History YMMV / Haikyuu

* FoeYay: It's become popular to ship Hinata with Atsumu or Oikawa despite the two coming from two of Karasuno's toughest opponent teams. This is due to their gradual interest in him and their desire to play as a setter on a team with him. Not helped by Atsumu chummily referring to him as Shouyo-kun during their matchup. [[spoiler:Amplified after the TimeSkip when 1) Oikawa reunites with Hinata in the Brazil flashback and has a good time playing beach volleyball with him (and later having another happy reunion at the Olympics itself), going as far as to switch from Shrimp to Shouyo, and 2) when Atsumu actually does become Hinata's V-League teammate and develops a trusting setter-spiker relationship (although the "foe" bit is moot at this point).]]

** As the series has progressed, so have the {{Crack Pairing}}s. There are so many interesting, dynamic characters now that just about ''every single character'' can become a magnet for ships. For example, other than Hinata, Kageyama's ships include Sugawara, Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, and Yachi. The non-players and girls are not immune either, as Yachi's ships include Shimizu, Hinata, Yamaguchi, Kageyama, Tsukishima, Asahi, Kenma, Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Lev. It's pretty much Everyone x Everyone at this point.

** Akaashi is pretty popular, placing 14th place in his first chatacter poll when Bokuto, who does a lot more during the training camp arc and is their team captain, got 18th.
** The most impressive case has to be Iwaizumi Hajime, Aoba Johsai's ace. His canon role is basically Oikawa's friend/handler, yet he placed 9th in the second popularity poll, being the third highest-ranked non-Karasuno character (after Oikawa and Kuroo) and beating three Karasuno regulars. He's also a party member in the fantasy-themed game Haikyuu Quest and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKiF4UlNIlw one of PV narrators in Haikyuu!! 3DS game (again, determined by fan votes – Iwaizumi placed first)]].
** [[TheRival Nekoma]] in general is very popular, but Kenma is probably the one who takes the cake for that team. It helps that he’s somewhat relatable to many viewers (especially Western fans), due to being introverted, socially awkward and fond of gaming, and he tends to get a bit more screentime than the rest save Kuroo due to his friendship with Hinata.
** After Karasuno lost to Aoba Johsai, ''Haikyuu!!'' took a tumble in ratings and became the least popular manga in ''Weekly Shonen Jump'' for several weeks (which could have caused the series to be canceled). Yachi's introduction in the series boosted its ratings back up again.
** Sakusa is also rather popular, given his relatively short appearance in the Nationals arc and [[spoiler:comeback in the post-Timeskip as a more present character.]]

* FanPreferredCouple:
** Few couples are established in ''Haikyuu!!'', but many fans like the idea of Kanoka getting together with her crush Tanaka who at the very least supports and admires her. [[spoiler:Even after Tanaka marries Shimizu, some still prefer him to be with Kanoka.]]
** Despite the relationships between teammates intended to be strictly platonic in-series, many ships like Kageyama/Hinata, Oikawa/Iwaizumi and Bokuto/Akaashi are still extremely popular.

** Sakusa (with his usual mask on) cowers in the corner by himself while all the teams wait for the opening ceremony of Nationals, since he hates crowds. The anime adaptation of this scene aired while COVID-19 was becoming a major crisis worldwide. Putting aside the shades of HarsherInHindsight (due to the severity of the virus), the scene is amusing since Sakusa's antisocial behaviour and drastic measures to stay clean suddenly aren't so silly anymore.

** Hinata, ''good God Hinata;'' there's Hinata x Kageyama, Hinata x Tanaka, Hinata x Tsukishima, Hinata x Nishinoya, Hinata x Sugawara, Hinata x Yamaguchi, Hinata x Kenma, Hinata x Kuroo, Hinata x Lev, Hinata x Aone, Hinata x Kiyoko, Hinata x Yachi, Hinata x Oikawa and the list goes on; quite literally, Hinata gets shipped with ''everyone.'' It doesn't help that he's a bit of a magnet in-universe who other players frequently mention has brought out the best in a formerly haughty, reluctant, or even just quiet player.
** As the series has progressed, so have the {{Crack Pairing}}s. There are so many interesting, dynamic characters now that just about ''every single character'' can fall under this trope. For example, other than Hinata, Kageyama has been shipped with Sugawara, Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, Yachi, etc. Yachi is shipped with Kiyoko, Hinata, Yamaguchi, Kageyama, Tsukishima, Asahi, Kenma, Tanaka, Nishinoya, Lev, and so on. It's pretty much Everyone x Everyone at this point.

* RiddleForTheAges: It's unknown who is the younger and older twin out of the Miyas. Nothing has been said about the topic, and as the twins call each other by name, making the information even more ambiguous. While fanmade contents depicts Atsumu as the older twin, nothing has been officially confirmed.

** The French dub [[labelnote:Explanation]]The French dub of the anime is usually considered very {{narm}}y by French viewers of the series, who prefer to watch it either in the original Japanese or the English dub, due to but not limited to the GratituousEnglish in Yū Nishinoya's battle cry now sounding like he's mourning rather than [[CallingYourAttacks Calling His Attack]], robotic speech from some characters and Hinata's breakdown upon losing inspiring tears of laughter rather than sorrow.[[/labelnote]]

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped:
** Tsukishima's CharacterDevelopment in the Training Camp arc addresses an important issue with one's commitment to their extracurricular activities: you don't need a [[GoalInLife big dream goal]] in order to justify your hard work on a sport, or even to play that sport at all. Even if it's just a school club activity, you can [[SeriousBusiness play it seriously]] because it just feels really good to win, and to have a personal awesome moment. It doesn't need to be grander than that.
---> '''Yamaguchi''': A reason to work hard...? ''What more do you need besides pride?!''
** Health is just as important as results, and it's not worth straining your body while training or in a match. Resting and prioritizing your body will do many favours for your sports career in the long-run.
** As exciting as this series makes it out to be, high school sports ''isn't'' everything. You are perfectly okay to move on to another interest, and it doesn't invalidate your passion or or dedication to your club. Alternatively, you have more sport to look forward to as an adult (whether it be pro or casual), so it's not the end of the world if your high school experience isn't as great as you wanted it to be.

* LGBTFanbase: When a series is as packed with much bishounen as ''Haikyuu!!'', it's bound to have hordes of gay male fans.

* GoodBadTranslation: It's technically correct to translate the Japanese ''waseigo'' volleyball terms to its Western equivalent, such as feint -> dink, receive -> dig/bump, one touch -> deflected etc. Many fans (especially those who don't already follow real-life volleyball) nevertheless become accustomed to hearing the original Japanese terms in the anime and end up preferring the literal translations.

** Hanamaki and Matsukawa are one of the top ten ship tags on ''Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn'' despite being only ThoseTwoGuys on the Aoba Johsai team and the more focused characters on the Aoba Johsai team being Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Kindaichi and Kyoutani. They are, however, often a backdrop in fanfiction to the much more popular Iwaizumi/Oikawa ship.
** In similar vein to the pairing above, the Sakusa/Atsumu ship has recently gotten a spike of popularity back in 2020 and has been gaining traction since, despite the two having minimal interactions in the manga. That hasn’t stopped them from becoming one of the top ten ship tags on ''Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn''.

** Terushima. Ever since he made his introduction by hitting on Kiyoko and making her uncomfortable, to say that he's been a polarizing character within the fandom is an understatement – either he's a horrible human being and a sexual deviant, or a high school boy whose actions, while dumb, are blown way out of proportion. It's pretty rare to come across a fan who ''doesn't'' have a strong opinion of him one way or another.

** Oikawa is either [[TheBully a childish bully who tried to beat up Kageyama]] and [[SoreLoser has an incredibly unsportsmanlike attitude]], or he's a misunderstood kid [[HardWorkHardlyWorks who wants to see all of his hard work pay off, but never gets to]]. [[TakeAThirdOption Other people]] try to compromise by interpreting him as JerkWithAHeartOfGold, their line of reasoning being that while he isn't a perfect kid (being that he's introduced as an antagonist), his dedication to his team and his stellar work ethic compensate for his flaws, especially since most of his more unforgivable scenes took place 3 to 4 years before the beginning of the series (and they're teenagers). To say the least, it's an issue in the fandom, [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment and let's leave it at that]].

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
** As usual, Yuki Hayashi (along with Asami Tachibana) composes some absolutely immaculate pieces that perfectly fit the anime's most exciting and emotional moments:
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=attNJ5pluDE "Above"]], an exciting and optimistic piece that places the violin and cello in the spotlight while the rest of the band backs them with just as much vigor.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbEomdxmJRQ "Supernatural Haste"]], an absolutely dynamic piece that is driven by truly exceptional cello line, followed by a just as energetic piano and violin. Any time this one plays, expect Karasuno do something badass as hell.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNXw0OfC6eU "Cho Sokko"]], an amped-up version of "Supernatural Haste" that puts more emphasis on a looming orchestral sound that is driven by both acoustic and electric guitar. Powerful and exciting, this one keeps you on your toes as each part builds on top of each other in a truly satisfying way.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87hy_3OArM8 "Makko Shobu"]], an electrifying rock-orchestral fusion piece that plays over the final point of Karasuno's rematch with Aoba Jousai. Tense, thrilling, and filled with energy, it captures the frantic pace of that final point and eventual win of Karasuno beautifully.
*** Borrowing some themes from "Above", [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uaktSbdSYk "The Battle of Concepts"]] captures the tension and exhilaration of the final point of Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa, reaching a high point when Hinata is about to make the final spike that grabs Karasuno the win.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSsYWncY9Dw "Greed"]], an emotionally resonant piece that drifts away from the usually energetic sound of ''Haikyuu's'' [=OSTs=]. The orchestra truly shines as the synth piano and guitar ornament the melody, highlighting the anime's emotional moments, before wrapping up quietly with a light guitar and bass.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWL1-4iIy8g "Frustration"]], another quieter piece that brilliant illustrates the most frustrating and most hopeful moments of the story.
** Shunsuke Wada definitely delivers in the stage plays:
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2raTS6vfVs "Conductor of the Wind"]], the opening theme of the third [[LiveActionAdaptation stage play]] is an orchestral masterpiece to behold and highlights both the dramatic and excitable tension in the story, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSC3uvWWxjI especially when paired with the choreography]]. You have Aoba Johsai acting as an orchestra, while Karasuno plays a marching band. At one point in the song, Hinata makes everyone clap along!
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-MPkBVhme8 The ''Summer of Evolution'' opening]] is a dramatic shift from the play's orchestral focus, replacing with a fun synth-pop sound that illustrates the generally lighthearted tone of the Summer Training Arc camp wonderfully.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St9VUMQNLxA "The Battle of Tokyo"]] is another dramatic shift from the stage play's orchestral focus, instead mixing glitchy dubstep with a traditional orchestra and making it ''work''. What puts it over the top is the cast ''rapping'', with Nohebi getting some particularly catchy lines.

** Despite the relationships between teammates intended to be strictly platonic in-series, many ships like Hinata/Kageyama, Oikawa/Iwaizumi and Bokuto/Akaashi are still extremely popular.

** The look in their eyes that quite a few characters get when they reach peak intensity comes off as chilling enough to startle several players who bear direct witness. The biggest example is Hinata's [[https://wallpaperaccess.com/full/2009625.png absolutely ''chilling'' expression]], which was sent to and ''able to'' leave [[TheStoic Ushijima himself]] taken aback!

* FoeYay: Both Oikawa and Miyu take an immediate interest Hinata, bot desiring to play as a setter on a team with him and even get on FirstNameBasis with him.

** Many Nationals participants are seen arriving at the tournament in the first few days with face masks on, which is not unusual as they are commonly worn in Asian countries especially during the cold season. The timing of the anime adaptation is rather awkward since it aired when the COVID-19 crisis was starting to take shape; the crisis would later have a major impact on the world, with face masks becoming more critical.

** Pedro, aka [[spoiler:Hinata's Brazilian roomate]], mentioning that he's a fan of ''One Piece'' is chuckle worthy when one remembers that a Pedro ''does'' exist in the One Piece world.

** ''Oikawa Tooru is Not a Genius.'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]This is the name of Chapter 53 and Season 1 Episode 20. Although both explain the sad backstory of how his hard work can't compare to natural talent like Ushijima, the chapter/episode title leads to a lot of jokes poking fun at Oikawa's expense.[[/labelnote]]

** In arguments about Oikawa, the time when he had an angry outburst fueled by jealousy and stress and nearly hit a young Kageyama will ''always'' be brought up. This isn't helped by the fact that, since Iwaizumi restrained him before it could happen and Kageyama never even noticed what was going on, the manga never goes deep into the situation itself (and likely never will, a hundred chapters later), and so it tends to lead to strong discussions that never amount to any solution.

** The look in their eyes that quite a few characters get when they reach peak intensity comes off as chilling enough to startle several players who bear direct witness. The biggest example is Hinata's [[https://wallpaperaccess.com/full/2009625.png absolutely ''chilling'' expression]], which was sent to and ''able to'' leave [[TheStoic Ushijima]] [[TheDreaded himself]] taken aback!

* RetroactiveRecognition: Quite of bit of former Tokusatsu actors (both minor and major) appeared in the stage plays prior to playing more well-known on-screen roles.

* StrangledByTheRedString: Downplayed with [[spoiler:Tanaka and Shimizu's marriage after the TimeSkip]]. Before becoming official, the former is known to crush on the latter, but the latter clearly shows no romantic interest in them. The way the series treats their interactions as PlayedForLaughs gives off the impression that the crush should never be taken seriously and the former is doomed for heartbreak (even the character in question never seems to actually expect their feelings to be returned). [[spoiler:The only bonding moment Shimizu shares with Tanaka that stands out from her interactions with other Karasuno members is her accepting his offer to carry the bag for her, which was after the third years (herself included) played their final match. Between then and their first appearance as a couple, there are no other developments or hints about the two.]]

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: From the Spring High Preliminaries to the end of the Nationals arc there's frequent talks of [[spoiler:how Karasuno and their opponents will fare in future tournaments, with a lot of buildup for a second year and rematches (such as with Date Tech and Inarizaki)]]. After Nationals, [[spoiler:the series rushes into a TimeSkip around five years into the future while glossing over Hinata's remaining high school years; this is thought to have wasted a lot of setup and character development, with plot points including potential showdowns, younger members taking up leadership (such as Ennoshita), and how the teams adjust to losing and gaining members (new members in particular were a popular topic for fan predictions)]].

** The look in their eyes that quite a few characters get when they reach peak intensity comes off as chilling enough to startle several players who bear direct witness. The biggest example is the DeathGlare Hinata sends at [[TheDreaded Ushi]][[TheStoic jima]], which is able to send him .

** As usual, Yuki Hayashi composes absolutely immaculate pieces that perfectly fit the anime's most exciting and emotional moments:

*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSsYWncY9Dw "Greed"]], an emotionally resonant piece that drifts away from the usually grand sound of ''Haikyuu's'' [=OSTs=]. The orchestra truly shines in this piece as the synth piano and guitar ornament the melody, highlighting the anime's emotional moments powerfully, wrapping up quietly with a light guitar and bass.

*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-MPkBVhme8 The ''Summer of Evolution'' opening]] is a dramatic shift from the play's orchestral focus, replacing with a fun synth-pop sound that illustrates the lighthearted tone of the Summer Training Arc camp wonderfully.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St9VUMQNLxA "The Battle of Tokyo"]] is another dramatic shift from the stage play's orchestral focus, instead mixing glitchy dubstep with the orchestra and making it ''work''. What puts it over the top is the cast ''rapping'', with Nohebi getting some particularly catchy lines.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2raTS6vfVs "Conductor of the Wind"]], the opening theme of the third [[LiveActionAdaptation stage play]] is an orchestral masterpiece to behold and highlights both the dramatic and excitable tension in the story, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSC3uvWWxjI especially when paired with the choreography]]. You have Aoba Johsai acting as an orchestra, while Karasuno plays a marching band. At one point in the song, Hinata makes everyone clap along!

** The official matches of the Nationals arc begin in Chapter 233 (not counting the teams' arrival and warming up) and lasts up to [[spoiler:Chapter 369]] chapters. Even discounting a few breaks to show how Nekoma and Fukurodani are doing, the number of chapters focused on Karasuno's matches can be considered overwhelming when reading as it's released. [[spoiler:The matches from Round 2 onwards (against Inarizaki) in particular are considered to be extremely long, with the Round 3 Nekoma match dragging on for a particularly long time due to the frequent cuts to Nekoma's side of the court, strategy, and background.]]

* RetroactiveRecognition: Quite of bit of former Tokusatsu actors (both minor and major) have appeared in the stage plays.
** Kenta Suga (Hinata's first actor) played Saburo Kazeta/Inazuman in ''Film/KamenRiderXKamenRiderWizardAndFourzeMovieWarUltimatum.''
** Justin Tomimori (Asahi's first actor) portrayed Shun Daimonji in ''Series/KamenRiderFourze''.
** Kairi Miura (Yamaguchi's first actor) also played Takumi Yamashita/Baboon Amazon in ''Series/KamenRiderAmazons''.
** Tsuyoshi Hayashi (Ukai's first actor) starred as Houji Tomasu/[=DekaBlue=] in ''Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger''.
** Ryosuke Yamamoto previously starred as Makoto Fukami/Kamen Rider Specter in ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'' before taking over the role of Tsukishima from 2019 onwards.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Quite of bit of former Tokusatsu actors (both minor and major) appear in the stage plays.