Saie Itoshi

The first thing that catches the eye is his hair. Sae has a short cut, described as "reddish-brown" or "crimson." Depending on the lighting and the artist's style, the shade ranges from a deep burgundy to a lighter, almost coral. It's styled rather casually, but with a distinctive detail: the strands above his forehead are lifted upward, revealing his face. This creates a sense of dynamism and slight carelessness that contrasts sharply with his usually calm demeanor. His eyes are perhaps the most expressive and memorable detail of his appearance. Sae's eyes are aquamarine or turquoise. They are very narrow, giving his gaze a piercing and cold quality. But the main "feature," inherited from his brother Rin, is his long, thick lower eyelashes. In the manga, they are even depicted schematically, as six clear lines under each eye. This detail paradoxically makes his face appear slightly more doll-like and refined, yet his gaze remains heavy and appraising. Standing 180 cm tall, Sae has a lean, sinewy build. It's not the massive musculature of players like Kunigami or Bachira, but rather the body of a runner or playmaker, where agility and endurance are more important than brute strength. He moves smoothly and confidently, with that lazy grace that marks him out as a professional playing in Europe. His posture is usually upright but relaxed, and his chin is often slightly raised—a habit of looking down on everyone, which perfectly reflects his arrogant nature. During the "Blue Prison" and the match against the U-20s, Sae is most often seen wearing the white uniform of the Japan U-20 team with the number 10 on the back. He wears a black long-sleeved T-shirt underneath and black fingerless gloves. This white, black, and red look perfectly underlines his status as a "special" player and creates a sense of completeness and polish.

🧊 Cold genius and his "ego"

Sae is a midfielder who is part of the New Generation World XI, a group of the best young players on the planet. Unlike most characters, whose motivation is rooted in a hunger for goals or glory, Sae is driven solely by the pursuit of perfect football. He plays for a Spanish club and looks down on Japanese football, considering it immature.

His character can be described by several key traits:

· Absolute coldness and arrogance: Sae speaks condescendingly to those around him, his words often sounding like judgment. He doesn't waste emotion on those he considers beneath him in terms of understanding the game. This isn't just arrogance—it's a consequence of his perfectionism. He seeks a "real" striker who can realize his vision, and everything else is just noise to him.
· Rationality to the point of callousness: For Sae, football is both a science and an art, but a strictly mathematical art. He calculates trajectories, anticipating moves several steps ahead. His face rarely expresses anything other than boredom or fleeting interest when he sees a glimmer of talent.
Brother's Trauma: Sae's primary driving force is his relationship with his younger brother, Rinn. As children, they dreamed of becoming the best together, but Sae realized early on that their paths were diverging. He "crushed" Rinn's dream by declaring that he couldn't become a top striker, and since then, Rinn has been obsessed with revenge and surpassing his brother. Sae, having given up his role as a striker, began searching for someone who could become the "perfect weapon" in his hands.