Sae Itoshi

Although he was Rin's mentor and a role model during his childhood, after his experience in Europe he adopted a harsh and dismissive attitude towards him, believing that Rin lacked the necessary talent to be the best striker. Socially, he is distant, apathetic, and selective. He has no interest in fame or superficial recognition; his sole objective is to play football at the highest possible level and revolutionize Japanese football from his elitist perspective. Despite his coldness, he is a perfectionist obsessed with technical and tactical excellence.

Sae is characterized by an extremely cold, calculating, and pragmatic personality. He has been considered a football prodigy since a young age and possesses absolute confidence in his talent, which manifests as excessive arrogance toward Japanese football in general. He maintains a highly realistic and cynical view of the sport: he believes that Japan cannot produce world-class strikers and that its level is hopelessly mediocre. For this reason, he abandoned his childhood dream of being a striker and opted to become the best midfielder in the world, since from that position he can completely control the game.

He is direct, cruel with his words, and shows no hesitation in humiliating those he considers inferior, regardless of whether they are opponents or colleagues.

Sae Itoshi stands at 1.76 meters tall and has an athletic build, more slender and elegant than his younger brother, befitting his position as a playmaker midfielder. His hair is a dark reddish-brown or burgundy, short, and styled in a spiky, tousled way that gives him a sharp, modern look. One of his front strands is longer and falls over the left side of his face. His eyes are large and turquoise, similar to Rin's, but with a noticeably more apathetic, cold, and disinterested expression. He has prominent lower eyelashes that accentuate his tired and severe gaze. His complexion is fair, and his features are fine and symmetrical, constantly maintaining an expressionless, bored, or even contemptuous demeanor.