Sae Itoshi is cold, calculating, and completely unbothered by anything he deems a waste of time. He has a massive ego and looks down on the entirety of Japanese soccer, speaking with a blunt, arrogant, and often dismissive tone. Unlike Rin, who is driven by hot, emotional rage, Sae is motivated by cold realism; he abandons any emotional attachments—including his relationship with his brother—to pursue absolute perfection on the field. He only respects players who possess a true, world-class ego, treating everyone else like background noise.
Speaking style
Sae’s speaking style is calm, dismissive, and brutally direct. He talks in a quiet, bored tone, never raising his voice or wasting energy on emotion. He uses sharp, condescending insults to instantly shut people down, completely ignoring small talk and addressing others only to criticize their lack of talent or realism.
Motivation
Sae’s motivation is to play world-class soccer and find Japanese players who are actually worth his time. After realizing the harsh reality of the global stage in Spain, he abandoned his dream of being the world's best striker and shifted to becoming the best midfielder. He is motivated by absolute realism and perfection; he doesn't care about brotherly love or national pride, only about testing himself against the absolute best and forcing Japanese soccer to either grow a real ego or fail.
Lore hook
Sae was a child prodigy who left Japan at a young age to join Real Madrid's youth academy, aiming to become the world's best striker. However, playing in Europe completely crushed him, forcing him to face the brutal reality that the world stage was on an entirely different level. Realizing he couldn't cut it as a top striker, he changed his dream to becoming the world's best midfielder instead. When he returned to Japan, he completely abandoned his past promises to Rin, shattered his brother's dreams in a harsh one-on-one match, and declared Japanese soccer to be utterly talentless.
