THE GENIUS BEHIND ITOSHI RIN
GLAZE PERCENTAGE: 1% (totally)
SOURCE: Blue Lock by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura
A/N: Rin is my everything he's literally my wife <33 he’d prob slime me out tho
Congratulations to Blue Lock for being the only anime with Itoshi Rin! Rin is a striker within the Blue Lock project, led by Jinpachi Ego, which seeks to find the best striker in Japan and mold them into a winner of the World Cup. The end result of this project is that there will be one person left out of the three hundred teenage strikers they have selected, having fought their way through with their skill, talent, and ego. Rin is such a significant counterpart that critics, otherwise known as me, can confidently state the entire anime is nothing without him. However, per my lawyer’s suggestion, “significantly less than what it could’ve been” is a better description. Regardless, I stand true to the facts. Rin’s character substantially elevated the quality of plays through his skill, as well as the quality of the characters and plot through his ethos.
Rin's skill far transcends the rest of the players. For example, Isagi first recognizes everyone on the field as Rin’s “puppets” in second selection (Episode 21, “I’m Not There,” 6:50). His domination on the field is unseen, rather heard. It starts at the beginning of their second game. Every move of Rin’s is surgical, and all of the players acknowledge this. In fact, when Nagi approached him in the first half, he was incredibly wary of Rin’s conservativeness. “Not a huge fan of the awkward amount of space he’s giving me,” Nagi thought in response (Episode 20, “Super Link-Up Play,” 7:41). The reason for this is Rin’s knowledge of Nagi’s excellent first touch. After one game, Rin already knows the behaviors of the players, so much so that they get suspicious themselves. Even the others’ off-the-ball movements are calculated into his precise shots (Episode 20, “Super Link-Up Play,” 15:00). Rin’s presence influences the other player’s movements, and broadly, the outcome of the game. Alongside the contrasting skill levels, Kaneshiro highlights this "him and them" hierarchy in Rin’s stark goal philosophy. Rin states, “You didn’t know whether I would shoot or pass. Your analysis is so off. It was never a two-choice situation. The goal was always mine” (Episode 21, “I’m Not There,” 20:40). This differs significantly from the other characters’ goal philosophy. Isagi's goal formula was mainly to find the most accurate path to the goal according to the game, relying heavily on his team's chemical reactions and individual strengths. This renders them as an interconnected team with delicate strategies. However, in Rin’s plays, the opposition is an extension of him and his orchestrated sequence of moves. He dominates, not by needlessly devouring every opportunity, but by controlling the game through action instead of reaction. Beyond Rin's methodical playstyle, his "ugly" flow state during the U-20 game also showcases his superiority. For example, his improvisation in the first half of the game allowed them to frequently gain possession of the ball (Episode 31, “Itoshi Sae,” 16:57). This shows Rin’s plays are not entirely orthodox and “by-the-book,” it has an element of intentional critical thinking. This is much more pronounced in Rin’s flow state. When he confronted the defenders of the U-20 team, he completely butchered them with their strengths (Episode 38, “Last Attack,” 1:31). His moves were so unique and unpredictable that Isagi himself stated, “This is sheer craziness. It’s nothing like the Rin I know. His moves are totally irrational” (Episode 38, “Last Attack,” 1:49). Even Isagi was unable to read his calculated plays, signalling the depth of Rin’s meticulousness. Because of Rin's superior skills and ego, many of the Blue Lock plays are uplifted through the tension, sophistication, and development he contributes.
However, Rin’s excellence is not simply inherent, it is developed as more of Rin’s inner psyche is unraveled. Consider Rin’s most famous line from the manga, “Have you ever played soccer… with your life on the line!?” (Kaneshiro Chapter 273, “Monster of Destruction,”). This sport is more than his hobby, career, or even life. It is survival, as substantial to living as oxygen. For others, ego comes first. Playing to their strengths, creating chemical reactions with others, etc., is the common success route for other players. For Rin, ego is the byproduct of soccer being his sole identity—granting him many consistently winning plays. Kaneshiro accentuates this vast difference in everything, even Rin’s mannerisms. For example, after the match against the World Five, all the other players on his team were shown as exhausted, panting on the floor. Rin was the only one sitting upright, not physically weary, but permeated with frustration (Episode 24, “The Time Has Come,” 6:48). The difference in positions symbolizes the difference in status—how Rin’s frustration stems from viewing the World Five as equals and how he was unable to defeat said equals; as well as his obsession. The other players will give in to exhaustion, realizing defeat, but Rin will not release his breath until victory. Additionally, the other players’ inability to adjust to Rin’s plays during the U-20 match presents the harsh realization that nobody is enough to coordinate with him. Rin also realizes this, and weaponizes his individualism. However, this is not completely due to circumstances. Kaneshiro intentionally wrote it this way. During the second half, Rin thinks, "Blue Lock is keeping up with my play. I'm not alone?...It makes me want to puke" (Episode 37, "Not Alone," 20:30). Rather than the joy of synchronized plays and cohorts, he immediately discards it as an unacceptable idea, to the point where it is grotesque. This suggests that Rin is disgusted by the thought of leveled teammates, because he would be another one of "them." This is the prime example of Ego Jinpachi’s ideal striker. The Blue Lock project was designed to hypercompetitively siphon a singular striker from a crowd of three hundred, one that would reject dependency and rather dictate their own opportunities and own goals. Rin's well-written character adds depth and complexity to Blue Lock's understanding of an "ego," furthering its narrative richness.
Despite Rin's superior character, some could argue that the anime would still function without his presence because the anchor would be the actual main character; Isagi Yoichi. However, the themes and the structure of Blue Lock would simply disintegrate, because Isagi's role is not the main character, but the audience's perspective. Kaneshiro uses Isagi's metavision to "decode" players, then uses that information to ultimately prevail. This communicates to the viewers the mechanics of the anime and the lessons needed for success—also stating how "you" can "do it too." For example, it was Rin's world-class playing that coerced Isagi to utilize his vision and spatial awareness to a higher extent in second selection (Episode 20, "Super Link-Up Play," 6:15). It was Rin's final goal that taught him luck, which he was able to exploit in the last goal of the match against the U-20 team. Without Isagi’s application of Rin’s skills, the audience would not know the true value of luck. Through this, Isagi only weaponizes being a leech. For the majority of the game, Isagi’s movements were mainly to extend Rin’s presence in the field, as he was constantly surrounding and passing to him (Episode 31, “Itoshi Sae,” 16:00). Even Isagi’s egoistic advancements were only permitted because it had an advantage to Rin’s strategies (Episode 32, “Blue Genes,” 6:10). Isagi’s awakening is only accredited to none other than Itoshi Rin. Without him, Isagi's level plateaus to the level of his other rivals, and would not have been introduced to the Neo-Egoist League because he would not be able to prove his potential. This proves that Rin remains the primary anchor of the anime narratively. Furthermore, Isagi’s rapid improvement proportional to Rin’s advancement on the field reinforces the environment that Rin’s presence constructs; either adapt to him and survive or die. Despite his antagonist role, Rin’s substantial participation in the tactical plays and beyond names him the true nucleus of Blue Lock.
Unlike Isagi, Rin awakened and his skill matured on his own accord despite the main motivator being Sae, his elder brother. From the introduction of Rin until the last minute of the U-20 match, Rin’s sole objective was to claim victory over Sae—just to prove he was worthy enough to be his brother and play by his side once more. His meticulous and calculated playstyle also derived from this, as it closely emulated the ‘beautiful’ playstyle of Sae’s. In confronting him, Rin realizes a brutal truth, “The one who needs destroying…is me” (Episode 38, “Last Attack,” 9:52). Rin understands the impacts of being a clone of Sae, as his identity deconstructs. If he restricts himself to Sae, he will stagnate at that level and never surpass it or Sae. This realization was also the cause behind Rin’s disgust at Blue Lock’s adaptation to his play (Episode 37, "Not Alone," 20:30). If he lingers at the level of the other Blue Lock players, he will be surpassed. Rin continues, “‘Little brother of a genius.’ ‘Partner.’ ‘Rival.’ Stop violating my life with your cheap, easy values. I’m not some object in your lives. Sae Itoshi’s little brother? I’m done with that” (Episode 38, “Last Attack,” 10:01). His objective, to be Sae’s little brother once more, is demolished. Rin regards the “little brother” status as simply a way for him to be used as a tool, and he will never outgrow Sae Itoshi’s shadow. Through this rejection of his earlier ideals, Rin rejects the parameters of the game himself. He reconstructs his identity—wild and “ugly” to the point where nobody can ever reduce him to a “partner” or a “rival” or some other tool that will benefit themselves. This is the true making of an egoist, an individualist, and the sole conductor. While Sae did motivate him, his presence restricted Rin’s talent. Rin’s ideals of a world class striker only matured when Rin confronted himself rather than Sae.
