Chapter 115: Sae Itoshi

Tereasa calls out Sae's possession and the crowd erupts. As Sae carries the ball through midfield, Chigiri steps up to mark him, mindful of Blue Lock's balancing system: while Bachira pushes forward, Chigiri drops back with his speed to shore up the defense, and he intends to stop Sae. In a flash Sae flicks the ball over Chigiri, a low, medium-paced long ball landing perfectly for Kento Cho. Aryu marks Cho to smother him with his height, so Cho lays it off to Teru Kitsunezato.

Kitsunezato preaches that counterattacks live on speed and forward movement, but Karasu marks him and says Blue Lock foresaw all of it. Kitsunezato replies the U-20 did too, as Sae darts into the gap opening in the center to collect the ball. Karasu notes Sae is only midrange from goal and that the whole U-20 offense begins and ends with him. Realizing a quick counter was the plan, Karasu calls Niko to plug the gap. Niko marks Sae to stall while Chigiri sprints back to pressure from behind.

Boxed in two-on-one, Niko and Chigiri think they have Sae contained, but with a single glance and motion he chips the ball through the gap between them to a wide-open Sendo. Sae's foresight startles Chigiri, and as Sendo traps and shoots, Gagamaru reacts on reflex and swats it aside. The save stuns Sendo, and Gagamaru reminds everyone the ball is live, worse still nearest Sae, already sprinting to the wing. Chigiri races to mark him, warning of a pass to the center, and Blue Lock reasons that from such a wide angle a shot is impossible. Instead Sae scans the field once more and drives the ball high over Gagamaru into the far corner. The net ripples, the crowd goes berserk, and Sae opens the scoring at 1-0.

Isagi stands floored, calling the strike incredible, a perfect line drive from far out on the wing that mocks everyone waiting for a central ball. Set against his earlier play, Sae's ability looks absurd, and Isagi finally witnesses the genius Japan has awaited. As the crowd chants Sae's name, Isagi grasps that Sae is the star and Blue Lock the disposable villains, unwatched even by the giddy JFA executives. Then Rin tells Isagi not to drown in the frenzy and to keep his eyes only on him, promising that within ninety minutes he will turn every cheer into a scream.

Sae effortlessly directs the Japan U-20 counterattack and scores the match's opening goal. The Japan U-20 leads 1-0.

Sae Itoshi is chapter 115 overall and the third chapter of Volume 14 in the U-20 Arc, adapted in Episode 31. The twenty-page chapter released in Japan on January 20, 2021, and in English on July 19, 2022. It shares its title with the character and Episode 31.