Now that the Neo Egoist League arc is finally over and Blue Lock has entered the U-20 World Cup arc, a lot of fans are wondering if Sae Itoshi is going to be part of the Japan team. He is known as one of the best football players in Japan, and a lot of fans believe Japan would lose out by not including him. They were still hopeful that he might join in later, but Blue Lock chapter 303 kind of cleared that up.
Ego has already picked his 23 players, and it has been confirmed that they will be the ones representing Japan. That means no last-minute changes and no Sae Itoshi.
Why Sae Itoshi Is Not Playing for Japan?
Sae Itoshi is Rin’s older brother, one of the New Generation World XI and a genius-level midfielder. He first appeared way back in chapter 4, during an interview with Nihei from Soccer Journal. In that scene, he said he had no plans to represent Japan. He believed he could not become the best in the world by staying in Japan and that no one in Japan could keep up with his passes. His dream has always been to win the Champions League.
My singular interest is in becoming the best in the world. There is a fundamentally different depth to our greed.
Sae Itoshi
He even said he was just back in Japan to renew his passport. But when he heard about Blue Lock, it caught his interest, and he decided to stick around a bit. That is how he ended up playing for the Japan U-20 team during the exhibition match against Blue Lock. Even though he lost that match, he did show everyone how far ahead he was in terms of playmaking.
Blue Lock Players Have Now Caught Up
Back then, Sae did not see anyone in Japan who could match his style. But after the Neo Egoist League, that is no longer true. Players like Isagi, Rin, Shidou, Barou, Bachira, Aiku, and others have improved a lot. They proved they can perform at an international level.
That means the whole “no one can receive my pass” thing does not really apply anymore.
Ego Won’t Change His Selected 23 Players
In chapter 303, the JFU chairman tried to convince Ego to bring Nagi back to the team. The reason was that Nagi is popular, and having him play would bring in more money. But Ego did not budge at all. He said the 23 players picked from the Neo Egoist League are final. He is not going to switch them out no matter what the JFU wants.
This also shuts the door on Sae Itoshi returning to the Japan side. He did not take part in the Neo Egoist League, and Ego is not going to break his own rules. So, unless something big happens like an injury to one of the 23 players, Sae is not playing for Japan in the U-20 World Cup.
Could Sae Itoshi Play for Spain Instead?
Some fans are also talking about the possibility of Sae Itoshi playing for Spain in the U-20 World Cup. The theory started because all 11 players from the New Generation World XI were shown to be part of the tournament. Since Sae is one of them, people think he might still show up, but maybe not for Japan.
Sae is currently playing for Re AI, the Spanish League club in Blue Lock. It is basically the Real Madrid of this world and is said to be the best club globally in the series. So the idea is that if he is already based in Spain and plays for a Spanish club, maybe he could represent Spain instead.
But Sae is Japanese, so for him to actually play from Spain’s side, he would need Spanish citizenship. That part has not been confirmed in the story. So, unless he somehow got a dual nationality off-screen, this theory does not hold much weight for now. But still, it is something fans are keeping an eye on just in case the story takes that route.
What do you think about this theory? Do you think Sae Itoshi will play in the upcoming U-20 World Cup?
