching goalkeepers off-guard.

Trivela Pass: Using the outside of his foot, Sae makes pinpoint passes with spin and accuracy, executing them with lightning-fast reflexes. He can perform this pass equally effectively with both his left and right foot.

Ultra-Fast Pass: Sae’s reflexes allow him to make incredibly fast passes from set pieces, almost resembling shots. He calculates all conditions to pass the ball to a location that opponents cannot reach, akin to threading a needle.

These techniques highlight Sae’s exceptional mastery over the ball, making him a formidable playmaker on the field.

Sae’s dribbling technique is distinguished by its “passive” nature, contrasting with the more aggressive styles of Bachira and Yukimiya. Rather than actively manoeuvring past defenders, Sae carefully observes their movements and rhythms before swiftly countering with his dribble. His dribbling prowess is unmatched, effortlessly evading defenders such as Isagi and Bachira in a single fluid motion. Even his brother Rin finds it challenging to defend against him, with Sae consistently nutmegging him during their encounters.

Rin acknowledges the exceptional tempo of Sae’s dribbling, attributing it to his experience in Europe. While Sae typically prioritizes passing to advance the ball up the field, he can seamlessly switch to a more individualistic approach when necessary, breaking through defences with his dribbling skills and expanding his options on the field. When fully focused, Sae’s dribbling is formidable enough to penetrate the entire formation of the Blue Lock Eleven single-handedly, without requiring assistance from his teammates. Sae possesses a diverse array of advanced dribbling techniques, including:

Hyperspeed Scissors: Sae executes a scissor feint at an incredible speed, making it difficult for defenders to anticipate his movements.

Double Touch: With a lightning-fast tempo, Sae swiftly moves the ball from one foot to the other, using the second foot to bypass opponents and break past their defense.

Marseille Turn: Sae stops the ball with the outside of his foot, shielding it from opponents, before performing a roulette to turn past them.

Nutmeg: Sae effortlessly dribbles the ball through the legs of a defender, bypassing their defense with minimal effort.

Cross Elastico Nutmeg: Sae performs an elastico by crossing the ball behind his dominant leg before flicking it between his opponent’s legs using his non-dominant foot, catching them off guard.

Elastico Nutmeg: Sae executes a regular elastico to nutmeg a defender and evade their defense, as demonstrated against Isagi during the Japan National Representative Match.

Rabona Nutmeg: Utilizing the Rabona technique, Sae kicks the ball with his kicking leg crossed behind his standing leg, playing it between an opponent’s legs before passing them, as seen against Yukimiya.

Shoulder Block: Sae strategically utilizes his shoulder to block off opponents, shifting his center of gravity to evade their tackles effectively.

These techniques showcase Sae’s exceptional agility, creativity, and ability to outmaneuver opponents with finesse and precision.

Reflex:

Sae possesses remarkable reflexes, enabling him to assess all field conditions swiftly and make decisive plays to advance the ball down the field and into the hands of forwards in the most advantageous positions. He impartially identifies the players with the greatest potential to score, known as having the most “heat” toward the goal, and distributes the ball accordingly without favouring specific strikers. This exceptional reflex makes Sae unpredictable and difficult to thwart, as he continuously adapts his movements and changes positions with split-second decisions. His reflexes allow him to synchronize seamlessly with Shido, maximizing their combined potential on the field.

Additionally, Sae boasts a pristine and honed vision, granting him the ability to gather constant data on every player, their actions, and their positions on the field. Analyzing this data instantaneously, he reacts swiftly to their movements, effectively disrupting their attacks or effortlessly evading their defense. This keen awareness, referred to as Metavision, enables Sae to anticipate plays and counter them effectively, making him a formidable force on the field.