Why does Rin Itoshi stick his tongue out in Blue Lock? Explored

Modified Dec 29, 2024 15:00 GMT

Why does Rin Itoshi stick his tongue out in Blue Lock? Explored (Image via 8bit)

Blue Lock season 2 finale was released on December 28, 2024, featuring Itoshi Rin's most controversial moment when he stuck his tongue out during the match. As claimed by Ego Jinpachi, this was due to Rin's 'flow' state awakening, which allowed him to showcase his true potential. However, why did Rin do such a strange thing?

There are several theories regarding this behavior, but the most popular scientific explanation is that it reflects a person's focus. The part of the brain associated with focus overlaps with the area related to speech.

So, when a person is focused and pressure builds in the focus area, the speech area also gets triggered, leading to the person protruding their tongue out. This might be why Rin did such an act, and its inspiration might be Michael Jordan.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in this article solely belong to the author.

Blue Lock season 2: Exploring the reason why Rin protrudes his tongue

Itoshi Rin as seen in the anime (Image via 8bit)

In Blue Lock season 2 episode 13, Itoshi Rin realized that he was growing weak because he was dependent on others' passes to score a goal. Mixed with rebellious feelings for his brother, the football player went berserk and abandoned everything solely to score the goal.

As the match resumed, Rin immediately stole the ball from his teammates, worrying his teammates. This was followed by Rin protruding his tongue and charging towards the opposition's goal box as the player was serious about scoring a goal. On his way, he was stopped by three of the strongest U-20 Japan defenders.

However, Rin outclassed them in their stronghold and crossed them. Ego Jinpachi, looking at Rin's state, was impressed and titled it as the player's awakened flow state. This flow state was so strong that it made Oliver Aiku, arguably the series' strongest defender, unable to think of a move to counter Rin's tackle. But why did Rin display such an unsightly act before millions of people?

Scientifically, protruding the tongue is described as an 'extremely focused state.' The part of the brain associated with 'focus and precise movement' overlaps the part associated with 'speech and mouth movement.' Therefore, when a person is in extreme focus and all signals are going toward the 'focus' part, some signals also enter the 'speech part.'

This might explain why Rin protruded his tongue during the Team Blue Lock vs Team U-20 Japan match. A more common action in this state, which some fans might relate to, is pushing the tongue to the top of the mouth when in an extremely focused state. Thus, Rin's action has nothing to do with a disease as he was extremely focused on scoring a goal.

Final thoughts and possible inspiration

Itoshi Rin in his flow state (Image via 8bit)

Rin's state might be a true inspiration for the former professional basketball player Michael Jordan. During the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals, the basketball player protruded his tongue before making a throw for precise movement. This parallel suggests that Rin's state in Blue Lock season 2 stems from his extreme focus.

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Edited by Shubham Soni