Haikyuu Manga - Blog Posts

I am oh so very stressed

Captain to Captain, Ace to Ace, Mom to Mom. Progressively getting t i g h t e r

i see your “tanaka and kiyoko are married” and i raise you “tanaka and kiyoko are married, but kiyoko is poly and dating yachi outside of their marriage with tanakas consent”

oikawa tooru: facing a world of geniuses  

i always wanted to write my thoughts about oikawa and i thought it would be perfect to do it in time for his 30th birthday!!!! he's one of my favorite characters ever and is exceptionally well-written. the main idea behind this post is that despite oikawa being skilled, he had to face the realization that there are players who are leagues above him. however, even when oikawa felt lost, he never gave up on his dreams. oikawa tooru was a player in a world full of geniuses and made it to the top of the world despite the challenges.

of course, we have to start with oikawa's ICONIC introduction! "the Great King". before we get into his story, we know he's an incredible player and kageyama's senpai. from the beginning, oikawa is a threat. he is introduced with his fangirls screaming, seeming "superficial," and very confident in himself. compared to the other characters we've seen in haikyuu, at this point, there was no one like him. it was obvious he was a fantastic player. however, we don't see his skills until the game between karasuno and aoba johsai.

it's such a simple phrase, but before every game, without fail, oikawa tells his team that he has faith in them, and in return, his team believes in him. unlike the setters we've met, oikawa is truly one of his own. he is known for his amazing skill and leadership and has been respected and praised; it's apparent that oikawa is leagues above many others. he is also able to bring out the best in his players. with oikawa as your setter, you have someone who will understand your strengths and weaknesses and give you the tosses you need to succeed. however, skill alone isn't enough for oikawa.

"it becomes clear that oikawa, while skilled, is not a natural"

despite being an amazing setter who has the ability to bring out 100% in every teammate, knows the ins and outs of his team, and is incredibly skilled, oikawa is not a genius. compared to ushijima and kageyama, oikawa is not a natural-born prodigy. this is when we are introduced to oikawa's inner conflict. no matter how great he is, the amount of time he spends dedicating himself to his craft, the long nights practicing by himself won't be able to make up for what a "genius" has to offer.

in middle school, oikawa's frustration hit an all-time high. after seeing the difference in skill between himself and ushijima, he is now on the same team as a young kageyama. he sees the difference in skill at every practice, watching kageyama learn a new skill in one day that took oikawa ages. it's clear that oikawa, who was praised for being incredibly skilled, is now face to face with a whole new world far from his reach.

oikawa finally snaps in this scene with young kageyama. all the thoughts and insecurities he has had to deal with, the unbearable fact that there may always be a gap between him and a select few, has been weighing on him for so long.

imagine you are praised for being so skilled, and here comes someone new who is not only catching up to you but has the potential to exceed you?

i think what makes oikawa so interesting is how relatable he can be to many people, including myself. there were times when i was praised for being talented, for getting great grades, and for doing something good, and then someone new came along who did everything I could do but even better. every person faces the frustration of seeing someone grow at a faster rate than you are. it doesn't necessarily come from a malicious place, but the thought of someone taking your spot and performing better than you ever could is painful to accept.

however, iwaizumi reminds oikawa that it isn't just him on the team. there are always six players on that court. oikawa uses this lesson to push forward, deciding that no matter what it takes, he will take his team to the finals.

although oikawa has moments where his insecurities run wild, he is one of the best players in haikyuu. from his killer serves, his incredible fast-paced thinking, his technique, and his ability to bring the best out of every single player. he can do it all.

however, all of this isn't enough against the second game between karasuno.

this conversation oikawa has with his idol, jose blanco, is not only fundamental to oikawa as a character but also a real-life lesson for many of us.

the reason why this conversation is shown at this moment is because kageyama makes a toss that causes karasuno to have their set and game point. while the members of aoba johsai wish they had some of kageyama's skill or some of his "guts," oikawa goes back to what jose blanco tells him.

you can wish you had someone's skill, talent, and smarts, but that idea will only be detrimental to your growth. while oikawa has always made it clear he detests geniuses, not once has he stopped and given up. he continues down this challenging path with his goal in sight with no intentions of ever walking away from volleyball.

accepting that there is more for you to do and that you haven't done everything you can to grow may be difficult for many, but once you make peace with that fact, there is a world of opportunity.

after this flashback, oikawa comes to the conclusion that everyone could have their talent bloom whether it be tomorrow, the day after, or when you're 30, but it won't ever happen if you don't believe in yourself. if you let yourself stay stuck in the idea that "so and so is better than me, i can't do it," you will never fully unlock your potential.

“talent is something you make bloom, instinct is something you polish” 

there are many interpretations of this line, but i believe it means that talent will only show if you're willing to allow yourself to grow. the instincts that make you a better player will only happen through your sheer will and dedication.

oikawa has given so much of his time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears to volleyball in hopes of someday going to nationals. unfortunately, his goal never did come true, but this would only be the start of his amazing journey.

"nothing is over yet. not my volleyball career...or my "petty pride." never forget that."

it's one of the most memorable lines of the manga and one of my favorites. ushijima believes oikawa would have succeeded if he never went to aoba johsai, that because of his pride, oikawa never set foot at nationals.

however, none of that is true. oikawa made all the decisions because he believed they were best. he stayed at aoba johsai because he believed in his team. of course, there were many opportunities someone as skilled as oikawa could have taken, but he didn't, and he's more than okay with that

he isn't going to let anyone tell him that the choices he made were wrong. he won't let the realization of never making it to nationals tear him down. not only is oikawa a remarkable player physically, but his mental strength is something else entirely.

although pride is sometimes seen as something negative, oikawa's pride in himself drives him forward. his belief in his team, his dreams, and his own future or what makes him who he is. he isn't someone who will let others' thoughts and feelings sway him. oikawa will do what he believes is best for himself, and if that path is not the one to nationals, he can accept that.

oikawa will never give up on his dream no matter how many obstacles stand in his way. It doesn't matter if it's a team full of geniuses, a difficult teammate to work with, or his own insecurities; oikawa will never give up until he makes his mark on the world.

oikawa tooru in brazil has to be one of my favorite moments in the entire manga.

after not seeing him for so long, we finally see oikawa thriving in brazil with his teammates. now, he is playing for the argentina league as their setter, and all of his efforts to become a pro proved to be worth it.

seeing oikawa in the timeskip full of confidence and succeeding in his career made me so emotional. I relate to him in many ways, and to see someone succeed in such a remarkable way despite the challenges is extremely motivating.

oikawa moved across the world, leaving his friends and family behind in hopes of making his dreams come true. it was more than difficult, having to power through every obstacle with sheer willpower and skill. even though oikawa went through so many hardships, he loved the sport.

volleyball is something oikawa has loved since he was young. spending hours watching his idols play, learning how to play himself, and falling in love with being a setter. volleyball is everything to oikawa.

i think what makes oikawa's journey so impactful is that we see someone who presents himself to be full of confidence have his own insecurities and struggles, but he never let any of that stop him from giving up on volleyball.

seeing him in brazil, happy and thriving makes me so happy. the flashback to him as a kid, smiling and full of amazement, and then cutting back to him as an adult makes me so emotional.

oikawa's last words to hinata in brazil are a testament to his character.

what i love about this panel is that oikawa is telling us that he will beat everyone. he reminds us that we haven't seen the last of him yet.

oikawa tooru has been working for so long with the desire to beat every and anyone. he could have let himself stay with the same ideology he had in middle school, where he would never be able to be equal to a genius, and let that thought destroy him. but oikawa never gave up. he worked hard every day, honing his skills and growing as an individual to have this moment.

it is unbelievable that Oikawa, who was always full of immense talent and determination, is now at an entirely different level.

oikawa tooru may not be a genius, but he made his way to the olympics despite that.

this is the perfect ending for a character like oikawa. someone who, from the beginning, had a strong desire to defeat everyone and now steps onto the court where the world can see him at his best.

although it's never specifically stated who wins, i will always believe that oikawa tooru, took the world by storm and won the olympic gold. the man who wasn't a genius made it to the top of the game.

it makes me so happy to see him work so hard and have it all payoff. not only is the journey to becoming a professional player difficult, but as someone who had a hard time accepting his limitations, oikawa made his way to the world stage.

UPDATE:

there are colored versions of the manga going around, so I just HAD to add this iconic oikawa scene to this post.

I'm so proud of him.

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reading and watching his journey is such a beautiful experience. oikawa is such a fantastic character who's so authentic and entertaining. he'll always be a character i can relate to and see as motivation.

i hope this was a fun/interesting read!! i always wanted to write something about oikawa so this was very fun for me to do. he's a character i will always love, and i hope this post showed how great of a character he is!

kita shinsuke: the modern-day philosopher

one of my favorite things about haikyuu is how realistic the story is and how the messages can be applied to everyone. kita was one of the characters i felt impacted by. of course, many of the characters before kita's introduction impacted me, but kita's philosophy deeply affected me.

kita is a character who played the sport diligently but wasn't in it for the glory. although he was raised by his grandma's words, "someone's always watching," he isn't concerned about being praised by others. being able to do stuff the right way is enough for him. before kita, we've been introduced to many characters who are willing to do anything to win and continue playing volleyball in the future. kita isn't concerned about any of that. playing to the best of his abilities and doing it correctly is more than enough.

the importance of daily maintenance is something i will always think of when i see kita. he takes care of his body, cleans up, respects his traditions, and practices volleyball daily. it's a routine he follows every day without fail. to many, this seems tedious. doing the same thing everyday without a break? without fail? without anything to gain from it? most people wouldn't bother to use as much time and effort as kita does for no desired result. i'm one of the many that find it hard to keep up a routine, especially if it requires so much consistency and effort. but kita does it without complaint, without fail, and finds genuine joy in it.

but even though kita didn't care about people's approval, the moment he was offered the captain's jersey brought him to tears. whether he cared or not, his efforts to improve himself did not go unnoticed. all that time he spent cleaning, taking care of his body, honoring tradition, and practicing volleyball led to this moment. but kita never had a goal in mind. being chosen as captain is a high achievement, but kita didn't join the team to eventually have this honor. he did what he believed was the best thing to do, and being chosen as captain was simply the result of his effort.

this panel changed everything for me. i even used this as my college graduation quote because i have such a heavy attachment to this scene.

kita didn't do all his daily practices to gain anything. he did them because it felt right, doing his best no matter what was more important to him.

i have a habit of always determining my worth based on the results. if i don't get a good enough grade, i see my effort as useless; if i'm not praised for something, then i feel i'm not doing my best; if all my efforts don't give me the results i want, i see my time spent as wasted but reading this scene changed everything for me.

the time you spend bettering yourself is more valuable than a result. after all, the only reason you get a good result in the first place is because of your time and dedication to your work. even though kita was emotional about his hard work being seen and rewarded, his goal wasn't to become captain. at the end of the day, he spent all this time doing things for himself.

the little things I do every day might not be valuable in the grand scheme of things; the time I spend dedicating myself to anything makes me who I am. the small, everyday things make us who we are. we care for our bodies, study or work, unwind, and prepare meals for ourselves. It doesn't lead to anything extraordinary, but it does matter. it matters because it's who we are. every little thing we do is a part of us, and the good or bad things that come with it are simply the results of what we decide to do.

kita's philosophy of doing things right because it's the right thing to do is simple, yet it's one of the lessons of haikyuu that has stuck with me the longest. we, as people, believe we need to produce results that have meaning to us, but devoting ourselves to daily tasks is essential to who we are as people and how we live our lives. we do the things we do because they are necessary, and the outcomes that follow are just byproducts.

kita is such an important character to me, and I wish this rant could do him some justice. all in all, kita shinsuke, you are the greatest philosopher of our time.

funny how kenma and lev have the same hairstyles as those girls… hm

°˖✧ Ishikawa Kaito as KAGEYAMA TOBIO ✧˖°

@animangacreators challenge 3 ✧ alphabet challenge: k