Sae Itoshi

Sae is a prodigious football player, known as Japan's best player. Sae is also a member of the "New Generation World's Eleven" as well as the Real Madrid youth team. He is the older brother of Rin Itoshi. Sae's main goal before the start of the series was to become the world's best striker, and in turn the world's best player, but after leaving Japan and experiencing the professional league in Spain, he changed his dream to become the world's best midfielder, after realizing how truly weak Japanese football is compared to the world. At the beginning of the series, he is in Japan only to renew his passport, but after hearing about the Blue Lock project, he decides to stay to see the results of the project firsthand, and then join the Japanese U-20 National Team to face the Blue Lock 11 in the match that will decide Japan's roster for the upcoming U-20 World Cup, for which he recruited Shidou Ryusei. After the Japan U-20 team's match concluded, he admitted to Rin that he had been wrong about forwards in Japan and that he believed Isagi Yoichi could revolutionize football in Japan.

Sae is a tall but thin young man with reddish-brown hair and thin green eyes that are framed by a set of long lower lashes much like his brother, Rin. During the National Representative match, he dons the white number 10 jersey of the Japan U-20 National Team with a black T-shirt underneath and black gloves.

From a young age, Sae has been cold, blunt, and very serious. He has only cared about becoming the best striker in the world and has only had time for things that bring him closer to his goal. Sae can also be arrogant and condescending, looking down on others, even if they are older than him and have more authority in the organization. He is selfish in his soccer game, but has proven to be able to hold back and play his position, not trying to overshadow others unnecessarily. Sae takes great pride as a soccer player and looks down on Japanese soccer and everyone who participates in it. Sae states that he would rather die or play in Europe with a bunch of college students than play in the J-League or play for the Japanese National Team. He is very confident in his abilities and wholeheartedly believes that no one in Japan's U-20s is worthy of his abilities as a teammate. He dislikes the fact that he was born in Japan, saying things as if he was simply born in the wrong country. Sae seems to easily gain the respect of most people in a room due to his reputation and ability, even with his bad attitude and blunt way of speaking, and is able to handle and draw out loud and harsh people into listening to him or doing things his way. Although Sae is a difficult person, he is not impossible to work with, especially if he is getting something out of it. He, out of pure interest, decides to stay in Japan on a whim after hearing about the Blue Lock Project and even joins the Japanese U-20 team for the match against the Blue Lock 11. But when his interest is satisfied, he has no problem abandoning those he deems unworthy of his time.

Although Sae exhibits arrogance, he doesn't mind staying in his role as a key midfielder and passer. During the match for the right to national representation of Japan, Sae gave the Japan U-20 forwards every possible opportunity to score and only after repeated failures does he decide to score himself, successfully. After the match between the Japanese U-20 National Team and the Blue Lock 11, Sae does not hesitate to admit when he is wrong, telling Rin that he was wrong about Japan, since in reality they are capable of creating good forwards (like Yoichi Isagi) and that his football can still change for the better.

He originally returned to Japan to renew his passport. Her zodiac sign is Libra. Her foot size is 26.5 cm. His hometown is Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. His hobby is analyzing data about football players and teams. He doesn't like Japanese football and everyone who participates in it. His favorite footballer is Álvaro Recoba. He started playing football when he was one year old. He believes that the best complement to eating is salted seaweed. He turned 18 after the Second Selection. His dominant leg is the left. He thinks his strength is that he can remain neutral in any situation. He thinks his weakness is that he doesn't know anything except soccer. His favorite TV show is "Chibi Maruko-chan." He says it reminds him of home. His favorite food is salted seaweed tea. His least favorite food is French fries. His favorite music is Tofubeats - Suisei (feat. Seira Kariya). His favorite manga is GeGeGe no Kitarō. Sleep 8 hours a day (7 hours + 1 hour nap). He has a glute fetish (he believes an athlete's ability can be determined by looking at it). When asked what he would do with 100 million yen, he replied that he was "not interested in such a small amount of money."

Her morning routine consists of: opening the window to let in fresh air, taking deep breaths, doing morning yoga, meditation, drinking salty kombucha, and starting her day. He spends his holidays looking at the sea. His favorite animal is the seagull. He doesn't know what his favorite subject is because he never paid attention to the lessons. Her favorite brands are all her sponsors. Her favorite season is late summer. His favorite movie is Taxi Driver. If it were his last day on Earth, he would make the best pass in the world to the best striker in the world. Asked what he does to keep himself lucky before a match, he said: "I think about things like what I want to eat if I win, leaving football completely out of my mind for a while."