Muneyuki Kaneshiro reminds fans about Itachi-Sasuke’s bond from Naruto by creating the most complex characters, Rin and Sae Itoshi, for Blue Lock.

SUMMARY

Blue Lock becomes more popular as it continues its intense plot.
Muneyuki Kaneshiro took inspiration from Naruto, drawing an interesting parallel between the Sae brothers and the Uchiha brothers.
Itoshi Sae’s ego got the better of Rin Itoshi.

Muneyuki Kaneshiro’s Blue Lock has continued its thrilling run of showcasing the high-stakes match between Team Blue Lock and U-20 Japan, where Rin Itoshi’s Trivela Kick gave the team an upper hand. However, more than the match, the viewers are hooked on how the manga author paints the rivalry of the Itoshi brothers, which happens to be evident as their rivalry intensifies as the match continues.

Rin and Itoshi Sae. Credits: 8 Bit

While the viewers were thrilled with how fierce their rivalry was, they tended to find an uncanny resemblance with how Itoshi Sae’s character gave off the image of Uchiha Itachi from Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto. Thus, reminding the otakus of the same toxic relationship that was featured in the Shonen series, where Itoshi is Sasuke and Sae is Itachi.

Muneyuki Kaneshiro’s Complex Brotherhood Bond of Itoshi Brothers Reminded Fans of Itachi and Sasuke

Muneyuki Kaneshiro’s Blue Lock tends to showcase how intense the series can be. Time and again, the mangaka has showcased that each character featured in the unorthodox experiment to create the greatest egoist in the history of Japan’s football legacy.

A still from Blue Lock. Credits: 8 Bit

The series became quite popular, and every individual would find themselves in the cutthroat competition of being the best player on the field. Interestingly, the manga author has added a layer of complexity by featuring Rin Itoshi, who had an intense desire to surpass his brother in the beautiful game.

Time and again, the fans were intrigued by what could be the factors that have led to him having such an unpleasant and standoffish behavior towards his elder brother.

Rin Itoshi. Credits: 8 Bit

The fans were intrigued as Kaneshiro-Sensei slowly unraveled him piece by piece. During an exclusive interview via Screen Rant, Kaneshiro-Sensei explained how he made him so complex. He said,

Boys around Rin’s age don’t really have a firm grip on their identity. There is a kind of glow just before they realize that ‘I’m not so great’ and lose their all-powerful sense of self. I like that kind of transition.

He further added,

Rin represents the loss of that spark as he’s being forced to grow up. I think that’s why Rin deliberately complicates his feelings toward his older brother and soccer, as well as his sense of self.

His arrogant and cocky behavior felt justified when he was forced to grow up as he felt overwhelmed by Sae’s achievements. But what really strained their relationship was how Sae left Rin behind to play professional football in Spain, feeling abandoned by the person he admired the most.

In Episode 9, titled Night Snow, it was showcased how Sae discarded their dream of being the best strikers in the world. However, the dream was extinguished when Sae returned with a different demeanor, giving Rin a glimpse of what it means to play football on an international level.

Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha. Credits: Studio Pierrot

The severed relationship reminded the viewers about Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha from Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto. As Otakus would remember at the beginning, both Uchiha brothers had a warm bond, and Itachi would not miss any opportunity to spend time with Sasuke.

Things started to turn for the worse when Itachi learned about his clan’s ulterior motives. He was thus assigned the heinous and morbid task of massacring the clan members to stop the coup, making him a villain in everyone’s eyes. He did not hesitate to murder his parents but could not bring himself to kill his adorable little brother.

Itachi vs Sasuke. Credits: Studio Pierrot

Since the Last Uchiha never knew Itachi’s real motive of how he struck a deal to save him and stop bloodshed from taking place. He developed intense hate towards him and even expressed his desire to kill him.

Though he succeeded in his plan, Sasuke was devastated at how all this time his brother was suffering and betrayed everyone’s trust to be the unsung hero of Konohagakure. Since both series have an uncanny resemblance in terms of the brotherly relationship, it will be intriguing to witness how both brothers will get along as the arc progresses.

Muneyuki Kaneshiro Brings Out Rin’s Inner Sasuke in Blue Lock’s Episode 8

Blue Lock’s Episode 8 titled Blue Genes continued the match between the two teams, where both brothers continued to dominate the field with their flair and create chances from anywhere on the field. At first, it looked like Rin was calm and composed, showcasing his dribbling skills and adaptive game sense that broke through U-20 Japan’s defense.

Rin Itoshi got nutmegged by Sae Itoshi. Credits: 8 Bit

However, it was not long before he lost his cool towards Sae, as he ran after him, committing fouls to stop him from progressing. His emotions got the better of him. Rin constantly complained about how he was his little brother, but his brother silenced him, showcasing his skills and nutmegging past him whilst saying the following words:

If you keep acting like you’re my little brother, you will never surpass me.

These words felt like a bolt from the blue, showcasing how Sae’s ego was much greater, and Rin was obsessed with the idea of beating him. Throughout Season 1 and in some episodes of Season 2, we have witnessed how Rin has prepared to outplay him, and it’ll be intriguing to see how the storyline develops as the game goes to the second half.

Blue Lock can be streamed on Hulu.