Why did Itoshi Rin finally acknowledge Isagi Yoichi's greatness?
In the Rivalry Battle phase, a match that determines rival players, Itoshi Rin emerged as the top-ranked participant in Blue Lock with astonishing individual abilities. As the greatest, Rin openly admitted that he didn't care much about his teammates and underestimated the abilities of other participants.
For Rin, the only thing that mattered was utilizing the winning system in Blue Lock to ensure that he, at just 16 years old, automatically secured a spot on the Japan U-20 national team, surpassing the greatness of his older brother, Itoshi Sae.
In the 3 vs. 3 match between Team Red, reinforced by Rin, Aryu, and Tokimitsu, and Team White, consisting of Bachira, Isagi, and Nagi, something interesting occurred. After Team Red defeated Team White, Rin didn't care which rival he acquired. He let the decision of choosing a rival fall to Aryu and Tokimitsu, who ultimately picked Bachira due to his exceptional passing skills.
Here are four reasons why Itoshi Rin finally acknowledged Isagi Yoichi's greatness:
1. Isagi Yoichi Could Keep Up with Itoshi Rin's Way of Thinking
After some time had passed, Isagi challenged Rin once again to a Rivalry Battle in the final round. Isagi's motivation was to defeat Rin and snatch Bachira from Rin's grasp. As a result, an epic 4 vs. 4 match took place between Team Red, reinforced by Rin, Aryu, Bachira, and Tokimitsu, and Team White, consisting of Isagi, Barou, Chigiri, and Nagi.
After Rin successfully scored the equalizing goal of 1-1 for Team Red against Team White, Nagi and Chigiri were amazed by Rin's brilliance in overcoming their defense in a 1-on-2 situation. Isagi provided a satisfying explanation to the curious Chigiri and Nagi about how Rin became unstoppable.
Isagi knew that when Rin was dribbling the ball in the shooting area that resulted in his brilliant goal, Rin cleverly baited Chigiri and Nagi into taking turns to try to block his shot. This allowed Rin to follow through with his prediction and perform fake shot tricks to deceive Chigiri and Nagi. Rin pretended to kick the ball with body movements as if he were about to take a shot while changing the speed of his movements to deceive his opponents.
After hearing Isagi's analysis of Rin's goal-setting process, Nagi admitted that he couldn't match Rin's way of thinking. Meanwhile, Chigiri referred to Isagi as an extraordinary person for being able to keep up with Rin's mindset.
Even Bachira, as a player who had played alongside Rin and Isagi, was impressed with Isagi's development and his ability to compete with Rin. Isagi demonstrated his greatness in analyzing situations and devising strategies to score goals and thwart opponents' attacks.
2. Isagi Yoichi Successfully Tricks Itoshi Rin
Unfortunately, while Isagi was chasing the ball provided by Chigiri, Rin suddenly appeared in a position parallel to Isagi, aiming to snatch the ball. However, Isagi cleverly turned his body so that his back faced Rin. Deceived by Isagi's move, Rin attempted to snatch the ball in front of Isagi. But Isagi quickly executed a backheel kick, using his heel, and directed the ball towards Team Red's goal. The kick resulted in a spectacular goal.
Nagi was impressed and praised Isagi's ability to defeat Rin in a one-on-one duel. Intrigued by Isagi's spectacular goal-making process, Barou asked him with great curiosity. After considering all possibilities, Isagi explained his trick for facing Rin. Isagi realized that Rin thought he would take a direct shot after receiving the pass from Chigiri.
Therefore, Isagi used the backheel trick to deceive Rin's prediction and score a goal. Chigiri acknowledged Isagi's brilliance and realized that such a way of scoring a goal like Isagi did would not have been conceivable without a shared understanding between Isagi and Rin.
3. Isagi Almost Successfully Defeats Rin.
When the score between Team White and Team Red was tied at 4-4, the team that scored the fifth goal would be the winner. Isagi's direct shot almost created the winning goal for Team White, but Rin managed to block the ball with a header, causing Isagi's shot to fail to break Team Red's goal.
However, Bachira managed to get the ball, which bounced off Rin's header. With his freestyle football skills, Bachira successfully penetrated Team White's defense alone and dribbled past all the players with stunning moves. But Bachira's shot that should have resulted in a goal was stopped by Isagi's sudden appearance, heroically blocking it.
According to Ego Jinpachi, when Isagi managed to block Bachira's shot, his predictive ability had surpassed Rin's. If Isagi's position was just one centimeter to the left or right when blocking Bachira's shot, Team White had the potential to counterattack and win. However, the ball that accidentally flew in the air fell near Rin, and Rin successfully scored the fifth goal to secure Team Red's victory over Team White.
Rin, known for not caring much about anyone as a teammate, relied on his own abilities and the skills of his teammates. Therefore, Bachira, Aryu, and Tokimitsu felt no need for permission to determine the rival they would snatch from Team White. However, Rin made the decision to choose a rival and forbade his teammates from doing so, as Rin really wanted Isagi to join his team.
Bachira, Aryu, and Tokimitsu were surprised when Rin chose a rival and amazed to see Isagi being directly chosen by Rin. As a player who could always predict the events on the field, Rin admitted that he could not predict the moment when Bachira tried to score with an egoistic dribble and Isagi suddenly managed to block the ball. The reason Rin chose Isagi was that he wanted to involve Isagi in the list of players he would crush and make Isagi the closest witness when Rin became the best soccer player in the world.
Even in the match against Isagi, Rin felt defeated for the first time since joining Blue Lock. For Rin, losing a soccer match was equivalent to losing his existence or facing death. According to his life philosophy, soccer was a war and a life-and-death battle for him. Isagi had managed to make Rin feel that defeat.
4. Ego Jinpachi Explains the Process of Itoshi Rin's Luck in Defeating Isagi Yoichi
Ego Jinpachi explained that when Bachira displayed a selfish act of dribbling the ball alone to score a goal without passing it to his teammate, The running speed of Team White players Nagi, Chigiri, and Barou seemed to pause for a moment, captivated by Bachira's brilliance as he skillfully performed a rainbow flick to surpass them. Even players from Team Red, Aryu, and Tokimitsu chose to stop in their tracks because they realized they wouldn't receive a pass from Bachira. It was as if time stood still, admiring Bachira's genius in that moment.
As some players from Team White and Team Red chose to stop outside the penalty box, watching Isagi from Team White chase after Bachira from Team Red, they wondered if Bachira could score or if Isagi could block Bachira's shot. Unlike his teammates from Team Red, who chose to remain motionless like statues, Rin refused to stand still and continued to run at full speed, even though he knew he wouldn't receive a pass from Bachira. Rin gambled on the possibility that Isagi would be able to block Bachira's shot and that the rebound ball would fall right at his feet. It was as if Rin took a big risk and anticipated the miraculous moment that could happen.
Although the direction of the ball falling into the air after Bachira's shot was blocked by Isagi couldn't be predicted, the ambitious Rin, who wanted to score a goal, was in the right position inside Team White's penalty box without any defenders guarding him. Finally, Rin got the luck he sought when the ball genuinely fell right in front of him as he faced the goal. As a result, Rin successfully scored the fifth goal that brought victory to Team Red against Team White.
5. Itoshi Rin Admits Winning by Luck Against Isagi Yoichi
Even though Isagi has informed his teammates in Team White that their defeat was merely due to the luck of Team Red, Isagi firmly believes that Team White almost managed to roll over Team Red, and in reality, Team White was not truly defeated.
However, Isagi still asks Rin and wants to know the reason behind his defeat against Rin. With a nonchalant attitude, Rin tells Isagi that even a monkey would undoubtedly know that Rin's victory over Isagi was influenced by luck. However, Isagi is not satisfied with just an explanation about luck alone, as he wants to have a definite reason to become stronger.
Then, Rin emphasizes to Isagi that luck is not just a coincidence. Instead, Rin describes luck as a mysterious element that favors those who desire it greatly. According to Rin, if Isagi is unable to understand the essence of luck, then she does not deserve to live in this competitive world, where victory and defeat are inevitable.
Rin also admits that he could have missed the opportunity to score a goal if he had chosen to stand still like a statue outside Team White's penalty box, like the other players who were waiting to see whether Isagi could block Bachira's shot or if Bachira could score a goal.
Even Rin honestly admits that the opportunity he received, which was beyond his control, seemed like a coincidence created by Isagi, who fell in front of him. Rin tells Isagi and sincerely acknowledges that he was able to defeat Isagi thanks to the factor of luck.