Sae Itoshi Character Analysis: What Happened in Spain, Why He Rejected Rin, and His World Cup Return

Editorial note: This article separates confirmed manga events from fan theory throughout. Sections involving Bunny Iglesias, Leonardo Luna, and Sae’s Spain backstory are updated through chapter 308 and may change as new chapters are released. Last updated: June 2026.

Spoiler warning: This article covers the Blue Lock manga and anime through chapter 308 and the early U-20 World Cup arc.

Written by: Dustin
Reviewed for: manga accuracy, canon and theory separation, and chapter 308 updates
Source basis: Blue Lock manga through chapter 308, anime through season 2, and Egoist Bible character details where noted.

Short answer: Sae Itoshi is Blue Lock’s cold genius because his original dream of becoming the world’s best striker appears to have ended after his time at Re Al’s youth academy in Spain, leading him to rebuild himself as a midfielder instead. The manga confirms the dream change but has not explained what happened in Spain. That gap is why Sae’s rejection of Rin, his reaction to Bunny Iglesias, and his return for the U-20 World Cup remain so heavily debated among fans.

Key Takeaways

Quick Profile: Sae Itoshi in Blue Lock

Who Is Sae Itoshi?

Most Blue Lock fans know Sae as the brother who destroyed Rin. The cold genius who looked at his little brother and told him to give up forever.

That moment is real and it matters. Chapter 125 is one of the most quoted scenes in the series. But reducing Sae to that single scene misses what makes him one of the more layered characters in Blue Lock. Something changed him in Spain. The manga is clear that a change happened. It is far less clear about the exact details, and this article separates the two carefully throughout.

Sae is Japan’s best player, a member of the New Generation World XI, and a Re Al youth product who once dreamed of being the best striker in the world. Now he plays midfield. That switch is shown in the manga, and it is the clearest evidence we have that something significant happened to him abroad.

Evidence Table: Canon vs Theory

Chapter Guide

Who Sae Was Before Spain

As kids, Sae and Rin were close. Sae was already drawing attention as the country’s best young talent. In a flashback shown in season 2 episode 9, a reporter asks what he wants to achieve, and Sae says he wants to be the world’s best striker, dismissing everything else as meaningless.

On the way home that day, he tells Rin he believes Rin can become the world’s strongest player after him. Rin idolizes him from that point on and builds his early identity around becoming what his brother already was.

Then Sae left for Spain, scouted into Re Al’s youth academy as a striker.

What We Actually Know About Spain (Canon)

Here is what the story directly shows about Sae’s time in Spain:

• He went there to pursue his dream of becoming the world’s best striker.
• At some point, that dream changed entirely. He returned to Japan no longer chasing the striker dream, instead pursuing a new goal: becoming the world’s best midfielder and winning the Champions League. This shift is referenced during the reunion scene in chapter 125.
• He came back colder and harsher than the brother Rin remembered.
• A light novel detail notes Sae rarely smiles, and the rare exceptions have historically been around Rin, suggesting this shift is specific rather than something he was always like.

That is the foundation the story gives us. What specifically happened, and why his dream changed, is something we have not been shown yet.

The Theories Around Sae’s Time in Spain

This entire section is fan theory, not canon.

A popular fan reading suggests Sae’s collapse as a striker prospect involved harsh club culture, discrimination as a foreign teenager, and brutal competition. This theory often points to a striker named Leonardo Luna as connected to Sae’s setback, though the story has not shown this relationship directly on the page as of chapter 308. It is pieced together largely from Sae’s reaction to a different character, covered further down.

This theory circulates widely across fan communities, but it stays unverified for now. Treat it as a possibility worth watching, not an established fact, until the manga shows it on the page.

Why Sae Rejected Rin (Chapter 125)

When Sae returned to Japan, Rin saw it as the moment his own dream could restart. He challenged Sae to a 1v1, hoping to prove their childhood promise was still alive.

Sae beat him without effort. Then, in chapter 125, he told Rin to give up, called him an eyesore, said Rin made him want to vomit, and told him to never use Sae as an excuse to play football again.

This scene plays out directly in that chapter.

What we don’t have is Sae’s exact reasoning. Two readings exist among fans, and the story has not picked a side:

Reading one: Genuine emotional coldness. A brother who had changed and no longer valued the bond they once had.

Reading two: A harsh, badly delivered attempt to push Rin away from depending on Sae’s validation and toward building his own independent identity.

Rin experienced it as devastating regardless of intent, and that emotional reality drives his arc whether Sae meant it kindly or not.

What Fans Often Get Wrong About Sae

Many fans treat Sae’s rejection of Rin as proof that he simply hates his brother. The story does not bear that out directly. What it shows is the action: Sae rejected Rin, refused to explain himself, and later acknowledged Isagi instead. His motive stays an open question. That distinction matters because Sae’s character is built around missing information, not a completed answer. Reading the rejection as settled, rather than something the story is still working through, is one of the most common misreadings of his character.

Sae’s Abilities: Why He Is Called Japan’s Best Player

Kick technique
Sae controls the intensity, angle, speed, and accuracy of his kicks at a high level. The story consistently frames his technical precision as elite even among top Blue Lock players.

Transcendent field vision
Sae reads the game beyond normal spatial awareness, tracking player tendencies and positioning to predict outcomes before they happen. This ability is central to why he moved into midfield.

Counter dribble
During the U-20 match, Sae raises his level mid-game and uses his counter-dribble to beat Blue Lock’s defenders one-on-one, closing in on goal without needing a pass.

Perfect Destruction Style
The story’s own term for Sae’s approach: calculated and precise rather than physically overwhelming. He dismantles structure with information and timing instead of force.

The U-20 Match: Sae’s Greatest Performance and a Quiet Defeat

The U-20 match, shown in anime season 2, is where Sae’s talent is fully on display, and where a single moment shapes Rin for years.

Sae personally selects Ryusei Shidou to play alongside him after reviewing footage of Blue Lock, recognizing that Shidou’s finishing was the missing piece for his passing. Their partnership becomes one of the most dangerous in the match.

When the match is tied, Sae raises the level of play and uses his counter-dribble to beat Blue Lock’s defenders on his own. He scores a goal himself, then passes to teammates three times afterward.

Japan U-20 ultimately loses. Isagi scores the winning goal, not Rin. Afterward, Sae’s acknowledgment goes toward Isagi as the player who will change Japanese football. We see this play out at the end of the match: Sae does not speak to Rin after the final whistle, despite Rin outplaying him personally in their earlier 1v1.

Bunny Iglesias: What We Know and What’s Still a Mystery

This section covers chapters 307 and 308, recent developments still actively unfolding.

Shown in chapter 307: During Isagi’s trip to Spain, Sae is shown watching a match between FC Barcha and Chicorid. He reacts with visible anger after a player named Bunny Iglesias, a New Generation World XI member playing for Barcha, scores a goal. Why he reacts this way has not been spelled out.

Theory, not canon: Fans widely speculate that Iglesias resembles or is connected to Leonardo Luna, theorized to be the striker tied to Sae’s past in Spain. Under this theory, Sae’s anger is about what Iglesias represents, not Iglesias himself.

This is a reasonable theory built from visual and tonal cues in the panel, but it has not been settled by chapter 308. Treat any specific claim about what happened with Luna as speculation until the story shows it directly.

Why Sae Is Returning for the World Cup (Chapter 308)

Shown in chapter 308: Through a wildcard system called the Buratsuta 3, Sae secures a spot on the new Japan U-20 World Cup squad without going through Ego’s standard selection process. He states his only reason for joining is to face Spain’s U-20 squad.

This matters regardless of how the Iglesias mystery resolves. Sae’s stated motivation is about an unresolved rival from his past, not reconciliation with Rin. Whatever happened to him abroad still has enough hold on him to bring him back into Ego’s system on his own terms.

Sae Timeline

Sae vs Rin Comparison

Canon Status Note

Sae’s dream change, his rejection of Rin, and his World Cup return are all shown directly in the story. The exact reason Spain changed him, his connection to Leonardo Luna, and Bunny Iglesias’s deeper role remain open questions heading into the next chapters.

Conclusion

Sae’s story works because the manga has not fully explained him yet. Every confirmed detail points to a player who rebuilt himself after Spain, while every missing detail keeps readers questioning what Spain actually took from him. Until the story gives that answer directly, Sae should be read as a character defined by both evidence and absence: what the manga shows, and what it still refuses to reveal.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sae Itoshi

Who is Sae Itoshi in Blue Lock?

Sae Itoshi is the older brother of Rin Itoshi and is regarded as Japan’s best football player. He plays for Re Al’s youth academy as a midfielder and is a member of the New Generation World XI. Introduced in chapter 4.

Why did Sae call Rin lukewarm?

In chapter 125, Sae told Rin to give up and never use him as an excuse to play football again. The scene plays out on the page; his underlying motive does not.

What actually happened to Sae in Spain?

Sae’s time there changed his goal from becoming the world’s best striker to becoming the world’s best midfielder. The shift is shown in the story, but the cause behind it is not.

Why did Sae switch from striker to midfielder?

After his striker ambitions ended in Spain, Sae rebuilt his identity around field vision and control rather than finishing. The shift is there on the page; the trigger behind it is not.

What is Sae’s Perfect Destruction Style?

The term used for his calculated approach to dismantling opponents through field vision, kick technique, and tempo control rather than physical force.

Who is Bunny Iglesias and why does Sae react to him?

A Spanish New Generation World XI player Sae reacts angrily in chapter 307. A fan theory connects him to Leonardo Luna, tied to Sae’s past, though the story has not settled this as of chapter 308.

Why is Sae rejoining Japan’s U-20 squad for the World Cup?

Through the Buratsuta 3 wildcard introduced in chapter 308, Sae joins specifically to face Spain’s squad, stating this as his only reason for returning.

Does Sae care about Rin despite the rejection?

This stays an open question. Sae never reaches out to Rin after the rejection or the U-20 match. Whether that comes from indifference or an inability to be vulnerable after Spain is left to the reader.