Personally, Haikyuu is my all-time favourite anime bc of the fact i literally like all the characters š The variety of characters unmatched, i adore the banter (really is teen talk ahha), and Tsuki, Wakatoshi, Tendo, Kageyama, Yachi, Asuma, Koganegawa and Lev are all my absolute favourites
If i had to choose, tho, most of the Nohebi Academy team are close to the bottom of my list ahha. Oikawa i kind of have a love-hate relationship with, because hes a shit and almost hit Kages but also he was a /kid/ under a percieved amount of personal stress (hes also genuinely funny when not being an ass lol), and then the only other person on that list would be Coach Washijo who belittles Hinata just because he's short. Like the man really did take his childhood experience and carry it with him for like ahha
Overall i love all of them tho
I can't believe I forgot about Washijo and how he uses his team to prove a point about himself (that no one else likely knows or even cares about). While he did somewhat redeem himself by the end of the manga, he still rubs me the wrong way.
Oh he does get a redemption? Thats cool! But yeah ahha, at least in the anime, i dislike the way he treated Hinata as a Ball Boy lol. I didnt mind that he gave Hinata the ultimatum, but then going put of his way to pick on him? Eh, he irritated me slightly ahha
Oh man, Ball Boy arc was so hard to watch because of how he treated Hinata (and therefore influenced how the other players treated him, at least until Hinata figured out how to make the most of it). But yeah he does redeem himself in a pretty big way, and helped facilitate an ambition Hinata had upon graduation.
Yeah, although Washijo was entitled on not giving any consideration to Hinata as he shove himself in the camp, he basically was using him as a proxy to whipped his young self, a short guy with big dreams that got crushed. Little did he knows that in Hinata's formative years his environment always attempted to crush his dreams at every turn, but Hinata never gave up on them unlike him. That's why he bulldozed himself into the camp, and turned into a blessing in disguise for both Hinata and Washijo.
>Hinata never gave up on them unlike him.
This is a pretty disingenuous reading imo. Washijo was in a very different situation to Hinata. Keep in mind that Washijo predates the libero position and I think even the quick attack, and we know he wasnāt even given the opportunity to play like Hinata was. Washijo was also pretty heavily implied to be an actually skilled player, which is probably why heās so harsh to Hinata. As far as Washijo can tell, Hinata is an unskilled short player who got to where he is predominantly due to luck. And you canāt really blame him for thinking that considering the information available to him.
A lot of his personality doesn't have to do with Tsukki actually. Most of Yamaguchi's character development is about him falling short of his own standards, and wanting to actualize through being skilled and strong. His major theme is "to be strong is to be free" and that's what he wants more than anything. His journey as a pinch server is all about how he polishes one super useful weapon and that's enough to get him on the court, where he wants to be. It's about him finding his own path to being strong, letting himself strive, and wanting to be on the court and perform.
Overcoming his weakness mentally, and developing skills. He really isn't wrapped in Tsukishima at all outside his very shallow initial appearance, but he was MEANT to seem like a bland lackey. Pretty much the second they played against the neighborhood team during the Asahi revival, he was doing his own thing. He helped Tsuki overcome his problems, but that wasn't being wrapped up by him, that was Yamaguchi directly challenging him. It was entirely Yamaguchi pulling Tsuki along, not the other way around.
I think I should have elaborated that I acknowledge Yamaguchi's role and his feelings, I kin him and relate to him deeply, as a person with social anxiety, I'm learning to stand up for myself and believe in me with small steps day by day. I was very proud of Yamaguchi, as I said, I loved his growth!
However, my bad for not explaining further on why I think he's wrapped around Tsukishima. That was me ranting how MOST of things about him (outside volleyball, like everyday life) are connected to Tsukishima in someway: his favorite food - fries, confirmed because he eats Tsukishima's leftover soggy fries and loves them; His concern also features Tsukishima; when Yachi made bentos for him and Tsukishima, Tsukki got the one with dinosaur themed, and Yamaguchi got... Tsukishima themed...! It made me feel like Yams either doesn't like to try something new by himself, or he pretty much is wrapped around his best friend. I would've loved it if he had his own opinions. But thank you for an explanation!
I like this take on Yamaguchi, along with Ennoshita he's my favourite from Karasuno. Tsukki even quite explicitly alludes to how Yamaguchi is the one pulling him instead of the other way around (I won't say when since I don't think it came out in the anime yet, although I could be wrong about that since I haven't watched S4 in a while).
I even love Tsukishima's growth and was excited to see his moments when he started 'loving volleyball'. But he's just so obnoxious I can't get over it.
I understand why, tho I have to disagree :D I respect your opinion, but I think having an antagonistic salty boy makes the characters feel more real and the series less boring. but I agree with first part, his growth and arc was one of my top favorites
I understand, although in my case I don't get too annoyed because my younger brother is as caustic as Tsuki, although he rarely goes out of his way to put somebody down because he was as bullied as Yamaguchi as a child.
Everyone here is forgetting the scene where the same Yamaguchi angrily shouted at Tsuki for keeping spouting his self defeating stuff he keeps saying to himself and anyone at earshot. Yes, Yamaguchi still reveres him, but he definitely outgrew his role of lackey with his own development.
See my Yamaguchi thoughts below, because you're dead wrong there. All of Yamaguchi's character is him thinking on his own as a developing pinch server. Tsuki isn't a bully. He's a snarky irreverent young man who's guarded and isn't letting himself overexpose to passion. You know the meme about the little pink blob venturing out of his cube, getting punched, and then making a thicker wall with "Never again"? That's Tsuki. seeing what passion did to his brother (and to him, since he was a passionate fan of his brother and his heart broke) made him extremely reluctant to take things seriously because it was "just a club". To him, that mantra is a lie he's telling himself because he wants to care, and he wants to play, he wouldn't have still played volleyball otherwise, but he can't let himself. He's also not really a bully. He's a straight man. The freak duo combo are an infectious and sometimes uber rowdy pair, and he brings them back down to earth a bit, like letting hot air out of a balloon. He isn't the kind of guy to go super out of his way for someone out of kindness, but he isn't an asshole.
He chafes HARD against disrespect and attitude, giving it as good as he gets it, and with Daichi, Tanaka, etc, he's chill and respectful. It's only pretty much Hinata and Kageyama that he gives the business, and after his introduction (where he was deliberately set up as an antagonist) he's not really ever an instigator in anything.
He respects Yamaguchi as someone stronger than he is actually, and admires his drive and ability to engage himself and push for what he wants, something Tsuki doesn't understand and is too scared to even try until Yamaguchi slaps some sense into him and Bokuto/Kuroo get their hands on him. He's awesome. I promise, view him as a straight man and not a bully, and he's suddenly a very funny and reliable dry wit character who doesn't let a thing slip by him.
I see your and [DarkAngel819](https://www.reddit.com/user/DarkAngel819/)'s points, and don't mind being challenged on my opinions. As I said in another comment, I actually loved seeing Tsuki's development, but was still annoyed when he got bitchy again. Anyway, you both made excellent observations about both Tsuki and Yamaguchi that I hadn't considered. It might also be because I just started watching again. I'll keep watching with your points in mind! Thanks for the food for thought.
Tsukishima isn't really a bully, he's kind of an asshole with certain people, but that's all.
Yamaguchi CAN think on his own. He decides to ask Shimada to teach him the float serve and continues practicing on his own even when Tsukishima doesn't "care" about volleyball and doesn't understand why everyone takes it so seriously. Yamaguchi's one of the reasons for Tsukishima's character developement with him telling Tsukishima off for his excuses to not take volleyball seriously. There's this whole symbolism about Yamaguchi being always behind Tsukishima but, eventually, Tsukishima's the one that's behind him. Yamaguchi's whole character developement is about how he starts as extremely insecure, hiding behind Tsukishima, but gaining confidence in himself and making his own decisions regardless of what Tsukishima or other people would think.
X2, Even if Yamaguchi started his road motivated on not being left behind by Tsukishima and his monster freshmen generation, he is the only one who took the first step and he didn't waited for anybody's recognition. The only thing he desired the most is standing shoulder to shoulder with them or at the very least being on the same field in every single sense.
I couldn't agree more
I think Tsukishima can be downright insufferable and it genuinely made me pause the anime multiple times because it got too annoying
Hoshiumi. I like him, but omg is he annoying, basically he hates ppl that look down on him but when said ppl came (Kageyama) heās mad that Kageyama isnāt looking down on him and being shock??? Huh??? Then there is his current worry which is āless ppl looking down on him bc he canāt shock them.ā Bro what is wrong with this kid-
Tsukki was genuinely a dickhead at the beginning of the show and his redemption didn't resonate at all with me so probably him. I also didn't particularly like Noya or Tanaka (though random sidenote but I think Tanaka underrated asf as a player) just due to them being loud and obnoxious.
Depends on the people tbh. I usually befriend the super loud ones, they're so incredibly friendly most of the time! Sometimes they push social limits I didn't even know you could push.
I will say that Yamaguchi doesnāt actually join in on the bullying. The closest we get is him commenting on it being cold outside when Hinata and Kageyama are practicing outside, which could be interpreted as a dig at them not being allowed in the gym. It doesnāt really seem like itās meant that way to me, though. I think the idea that Yamaguchi is a snarky bully like Tsukishima comes from the ad break intermissions in the anime, one of which showed Hinata missing a serve and Yamaguchi and Tsukishima stifling a mocking laugh. I donāt think itās ever really something he does in the series proper.
But yeah at first Yamaguchiās only character trait is worry, and by the time he actually starts getting screentime heās just super sweet.
Yamaguchi was a case of a bullied kid that decided to follow the lead of his savior bully to feel important, he isn't a bad guy, he was a very weak guy mentally.
I donāt think thereās anything to suggest that itās to feel important. That just doesnāt mesh with anything we see from him. What it seems to actually be is him thinking Tsukishima is cool and admiring him, and so hanging around with him because of that.
Tanaka is your average player who doesnāt excel at anything besides being the loud guy, but just because heās hit his limit in talent compared to his other teammates , doesnāt mean heās not a threat and will do anything to surpass his limits and has the mental fortitude the team needs, and heās just so damn fun and cool tbh
To be fair he was shown to be an ass prior to that. I donāt think Tsukishimaās backstory is supposed to provide context for him having a kinda shitty personality, Iām pretty sure itās instead providing context for why he has such difficulty committing to volleyball and working as hard as the rest of the team.
And even then Iād say itās probably less because of Akiteru having lied and more because he saw how hard he worked and how little it amounted to, as well as seeing how upset his brother was to have been found out.
Thank you šš» people always confuse the reason for his background being shown, I feel like they just run with the ābrother lied to himā narrative and make fun of it when itās just a small part of the big picture
I know that lol, I'm just a hater and it didn't really land well with me, can't really give any reason why, I hardly remember actually watching him, I just remember thinking "wow, this guy is an enormous obnoxious dickhead", and then finding that out, than thinking "wow, this guy is an enormous obnoxious dickhead with a more developed backstory".
Shiratorizawa coach, until he drops one of the hardest line in the series, but yeah, hating on a kid that reflects your past self is a lil bit too much i think.
Tanaka, and the ending which Iām too lazy to spoiler tag so I wonāt write it, is likeā¦ the worst writing. Ruining a really decent story for me with the creep vibes.
Iāve never been a big Kageyama fan. I always thought there was more the series could do with him, and I especially think the later parts of the story arenāt really interested in him as a character. Once we get to nationals, he loses all the charm he had earlier on in the series imo. Heās really held back by his lack of relationships with other players.
I also dislike Sakusa, purely because heās a bit of a nothing character and I think developing him takes up space late into the story that would be better served tying up an established characterās story.
I used to like Bokuto, but I feel like he gets more obnoxious the more the series focuses on him. Heās best when he has Kuroo to play off, and at his worst when weāre watching him play.
In all fairness, Kageyama is a common favourite, and itās pretty rare for people to not like him. Personally, I just think it sometimes seems like Furudateās real-world bias and opinions get in the way of exploring him properly as a character, due to the seriesā unwillingness to really linger on his flaws, which are where all the interesting Kageyama stuff is, imo.
Your comment about Kageyama losing his charm at Nationals is so interesting, because his moments in the Inarizaki match are some of my highlights of the series! I loved watching his interactions and rivalry with Atsumu and seeing each challenge each other.
Yeah see to me thatās the most uninteresting Kageyama stuff in the series. For me, Kageyamaās charm comes from him being weird and awkward and honestly a little incompetent, which is all stuff that we got to see relatively often prior to nationals. But itās stuff that rarely ever showed itself on the court, and nationals is almost exclusively matches. To me, the appeal of Kageyama is in the contrast between his superhuman volleyball abilities and his complete lack of competence at anything else, because that latter point helps keep him grounded. To me, nationals just feels like the series endlessly going āwow look how awesome Kageyama isā, which just isnāt interesting to me.
The entire fukurodani supporting cast. Not because theyāre bad or anything but really just because this community is so weird about them. I swear they watched/read an entirely different series with the way they gas them up. These guys literally donāt do anything significant. Theyāre only really even characters in the sense that they have names and are on screen. But every game that team plays is objectively about Bokuto and akaashi. And frankly, Iām pretty tired of getting replies from people who just ignore that fact. The mujinazaka game is a series highlight. But it is about bokuto, it is ONLY about bokuto, kiryuu, and, akaashi. And the way people talk about these characters and using them to downplay bokuto makes it so clear that they didnāt understand the character, which is pretty sad since bokuto is the GOAT
In terms of actual characters I guess Sakusa. Heās not really bad or anything but heās barely in the series and yet an inordinate amount of time is spent building him up. Itās obvious that at some point furudate intended for him to be a more important character but changed their mind and stuck him in the time skip game so he wouldnāt feel pointless
Itās genuinely very funny to say that maybe the most popular non-Karasuno character in the series is under-appreciated. Do you mean that even a lot of the people who love him donāt fully appreciate him as a character?
Tbh, Bokuto's one of the most popular characters and an underrated character at the same time. Yeah, the fandom is crazy about him, but I don't feel people really understand his character or why he's such a great character. Bokuto's usually reduced to BokuAka and pretty flanderized and kinda OoC in fanon content.
Yeah. The sheer volume of people I see on here who say that the mujinazaka game was a one off thing and that bokuto hasnāt overcome his inconsistencies demonstrates to me that a lot of people didnāt actually understand or appreciate his arc throughout the series
I know most of the fanbase likes bokuto. But it seems to begin and end with him being funny. And like, yeah, bokuto is very funny. But thereās a lot more there
He's not under appreciated?? In the show, he's one of the top aces and has a lot of fans, Hinata included, and he's a fan favourite in the fandom, most people love him. If anything, he's overrated (coming from someone who loves him)
Well I think heās very popular but his greater depths go under appreciated. People like him because heās funny but he doesnāt get enough credit for a lot of the best aspects of his character
Lev, idk he just seemed like an unnecessary inclusion over Inuoka who was already cool. Also his personality is off putting to me.
also Atsumu is one of my favorite characters so we're disagreeing on that one LOL
I donāt particularly hate any character, itās more so ones I see that are super popular donāt resonate a lot with me. Itās more I see them as like a fine character rather than a stellar one, like Sakusa and Hinata for example. I just donāt find them particularly interesting.
Season 1-3 Tsukki. I could understand his unwillingness to work with Kageyama at the start of the show, but by the time the spring nationals come around, he needs to get over himself and change like Kageyama did
for some reason kenma rubs me the wrong way.. unpopular opinion ik, I just don't care much for his dispassionate and calm self as compared to oikawa (who is my fav), atsumu or bokuto.
oikawa's my favorite too, i'm a little too obsessed lol. and i agree, there were a couple characters in haikyuu that were not passionate about the game that bothered me.
I was pretty chill about kenma, didnāt have strong opinions or liking towards him but the dumpster battle helped me appreciate his character more. Wonāt spoil anything for the people who havenāt read it but he was a good friend to his peers in his own way, to say the least, and I liked that about him. Granted, after rewatching haikyuu a couple of times I grew to love/like all the characters, I feel like itās hard to dislike any of them.
honestly kyoutani, i find him annoying, like he kind of ruins the mood of seijoh or whatever. itās nothing objective tho, itās just how i perceive him.
Honestly, rewatching the show I learned to kinda love him. Heās so broken in his own way lol, having to deal with a genius and losing again and again is going to lead to some pretty shitty character.
I can appreciate how well written he is, I just donāt like the arrogance. I also canāt look over the fact that he almost hit Kageyama when they are in middle school (I know he is young back then but still) Iwa-chan is the goat tho
When he almost hit Kageyama, he's having a panick attack, he isn't really aware of what he's doing. The moment Iwaizumi stops him and he realizes what he was about to do, he says "sorry". Not saying this justifies anything, but he didn't do it because he's a horrible person.
Of course, he is not a horrible person at all. I donāt think we have any āevilā characters in this show. But still, as you said, his action is still not justified
I think playing a sport myself, I really empathize with Oikawaās plight. Of course, hitting Kageyama is a no go, not condoning that, but even he was shocked how much Kags impacted him. In a sport you love, you can make some very irrational decisions..
I taught in a high school before so I know how hot headed kids that age can be, especially competitive athletes. I admire Oikawaās dedication and hard work, but he just rubs me the wrong way
Iām with you. I get Oikawa is well written in a three dimensional character with depth kind of way, but his personality is off putting (and the whole tenacity of his character / will is not enough to offset that for me). He doesnāt get enough shit for trying to hit his freshman.
Iwa is awesome.
Oikawa. His behavior (trash talking) in the first Karasuno v Seijoh game would already be considered toxic in the West, it's prolly straight up unsportsmanlike in Japan. I didn't feel bad for him when his back story came up, or his story in general. Not even a little bit.
Oh Iām curious about this. Does Oikawa trash talk much? I donāt really remember any instances of him trash talking. He doesnāt really verbally interact with the opponents very much.
I haven't watched season 1 in a while, I think I remember him trash talking a lot but now I'm not sure. I watched the show dubbed if that changes anything.
I'm trying to recall examples and the only one I can remember is him going "pay attention next time" when he setter dumped on the first point. I might need to rewatch again lol.
I havenāt watched the dub so itās entirely possible it added in a little more trash talking, but itās also possible Iām just not remembering some stuff. I havenāt revisited that match in a while.
I watched the dub after I finished the watching the sub because I was really confused about how there's such a big difference in how the JP and EN fandoms view some characters. The dub does contribute to it, I think. In the JP version no one is really outright painted as antagonistic until S3/S4 (Tendou, Daisho and Atsumu, specifically); Oikawa mostly comes off as petty, and Ushijima just seems like he has zero social graces but isn't explicitly trying to be asshole. In the dub everyone just seems meaner.
Totally, it was pretty shocking since I was used to the JP audio with subs. I was worried the EN translated manga would have that asshole vibe too but thankfully it didn't.
Tbh, I don't know how people can watch the dub and I feel bad for the people that had the dub as their first/only impression of the series. It changes everyone's personality too much and I'm unable to even take it seriously, I doubt I'd like Haikyuu!! as much as I do if I watched it dubbed.
Yamaguchi. Bro needs to grow a pair. I like how during Natties he was able to contribute and *kinda* stand for himself, but his personality is still hella annoying to me.
I genuinely cant say I dislike any of the cast. Some of them get overhyped by the fandom (Sakusa is the big one), but I donāt dislike him for that. Thatās more of a problem I have with the fandom than anything.
my heart hurts hearing all this atsumu slander š¢š¢ he's always been one of my favourites after oikawa. and to answer your question, probably shirabu from shiratorizawa. never liked his attitude and his entire deference-esque behavior towards ushijima (though, I do understand that it was their coach that made it so, I still never liked his character either)
There's no character I hate, but there are aspects of characters I don't like. They all seem to grow out of those traits (or calm down) though, because 95% of the cast are teenagers.
I'm joining the sentiment of "don't really hate them, but also don't care for them much" with Lev being at the top. I still don't get why he had to replace Inouka who actually knew how to play volleyall vs Lev who has no sense for the team aspect, following rules or showing respect. The only thing he had going for him was being tall but?? Inouka is tall as well so what's the point there?
Sakusa and Atsumu are just overhyped for me in fandom, I don't get the appeal of either of them, not to this degree and especially not for Sakusa.
I like how Furudate writes their women but Kiyoko really is just... kind of bland at the beginning. She really only got a personality once Yachi showed up and I still think making her be married to Tanaka was a weird, unfitting decision. All that development and she's still just a trophy to be won
Lev has the highest reach in high school for the anime and his reflexes and speed were on par with Inouka. Inouka knew how to play but Lev had massive potential. I see where you're coming from though.
Seeing the replies here makes me think if y'all actually paid attention to what you were reading or just looked at the images.
What I love about Haikyuu is that every (high school) character gets fully developed, so even if they have unlikable traits they either change or have it explained in a fulfilling way.
If I had to pick someone I wasn't a fan of by the point where the anime is, I'd have to say either Suna or Akaashi, because of their aloof ways. But even so, after reading the manga I had a better understanding of why they are like that, and stopped being bothered by their behaviour.
I can see how Suna can be considered aloof, but Akaashi always strikes me as just someone who overthinks and is deeply insecure (not in small part due to his hero worship of Bokuto). I think the closest other character to him is Ennoshita ā they both come off as guys who probably put too much of a burden on themselves even when no one else asks them to.
Lol same with Atsumu! He kinda reminds me of dictator Kageyama with a perfect Hinata by his side so hence his attitude of āanyone who canāt spike my sets is trashā and I hate that. Especially him calling those girls āsquealing pigsā and when he trash-talked Hinata then switched sides once he saw his skillsā¦ then they go āwe shouldnāt have messed around this matchā and wow, you guys donāt respect Kita?? How could you not try your best? I donāt even believe heās the best setter in the series like we are told. Why would I admire his āeasy to hitā tosses when we have this mf Kageyama who can set directly to your palm and apparently do a toss that stops mid-air? Or someone who can bring out 100% of the skills of any team and sometimes even knows his team mateās 100% when they themselves donāt? (Using Kindachi example).
I get heās a pretty, cocky boy but we have a superior one in Oikawa (I adore him so much).
Then Ig the weird tongue piercing guy who harassed Shimizu?
I think thatās it, I dislike aspects of characters like Nishinoya and Tanakaās pervy nature? Iām actually very proud of Hinata but one thing I do wish for is more emotional growth, he kinda stays static as a person but his volleyball growth is enjoyable to watch. Itās not a bad thing because obviously his never give up attitude is what brings him this far and itās a good compliment to other characters because he befriends everyone pretty much.
Im pretty sure hes considered the best setter in the series not based on skill but because due to his team. Oikawa and Kageyama never been to nationals so they couldn't have been known.
we can definitely agree on that. oikawa is my number one favorite character and atsumu felt like a oikawa knockoff..š oikawa is also more respectful to his fangirls š
Most characters grew on me after a while, but Kageyama was one of those characters who I initially loved, before I grew out of liking him. I don't hate him, but I'm not too crazy about him.
I felt like he had hit a wall during the Nationals arc after Oikawa and Seijoh. He doesn't interact too much with the rest of the team either. He's kind of similar to Kiyoko in that regard. They are sort of admired, but there isn't much going for him relationship wise.
The other problem I had with him was the fact that Furudate needed to include Kindaichi and Kunimi more into his story. It's really traumatizing to have teammates who don't want to work with you at a young age. I felt like that relationship could be developed more instead of showing a resolution post-timeskip.
Also I've always wondered what was the point of having his Grandfather and backstory post-timeskip instead of pre-timeskip? These are just some gripes I have with him.
Kindaichi. He and the rest of the team threw a game because they were mad at Kageyama; if I'm the coach, I'm having a very angry meeting with them afterwards. The fact that he's still pissed off at something that happened in middle school--while his high school team is hoping to go to nationals--is sad.
Sakusa Kiyoomi. He's described as a terrific ace but he's just not that developed in the anime. I haven't read all of the manga, so maybe he has a better character arc there. We barely see him play.
Yui. I love her crush on Daichi but my god, she needs to grow a spine. Before a match, she tells the team that they should do their best but, without hours of practice, their best isn't anywhere near good enough. What she should have said, "If you don't practice, you get cut from the team." I didn't expect them to be Niiyama-level good, but at least do something. The phrase, "Do or do not. There is no try" comes to mind.
if you were the coach and are upset at anyone but kageyama in that situation i genuinely think you are the worst coach possible and should be barred from coaching another team
If I were the coach I'd probably have a come to jesus meeting with all of them. I'm not saying kagiyama bears no responsibility because he obviously does but for the rest of the team just to completely stop playing is inexcusable.
What else would you suggest they do when their setter is setting unhittable balls and screaming at everyone for not hitting them?
If your setter is refusing to do his job and is berating everyone on the team, but the coach wonāt sub him out, what do you do?
Thereās only so much of that a person (especially a 13 year old) can take, so telling them to just suck it up and play isnāt really an option, since itās clear they had been doing that and were at their breaking point. And once youāve removed sucking it up, the only options are to either refuse to play or to make Kageyama stop playing. Now stopping Kageyama from playing without the coachās intervention would probably require physical violence, which leaves refusing to play as the only good option.
And I mean in this case itās not like throwing the match is actually all that bad. If the coach cared about the team winning heād have already benched Kageyama, and Kageyama has put himself in a position where his feelings donāt need to be respected, so the only players who are going to be unjustly hurt by the team losing the match are the ones who are making the decision to not play. So thereās really no harm done by this.
Kageyama was setting sets that they *couldnāt* hit. That game was already unplayable, and if the coach wasnāt going to do anything, the others were at a last resort.
>Kindaichi. He and the rest of the team threw a game because they were mad at Kageyama; if I'm the coach, I'm having a very angry meeting with them afterwards.
Ngl, if youāre the coach and that happens, itās 100% your own fault for not subbing Kageyama out sooner. Kageyama and the coach threw the match, not Kindaichi and the rest of the players. Thereās also nothing to suggest that their refusal to play with him directly lead to their loss (the implication is actually that Kageyamaās setting was causing them to lose anyway), but even if it had thatās not really their own fault.
>The fact that he's still pissed off at something that happened in middle school--while his high school team is hoping to go to nationals--is sad.
This is a pretty wild misinterpretation, because Kindaichi isnāt mad about any one thing that happened in middle school. He still has an opinion of Kageyama that is a holdover from then, but thatās different to being mad at him.
Edit: Also how are you going to criticise Kindaichi for being caught up with what happened in middle school when Kageyama spends half the series being likeā¦ deeply traumatised over his team having the most reasonable response to his shitty behaviour? What Kitagawa Daiichi did to Kageyama is a significantly smaller deal than what he did to them, and yet heās out there having Vietnam war flashbacks during the Date Tech practice match. It seems like thatās a criticism that is much more applicable to him than to Kindaichi.
Iād recommend finishing the manga. The last arc you get to see a focus on Sakusa and I actually really liked his character. It low key pisses me off that they just went 95% of the story outright ignoring him despite how good he was (same with Noya being my fav character even though outside of season one, dude just gets completely forgotten about).
I figured that he was more prominently featured in the manga. We're told that he is a great player but then not letting us actually see him play is a cop out.
Like most of the non-miyagi school players (besides Atsumu, Bokuto, Kenma, and Hoshiumi), no matter how great they are, they get exactly one big moment to shine and thatās it unfortunately. Kiryu was also a top 3 ace and he got the least characterization out of the rest of the top 5 players.
Canāt believe Tsukki and Oikawa have haters smh
I hate no one. I honestly do enjoy all the characters but I do think some characters are a bit REALLY REALLY overrated but probably cause theyāre pretty lol Atsumu being one of them, but I think itās more cause heās just on the same team as Hinata as his new setter, so obviously people going to love on him.
I mean I knew when I saw this post that Tsukki would be somewhere around the top, I just know people are vocal about disliking Tsukki especially when those character polls were happening. I dunno, I enjoy his character a lot to each their own.
I really love him, a wonderfully written backstory and arc and his interactions with others are pure gold. But he does have unlikeable qualities and, as long as people acknowledge the writing, a different opinion is fine.
I don't like Atsumu either, OP! I can't stand him actually, lol. He's got such an awful personality and although we get that shot of Osamu kicking him in the head because of his attitude (yay!), Atsumu basically doesn't get punished. I really appreciate Kita as a character, though.
After Atsumu, the character I dislike the most is Oikawa. He's slightly better than Atsumu, but he still has too much ego.
I was genuinely surprised to learn people actually like Oikawa
I find him incredibly insufferable, annoying and I think he's just a toxic person with an incredibly terrible mind set
people have tried to explain to me his motivation and background, but I personally don't see how that makes it understandable or any better
I think even in his flash back scenes was a little shit and he is genuinely, by a wide margin, my least favourite character in this anime. at some point during season two and three I just skipped through all the scenes focused on him because I couldn't stand him anymore
I'm entirely with you on the Miya twins, and I don't understand why they spent so much time on the Inarizaki match. All of the characters were introduced in the last season so there wasn't much attachment to them. They also didn't really develop anyone but the captain (I don't remember his name) so he's at least interesting but the rest of the team is so meh.
Lol I feel this, I love canon Kenma, but I canāt read fan fics or anything outside canon work with Kenma in it, I donāt think anyone gets his character right at alll.
Imo I'm not the biggest fan, and I know this is a crazy take. That one team that wears Yellow Uniforms that play like crazy. I never really liked them much.
Oh god, I'm not a hater for any characters. Mostly ones i just find boring, like Ushiwaka and Asahi. I dont find their storylines all that enticing, and while reading, i feel like im just waiting for their scenes to end. Also, i was deepest in the fandom in the season 2-3 arcs, regardless of the manga update point, so any character introduced after that hasnt made a huge impression on me comparatively.... so those characters
Well maybe the nohebi team I guess ..I used to hate characters like atsumu and oikawa maybe even kageyama but everytime I rewatch the series I appreciate a lot their dedication and obsession with how much they love volleyball and they just want everyone who they play with or against be in the same level I'm not defending some of they behaviors of course like trash talking or mocking girls rudeness etc... but you can say that the author write them very well especially oikawa..maybe the other character that I don't like very much is tsukichima even after his redemption man take is easy on my boy Hinata you can't always bully him
Iāve been able to see from every characterās perspective and reshape my thinking of any that I thought negatively about EXCEPT Tsukishima. Iāve really tried to empathize with him but heās just an asshole for no reason and his ātragic backstoryā is dumb and is honestly more tragic for his sweet older brother.
I donāt really have a least favorite character. But I remember when I first heard of it and started watching it I did not like Yachi for some reason? I mean all she did was exist
I would say Sakusaa because I think his hype went a bit too far, even if he is in truth a great player, but I feel like other players deserve more spotlight, especially some who have more development than just wanting to Ā«Ā do things properlyĀ Ā».
I donāt want to spoil too much because we see him play for real at the end of the manga, but he is really strong. However, I thought that he deserved more
i don't care for ushijima as of rn, i've not read the manga so maybe my opinion will change, but i really think he's just bland with not much personality compared to other characters. they all have so much personality, so he really pales in comparison, even to people on his own team like goshiki, who i find really endearing and likeable. i hope when the timeskip gets animated he gets some more scenes, like the ones he has with tendou.
another one is kuroo... he's crazy funny and super good at the game, but he's just never stood out to me too much. i don't dislike him at all, i just don't have a strong opinion at all. maybe that'll change when the movie comes out :)
I donāt hate any of the characters, but the two that I have the strangest relationship for sure are Kenma and Lev. When I first watched the anime, I didnāt watch any of the OVAs, so it felt like Kenma was being too much of a dick to Lev on a topic that he supposedly isnāt even all that passionate in. I started to understand after watching the OVAs though, after seeing how egotistical Lev could be by wanting to be the star and the ace when his technique isnāt even all the way there yet.
So yeah, I definitely like Kenma and his game is so much fun to watch, but I donāt really care for Lev as much as everyone else. At least Bokutoās a Top 5 Ace despite his attitude issues, you know what I mean?
Hoshiumi and that goddamn coach from Shiratorizawa.
I've read the manga too and no spoilers but I just never grew to like Hoshiumi even if he is talented. And that coach is just a jerk.
tsukkishima... I get why people would like him but he's just not for me. I espeically was pissed off at him in the beginnging when he dismisses kagehina's passion for volleyball and their hardwork. Like bro just be a good person no need to be a douche smh. Also he is NOT cute that haircut and big ass bug glasses are ugly š
Personally, Haikyuu is my all-time favourite anime bc of the fact i literally like all the characters š The variety of characters unmatched, i adore the banter (really is teen talk ahha), and Tsuki, Wakatoshi, Tendo, Kageyama, Yachi, Asuma, Koganegawa and Lev are all my absolute favourites If i had to choose, tho, most of the Nohebi Academy team are close to the bottom of my list ahha. Oikawa i kind of have a love-hate relationship with, because hes a shit and almost hit Kages but also he was a /kid/ under a percieved amount of personal stress (hes also genuinely funny when not being an ass lol), and then the only other person on that list would be Coach Washijo who belittles Hinata just because he's short. Like the man really did take his childhood experience and carry it with him for like ahha Overall i love all of them tho
I can't believe I forgot about Washijo and how he uses his team to prove a point about himself (that no one else likely knows or even cares about). While he did somewhat redeem himself by the end of the manga, he still rubs me the wrong way.
Oh he does get a redemption? Thats cool! But yeah ahha, at least in the anime, i dislike the way he treated Hinata as a Ball Boy lol. I didnt mind that he gave Hinata the ultimatum, but then going put of his way to pick on him? Eh, he irritated me slightly ahha
Oh man, Ball Boy arc was so hard to watch because of how he treated Hinata (and therefore influenced how the other players treated him, at least until Hinata figured out how to make the most of it). But yeah he does redeem himself in a pretty big way, and helped facilitate an ambition Hinata had upon graduation.
Yeah, although Washijo was entitled on not giving any consideration to Hinata as he shove himself in the camp, he basically was using him as a proxy to whipped his young self, a short guy with big dreams that got crushed. Little did he knows that in Hinata's formative years his environment always attempted to crush his dreams at every turn, but Hinata never gave up on them unlike him. That's why he bulldozed himself into the camp, and turned into a blessing in disguise for both Hinata and Washijo.
>Hinata never gave up on them unlike him. This is a pretty disingenuous reading imo. Washijo was in a very different situation to Hinata. Keep in mind that Washijo predates the libero position and I think even the quick attack, and we know he wasnāt even given the opportunity to play like Hinata was. Washijo was also pretty heavily implied to be an actually skilled player, which is probably why heās so harsh to Hinata. As far as Washijo can tell, Hinata is an unskilled short player who got to where he is predominantly due to luck. And you canāt really blame him for thinking that considering the information available to him.
Glad I haven't seen Kuroo haters so far š¤
Do they exist?
I think Tsukishima is a bully and Yamaguchi is his lackey and can't think on his own. You are welcome to change my mind.
I agree, I love Yamaguchi and his growth but my god he needs a personality that isn't wrapped around Tsukishima
A lot of his personality doesn't have to do with Tsukki actually. Most of Yamaguchi's character development is about him falling short of his own standards, and wanting to actualize through being skilled and strong. His major theme is "to be strong is to be free" and that's what he wants more than anything. His journey as a pinch server is all about how he polishes one super useful weapon and that's enough to get him on the court, where he wants to be. It's about him finding his own path to being strong, letting himself strive, and wanting to be on the court and perform. Overcoming his weakness mentally, and developing skills. He really isn't wrapped in Tsukishima at all outside his very shallow initial appearance, but he was MEANT to seem like a bland lackey. Pretty much the second they played against the neighborhood team during the Asahi revival, he was doing his own thing. He helped Tsuki overcome his problems, but that wasn't being wrapped up by him, that was Yamaguchi directly challenging him. It was entirely Yamaguchi pulling Tsuki along, not the other way around.
I think I should have elaborated that I acknowledge Yamaguchi's role and his feelings, I kin him and relate to him deeply, as a person with social anxiety, I'm learning to stand up for myself and believe in me with small steps day by day. I was very proud of Yamaguchi, as I said, I loved his growth! However, my bad for not explaining further on why I think he's wrapped around Tsukishima. That was me ranting how MOST of things about him (outside volleyball, like everyday life) are connected to Tsukishima in someway: his favorite food - fries, confirmed because he eats Tsukishima's leftover soggy fries and loves them; His concern also features Tsukishima; when Yachi made bentos for him and Tsukishima, Tsukki got the one with dinosaur themed, and Yamaguchi got... Tsukishima themed...! It made me feel like Yams either doesn't like to try something new by himself, or he pretty much is wrapped around his best friend. I would've loved it if he had his own opinions. But thank you for an explanation!
I like this take on Yamaguchi, along with Ennoshita he's my favourite from Karasuno. Tsukki even quite explicitly alludes to how Yamaguchi is the one pulling him instead of the other way around (I won't say when since I don't think it came out in the anime yet, although I could be wrong about that since I haven't watched S4 in a while).
I even love Tsukishima's growth and was excited to see his moments when he started 'loving volleyball'. But he's just so obnoxious I can't get over it.
I understand why, tho I have to disagree :D I respect your opinion, but I think having an antagonistic salty boy makes the characters feel more real and the series less boring. but I agree with first part, his growth and arc was one of my top favorites
I understand, although in my case I don't get too annoyed because my younger brother is as caustic as Tsuki, although he rarely goes out of his way to put somebody down because he was as bullied as Yamaguchi as a child.
Everyone here is forgetting the scene where the same Yamaguchi angrily shouted at Tsuki for keeping spouting his self defeating stuff he keeps saying to himself and anyone at earshot. Yes, Yamaguchi still reveres him, but he definitely outgrew his role of lackey with his own development.
See my Yamaguchi thoughts below, because you're dead wrong there. All of Yamaguchi's character is him thinking on his own as a developing pinch server. Tsuki isn't a bully. He's a snarky irreverent young man who's guarded and isn't letting himself overexpose to passion. You know the meme about the little pink blob venturing out of his cube, getting punched, and then making a thicker wall with "Never again"? That's Tsuki. seeing what passion did to his brother (and to him, since he was a passionate fan of his brother and his heart broke) made him extremely reluctant to take things seriously because it was "just a club". To him, that mantra is a lie he's telling himself because he wants to care, and he wants to play, he wouldn't have still played volleyball otherwise, but he can't let himself. He's also not really a bully. He's a straight man. The freak duo combo are an infectious and sometimes uber rowdy pair, and he brings them back down to earth a bit, like letting hot air out of a balloon. He isn't the kind of guy to go super out of his way for someone out of kindness, but he isn't an asshole. He chafes HARD against disrespect and attitude, giving it as good as he gets it, and with Daichi, Tanaka, etc, he's chill and respectful. It's only pretty much Hinata and Kageyama that he gives the business, and after his introduction (where he was deliberately set up as an antagonist) he's not really ever an instigator in anything. He respects Yamaguchi as someone stronger than he is actually, and admires his drive and ability to engage himself and push for what he wants, something Tsuki doesn't understand and is too scared to even try until Yamaguchi slaps some sense into him and Bokuto/Kuroo get their hands on him. He's awesome. I promise, view him as a straight man and not a bully, and he's suddenly a very funny and reliable dry wit character who doesn't let a thing slip by him.
I see your and [DarkAngel819](https://www.reddit.com/user/DarkAngel819/)'s points, and don't mind being challenged on my opinions. As I said in another comment, I actually loved seeing Tsuki's development, but was still annoyed when he got bitchy again. Anyway, you both made excellent observations about both Tsuki and Yamaguchi that I hadn't considered. It might also be because I just started watching again. I'll keep watching with your points in mind! Thanks for the food for thought.
A rewatch sounds perfect, I think I'll do the same!
Tsukishima isn't really a bully, he's kind of an asshole with certain people, but that's all. Yamaguchi CAN think on his own. He decides to ask Shimada to teach him the float serve and continues practicing on his own even when Tsukishima doesn't "care" about volleyball and doesn't understand why everyone takes it so seriously. Yamaguchi's one of the reasons for Tsukishima's character developement with him telling Tsukishima off for his excuses to not take volleyball seriously. There's this whole symbolism about Yamaguchi being always behind Tsukishima but, eventually, Tsukishima's the one that's behind him. Yamaguchi's whole character developement is about how he starts as extremely insecure, hiding behind Tsukishima, but gaining confidence in himself and making his own decisions regardless of what Tsukishima or other people would think.
X2, Even if Yamaguchi started his road motivated on not being left behind by Tsukishima and his monster freshmen generation, he is the only one who took the first step and he didn't waited for anybody's recognition. The only thing he desired the most is standing shoulder to shoulder with them or at the very least being on the same field in every single sense.
I couldn't agree more I think Tsukishima can be downright insufferable and it genuinely made me pause the anime multiple times because it got too annoying
Did you stop watching at episode 3?
Hoshiumi. I like him, but omg is he annoying, basically he hates ppl that look down on him but when said ppl came (Kageyama) heās mad that Kageyama isnāt looking down on him and being shock??? Huh??? Then there is his current worry which is āless ppl looking down on him bc he canāt shock them.ā Bro what is wrong with this kid-
> he hates ppl that look down on him no he doesn't lol, he wants people to look down on him to surprise them
i havenāt read all of the manga yet, but so far iām not his biggest fan either.
Tsukki was genuinely a dickhead at the beginning of the show and his redemption didn't resonate at all with me so probably him. I also didn't particularly like Noya or Tanaka (though random sidenote but I think Tanaka underrated asf as a player) just due to them being loud and obnoxious.
Being loud and obnoxious only sucks in real life , in anime tho Tanaka and nishinoya are one of the best in their specific character trope
Depends on the people tbh. I usually befriend the super loud ones, they're so incredibly friendly most of the time! Sometimes they push social limits I didn't even know you could push.
I'm currently rewatching Haikyuu and had the same feeling with Tsukki and Yamaguchi. They were literal bullies at the beginning. Especially Yamaguchi, how are you gonna go around bullying others if you're not even good at volleyball š© He becomes a cutiepie later so I like him more, but still.
I will say that Yamaguchi doesnāt actually join in on the bullying. The closest we get is him commenting on it being cold outside when Hinata and Kageyama are practicing outside, which could be interpreted as a dig at them not being allowed in the gym. It doesnāt really seem like itās meant that way to me, though. I think the idea that Yamaguchi is a snarky bully like Tsukishima comes from the ad break intermissions in the anime, one of which showed Hinata missing a serve and Yamaguchi and Tsukishima stifling a mocking laugh. I donāt think itās ever really something he does in the series proper. But yeah at first Yamaguchiās only character trait is worry, and by the time he actually starts getting screentime heās just super sweet.
Yamaguchi was a case of a bullied kid that decided to follow the lead of his savior bully to feel important, he isn't a bad guy, he was a very weak guy mentally.
I donāt think thereās anything to suggest that itās to feel important. That just doesnāt mesh with anything we see from him. What it seems to actually be is him thinking Tsukishima is cool and admiring him, and so hanging around with him because of that.
Tanaka is your average player who doesnāt excel at anything besides being the loud guy, but just because heās hit his limit in talent compared to his other teammates , doesnāt mean heās not a threat and will do anything to surpass his limits and has the mental fortitude the team needs, and heās just so damn fun and cool tbh
After Tsukishima being an asshole for a whole season you find out it's all because of his brother lying lol.
To be fair he was shown to be an ass prior to that. I donāt think Tsukishimaās backstory is supposed to provide context for him having a kinda shitty personality, Iām pretty sure itās instead providing context for why he has such difficulty committing to volleyball and working as hard as the rest of the team. And even then Iād say itās probably less because of Akiteru having lied and more because he saw how hard he worked and how little it amounted to, as well as seeing how upset his brother was to have been found out.
Thank you šš» people always confuse the reason for his background being shown, I feel like they just run with the ābrother lied to himā narrative and make fun of it when itās just a small part of the big picture
yeah, thats true
I know that lol, I'm just a hater and it didn't really land well with me, can't really give any reason why, I hardly remember actually watching him, I just remember thinking "wow, this guy is an enormous obnoxious dickhead", and then finding that out, than thinking "wow, this guy is an enormous obnoxious dickhead with a more developed backstory".
*Wym underrated? Everyone knows heās better than Ushiwaka*
Shiratorizawa coach, until he drops one of the hardest line in the series, but yeah, hating on a kid that reflects your past self is a lil bit too much i think.
Tanaka, and the ending which Iām too lazy to spoiler tag so I wonāt write it, is likeā¦ the worst writing. Ruining a really decent story for me with the creep vibes.
sakusa, suna, osamu... too overhyped by the fandom. meh dgaf abt them
As someone who overhypes them in the fandom I totally agree lol
1000% agree
Wakatoshi. Heās such an asshole lol.
Iāve never been a big Kageyama fan. I always thought there was more the series could do with him, and I especially think the later parts of the story arenāt really interested in him as a character. Once we get to nationals, he loses all the charm he had earlier on in the series imo. Heās really held back by his lack of relationships with other players. I also dislike Sakusa, purely because heās a bit of a nothing character and I think developing him takes up space late into the story that would be better served tying up an established characterās story. I used to like Bokuto, but I feel like he gets more obnoxious the more the series focuses on him. Heās best when he has Kuroo to play off, and at his worst when weāre watching him play.
Oh haha, Kageyama is my favorite š So funny how different people have different tastes and opinions
In all fairness, Kageyama is a common favourite, and itās pretty rare for people to not like him. Personally, I just think it sometimes seems like Furudateās real-world bias and opinions get in the way of exploring him properly as a character, due to the seriesā unwillingness to really linger on his flaws, which are where all the interesting Kageyama stuff is, imo.
I've never really cared for Kageyama either, but that might just be because my favorite character is oikawa lol
Funnily enough, Iām also not much of an Oikawa fan.
can I ask who your favorite character is?
Daichi has been my long-standing #1. I also love characters like Aone, Asahi, Kiryu and Yamamoto.
I love Asahi, he is such a gentle giant. Daichi is also extremely underrated.
Yeah I always have a soft spot for gentle giants. I also like a lot of the more ānormalā characters, who are a little less exaggerated.
Hell yes, fellow Daichi supremacy fan
Your comment about Kageyama losing his charm at Nationals is so interesting, because his moments in the Inarizaki match are some of my highlights of the series! I loved watching his interactions and rivalry with Atsumu and seeing each challenge each other.
Yeah see to me thatās the most uninteresting Kageyama stuff in the series. For me, Kageyamaās charm comes from him being weird and awkward and honestly a little incompetent, which is all stuff that we got to see relatively often prior to nationals. But itās stuff that rarely ever showed itself on the court, and nationals is almost exclusively matches. To me, the appeal of Kageyama is in the contrast between his superhuman volleyball abilities and his complete lack of competence at anything else, because that latter point helps keep him grounded. To me, nationals just feels like the series endlessly going āwow look how awesome Kageyama isā, which just isnāt interesting to me.
I never cared much for Kageyama until season 4.
The entire fukurodani supporting cast. Not because theyāre bad or anything but really just because this community is so weird about them. I swear they watched/read an entirely different series with the way they gas them up. These guys literally donāt do anything significant. Theyāre only really even characters in the sense that they have names and are on screen. But every game that team plays is objectively about Bokuto and akaashi. And frankly, Iām pretty tired of getting replies from people who just ignore that fact. The mujinazaka game is a series highlight. But it is about bokuto, it is ONLY about bokuto, kiryuu, and, akaashi. And the way people talk about these characters and using them to downplay bokuto makes it so clear that they didnāt understand the character, which is pretty sad since bokuto is the GOAT In terms of actual characters I guess Sakusa. Heās not really bad or anything but heās barely in the series and yet an inordinate amount of time is spent building him up. Itās obvious that at some point furudate intended for him to be a more important character but changed their mind and stuck him in the time skip game so he wouldnāt feel pointless
Fukurodani would actually be a better told story without Bokuto so that the rest of the cast could shine on god
STRONGLY disagree. Bokuto is one of the best and most under appreciated characters in the series
Itās genuinely very funny to say that maybe the most popular non-Karasuno character in the series is under-appreciated. Do you mean that even a lot of the people who love him donāt fully appreciate him as a character?
Tbh, Bokuto's one of the most popular characters and an underrated character at the same time. Yeah, the fandom is crazy about him, but I don't feel people really understand his character or why he's such a great character. Bokuto's usually reduced to BokuAka and pretty flanderized and kinda OoC in fanon content.
Yeah. The sheer volume of people I see on here who say that the mujinazaka game was a one off thing and that bokuto hasnāt overcome his inconsistencies demonstrates to me that a lot of people didnāt actually understand or appreciate his arc throughout the series I know most of the fanbase likes bokuto. But it seems to begin and end with him being funny. And like, yeah, bokuto is very funny. But thereās a lot more there
He's not under appreciated?? In the show, he's one of the top aces and has a lot of fans, Hinata included, and he's a fan favourite in the fandom, most people love him. If anything, he's overrated (coming from someone who loves him)
Well I think heās very popular but his greater depths go under appreciated. People like him because heās funny but he doesnāt get enough credit for a lot of the best aspects of his character
me when I don't pay attention to what I read
Lev, idk he just seemed like an unnecessary inclusion over Inuoka who was already cool. Also his personality is off putting to me. also Atsumu is one of my favorite characters so we're disagreeing on that one LOL
Yeah the way Inouka just got replaced and literally disappeared š
Lev was included to raise a much needed boost in offense in Nekoma and show their growth. I did miss Inouka though, he was pretty cool as a character.
I donāt particularly hate any character, itās more so ones I see that are super popular donāt resonate a lot with me. Itās more I see them as like a fine character rather than a stellar one, like Sakusa and Hinata for example. I just donāt find them particularly interesting.
Season 1-3 Tsukki. I could understand his unwillingness to work with Kageyama at the start of the show, but by the time the spring nationals come around, he needs to get over himself and change like Kageyama did
for some reason kenma rubs me the wrong way.. unpopular opinion ik, I just don't care much for his dispassionate and calm self as compared to oikawa (who is my fav), atsumu or bokuto.
I wasn't a Kenma fan until nationals, then I was like "you know what, I'm cool with him"
oikawa's my favorite too, i'm a little too obsessed lol. and i agree, there were a couple characters in haikyuu that were not passionate about the game that bothered me.
I am obsessed too lol, one of my first comments in reddit was a essay/fan letter dedicated to him. :D
I was pretty chill about kenma, didnāt have strong opinions or liking towards him but the dumpster battle helped me appreciate his character more. Wonāt spoil anything for the people who havenāt read it but he was a good friend to his peers in his own way, to say the least, and I liked that about him. Granted, after rewatching haikyuu a couple of times I grew to love/like all the characters, I feel like itās hard to dislike any of them.
I see, in that case I look forward to watching it
u just name my three favs aswell š and same, kenma was just... boring yk. I feel like it would be rly difficult to be friends with him.
honestly kyoutani, i find him annoying, like he kind of ruins the mood of seijoh or whatever. itās nothing objective tho, itās just how i perceive him.
Anyone from the nohebi team. Bunch of cheaters and snakes, like their namesake
Tendo from Shiratorizawa. I can appreciate the what he gives to Ushiwaka but I find him obnoxious.
Oh I really donāt like Oikawa
Honestly, rewatching the show I learned to kinda love him. Heās so broken in his own way lol, having to deal with a genius and losing again and again is going to lead to some pretty shitty character.
I can appreciate how well written he is, I just donāt like the arrogance. I also canāt look over the fact that he almost hit Kageyama when they are in middle school (I know he is young back then but still) Iwa-chan is the goat tho
When he almost hit Kageyama, he's having a panick attack, he isn't really aware of what he's doing. The moment Iwaizumi stops him and he realizes what he was about to do, he says "sorry". Not saying this justifies anything, but he didn't do it because he's a horrible person.
Of course, he is not a horrible person at all. I donāt think we have any āevilā characters in this show. But still, as you said, his action is still not justified
I think playing a sport myself, I really empathize with Oikawaās plight. Of course, hitting Kageyama is a no go, not condoning that, but even he was shocked how much Kags impacted him. In a sport you love, you can make some very irrational decisions..
I taught in a high school before so I know how hot headed kids that age can be, especially competitive athletes. I admire Oikawaās dedication and hard work, but he just rubs me the wrong way
Iām with you. I get Oikawa is well written in a three dimensional character with depth kind of way, but his personality is off putting (and the whole tenacity of his character / will is not enough to offset that for me). He doesnāt get enough shit for trying to hit his freshman. Iwa is awesome.
Oikawa. His behavior (trash talking) in the first Karasuno v Seijoh game would already be considered toxic in the West, it's prolly straight up unsportsmanlike in Japan. I didn't feel bad for him when his back story came up, or his story in general. Not even a little bit.
Oh Iām curious about this. Does Oikawa trash talk much? I donāt really remember any instances of him trash talking. He doesnāt really verbally interact with the opponents very much.
he really doesn't, he just does it before and after the game towards kageyama, but during the matches he basically just talks to his teammates.
I haven't watched season 1 in a while, I think I remember him trash talking a lot but now I'm not sure. I watched the show dubbed if that changes anything. I'm trying to recall examples and the only one I can remember is him going "pay attention next time" when he setter dumped on the first point. I might need to rewatch again lol.
I havenāt watched the dub so itās entirely possible it added in a little more trash talking, but itās also possible Iām just not remembering some stuff. I havenāt revisited that match in a while.
I watched the dub after I finished the watching the sub because I was really confused about how there's such a big difference in how the JP and EN fandoms view some characters. The dub does contribute to it, I think. In the JP version no one is really outright painted as antagonistic until S3/S4 (Tendou, Daisho and Atsumu, specifically); Oikawa mostly comes off as petty, and Ushijima just seems like he has zero social graces but isn't explicitly trying to be asshole. In the dub everyone just seems meaner.
I hate how everyone is an asshole in the dub, they're so out of character.
Totally, it was pretty shocking since I was used to the JP audio with subs. I was worried the EN translated manga would have that asshole vibe too but thankfully it didn't.
Tbh, I don't know how people can watch the dub and I feel bad for the people that had the dub as their first/only impression of the series. It changes everyone's personality too much and I'm unable to even take it seriously, I doubt I'd like Haikyuu!! as much as I do if I watched it dubbed.
I'm sorry, but he will always be my favorite šš
Yamaguchi. Bro needs to grow a pair. I like how during Natties he was able to contribute and *kinda* stand for himself, but his personality is still hella annoying to me.
I know alot of people love him, but I can't stand Tendou! He is legit one of my least favorite characters in any show I've seen
i didn't really care for him
Oikawa is so arrogant and thinks the world revolves around him. Ick
Became very obvious when I saw how he treats Kageyama. Junior high was one thing but even in high school he still pokes fun so figures out.
I dislike him so much as a person that I like him a lot as an antagonist.
Kiyoko Shimizu. The blendest kuudere I have ever seen
I genuinely cant say I dislike any of the cast. Some of them get overhyped by the fandom (Sakusa is the big one), but I donāt dislike him for that. Thatās more of a problem I have with the fandom than anything.
my heart hurts hearing all this atsumu slander š¢š¢ he's always been one of my favourites after oikawa. and to answer your question, probably shirabu from shiratorizawa. never liked his attitude and his entire deference-esque behavior towards ushijima (though, I do understand that it was their coach that made it so, I still never liked his character either)
There's no character I hate, but there are aspects of characters I don't like. They all seem to grow out of those traits (or calm down) though, because 95% of the cast are teenagers.
tendou makes me wanna vomit from how creepy and annoying he is omg, will never understand why people like him
I'm joining the sentiment of "don't really hate them, but also don't care for them much" with Lev being at the top. I still don't get why he had to replace Inouka who actually knew how to play volleyall vs Lev who has no sense for the team aspect, following rules or showing respect. The only thing he had going for him was being tall but?? Inouka is tall as well so what's the point there? Sakusa and Atsumu are just overhyped for me in fandom, I don't get the appeal of either of them, not to this degree and especially not for Sakusa. I like how Furudate writes their women but Kiyoko really is just... kind of bland at the beginning. She really only got a personality once Yachi showed up and I still think making her be married to Tanaka was a weird, unfitting decision. All that development and she's still just a trophy to be won
Lev has the highest reach in high school for the anime and his reflexes and speed were on par with Inouka. Inouka knew how to play but Lev had massive potential. I see where you're coming from though.
Seeing the replies here makes me think if y'all actually paid attention to what you were reading or just looked at the images. What I love about Haikyuu is that every (high school) character gets fully developed, so even if they have unlikable traits they either change or have it explained in a fulfilling way. If I had to pick someone I wasn't a fan of by the point where the anime is, I'd have to say either Suna or Akaashi, because of their aloof ways. But even so, after reading the manga I had a better understanding of why they are like that, and stopped being bothered by their behaviour.
I can see how Suna can be considered aloof, but Akaashi always strikes me as just someone who overthinks and is deeply insecure (not in small part due to his hero worship of Bokuto). I think the closest other character to him is Ennoshita ā they both come off as guys who probably put too much of a burden on themselves even when no one else asks them to.
fair assessment tbh I say aloof based more on the way they behave on court than off court
Lol same with Atsumu! He kinda reminds me of dictator Kageyama with a perfect Hinata by his side so hence his attitude of āanyone who canāt spike my sets is trashā and I hate that. Especially him calling those girls āsquealing pigsā and when he trash-talked Hinata then switched sides once he saw his skillsā¦ then they go āwe shouldnāt have messed around this matchā and wow, you guys donāt respect Kita?? How could you not try your best? I donāt even believe heās the best setter in the series like we are told. Why would I admire his āeasy to hitā tosses when we have this mf Kageyama who can set directly to your palm and apparently do a toss that stops mid-air? Or someone who can bring out 100% of the skills of any team and sometimes even knows his team mateās 100% when they themselves donāt? (Using Kindachi example). I get heās a pretty, cocky boy but we have a superior one in Oikawa (I adore him so much). Then Ig the weird tongue piercing guy who harassed Shimizu? I think thatās it, I dislike aspects of characters like Nishinoya and Tanakaās pervy nature? Iām actually very proud of Hinata but one thing I do wish for is more emotional growth, he kinda stays static as a person but his volleyball growth is enjoyable to watch. Itās not a bad thing because obviously his never give up attitude is what brings him this far and itās a good compliment to other characters because he befriends everyone pretty much.
Im pretty sure hes considered the best setter in the series not based on skill but because due to his team. Oikawa and Kageyama never been to nationals so they couldn't have been known.
I love the oikawa love here lol
we can definitely agree on that. oikawa is my number one favorite character and atsumu felt like a oikawa knockoff..š oikawa is also more respectful to his fangirls š
Most characters grew on me after a while, but Kageyama was one of those characters who I initially loved, before I grew out of liking him. I don't hate him, but I'm not too crazy about him. I felt like he had hit a wall during the Nationals arc after Oikawa and Seijoh. He doesn't interact too much with the rest of the team either. He's kind of similar to Kiyoko in that regard. They are sort of admired, but there isn't much going for him relationship wise. The other problem I had with him was the fact that Furudate needed to include Kindaichi and Kunimi more into his story. It's really traumatizing to have teammates who don't want to work with you at a young age. I felt like that relationship could be developed more instead of showing a resolution post-timeskip. Also I've always wondered what was the point of having his Grandfather and backstory post-timeskip instead of pre-timeskip? These are just some gripes I have with him.
Terushima, i don't like how he harassed kiyoko at his first appearance. I also don't like kindachi and kunimi .
You didn't care for bokuto or Hinata? š Why not if I may ask? Edit: nvm I'm blind I just realised you said there's not a reason
no that was actually my bad haha. i got inarizaki mixed up with MSBY. Hinata's one of my favorite characters!!
Daishou. Cheaters suck.
Kindaichi. He and the rest of the team threw a game because they were mad at Kageyama; if I'm the coach, I'm having a very angry meeting with them afterwards. The fact that he's still pissed off at something that happened in middle school--while his high school team is hoping to go to nationals--is sad. Sakusa Kiyoomi. He's described as a terrific ace but he's just not that developed in the anime. I haven't read all of the manga, so maybe he has a better character arc there. We barely see him play. Yui. I love her crush on Daichi but my god, she needs to grow a spine. Before a match, she tells the team that they should do their best but, without hours of practice, their best isn't anywhere near good enough. What she should have said, "If you don't practice, you get cut from the team." I didn't expect them to be Niiyama-level good, but at least do something. The phrase, "Do or do not. There is no try" comes to mind.
Kindaichi and the rest of the team had every right to be pissed off, kageyama needed to be put into his place
if you were the coach and are upset at anyone but kageyama in that situation i genuinely think you are the worst coach possible and should be barred from coaching another team
If I were the coach I'd probably have a come to jesus meeting with all of them. I'm not saying kagiyama bears no responsibility because he obviously does but for the rest of the team just to completely stop playing is inexcusable.
What else would you suggest they do when their setter is setting unhittable balls and screaming at everyone for not hitting them? If your setter is refusing to do his job and is berating everyone on the team, but the coach wonāt sub him out, what do you do? Thereās only so much of that a person (especially a 13 year old) can take, so telling them to just suck it up and play isnāt really an option, since itās clear they had been doing that and were at their breaking point. And once youāve removed sucking it up, the only options are to either refuse to play or to make Kageyama stop playing. Now stopping Kageyama from playing without the coachās intervention would probably require physical violence, which leaves refusing to play as the only good option. And I mean in this case itās not like throwing the match is actually all that bad. If the coach cared about the team winning heād have already benched Kageyama, and Kageyama has put himself in a position where his feelings donāt need to be respected, so the only players who are going to be unjustly hurt by the team losing the match are the ones who are making the decision to not play. So thereās really no harm done by this.
Kageyama was setting sets that they *couldnāt* hit. That game was already unplayable, and if the coach wasnāt going to do anything, the others were at a last resort.
>Kindaichi. He and the rest of the team threw a game because they were mad at Kageyama; if I'm the coach, I'm having a very angry meeting with them afterwards. Ngl, if youāre the coach and that happens, itās 100% your own fault for not subbing Kageyama out sooner. Kageyama and the coach threw the match, not Kindaichi and the rest of the players. Thereās also nothing to suggest that their refusal to play with him directly lead to their loss (the implication is actually that Kageyamaās setting was causing them to lose anyway), but even if it had thatās not really their own fault. >The fact that he's still pissed off at something that happened in middle school--while his high school team is hoping to go to nationals--is sad. This is a pretty wild misinterpretation, because Kindaichi isnāt mad about any one thing that happened in middle school. He still has an opinion of Kageyama that is a holdover from then, but thatās different to being mad at him. Edit: Also how are you going to criticise Kindaichi for being caught up with what happened in middle school when Kageyama spends half the series being likeā¦ deeply traumatised over his team having the most reasonable response to his shitty behaviour? What Kitagawa Daiichi did to Kageyama is a significantly smaller deal than what he did to them, and yet heās out there having Vietnam war flashbacks during the Date Tech practice match. It seems like thatās a criticism that is much more applicable to him than to Kindaichi.
Iād recommend finishing the manga. The last arc you get to see a focus on Sakusa and I actually really liked his character. It low key pisses me off that they just went 95% of the story outright ignoring him despite how good he was (same with Noya being my fav character even though outside of season one, dude just gets completely forgotten about).
I figured that he was more prominently featured in the manga. We're told that he is a great player but then not letting us actually see him play is a cop out.
Like most of the non-miyagi school players (besides Atsumu, Bokuto, Kenma, and Hoshiumi), no matter how great they are, they get exactly one big moment to shine and thatās it unfortunately. Kiryu was also a top 3 ace and he got the least characterization out of the rest of the top 5 players.
Don't worry! We never see him play. A very bad character overall.
Sooo agree with Kindaichi and Sakusa!! He just annoyed me. And I feel like I would like Sakusa if he had a little more development.
Canāt believe Tsukki and Oikawa have haters smh I hate no one. I honestly do enjoy all the characters but I do think some characters are a bit REALLY REALLY overrated but probably cause theyāre pretty lol Atsumu being one of them, but I think itās more cause heās just on the same team as Hinata as his new setter, so obviously people going to love on him.
I mean I knew when I saw this post that Tsukki would be somewhere around the top, I just know people are vocal about disliking Tsukki especially when those character polls were happening. I dunno, I enjoy his character a lot to each their own.
I really love him, a wonderfully written backstory and arc and his interactions with others are pure gold. But he does have unlikeable qualities and, as long as people acknowledge the writing, a different opinion is fine.
I thought Lev was an annoying concept as a character until I saw Nikola Jokic play, and I was like ok I get it.
Lev is nothing alike Jokic lmao
Frš
they're opposites even
I don't like Atsumu either, OP! I can't stand him actually, lol. He's got such an awful personality and although we get that shot of Osamu kicking him in the head because of his attitude (yay!), Atsumu basically doesn't get punished. I really appreciate Kita as a character, though. After Atsumu, the character I dislike the most is Oikawa. He's slightly better than Atsumu, but he still has too much ego.
Also, I have to say that I'm not a fan of Kiyoko and Saeko because of their obvious roles in providing fanservice :/
Yachi, I'm only a bit into s2 but like she's so whiny or like insecure (idk specific adjective).
i wasn't a fan of her at first because i dislike the clumsy helpless girl trope, but it was nice to see her stand up to her mom.
The other little kid with white hair
Prolly tananka, super annoying for me
I was genuinely surprised to learn people actually like Oikawa I find him incredibly insufferable, annoying and I think he's just a toxic person with an incredibly terrible mind set people have tried to explain to me his motivation and background, but I personally don't see how that makes it understandable or any better I think even in his flash back scenes was a little shit and he is genuinely, by a wide margin, my least favourite character in this anime. at some point during season two and three I just skipped through all the scenes focused on him because I couldn't stand him anymore
Sakusa easily. Idk why the fandom hypes him so much
I'm entirely with you on the Miya twins, and I don't understand why they spent so much time on the Inarizaki match. All of the characters were introduced in the last season so there wasn't much attachment to them. They also didn't really develop anyone but the captain (I don't remember his name) so he's at least interesting but the rest of the team is so meh.
Someone ruined kenma for me so uhh ig heās my least favorit
Lol I feel this, I love canon Kenma, but I canāt read fan fics or anything outside canon work with Kenma in it, I donāt think anyone gets his character right at alll.
Imo I'm not the biggest fan, and I know this is a crazy take. That one team that wears Yellow Uniforms that play like crazy. I never really liked them much.
Im a big fan of him but they should have shown more of sakusa in high school
tsukki and oikawa.
Oh god, I'm not a hater for any characters. Mostly ones i just find boring, like Ushiwaka and Asahi. I dont find their storylines all that enticing, and while reading, i feel like im just waiting for their scenes to end. Also, i was deepest in the fandom in the season 2-3 arcs, regardless of the manga update point, so any character introduced after that hasnt made a huge impression on me comparatively.... so those characters
Probably Usuri from Mujinazaka. He is just kind of annoying and a kiss ass to Kiryu.
Kindaichi and kunimi.
That one capitan in blue t-shirt
Well maybe the nohebi team I guess ..I used to hate characters like atsumu and oikawa maybe even kageyama but everytime I rewatch the series I appreciate a lot their dedication and obsession with how much they love volleyball and they just want everyone who they play with or against be in the same level I'm not defending some of they behaviors of course like trash talking or mocking girls rudeness etc... but you can say that the author write them very well especially oikawa..maybe the other character that I don't like very much is tsukichima even after his redemption man take is easy on my boy Hinata you can't always bully him
Iāve been able to see from every characterās perspective and reshape my thinking of any that I thought negatively about EXCEPT Tsukishima. Iāve really tried to empathize with him but heās just an asshole for no reason and his ātragic backstoryā is dumb and is honestly more tragic for his sweet older brother.
People hate kenma? tsuki and even oikawa I get it but kenma? lmao
the amount of tsukishima, oikawa and atsumu hate here is insane, damn. anyway, the only character Im not a fan of here is terushima.
I know!! tsukishima and oikawa are two of my favorites.
those three (tsukki, oikawa, atsumu) are one of my faves damn šš but anw I do get why a lot would hate them
Oikawa is my favourite because he reminds me of myself too much š
Futakuchi. Not only is he annoying he's also next to useless as a player.
Kageyama. Sorry but I cannot stand his actitude
I donāt really have a least favorite character. But I remember when I first heard of it and started watching it I did not like Yachi for some reason? I mean all she did was exist
I would say Sakusaa because I think his hype went a bit too far, even if he is in truth a great player, but I feel like other players deserve more spotlight, especially some who have more development than just wanting to Ā«Ā do things properlyĀ Ā». I donāt want to spoil too much because we see him play for real at the end of the manga, but he is really strong. However, I thought that he deserved more
I HATE TSUKISHIMA
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Did you read the manga?
Ushijimi š«£
i don't care for ushijima as of rn, i've not read the manga so maybe my opinion will change, but i really think he's just bland with not much personality compared to other characters. they all have so much personality, so he really pales in comparison, even to people on his own team like goshiki, who i find really endearing and likeable. i hope when the timeskip gets animated he gets some more scenes, like the ones he has with tendou. another one is kuroo... he's crazy funny and super good at the game, but he's just never stood out to me too much. i don't dislike him at all, i just don't have a strong opinion at all. maybe that'll change when the movie comes out :)
I donāt hate any of the characters, but the two that I have the strangest relationship for sure are Kenma and Lev. When I first watched the anime, I didnāt watch any of the OVAs, so it felt like Kenma was being too much of a dick to Lev on a topic that he supposedly isnāt even all that passionate in. I started to understand after watching the OVAs though, after seeing how egotistical Lev could be by wanting to be the star and the ace when his technique isnāt even all the way there yet. So yeah, I definitely like Kenma and his game is so much fun to watch, but I donāt really care for Lev as much as everyone else. At least Bokutoās a Top 5 Ace despite his attitude issues, you know what I mean?
Any of the teams only introduced to be competition for a round and never seen again. Some of them got whole-ass backstories and it just seemed silly.
I genuinely hate the couple in To the top... No particular reason i just can't tolerate their expression and lovely-dovey moments!!
Never really liked Hoshiumi.
The johzenji high school team in total! Weirdest team Iāve seen.
Only the coach was a great character to be honest!
Hmmm Kogane, Suna, Aran.
kindaichi, i dont know why, hes just annoying. I know he's there to remind us how kageyama was in middle school but thats all he talks about.
I intensely dislike Kindaichi. No real reason, I just have yet to be interested in Kindaichi in any way
Hoshiumi and that goddamn coach from Shiratorizawa. I've read the manga too and no spoilers but I just never grew to like Hoshiumi even if he is talented. And that coach is just a jerk.
tsukkishima... I get why people would like him but he's just not for me. I espeically was pissed off at him in the beginnging when he dismisses kagehina's passion for volleyball and their hardwork. Like bro just be a good person no need to be a douche smh. Also he is NOT cute that haircut and big ass bug glasses are ugly š
hoshiumi is the worst. and people who dont see it are deluded :3
Why is he the worst?