Characters / Haikyuu!! - Other Schools

Haikyuu!! Main Character Index
Karasuno High | Other Miyagi Prefecture Schools | Other Schools

Schools from other prefectures, including Tokyo.

Spoilers prior to Season 4 of the anime are unmarked.

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Metropolitan Nekoma High

Boys' Volleyball Team

General

• Animal Motifs: Nekoma is mostly associated with cats. Ukai compares them as such due to their flexibility (in the context, their power of defense).
• Boring, but Practical: Nekoma's entire play is summarised to be mundane but very effective. They have no outstanding moves but the steadiness and precision of their receives make it hard to predict who the ball will be tossed to.
• A Day in the Limelight: The story occasionally shifts the focus to Nekoma for prolonged periods of time, including their matches at the Tokyo Spring High Preliminaries and their Round 2 match at Nationals, acting as a break from Karasuno's match with Inarizaki. Additionally, the first OVA stars Nekoma and follows their struggles to train Lev.
• Friendly Rivalry:
  • Are good friends and rivals with Karasuno. Their teams have had a great relationship even before the events of the series thanks to Ukai Sr and Nekomata's friendly rivalry with one another. The relationship is maintained with the current lineups of each team.
  • Nekoma is on good terms with fellow Tokyo team Fukurōdani (who they often train with) despite potentially having to match up with them at competitions. Their Spring High qualifier match is competitive but they have an amicable handshake afterwards; and at Spring High itself when Bokuto meets Nekoma after their loss, he gives a good hug or fist-bump to the three third years to commemorate the end to their high school volleyball careers.
• Foil: To Karasuno. Nekoma is more used to working together, while Karasuno spends some time finding its bearings because of its new freshman players. Nekoma's biggest strength is their steady receives, which are Karasuno's immediate weakness since only Nishinoya and Daichi are particularly good at them; Nekoma is a team that works together in order to support their setter, whereas the Karasuno team is essentially unified by their own talented setter.
• Stone Wall: Played with, interestingly. Nekoma's specialty is their defense, and their other stats aren't that good, but the entire point of their playstyle is to use their receives to facilitate their offense and supplement their blocks. They utterly avoid the one-dimensional idea of just being a "defensive team", something that gets pointed out and discussed at length during their matches.
  Suguru Daishō: The most irritating thing about Nekoma is indeed their defensive prowess, but that's not all there is to them. Before you even realize that you've taken a real blow, or even register the fact that you're slowly being chipped away at, you'll already have taken more damage than you know.
• Technician vs. Performer: Compared with Karasuno, who's known for their unpredictable, high-risk game, Nekoma is known for their mundane, but effective play-style. However, Karasuno values the basics just as much and Nekoma can pull off some fancy moves here and there during crucial moments.
• Worthy Opponent: To Karasuno. The two teams bring out the best from each other and they both aspire to have their first official match aka the much anticipated "Battle at the Garbage Dump".

Tetsurō Kuroo

Tetsurō Kuroo — #1

Voiced by: Yūichi Nakamura, Yuka Komatsu (young) (JP), Ty Mahany (EN), Yeong-seon Kim (KR)

Played by: Shori Kondo

Position: Middle Blocker
Height/Weight: 187.7cm → 188cm/75.3kg
Third Year

Nekoma's captain. Kuroo is usually a level-headed guy who gives off something of a trickster vibe. He’s also Childhood Friends with Nekoma's setter, Kenma.

Favourite food: Grilled salted mackerel pike.
Current concern: Can't get rid of his bedhead hair.

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• Affectionate Nickname: His childhood friend Kenma calls him "Kuro".
• Anime Hair: Has an unusually spiky hairstyle, which even earns the "rooster-head" nickname from Hinata. Apparently his hairstyle is due to having unmanageable bedhead. Daishō makes fun of it and teases that Kuroo's height is exaggerated thanks to his spiky hair.
• Big Brother Mentor: He takes Tsukishima under his wing during their training camps (a bit unwillingly on Tsukishima's side at first), since they play in the same position. He gives him blocking advice (which proves to be vital for Tsukishima in later matches) and is genuinely concerned for his wellbeing and attitude towards volleyball.
• Cheshire Cat Grin: He's always seen with a cat-like smirk.
• Childhood Friends: Has been friends with Kenma ever since he moved to his neighbourhood as a kid. Kenma was initially his only good playmate at first, due to Kuroo's shy nature at the time.
• Deadpan Snarker: Tends to snark with an unimpressed look and tone in his voice, especially around the energetic types such as Lev, Hinata and to a lesser extent Bokuto.
• Foil: Enforced in a flashback where he and Yaku were literally each other's polar opposites in everything. The only thing they agreed on, was how they both wanted to get Nekoma to Nationals, thus finally becoming friends.
• Friendly Rivalry: Applies to both their teams, but Kuroo and Bokuto in particular are shown to be good friends despite being from rival teams (although Kuroo is a good deal more sensible than Bokuto).
• The Gadfly: He is a bit of a trickster and for his own amusement sometimes messes with people, particularly towards Tsukishima. He's not called a "provocation expert" by many characters for nothing.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Close friends and usually seen with Kenma, and is one of very few people who can motivate Kenma to do anything.
• Irony: Even though he's part of the team that represents cats, Kuroo himself said that he likes dogs.
• The Leader: The cunning but friendly captain of Nekoma. He keeps the underclassmen in check and reassures members whenever things aren't going their way.
• Little Guy, Big Buddy: The Big Buddy to Kenma's Little Guy. The much taller and more street-smart Kuroo is frequently seen looking out for him.
• Meaningful Name: His last name means "black tail", which can fit with the cat motif of Nekoma (in that case, refering to a black cat's tail).
• Missing Mom: He does not live with his mother, as shown in a flashback of him moving to Kenma's neighbourhood with his father and grandparents; what happened to her is never stated.
• Not So Above It All: Despite generally being The Leader and a Deadpan Snarker, he has moments of this, such as the "just a club" discussion with Bokuto that leaves Tsukishima near speechless.
• Odd Friendship:
  • Kuroo is a sociable guy who's obviously comfortable in the position of team captain, has a way with words and whose appearance immediately makes people (In-Universe, even) think of him as a shady or manipulative kind of person; Kenma, on the other hand, is quite the introvert, outright admits to disliking interacting with people, despite being insecure about what they think of him, and doesn't care much for volleyball. The two are nevertheless Childhood Friends who understand each other very well.
  • He and Bokuto have a strong Friendly Rivalry going on despite contrasting each other as people and as captains. Whereas Kuroo is a level-headed guy who's often suspected by others to have ulterior motives and serves as the voice of authority of his team, Bokuto is a Hot-Blooded young man with a tendency to mood swings and usually talks in a blatant manner, who's considered The Baby of the Bunch of his team despite his position of leader. The friendship is also full of Worthy Opponent shades, especially from Kuroo towards Bokuto.
• Only Friend: Kuroo was Kenma's only playmate when both were children. Although they've progressed past this trope now thanks to Kenma befriending Nekoma and Hinata, Kuroo is still the friend Kenma feels most comfortable with and confides in the most.
• The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: At the Tokyo Spring High Preliminaries, he and Daishō (who hate each other) taunt one another and declare that they'll see each other in the final, implying that they want the other team to win their semifinal to make this happen. Hilariously, Nohebi and Nekoma do get to play each other... in the third place round, because they both lost their semifinal matches.
• Perpetual Smiler: Usually a Cheshire Cat Grin, which is likely one of the reasons people are a little distrusting of him at first.
• Rousing Speech: He likes to give a motivational speech to his team before matches, comparing Nekoma to blood flowing through a body. Kenma and Lev thinks it sounds dumb.
• Shrinking Violet: Was even shyer than Kenma during childhood, but grew out of it once he started volleyball and made more friends.
• Signature Laugh: Has a very peculiar "hyena laugh" during the transmission tower scene (when Tanaka and Nishinoya mistake it for the Skytree). It even gets replicated perfectly in the stage play adaptation.
• Signature Move: One of his specialities is the personal time difference attack, where he tricks blockers into jumping early. Another speciality is his read blocking, which can trouble even Bokuto aka one of the top aces of the country.
• Smarter Than You Look: Despite the comedy, he's actually in the advanced class. In his argument with Yaku when they first met, he said that Yaku must be lacking in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a nutrient in fish that includes stimulation for improved functioning of the brain.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Flashbacks reveal that he and Yaku didn't get off on the best foot and would often disagree about minor things, but they got over it when they realized they both wanted to dominate Nationals.
• The Trickster: Noted by Daichi to have a cunning personality. He does seem to have a way with getting people to do what he wants, as he is able to get Tsukishima into training with him and Bokuto with just a few calculated words. Bokuto even calls him "provocation expert Kuroo".

Morisuke Yaku

Morisuke Yaku — #3

Voiced by: Shinnosuke Tachibana (JP), Mason Butler (EN), Do-hyung Nam (KR)

Played by: Takeru Goto

Position: Libero
Height/Weight: 165.2cm → 166cm/60.2kg
Third Year

Nekoma's libero. A voice of reason and upfront person as opposed to Kuroo's. Recognized as a reliable player, he supports his team both in and off court with a smile, unless you mention his height.

Favourite food: Stir-fried vegetables.
Current concern: His kōhai are giving him all kinds of worry.

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• Affectionate Nickname: Kuroo and Bokuto chummily call him "Yakkun".
• Agony of the Feet: He sprains his ankle when getting a ball in the crowd while Nekoma plays against Nohebi. You see his feet twist in a brief flashback of the moment the injury happened, and it's so painful Yaku can't walk or keep his balance by himself.
• Berserk Button: He's a supportive Team Mom, but innocently mention his short height and he will throttle you.
• Big Brother Mentor: Is an admirable and comforting older brother mentor towards Shibayama, the first year libero. Yaku is seen giving him advice in a flashback, and cries while hugging Shibayama after their victory against Nohebi, showcasing he is proud of him.
• Birds of a Feather: He and Sugawara get along perfectly due to their gentle Team Mom natures.
• A Death in the Limelight: Downplayed. Yaku is the one Nekoma member that fights almost toe-to-toe with Bokuto during their match at the Tokyo Preliminaries, as it's highlighted that if Bokuto's Fukurōdani's ace then he himself is Nekoma's "ace of defending". This makes Yaku's foot injury in the match all the more heartbreaking, and when he's made to sit out of the match the team is initially left in a disarray.
• The Dreaded: Played for Laughs; Lev sees him as a frightening figure due to the harsh receiving training Yaku gives him, to the point he'll sneak off during sessions.
• Foil: Enforced in a flashback where he and Kuroo were literally eachother's polar opposites in everything. The only thing they agreed on, was how they both wanted to get Nekoma to Nationals, thus finally becoming friends.
• First-Name Basis: He and Nishinoya call each other by their first names, having struck up a close friendship due to being fellow skilled liberos.
• Height Angst: While not a big part of his character since he is the libero, he's bothered by his short height enough that he will get annoyed when someone points it out (usually Lev).
• Hero on Hiatus: He's replaced by Shibayama for the remainder of the Nohebi match after he injures his foot while getting a ball in the crowd.
• I Can Still Fight!: Defied. He sprains his ankle in the match against Nohebi and is unable to walk on his own. He protests that it's nothing and he can still play, but he's still taken out of the match and gets replaced by Shibayama.
• The Napoleon: He drops his sunny disposition whenever someone mentions how short he is. He's also prone to kicking members of his team when they're annoying him in some way. Kuroo even occasionally refers to him as a "demon senpai" due to his nasty temper if the others get out of line (usually directed towards Lev).
• Pintsize Powerhouse: Nishinoya considers Yaku a Worthy Opponent when it comes to being a libero. And outside of the court, Yaku is not afraid to literally kick someone's ass, 99% of the time being Lev's.
• Team Mom: Supportive and manages to subdue the team's antics before they get too out of control. On several instances he also takes care of them from the sides, such as hurriedly giving tissues to Kenma when the latter sneezes and getting teary-eyed when Kenma stops being shy and interacts with others. He gets along well with Sugawara who is also the Team Mom of Karasuno.
• Teethclenched Teamwork: Flashbacks reveal that he and Kuroo didn't get off on the best foot and would often disagree about minor things, but they got over it when they realized they both wanted to dominate Nationals.
• Tiny Schoolboy: He's 165.2 cm (around 5'5") in height, which is a very sensitive topic to point out to him.
• Tsundere: He's very nice and cheerful until the very moment you point out his small height, which results to him kick and beating you. Mostly at Lev's expense.
• Worthy Opponent: Shares a mutual friendly rivalry with Nishinoya. The two of them are good friends outside of the court and greatly respect their talent as a libero, being impressed by one another ever since their first practice match.

Taketora Yamamoto

Taketora Yamamoto — #4

Voiced by: Seigo Yokota (JP), Andrew Love (EN), Seung-woo Min (KR)

Played by: Bishin Kawasumi

Position: Wing Spiker
Height/Weight: 176.7cm → 178cm/69.1kg
Second Year

Taketora is one of Nekoma's wing spikers and the ace.

Favourite food: Yakisoba bread.
Current concern: He wants to know the best way to talk to girls.

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• Big Brother Instinct: To some extent towards Kenma, who is a lot shorter than him despite being the same age. When he thinks Hinata's bothering Kenma, he steps right in to scare him off. In the OVA, when he thinks Lev made Kenma's nose bleed, he hits him off-screen.
• Birds of a Feather: With Tanaka. Both are boisterous and energetic presences in and out of court, have a light case of Face of a Thug which they use on purpose to intimidate others, and are weak to girls. Indeed they initially clash with each other due to their similar personalities, but end up becoming friends.
• Boisterous Bruiser: He has strong raw power which fitting for the ace of the team and is also very loud to the point of annoying his upperclassmen.
• Brains and Brawn: Has this dynamic with Kenma. Kenma is the brains, as he figures out strategies on the fly for the team to follow,; Takatora is the brawn, spiking with raw power and spirit to break through the opponent's blocks. It took them a while to get there, but they work like a well-oiled machine when they put aside their differences.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Yamamoto is a Large Ham who gets a little too into his rivalry with Tanaka and his obsession with girls, but he's Nekoma's ace for a reason repeatedly bears down under pressure in both official and practice matches in order to bring his team victory. He's actually most dangerous when the match is on the line, because his gutsy playstyle and mental resilience makes it borderline impossible to pressure him.
• Cannot Talk to Women: He basically freezes up when he first sees Shimizu. His current concern is specifically about his inability to talk to girls. A Haikyuu-bu!! chapter has him attempting to fix this weakness by playing a Dating Sim, with mixed results.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: A Large Ham through and through, but he's the ace for a good reason.
• Delinquent Hair: Has a dyed blonde mohawk and his hair is shaved on the sides.
• Demoted to Extra: Yamamoto has some chapters of the Nohebi match focused on his role as the ace of Nekoma. The "Land vs Sky" OVA episodes, which adapt the Tokyo Preliminaries, omit his character arc completely and so significantly decrease his screentime.
• Determinator: Deconstructed. He always tried to push through his limits and use his so-called "guts" to get through matches, which puts him at odds with Kenma. However, he admits that his impulsivity as a result of said guts would cause him to lose sight of the match, ultimately causing more harm than good. He seems to have gotten better at this as time went on.
• Face of a Thug: Has a punk-like face, not helped by his dyed hair and boisterous personality. Spectators at the Nohebi showdown even comment that he seems like a bad kid because of how he looks, even though he's genuinely a harmless guy.
• Hidden Depths: As revealed in some of Kenma's flashbacks, Taketora is completely aware of every mistake and shortcoming he makes as a player, and doesn't disregard them. He simply chooses to focus on winning via guts and willpower instead, as he's better at that than introspective self-improvement.
• Hot-Blooded: Easily riled up about anything, from volleyball to girls.
• Large Ham: Rivals Tanaka in being loud and hammy.
• Meaningful Name: The "tora" in Taketora (猛虎) means "tiger", making him a good contrast with Ryūnosuke.
• Phrase Catcher: He's often told to shut up by Kuroo when he's being too loud.
• Vitriolic Best Buds:
  • Frequently bickers with Tanaka, but the two are also close and respect each other's skills.
  • It took a while for he and Kenma to get along when they first joined the club. They're close now, but it doesn't stop them from riling each other up in some way.

Kenma Kozume

Kenma Kozume — #5

Voiced by: Yūki Kaji (JP), Clint Bickham (EN), Kyung-tae Lee (KR)

Played by: Takato Nagata

Position: Setter
Height/Weight: 169.2cm → 170cm/58.3kg
Second Year

"I'm not good with people, and I don't want to interact with them. And yet I'm very concerned about what others think about me."

Nekoma’s setter. Hinata meets him not long before Nekoma’s first encounter with Karasuno. Kenma is not very good with people, so he's specialized in observing them. Because of that, he became skilled at reading his opponents and uses this to predict their moves during a match.

Favourite food: Apple pie.
Current concern: Summer is hot. Winter is cold.

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• Adaptational Personality Change: Downplayed. In the stage plays, Kenma is a less outwardly deadpan at certain moments.
• Alliterative Name: Kenma Kozume.
• Awesomeness by Analysis: His style of playing as a setter is very quickly reading the other team and deducing the next course of action based on this.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Kenma is so good at reading the opposite team’s players’ personalities and game styles that Kuroo calls him Nekoma team's "brain." That said, he is also constantly slacking off training and thinks volleyball is tiring.
• Brutal Honesty: He doesn't think twice before speaking, which can make him sound unintentionally harsh.
• Character Tic: He is often seen sighing in fatigue or despair, most of the time due to Lev's antics.
• Childhood Friends: Flashbacks show that Kuroo was his only playmate as a kid. They befriended each other when Kuroo first moved to his neighbourhood, and it was him who got Kenma into volleyball.
• Curtains Match the Window: His hair is actually dyed blonde (his black roots show, and a manga omake reveals he dyed it so he would look less like Sadako and stand out less), but it matches his golden eyes.
• Deadpan Snarker: Snarks a lot while retaining his deadpan tone and expression.
• First-Name Basis:
  • Everyone on the team calls him Kenma(-san), a contrast to the standard surname(-san) protocol most other members get. It makes sense for his childhood friend Kuroo and his fellow second year Yamamoto, who requests that the two call each other by first names as a sign of good friendship. For the others, this likely due to Kenma's dislike for formalities.
  • He takes an interest in Hinata and calls him by his first name without honorifics after they first meet, developing a close friendship. He allows Hinata to do the same despite himself being a year older, not caring for the Senpai/Kohai formalities.
• Foil:
  • To Kageyama. He lacks all the qualities Kageyama has, but he manages to be the first character to outsmart Kageyama during their practice match. It's also noted by Ukai that while Kageyama essentially unifies Karasuno, Kenma is the one supported by his own team, Nekoma.
  • To Hinata. Both play in positions people with their height and body type normally wouldn't and are vital to their own teams, but while Hinata loves and is enthusiastic about volleyball, Kenma just plays it because he did it in middle school by Kuroo's suggestion.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Close friends and usually seen with Kuroo, who is one of very few people who can motivate Kenma to do anything.
• Hyper-Awareness: Kenma is incredibly observant and great at reading people, which he puts to good use as a setter when planning the team's next attack.
• In-Series Nickname: He is called "the setter with pudding hair" thanks to his dyed blonde hair with his roots showing (he can't be bothered fixing it).
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: A long-haired cute guy, although downplayed as the hair is barely shoulder-length. Kenma states he doesn't like having a field of vision that's too wide and is more comfortable with longer hair, which gives him a cute appearance. He's grown it out a bit more after the Time Skip, long enough to be worn as a messy bun.
• No Social Skills: Kenma is admittedly bad at dealing with others; he interacts with his own team just fine, but it's implied that even that took a while. Yaku actually gets teary-eyed when he sees Kenma talking to Hinata, a relatively recent acquaintance at the time, without a hint of shyness. Also, during the Training Camp barbecue, while the whole cast present is interacting with each other, Kenma is mostly seen at a corner by himself, playing with his phone.
• Not So Stoic: Despite his stoic nature, he will visibly become irritated when something's ticked him off. He's notably very fired up in Nekoma's Round 2 and 3 matches at Nationals.
• Odd Friendship:
  • Kuroo is a sociable guy who's obviously comfortable in the position of team captain, has a way with words and whose appearance immediately makes people think of him as a shady or manipulative kind of person; Kenma, on the other hand, is quite the introvert, outright admits to disliking interacting with people, despite being insecure about what they think of him, and doesn't care much for volleyball. The two are nevertheless Childhood Friends who understand each other very well.
  • Close to Hinata despite their drastically different demeanours. Kenma's shy and lazy nature greatly contrasts with Hinata's loud, extroverted personality (not to mention they’re from rival teams). Despite this, they get along surprisingly well, with Hinata drawing out a side in Kenma that even his teammates haven't usually seen before.
• Shorter Means Smarter: He's the second shortest member in the Nekoma staring lineup (with Yaku being the shortest) but also one of the smartest players strategically. He actually gives Karasuno a very hard time during the Karasuno-Nekoma practice match due to his keen observation.
• Shrinking Violet: He's always been quiet and reclusive since childhood. He also doesn't know how to socialize with people.
• The Strategist: He's not called the "brain" of the Nekoma team without reason; his naturally observant nature allows him to come up with effective strategies that allows the team to gain points during clutch time. His game sense is even listed as a 5/5.
• The Stoic: Usually wears a tired deadpan expression.
• Strong Family Resemblance: In his childhood flashbacks, he is shown to have a very strong resemblance with his mother which is more prominent in his current teenage self.
• Suddenly Bilingual: The 8th play The Tokyo Match has Kenma suddenly speak Russian to encourage Lev, who seems to understand what he's saying. The kicker here is that Fukunaga comes up behind them and speaks Russian as well, which has everyone (besides Lev and Kenma) utterly shocked.
• Weak, but Skilled: His athleticism is poor, but his technical ability is high. He also has excellent game sense. Some opponents try to exploit his weak stamina but ultimately fail because Kenma manages to outsmart them before it becomes a real issue.

Shōhei Fukunaga

Shōhei Fukunaga — #6

Voiced by: Shōta Chōnan (JP), Matthew Carter (EN)

Played by:

Position: Wing Spiker
Height/Weight: 178.3cm → 179cm/68.3 kg
Second Year

A second-year student from Nekoma High and one of the boys' volleyball team's wing spikers.

Favourite food: Dried squid.
Current concern: Yamamoto tells him to "Talk more, c'mon."

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• Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Downplayed. He marches to the beat of his own drum and is airheaded at times. Ironically, he's the Only Sane Man among Nekoma's second years, mediating between Yamamoto and Kenma whenever they're in a frenzy.
• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: During his first year, he stopped a fight between Yamamoto and Kenma by throwing a bucket of water over them to prevent the situation from escalating. This act caused Fukunaga to receive a lot of praise from his upperclassmen and the respect of his fellow first years.
• Pungeon Master: He's fond of comedy and often thinks up of funny things to say but never tells anyone else so instead just laughs covertly to himself, which sometimes earns him odd looks. Most of his jokes consisted of him speaking in rhymes. After the Time Skip, he becomes a comedian.
• The Quiet One: He rarely talks, most of his lines are affirmatives or short phrases. At Nationals he was even described by the announcer as the "silent big point scorer". Parodied in Haikyuu-bu!! when the reason for him to be so quiet is for he's bound to spew some kind of Incredibly Lame Pun everytime he opens his mouth.
• Supreme Chef: He's good at cooking, and becomes a part-time chef after the Time Skip alongside his comedian career.

Sō Inuoka

Sō Inuoka — #7

Voiced by: Kyousuke Ikeda (JP), Joe Daniels (EN)

Played by: Taro Nakamura

Position: Middle Blocker
Height/Weight: 185.3cm → 187cm/74.3kg
First Year

A middle blocker from Nekoma. He gives Hinata a lot of trouble in their first practice match, being able to keep up with his speed and freak quicks.

Favourite food: Fried chicken and rice.
Current concern: He eats and eats yet still feels hungry.

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• Animal Motif: Often symbolised as a dog. His surname contains inu (dog) in it, and Inuoka chases Hinata down in the Golden Week practice match much like how a dog would.
• Anime Hair: Wide spiked up hair.
• The Benchwarmer: After the Golden Week practice match with Karasuno, Lev replaces him as a starter. Inuoka isn't that down about it but is still determined to work hard and become a valuable member. During the match against Karasuno in Nationals, he's occasionally called in the match to replace the vice-captain Nobuyuki to improve the height of their blocks.
• Birds of a Feather: Inuoka is one of the few characters who are able to talk with Hinata through the latter’s… peculiar form of communication. Since he also has a bright personality which is very similar to Hinata's, they get along very well.
• Cloudcuckoolanguage: The one reason why he gets along with Hinata so well is that they use the same peculiar vocabulary, which shows up as a bunch of random symbols in the manga and is heard as vocalised sound effects in the anime.
• Demoted to Extra: A big deal is made about Inuoka in Nekoma's first practice match with Karasuno, since he frequently targets Hinata and is able to keep up with him and the quick attack. Afterward, he becomes a benchwarmer due to Nekomata replacing him with Lev as a starting member. As a result, up until the Nekoma vs Karasuno showdown at Nationals, he's given little to do other than talk to Hinata and his fellow first years.
• Friendly Rivalry:
  • He and Hinata develop a rivalry during the Golden Week practice matches, with Inuoka being assigned to chase after him and Hinata being forced to work his way around him. The two instantly become friends once the matches over, impressed and excited by each other's skills.
  • He and Lev have a slight rivalry, as Lev takes his place as a regular in the team mid-series. However, Inuoka is still supportive of Lev in his desire of becoming Nekoma's ace.
• Gentle Giant: He's 187 cm (around 6'1") and he's a cheerful, friendly person.
• Keet: Not to the same extent as Hinata, but still good-natured and energetic.
• Meaningful Name:
  • The kanji character used for "Sou" means "to run", and he's able to keep up with Hinata by using his quick speed.
  • The "Inu" in his name means "dog", which suits the way he chases after Hinata. His name also counts as an Ironic Name, given his team.
• Nice Guy: Friendly and supportive to everyone, including his rivals. He shows no resentment towards Lev when he's made a benchwarmer in the latter's favour, and he even apologizes to Hinata when the latter thought he was underestimating him.
• Odd Name Out: Notably the only known player on the team whose Animal Motif derived from his name isn't cat-related.

Lev Haiba

Lev Haiba — #11

Voiced by: Mark Ishii (JP), Mike Yager (EN)

Played by: Noah Ishikura ("Summer of Evolution" (2017) - "Tokyo Battle" (2019)), Leo Tahori ("The Dumpster Battle" (2020))

Position: Middle Blocker
Height/Weight: 194.3cm → 196cm/79.7kg
First Year

"The ace is the one who makes off with the most points. It's as simple as that."

One of Nekoma's middle blockers. Lev is still relatively new to volleyball, because he only started playing in high school. Despite being a novice and not properly knowing volleyball’s rules yet, he possesses a natural physical ability.

Favourite food: Oinarisan. (rice-stuffed bean curd)
Current concern: His senpai try to give him weird nicknames.

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• Affectionate Nickname: His older sister Alisa calls him "Lyovochka", with the "ochka" being an affectionate Russian name honorific.
• Animal Motifs: Often represented as a lion, which is the meaning behind his name.
• Big Little Brother: Younger than his sister Alisa (who's 19 years old) but is unsurprisingly taller than her, nearing 200cm. Note that Alisa still has the impressive height of 178.5cm thanks to the Russian heritage.
• Brutal Honesty: Says absolutely everything on his mind without thinking twice, which surprises and irritates everyone around.
• Butt-Monkey: Since his debut, he's seen either working with Kuroo or Yaku with his volleyball skills, and they usually yell at him either for missing the ball or for skipping practice in a comical manner. Everyone else on his team likes to tease him too. Even Kenma thinks his serving is crappier than Hinata's.
• But Not Too Foreign: Lev is half-Japanese and half-Russian, but was born and raised in Japan and doesn't know a single Russian word.
• Character Development: Most of his character development is centered around him learning what it means to actually be a team and a team player. He finally gets this moment when Shibayama has to sub out for Kuroo during the last set against Nohebi, which allows him to make an astonishing play that cinches the winning point for his team.
• Dumbass Has a Point: Lev is right that Yaku shouldn't talk about the short stature of other players when he is short himself. Unfortunately for him, that doesn't refrain Yaku to kick his ass.
• First-Name Basis: Perhaps due to it being foreign (as well as him being a Butt-Monkey), Lev is usually called by his first name. The only Nekoma member who uses his second name is the polite first year libero Shibayama who calls him "Haiba-kun".
• Foil: Both he and Hinata are energetic first-years with minimal technique who play as middle blockers and intend to become the ace of their own teams. The crucial difference is that Lev possesses the height that Hinata always wanted so badly.
• Gentle Giant: Despite his Brutal Honesty and big ego, Lev is not a bad person, and is nice and friendly to everyone he meets.
• Husky Russkie: His incredible height is attributed to his Russian heritage.
• Innocently Insensitive: He’s often pushing people’s buttons, especially in regards to their height, with no actual harmful intentions. Even Kenma mentions that he's a little too honest sometimes.
• Kindhearted Cat Lover: Lev loves cats, as seen in the first OVA when he chases one and brings it back to the gym and convinces Kenma to help him get one down from a tree.
• Meaningful Name: "Lev" (Лев) is Russian for "lion", which is also a perfect fit for Nekoma since the team is often represented by cats.
• Remember the New Guy?: Makes his debut with Nekoma later in the manga at the first training camp, confusing Karasuno members. The explanation for his absence from their first practice match with Karasuno is that he was a newbie and they only took their main squad to training camp. In the two months between their two appearances, he developed enough to become a starter. The OVA of the first season helps introduce the audience to Lev and the struggles of him syncing up with Kenma.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Calls himself Nekoma’s ace, but is still very inexperienced. He definitely has the potential, though.
• Token Minority: As a half-Japanese and half-Russian guy, he's the only player in the Japanese high school volleyball scene explicitly stated to at least be part-foreign. His Russian blood gives him an advantage in height which is what makes him a valuable Nekoma member. After the Time Skip, he is shown to be a model working alongside his sister Alisa.
• Took a Level in Badass: The match against Nohebi gives his skills a much needed boost, especially after realizing what makes the team work. Once he has that moment, he finally starts to use his head to make the decisive play that gave Nekoma the point needed to win, opening up the path for Shibayama to make the receive needed. Their teamwork is shown further in the Nekoma-Karasuno match at Nationals, where Lev's blocks intentioanlly open paths for Shibayama to recieve easier, giving their team the upper hand.
• Unskilled, but Strong: Has both impressive height and reflexes, but lacks in experience, and therefore in strategy. Kenma goes as far as to call him even less skilled than Hinata (which both find offence in).

Yūki Shibayama

Yūki Shibayama — #12

Voiced by: Takumi Watanabe (JP), Santri Rush (EN)

Played by: Fūta Kimura

Position: Libero
Height/Weight: 162.5 cm/53.3 kg
First Year

"The way I am now, I'm not worthy of staying on the court the whole game. The only one who can prove that I am worthy...is me."

A first year libero at Nekoma. He looks up to Yaku and serves as backup for him when the latter gets injured during the game against Nohebi.

Favourite food: Omurice.
Current concern: "Everyone is so good at receives and I don't feel like I am needed at all, but I'm gonna try my best to practice!"

---

• The Baby of the Bunch: He's the youngest first year out of the known Nekoma members, and they make sure to make him feel comfortable when he has to sub for Yaku during their game against Nohebi.
• The Benchwarmer: He's not on the starting lineup and is doing his best to stand on court with everyone else. The situation comes for him when Yaku is injured during their match against Nohebi, and in Nationals when he is intentionally subbed in to pair up with Lev for their block-recieve strategy.
• Break the Cutie: Defied. When Nohebi trash-talk him and constantly target him knowing he's less experienced that Yaku, it at first makes the good-natured first year a nervous wreck. After some calming words from Kuroo and some self-determination, Shibayama eventually overcomes his opponents and is able to hold his own.
• The Cutie: His short height and large eyes, along with his friendly and timid personality, gives him a cute appearance.
• A Day in the Limelight: He doesn't have much of a role at first due to him being a benchwarmer, with most of his initial appearances being him getting scared of Asahi. He plays a bigger role when he's finally shown playing in the Tokyo Spring High Preliminaries when Yaku sprains his ankle and has to replaces him. We get to see his insecurities and determination to not let Yaku and the team down.
• Determinator: Shibayama feels unspecial due to being benched and the whole team is already good at receives, yet he is determinated to get better and prove his worth. The game against Nohebi has him triumph despite the opponent team constantly targets him to pressure him.
• Innocent Blue Eyes: While they're the same dark shade as Kageyama's, Shibayama has blue eyes and is a gentle and kind soul.
• Meaningful Name: The kanji characters of his given name Yūki means "gentle/skilled" (優) and pure (生), which are qualities that definitely fit the skilled and gentle Shibayama.
• Nice Guy: Shibayama is the most kind and gentle (known) player on the team, and he always looks out for his teammates and respects his upperclassmen.
• Satellite Character: He starts out as "the benched first year libero that's also Inuoka's friend", but eventually grows out of it due to getting more significant scenes in the Tokyo Preliminaries.
• Tiny Schoolboy: He's 162.5 cm (around 5'4") in height. Since he plays libero, his short height is useful in that position.
• Took a Level in Badass: Once he gets over his nerves and trusts himself, he mentally works together with Lev to make the decisive play needed for Nekoma to cinch the final point against Nohebi, proving that he is just as much of a libero as Yaku. Their teamwork is shown further in the Nekoma-Karasuno match at Nationals, where Lev's blocks intentioanlly open paths for him to recieve easier, giving their team the upper hand.

Family Members

Akane Yamamoto

Akane Yamamoto

Voiced by: Miyu Tomita (JP), Samantha Stevens (EN)

Played by: Yuna Shigeishi

Height/Weight: 144.3 cm/35.4 kg

"Because we have the luxury of such good receives, the "brain" can work to its peak potential."

Yamamoto's younger sister, who is the leader of the cheering squad at the Tokyo Preliminaries.

Favorite food: Soboro gohan.^note Minced meat or fish with soy sauce served over rice
Current concern: "I keep getting carried away when talking about volleyball with my friends."

---

• Big Brother Worship: Downplayed. Although the audience doesn't see the two of them interact much, it's shown she admires her older brother's role as the ace, and she comes to encourage him in the bleachers at the Tokyo Preliminaries.
• Combat Commentator: Her main role at the Tokyo Preliminaries is to comment on the strategies Nekoma and their opponents uses, helping explain parts of the game to Alisa.
• Curtains Match the Window: Her hair and eyes are the same strawberry blonde tone.
• Genki Girl: Very cheerful and excited about anything volleyball-related.
• Girlish Pigtails: Wears her hair in pigails, which showcases her her young age and energetic personality.
• Passionate Sports Girl: Downplayed as it's unknown if she plays any sport herself (although her official statistics indicate she has decent to good jumping power and speed, so she appears to be reasonably athletic). Nevertheless, she's very passionate about volleyball, as her main concern indicate she gets carried away when talking about it to other people.
• Sailor Fuku: She's seen wearing her middle school uniform, which is a sailor suit.
• School Uniforms are the New Black: She's only ever seen wearing her school clothes, which is the sailor uniform.
• Signature Hair Decs: She has a cat hairclip holding her bangs in her hair, which is appropriate for someone who is younger than most of the main supporting cast.
• Strong Family Resemblance: She shares the same fiesty facial features as her older brother.
• Those Two Girls: All of her appearances are with Alisa, typically related to Nekoma's matches. Their main roles are to act as Nekoma's supporters.

Alisa Haiba

Alisa Haiba

Voiced by: Mao Ichimichi (JP), Mariam Albishah (EN)

Played by: Kaede

Height/Weight: 178.5cm/56.5 kg

"Hope and possibility are born from bad luck and misfortune."

Lev's older sister who comes to cheer him on during the Tokyo Preliminaries.

Favorite Food: Sushi (sea urchin).
Current concern: "I'm worried that my brother might be really cool and too popular!"

---

• Apologizes a Lot: Will always apologise to Akane and everyone around whenever Lev messes up in a match. Much to embarrassment her, Lev messes up a lot.
• Cool Big Sis: She comes to Lev's games to cheer him on and endearingly calls him "Lyovochka". She's also an affectionate big sister figure towards Akane.
• Facepalm: She hides her face in her hands in embarrassment whenever Lev gets clumsy during an important moment.
• Genki Girl: Her cheerful and energetic demeanour is something she shares with her brother.
• Little Big Sister: She's 178.5cm (5'10"), which is remarkably tall for a woman but still short compared to her younger brother Lev who is almost 200 cm.
• Nice Girl: Her core trait is her supportive and friendly personality.
• Statuesque Stunner: She's 178.5cm (5'10") thanks to her Russian heritage, and is considered beautiful by a lot of characters. She becomes a model alongside her brother after the Time Skip.
• Those Two Girls: All of her appearances are with Akane, typically related to Nekoma's matches. Their main roles are to act as Nekoma's supporters.
• The Watson: In the Tokyo Preliminaries she's not too familiar with volleyball just yet, leaving Akane to explain the strategy to her and act as the Combat Commentator.

Fukurōdani Academy

Kōtarō Bokuto

Kōtarō Bokuto — #4

Voiced by: Ryōhei Kimura (JP), Ian Sinclair (EN)

Played by: Kouki Yoshimoto (2017), Takumi Higashi (2018)^note actually Konoha's actor, but filled in for the injured Kouki as Bokuto for Start of the Giant, Haruto Sakuraba (2019 - 2021)

Position: Wing Spiker
Height/Weight: 185.3cm → 186cm/78.3kg
Third Year

"What will happen in the future and whether or not you can win the next match... for once, none of that matters. Crushing the guys in front of you, and the amazing feeling of having shown 120% of your strength, are everything."

Fukurōdani's energetic captain and ace, and an elite wing spiker. Bokuto and his teammates are already somewhat acquainted with the Nekoma team. He meets the Karasuno team during their first Tokyo training camp.

Favourite food: Yakiniku.
Current concern: "...How do you spell 'concern'?".

---

• The Ace: He's one of the top five high school spikers in Japan, and is thus Fukurōdani's ace. Despite his Manchild tendencies, when he's hit the groove he is very dangerous to compete with thanks to his powerful spikes, whether they be inner crosses or line shots.
• Adaptational Curves: Inverted. While still an elite spiker, he has less bulk in Seasons 1-3 of the anime than he does in the manga, where he's probably the second most muscular character seen after Ushijima. Some of his muscles come back in Season 4 with the art-style change.
• Always Second Best: A mild example. It’s a bit of a Running Gag that despite being one of the top five high school spikers in the country, Bokuto couldn’t make it to the top three. He gets annoyed when people mention it.
• Animal Motifs: Usually symbolised as an owl, like his team. Specifically for Bokuto, he's similar to the horned owl.
• Anime Hair: His spiky hair resembles the tufts on a horned owl's head, fitting with his Animal Motifs.
• Attention Whore: One of the (many) weak points of Bokuto, according to Akaashi, is that he's an attention seeker and thrives on big crowds. During their match at Nationals, Bokuto hits his "emo mode" early in the first set because he dislikes that they're playing on a smaller court which would have a smaller audience than the main stadium.
• Big Brother Mentor: Acts as the chummy older mentor to Tsukishima (who's initially reluctant) and Hinata. He's part of the reason Tsukishima becomes more motivated in volleyball, and he gives Hinata a lot of advice (notably about feints and rebounds). He even acknowledges Hinata to be his "No. 1 Disciple".
• Brutal Honesty: He's not quite as blunt as other characters, but he doesn't bother sugar-coating his words when he feels like it's necessary.
  Bokuto: Do you enjoy playing volleyball?
  Tsukishima: Well... not particularly...
  Bokuto: Isn't that because you suck at it?
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: His childish personality and mood swings don't really match up with his national ranking, something his team admits. Nevertheless he is one of the best high school spikers in the country and is someone to fear in matches.
• Catchphrase: Likes to shout "HEY! HEY! HEY!" a lot.
• Ham and Deadpan Duo: Has this dynamic with the stoic and sarcastic Akaashi, which contrasts his loud and boisterous personality.
• Hot-Blooded: Is very passionate, often trying to lift the team's morale and gets frustrated easily. If things don't go his way, though, he tends to go into a low-key mode, at least temporarily.
• Heroic B So D: Played for Laughs. When his emo mode activates in response to his pride getting hit in some way during a match, he becomes almost useless on-court and may even advise his teammates to not pass to him. Having become used to this, his team simply ignores him and avoids using him. Whenever this happens, he's shown to have Wingding Eyes in a Super-Deformed artstyle while acting very lumpish. This helps give him time to recover, and his teammates only send the ball to him once they know he'll ace it and get back into the groove.
• The Leader: He is the charismatic and talented captain of Fukurōdani, and he does the job well despite his childish side and frequent mood swings. He's noted to be the type that motivates his team (and even his opponents) just from his presence and positive attitude alone, and in their match against Mujinazaki he helps keep the team together when they fall behind and Akaashi starts to fall apart.
• Manchild: Is a third year and the captain, but soon it becomes obvious that he acts more like the baby of the team.
• Meaningful Name: His family name, Bokuto (木兎), is an Alternate Character Reading of the Japanese word for the horned owl, "mimizuku".
• Mood-Swinger: He has unpredictable highs and lows in his performance, which is refered to as "emo mode". His team is used to it and even prepared a couple of protocols beforehand to boost up his morale when needed.
• Non-Uniform Uniform: Wears two separated sets of protective gear: the usual knee-pads and another pair that covers up to his thighs, giving an impression of Modesty Shorts. Justified as he's an elite spiker, thus having to run a lot and compressive sleeves help in regulating blood flows.
• The Nicknamer: Besides using nicknames already established, he sometimes makes up quirky nicknames for other people. This includes "Yukippe" (his fellow third year and manager Yukie Shirofuku) and "Maneazu" (Azumane).
• Odd Friendship:
  • He and Akaashi act straight-up like a Boke and Tsukkomi Routine, with Akaashi snarking in a completely deadpan way while Bokuto is hot-blooded and energetic to a fault. However, Akaashi has great respect for Bokuto's abilities, and in a flashback he looks like he's practically ready to tackle him in delight after Bokuto's straight spike wins them a difficult match. He also goes along with Bokuto's outrageous demands and excessive training, which likely isn't something you'd do for somebody who isn't your friend. Bokuto, in turn, will frequently do his best to see Akaashi's point of view and remind him that he's allowed to rely on others.
  • He and Kuroo have a strong Friendly Rivalry going on despite contrasting each other as people and as captains. Whereas Kuroo is a level-headed guy who's often suspected by others to have ulterior motives and serves as the voice of authority of his team, Bokuto is a Hot-Blooded young man with a tendency to mood swings and usually talks in a blatant manner, who's considered The Baby of the Bunch of his team despite his position of leader. The friendship is also full of Worthy Opponent shades, especially from Kuroo towards Bokuto.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The hyperactive and boisterous red oni to Akaashi's calm and collected blue oni.
• The Unfought: Despite Fukurōdani being built up as one of the major rivals for Karasuno going into Nationals, and Bokuto's specific dynamic with Hinata, Karasuno never actually has an official match with him, as they're beaten partway through Nationals (the last tournament for the third years) by Kamomedai. Later on, he's still this trope to Hinata after they become teammates, but not to Kageyama whose team plays against his in the final arc.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Akaashi. Even though Akaashi can be incredibly sarcastic to Bokuto at times, it's clear that the two of them are very close. They hang out at school outside of club activities, despite being in seperate years, and later appearances show that all of the support and faith Akaashi gives to Bokuto goes both ways.
• Worthy Opponent: Kiryuu treats him with as much respect as he does towards Ushijima, taking him seriously during their match and embracing the challenge. He also takes Bokuto's advice to heart when they shake hands post-match. Even after six years have passed and they've gone pro, he's still keen to have a rematch with Bokuto.

Keiji Akaashi

Keiji Akaashi — #5

Voiced by: Ryōta Ōsaka (JP), Jeremy Gee (EN)

Played by: Kousei Yuki (2017), Shungo Takasaki (2018 - 2021)

Position: Setter
Height/Weight: 182.3cm → 183cm/70.7kg
Second Year

Fukurōdani's setter. Akaashi has a cooler temper than the actual captain of the team, and is usually the one who deals with Bokuto when he’s having his mood swings.

Favourite food: Boiled rapeseed plants with karashi mustard dressing.
Current concern: He wants to power up his physical levels more.

---

• Always Someone Better: Although he's always been a talented setter, he feels lacking in regards to Kageyama, a freakishly talented first year who keeps growing, and Atsumu Miya, who is the top high school setter. Ironically, Kageyama looks up to him, since he plays for the powerhouse Fukurōdani and is usually very clear-headed.
• Best Friend Manual: Akaashi has a list of weaknesses for Bokuto (which include at least 37), along with measures to counter them depending on the situation.
• Cloud Cuckoo Landers Minder: He's usually seen following Bokuto around and reining in his wilder impulses. Played for Laughs in the gag spin-off Haikyuu-bu!! where he's able to predict Bokuto's schemes no matter how zany they are.
• Combat Commentator: Before or after his matches, Akaashi is often seen commenting on Karasuno's matches at Nationals. He also provides commentary during the Adlers vs Jackals match, such as explaining Sakusa's strengths.
• Deadpan Snarker: Will snark with a perfectly deadpan look and tone in his voice, if the right buttons are pushed (usually by the Hot-Blooded Bokuto).
  Bokuto: We won't let you get even one point more!
  Akaashi: I don't think it's possible to prevent them from scoring even a single point, though.
• Ham and Deadpan Duo: Has this dynamic with the loud and boisterous Bokuto, which contrasts his stoic and sarcastic personality.
• Meaningful Name: "Akaashi" is derived from the Japanese name for the rufous-legged owl, which inspired his character design.
• Not So Above It All: Downplayed. He's more down to earth than his peers (especially Bokuto), but even he can say some quirky stuff now and then, like comparing Bokuto to a star out loud. His coach and manager are confused when he starts mumbling to himself at Nationals and lampshade that he's actually pretty weird despite appearances.
• Not So Stoic: He sometimes breaks his composure, mostly during matches, and his thoughts in the novels also show he gets annoyed easily (usually by Bokuto). In particular is Fukurōdani's match against Mujinazaka, where he panics over their opponents' strength and feels the pressure of not letting his team down. He starts messing up as a result, and he's visibly stressed when he's sent to the bench to sort himself out. Although Fukurōdani makes a comeback and wins the match, Akaashi still tears up afterward over the mistakes he made.
• Odd Friendship: He and Bokuto act straight-up like a Boke and Tsukkomi Routine, with Akaashi snarking in a completely deadpan way while Bokuto is hot-blooded and energetic to a fault. However, Akaashi has great respect for Bokuto's abilities, and in a flashback he looks like he's practically ready to tackle him in delight after Bokuto's straight spike wins them a difficult match. He also goes along with Bokuto's outrageous demands and excessive training, which likely isn't something you'd do for somebody who isn't your friend. Bokuto, in turn, will frequently do his best to see Akaashi's point of view and remind him that he's allowed to rely on others.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The calm and composed blue oni to Bokuto's hyperactive and boisterous red oni.
• Sarcastic Devotee: Akaashi can be incredibly sarcastic to Bokuto's face, but he's always complimenting him behind his back.
• The Stoic: His droopy eyelid look is his default expression, making him look quite deadpan, and he rarely gets riled up.
• Stoic Spectacles: He starts wearing glasses during the Time Skip. It accentuates his aloof personality and also suits his job as an editor.
• Trademark Favourite Food: Whilst it's not listed as his favourite food on his character profile, he's often seen enjoying onigiri in official art and grabs some at the match after the Time Skip, even taking a moment to enquire when the Tokyo branch of Miya's Onigiri will be opening.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Him and Bokuto. While Akaashi clearly tires of stroking Bokuto's ego and can be harsh towards him at times, him and Bokuto are shown hanging out outside of volleyball club and Akshi obviously cares for and respects Bokuto a lot. Their dynamic is elaborated upon in their later appearances, which include flashbacks of their first year together and also show how much they do care for each other.
  Konoha: Akaashi, it wouldn't be the end of the world if you ignored Bokuto sometimes, you know? That said, there are times where if we don't cater to his ego things tend to go bad...
  Akaashi: I can only draw out a minute fraction of Bokuto's true ability anyway. Besides... (smiling) When Bokuto-san's in top form, he's very satisfying to watch.

Shinzen High

Eikichi Chigaya

Eikichi Chigaya — #7

Voiced by: Shōta Chōnan (JP)

Position: Middle Blocker
Height/Weight: 193.2 cm/58.3kg
First Year

A tall first-year middle blocker of Shinzen High, a team from Saitama that takes part in the Fukurōdani training camps. He attends the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp alongside Kageyama.

Favorite Food: Yakitarako onigiri.^note rice balls stuffed with grilled cod roe
Current concern: "Our manager is really into sekihan^note a sticky rice with azuki beans, traditionally prepared and served during celebrations and cooks it often for us, but I don’t like sekihan..."

---

• Adapted Out: He's omitted from the stage play adaptation, as Nekoma and Fukurōdani are the only Tokyo training camp teams to appear.
• Bit Character: A good-natured guy who helps fill out the Shinzen lineup and keeps Kageyama company at the National Youth Camp in the few appearances he makes. He otherwise does not have any plot significance.
• The Bus Came Back: Has a long absence after the Fukurōdani training camps (Chapter 97, mid-Season 2) before finally reappearing in Chapter 215 (Season 4) where it's revealed he's also attending the National Youth Camp with Kageyama. Justified since he is based in Saitama and has no relevance to the Miyagi nor Tokyo tournaments.
• Funny Afro: Downplayed. His curly hair isn't as huge as his captain's, but it's still the only reason Kageyama seems to remember him at all (calling him Broccoli #2). Although no one thinks ill of him, he does spent most of the Youth Camp comically freaking out over everyone's skills/personalities and worrying about Kageyama. The afro is more obvious in the manga than the anime.
• Gentle Giant: He's over 190cm tall but is also friendly and a little timid.
• Informed Ability: The fact he was invited to the National Youth Camp indicates he must be incredibly skilled at volleyball, since the coaches are only interested in the best of the best (as they are potential candidates for the national under-19 team). Unfortunately, since the audience barely sees Shinzen in action, it's left to their imagination how good he is. All we have of him are his official statistics and the scene of him touching Kageyama and Hinata's former freak quick in a practice match (which gets Hinata thinking about how vulnerable the attack is).
• In-Series Nickname: Kageyama mentally calls him Broccoli #2, with #1 referring to the Shinzen captain. This is due to both of them having very curly hair which resembles the vegetable in question.
• Only Sane Man: He's fairly mundane compared to the quirky training camp participants the audience is introduced to (as well as Kageyama himself). They freak him out a little and he silently snarks every time they do something out of line.
  Atsumu: (to Kageyama after telling him he might enjoy being a spiker more than a setter) You look tense whenever you're setting.
  Chigaya: (pulls an exasperated face while doing cooldown stretches) I think that's because you called him a Goody Two-Shoes.

Itachiyama Academy

Kiyoomi Sakusa

Kiyoomi Sakusa - #10

Voiced by: Kosuke Toriumi (JP), Clint Bickham (EN)

Played by: Toshi Tsuwabuki

Position: Wing Spiker
Height/Weight: 189cm/???kg
Second Year

One of the top three aces in the high school volleyball scene, despite only being in his second year.

---

• The Ace: He's one of the top three aces in the country which is impressive considering he's a second year (Ushijima and Kiryū are third years). He gets invited to the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp, validating his skills further. While he unfortunately gets no spotlight for this during Nationals, after the Time Skip it's revealed his spikes are dangerous because his wrist flexibility gives the ball a difficult spin, giving trouble to anyone attempting to receive them.
• Advertised Extra: The promotional poster for the "Land vs. Sky" OVA (which focuses on the Tokyo Spring High Preliminaries) shows Sakusa alongside Daishō, Bokuto, Akaashi, and Nekoma. His only appearance is at the end where he scores Itachiyama's winning point against Fukurōdani, since the focus of this part of the story is on Nekoma. The anime shows even less of him than the manga, only showing his back when he spikes and not giving viewers a proper look at him.
• Affectionate Nickname: Atsumu chummily calls him Omi-kun after the Time Skip, since they are the same age and now teammates. Hinata follows suit with "Omi-san".
• Birds of a Feather: Sakusa's backstory reveals that he was drawn to Ushijima and the Itachiyama captain Iizuna because of their cleaning habits (he was impressed that Ushijima folded his handkercheif properly, and he bonded with Iizuna over their... lint-rollers).
• Death Glare: His stares are intense and can turn pretty frightening when aimed at certain peers and rivals. Not even his teammates are free from this, as seen when Sakusa scolds Hinata and Atsumu for messing around and glares at them so harshly they immediately stop what they're doing.
• Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Sakusa is a believer of this trope, saying that no player likes to be pitied by others, regardless of the unfortunate circumstances they may be in. This is in response to spectators at Nationals saying they feel bad that Hinata got a fever during Karasuno's loss to Kamomedai; it also relates to his team's own surprise loss, which is implied to have been affected by his captain's injury.
• First-Name Basis: Although it's unknown what his exact relationship is with Ushijima, Sakusa greatly respects him and interestingly calls him "Wakatoshi-kun" despite being a year younger. Notable since he's easily irritated and aloof with just about everyone else. Astonishingly, after the Time Skip both Atsumu and Hinata (now his teammates) have taken to calling him Omi-kun/san.
• Hypochondria: According to Komori, he tends to extrapolate or imagine symptoms.
• Neat Freak: Almost always seen with a face mask and goes to bathe before his peers because of the germs.
• Not So Above It All: As serious and pessimistic as he is, not even he can help fanboying over seeing Romero's famous service ace while in a match as a pro-player. He's also not above giving a mocking smile in Atsumu's direction after scoring the team's first service ace in their match.
• Only Sane Man: Despite his germaphobe quirks, he still ends up being the most sensible person out of the former high school characters of MSBY; to be fair, this is not hard to do when his fellow similar-age members are Hinata, Bokuto and Atsumu of all people. The three are very gaudy which contrasts his stoic personality, and he has to tell Atsumu and Hinata off when they try to join Bokuto in his crazy court shenanigans.
• The Stoic: Calm and collected, not showing much expression.
• Terrified of Germs: Is a germaphobe and goes through drastic measures to stay clean, from wearing a face-mask outside of matches to using the baths before everyone else can "contaminate" it. Played up even more in Haikyuu-bu!! where he's willing to blow up the place just to get rid of cockroaches in his room.
• The Unfought: As a top three ace, Sakusa's hyped up as a major hurdle for any high school daring to challenge him and his team for the trophy at Nationals. The only protagonist team that has a match with him is Fukurōdani at the Spring High Tokyo Preliminaries (which is almost entirely off-screen) — Karasuno never even gets to play him in Hinata's first year nor presumably their second year. Karasuno does lose to Itachiyama at the Spring High semifinals the next year, but Sakusa's graduated at this point. Later, after the Time Skip, he still plays this trope straight for Hinata... but not Kageyama. That's because Sakusa plays Kageyama's team in a V-League match, with Hinata as his teammate.

Motoya Komori

Motoya Komori - #13

Voiced by: Yūto Uemura (JP)

Position: Libero
Height/Weight: 180cm/???kg
Second Year

Itachiyama's libero. Considered the number one high school libero and gets invited like his fellow teammate Sakusa to the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp.

---

• Adapted Out: Unlike Sakusa, he's omitted from the stage play adaptation due to not playing much of a role.
• Advertised Extra: He's given nearly as much attention in the Season 4 (Part 1) trailers as the other new characters at Youth Camp and was also promoted with his own character sheet. Unlike the others, however, he doesn't have any particular significance nor screentime during the Youth Camp.
• Informed Ability: Is said to be the best high school libero, but his specific playstyle isn't made clear from the little we see him at Youth Camp. The series jumps to the Time Skip without ever properly showing Itachiyama in a match and he's not given any statistics, leaving the audience no information about his skills as a high schooler. All is known is that he's good enough to play in Division 1 of V-League and eventually the men's national team.
• Odd Friendship: A lot more friendly and outgoing than the cynical and aloof Sakusa. The two nevertheless get along fine as teammates, with Komori seemingly used to Sakusa's quirks. Sakusa and Komori's backstory reveals they're familiar with one another because they're cousins.
• Satellite Character: Most of his appearances and characterisation rely on Sakusa.

Nohebi Academy

Suguru Daishō

Suguru Daishō - #1

Voiced by: Kazuyuki Okitsu (JP), Austin Tindle (EN)

Played by: Yuu Fukuzawa

Position: Wing Spiker
Height/Weight: 178.6cm/66.5kg
Third Year

The captain of the Nohebi boys' volleyball team. He's not above using underhanded tactics like sucking up to the referee and trash-talking his opponents to help score points.

Favourite food: Papico.
Current concern: Wants to increase the power of his serve.

---

• Animal Motifs: He and his team resemble snakes. Like a lot of these schools, it's in their name Nohebi.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: In the match against Nekoma, he goes out of his way to present himself and his team as polite and sportsmanlike. Although it looks harmless to most onlookers, this is actually done on purpose to influence the referee and linesmen's decisions when making calls that would normally go against Nohebi. He's also not above provoking his opponents in a really nasty way during the match. This sneaky side is what most other teams loathe about them.
• Combat Commentator: He watches the matches at Nationals and helps explain to his girlfriend some of the tactics used.
• Hidden Depths: He seems to be nothing more than a Jerkass at a glance, but he genuinely loves volleyball and he has a girlfriend (who initially broke up with him) he cares about and is willing to listen to her.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Has a nasty side to him, as shown in his game "tactics", but he's genuinely bittersweet alongside his fellow third years about their loss and he cares a lot about his girlfriend Mika whom he's more than happy to explain volleyball tactics/rules to.
• The Leader: The captain of Nohebi. The team adopts his cunning ways, but Daishō is also a competent strategist and genuinely cares about leading everyone to victory.
• Mr. Exposition: Daishō's main role after losing in the Tokyo qualifiers is to watch the matches at Nationals with his non-volleyball-playing girlfriend and explain to her the finer strategies of the game. He tends to discuss the direction each individual team is taking and the importance of things like momentum and mood as opposed to just positions and formations.
• The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: At the Tokyo Spring High Preliminaries, he and Kuroo (who hate each other) taunt one another and declare that they'll see each other in the final, implying that they want the other team to win their semifinal to make this happen. Hilariously, Nohebi and Nekoma do get to play each other... in the third place round, because they both lost their semifinal matches. Daishō wryly notes that he's not surprised, since their opponents were two powerhouse schools (Itachiyama and Fukurōdani).
• Perpetual Smiler: Usually seen with a smug smirk. One of his teammates calls him a masochist for smiling in the midst of his girlfriend drama in Haikyuu-bu!!, to which he flusteredly insists that it's just his resting face.
• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: He and Kuroo do not get along in the slightest and their dynamic comes off as hilariously petty and juvenile, with Daishō making fun of Kuroo's hair and Kuroo making fun of Daishō getting dumped.
• Sore Loser: Hilariously he attempts to put up a front to his girlfriend Mika that he's actually a Graceful Loser, but the moment he sees Nekoma at Nationals after their loss to Karasuno, he drops the facade and mocks the hell out of them, making it clear he's still bitter about losing to them at the Tokyo Preliminaries.
• Snakes Are Sinister: He's associated with snakes like the rest of Nohebi and functions as a ruthless antagonist.

Inarizaki High

Shinsuke Kita

Shinsuke Kita - #1

Voiced by: Kenji Nojima (JP), Kevin Thelwell (EN)

Played by: Shuu Takada

Position: Wing Spiker
Height/Weight: 175.2cm/67.5kg
Third Year

The wing spiker and captain of Hyogo prefecture's powerhouse Inarizaki, who are the second seeds at Spring High since they were runners up at Interhigh. He specialises in defense. He isn't a starter, and instead gets subbed in later in the match whenever his team is in a disarray.

Favorite food: Tofu hamburger.
Current concern: "My grandmother is already looking forward to my wedding."

---

• The Benchwarmer: Kita is an interesting case as he is not part of the starting lineup despite being the captain of the team. In fact he didn't even own a jersey in middle school and never played in an official match until his third year of high school; his hard work and dedication to the team is what earns him his captain position. Although weaker than the regulars on the team, he's still the backbone of their defense when matches get close and will be subbed into the game when his support is needed.
• Brutal Honesty: He doesn't mean any malice, but he will criticise his team without filter.
• Call to Agriculture: "Retired" in a volleyball sense, anyways. After graduating from Inarizaki and finishing his high school volleyball career, he's become a farmer by the Time Skip and even provides Osamu the rice he grows.
• Coat Cape: He prefers to wear his jersey like a cape, which annoys Aran in an omake. He does it to avoid putting his arms in the sleeves, because he dislikes static electricity.
• The Comically Serious: His role as The Stoic just makes all the comedy involving him more hilarious. Played up in Haikyuu-bu!! where he always keeps a straight face no matter what nonsense he's spouting or responding to.
• Foil: One chapter explicitly compares Kita to Daichi, with Kita assuming they're similar to one another. Both are defense specialists, aren't as flashy as the other members, and calm their teams with their comforting presence. Kita prefers to stay out of the limelight almost completely, only being subbed in the matches to cover for his members. Daichi, however, is just as willing to be on the offense as well as defense, and makes it clear that his job isn't to protect his team but to score just like everyone else.
• Momma's Boy: In this case it's his grandmother, who has a strong presence in his flashbacks and is implied to have raise him in some way. He takes her advice to heart and loves her dearly. She dotes on her grandson, even attending Nationals to watch him (while wearing a knitted jumper that says "Do your best, Shinsuke").
• Not So Stoic: Since he always has a serious look on his face, any other facial expressions is a pretty big deal. The whole team was shocked when Kita cried Tears of Joy over receiving the captain's jersey in a flashback, with Suna comparing him to an unfeeling robot.
• The Reliable One: His key role is to ensure the team's composure and stability doesn't go off the rails. He might not be a "monster" like all the other genius players, but his strength is that in a match he produces the exact same results as in practice. As the coach notes, he's "overflowing with confidence that ensures he won't mess up".
• The Stoic: Nearly always has a poker face. Atsumu and Osamu even try to make him laugh as a challenge in Haikyuu-bu!!, to no avail.
• Team Mom: Although he nags his team enough to scare them, he still takes on a nurturing role for them. He cares for their wellbeing (as seen in a flashback where he fussed over the sick Atsumu and made sure he was going to take care of himself) and is also able to soothe the team when they start to become erratic in matches.
• Weaksauce Weakness: Kita, the calm and mature "unfeeling robot" captain of a Nationals-tier team, dislikes feeling static electricity shocks so much that he refuses to wear his jersey properly. The younger members silently snark over how useless this weakness is.
• When He Smiles: The members are surprised whenever the ever-so-stoic Kita gives a rare warm smile, especially when it's pointed out he actually smiled a lot during their Round 2 Nationals match.

Aran Ojiro

Aran Ojiro - #4

Voiced by: Jun Kasama, Sayaka Fukui (young) (JP), Camryn Nunley (EN)

Played by: Colin Oohinata

Position: Wing Spiker
Height/Weight: 184.7cm/80.2kg
Third Year

The wing spiker and ace of Inarizaki. He acts as the on-court captain in matches since the actual captain Kita isn't a regular. He is considered a Top 5 Ace, like Bokuto.

Favorite food: Ritz Crackers.
Current concern: After thinking "I'll throw these out after one more wear", the underwear with a hole in it ended up being worn three times.

---

• The Ace: Similar to Bokuto, he's considered a Top 5 Ace and almost on the same level as the top three high school aces of Japan due to his powerful spikes. His opponents are left overwhelmed by the numerous points he scores. He's playing in Division 1 of V-League after the Time Skip, and in the epilogue he's one of the many characters who's playing in the Olympics.
• Childhood Friends: He's known Atsumu and Osamu since he was in fifth grade due to the three of them attending the same volleyball workshop and training camp. He initially found them annoying but eventually became acquainted with them.
• Crippling Overspecialization: A Downplayed Trope as his spikes and serves are said to rival Ushijima's as the strongest in Japan. Comparably his receiving skills are decidedly average, which is what ultimately keeps him out of the Top 3 Ace ranking.
• Number Two: A third year and the closest member to Kita. He helps him look after the team, acts as the leader in his place in matches and is a reliable ace.
• Odd Name Out: Downplayed. Aran is still a Japanese name but is acknowledged to sound foreign (to the point that his name is only spelt using katakana characters instead of kanji), which contrasts with the other known members of Inarizaki and their more traditional Japanese first names.
• Straight Man: He's often exasperated by the Atsumu and Osamu's shenanigans and calls them out on their behaviour or silently snarks in response. Played up in the omakes and Haikyuu-bu!! gag spin-off.
• Token Minority: He is the only known black player in the Japanese high school volleyball scene, although he is still at least part Japanese. No comments or stereotypes are made about this, with him being treated as much respect as his teammates and fellow high school aces. The only time his skin colour is acknowledged is in the Haikyuu-bu!! gag spin-off when Suna suggests swapping Aran and the Miyas' heads around to solve their body-swap situation, to which Atsumu retorts that it'll look uncanny if he and Aran switched heads.

Atsumu Miya

Atsumu Miya - #7

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano, Risae Matsuda (young) (JP), Blake Johnson (EN)

Played by: Yuunosuke Matsushima

Position: Setter
Height/Weight: 183.6cm/73.3kg
Second Year

The setter of Inarizaki, and considered the best setter in high school. He's one of the players selected for the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp, where he meets Kageyama.

Favorite food: Fatty tuna.
Current concern: It's the season where your fingertips get really dry.

---

• The Ace: Is named the best high school setter and is chosen to take part in the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp. His skills are confirmed to be incredibly terrifying when he plays at Nationals; he sets very well (something Kageyama acknowledges), and he's also known as a "dual wielder" because he's proficient at both the spike jump serve and the float jump serve.
• Affectionate Nickname:
  • His brother Osamu calls him Tsumu. Atsumu returns the favour and calls him Samu. Apparently these nicknames came about when the twins first met Aran as children and liked how foreign his name sounded.
  • After the Time Skip, it's shown his ever-so-friendly teammate Bokuto calls him "Tsumu-Tsumu" ("Tsum-Tsum" in the Viz translation). Atsumu returns the favour with "Bokkun".
• Always Identical Twins: He and Osamu are the first and only twins introduced, and they're identical. Their Identical Twin ID Tags and different personalities avoid them getting mixed up, however.
• Birds of a Feather: After the Time Skip Atsumu becomes quick friends with Hinata on the Black Jackals team. Their playstyles synchronize, creating a similar dynamic to Atsumu and his twin brother Osamu. And to drive it home, they end up with really similar temperaments as well.
• Butt-Monkey: Is often scolded or becomes the butt of jokes within his team, especially in the Haikyuu-bu spin-off where he suffers slapstick violence or some other form of humiliation in every Inarizaki chapter. Post-Time Skip, his MSBY Black Jackal teammates also often ridicule him whenever he says something weird or cheesy; even the very first scene of the Jackals is of him sulking in the locker room because he's embarrassed that no fan laughed at his jokes and Bokuto did a better job than him.
• First-Name Basis: Characters familiar with both him and his brother (such as his Inarizaki teammates) call him Atsumu to avoid confusion. The only people in the series that are seen calling him Miya(-san) are Hoshiumi and Kageyama, which they first start doing at Youth Camp before Osamu's existence is known to the audience. He also likes to call some guys by their first name with -kun, such as "Tobio-kun", "Aran-kun" and "Shōyō-kun".
• The Gadfly: Enjoys provoking people or giving less than flattering compliments. In particular is when he calls Kageyama a goody-two-shoes, something that is obviously taken badly by Kageyama despite Atsumu's claims he was praising him.
• Identical Twin ID Tag: His fringe is parted to his right and is dyed blonde, whereas Osamu's is dyed grey and is parted to the opposite direction. In the anime he also has brown eyes whereas Osamu's are grey.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Has a bit of a nasty and conceited side to him. He makes Kageyama uncomfortable during the training camp, and when a few ignorant girls cheer for him during his first serve in a match he glares in their directions and calls them pigs. His terrible personality made it hard for his teammates to get along with him in the past. Despite his unpleasant side, he can be friendly with his teammates, is respectful to his upperclassmen, and gives his rivals credit where credit's due.
• The Nicknamer: After the Time Skip he's given his fellow teammates Sakusa and Bokuto the nicknames "Omi-kun" and "Bokkun". Note that Bokuto is year older and that Sakusa is incredibly antisocial.
• Punny Name: The "atsu" part in his name can be written as 熱, which means "hot," reflecting his hot-headedness in contrast to his brother's levelheadedness.
• Rank Up: The Time Skip reveals he became captain in his third year. Not much is known other than that Inarizaki got their revenge on Karasuno at Spring High and made it to the semifinals under his captaincy.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: He's more of a jokester and hot-head than Osamu who's mostly calm and collected at a glance.
• Straight Man: He miraculously takes up the tsukkomi/straight man role after the Time Skip when he's a part of MSBY Black Jackals, with Bokuto, Hinata and Sakusa as his teammates. He responds in annoyance to Bokuto's hyperactive personality, he frequently retorts to the members, and he's the only one who comments on the craziness of the bathroom meeting between the four of them and Kageyama, Ushijima and Hoshiumi. He actually starts missing Aran because of this, as his upperclassman was the one to deliver all the tsukkomi lines during their Inarizaki days.
• Terms of Endangerment: Puts on an act as a supportive upperclassman to Kageyama by calling him "Tobio-kun", while also purposely rattling him at the same time. He also calls Hinata "Shōyō-kun" despite looking down on him.
• Theme Twin Naming: He and his twin brother have similar sounding names, Atsumu and Osamu. While they're written with different characters, they can mean "hot" and "cold" respectively, reflecting the differences in their personalities. Their last name is also counted as an Odd Name Out in the team; instead of being named after a species of the Animal Motif foxes, the name "Miya" means shrine and is a reference to the shrines of the fox deity Inari.
• Worthy Opponent: After the team's loss to Karasuno, he acknowledges Hinata (whom he previously considered to be a crappy player) and promises to toss to him one day. He's also genuinely interested in Kageyama's growth and capabilities as a setter and shows some respect to him whenever the latter shows him up.

Rintarō Suna

Rintarō Suna - #10

Voiced by: Nobunaga Shimazaki (JP), Howard Wang (EN)

Played by: Kei Sonan

Position: Middle Blocker
Height/Weight: 185.7cm/73.2kg
Second Year

Inarizaki's second-year middle blocker, and one of the team's main point-getters.

Favorite food: Chuupet^note a type of jelly fruit stick in Japan
Current concern: "There’s no way I’d let myself get caught up in the twins' dumb antics."

---

• Brilliant, but Lazy: Downplayed. Suna is a tricky opponent, but he starts slow and tends to slack off once his team gains a comfortable lead, something Kita's observed.
• Catchphrase: "Huh, me?", whenever his name is mentioned.
• Deadpan Snarker: Even with a blank expression and deadpan voice, he often snarks at the Atsumu or Osamu's expense.
• Foil: During his match with Karasuno he develops a rivalry with Tsukishima, who is also an analytical blocker with a stoic demeanour. While blocking is Tsukishima's forte, Suna's strong point is the way he rotates his torso to adjust his spikes, thus making him one of Inarizaki's top scorers alongside their ace Aran. Suna can manipulate blockers thanks to this skill, whereas Tsukishima can manipulate spikers.
• Phoneaholic Teenager: Downplayed. He seems to have an obsession with recording things on his phone camera; he was once seen taking photos on his phone when the Miya twins had a fight in a flashback, and in a CD Drama he's eager to see Kita's weakness so he can take a picture of it for blackmail purposes.
• The Stoic: Usually wears a blank droopy expression on his face.

Osamu Miya

Osamu Miya - #11

Voiced by: Hideaki Kabumoto, Satsumi Matsuda (young) (JP), Daman Mills (EN)

Played by: Yuuki Kamisato

Position: Wing Spiker
Height/Weight: 183.8cm/74.5kg
Second Year

The wing spiker who plays opposite for Inarizaki, and also the twin brother of Atsumu. Has similarly freakish talent to his sibling; it's said that even if you take down Atsumu, "his twin Osamu will be right there to pick up the slack".

Favorite food: Food.
Current concern: Not being in the mood to decide what to eat on the last day of his life.

---

• The Ace: Just about as talented as Atsumu, a participant in the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp. He's not only a powerful spiker but also a capable setter, and he and Atsumu can even set to each other in a quick attack not unlike Kageyama and Hinata's. He was initially seen as the more technically skilled of the two siblings when they were kids.
• Affectionate Nickname: Osamu calls Atsumu "Tsumu", who returns the favour and calls him "Samu". Apparently these nicknames came about when the twins first met Aran as children and liked how foreign his name sounded.
• Always Identical Twins: The Miyas are the first and only twins introduced, and they're identical. Their Identical Twin ID Tags and different personalities avoid them getting mixed up, however.
• Big Eater: His favourite food is listed as "food" and most fights happening between the twins are because Atsumu frequently snatching Osamu's food. He also frequently mentions food-related metaphors during the Karasuno vs Inarizaki match. He's keen about onigiri in particular, and after the Time Skip, he's become the owner of the highly-praised Onigiri Miya.
• Deadpan Snarker: He has a deadpan personality and can be quite snarky, especially towards his twin. Atsumu is one of the few people who can agitate him and break his stoic mask.
• Identical Twin ID Tag: Osamu's fringe is parted to his left and is dyed grey, whereas Atsumu's is blonde and is parted to the opposite direction. In the anime Osamu's eyes are also grey whereas Atsumu's are brown.
• Not So Above It All: Osamu is much more composed and level-headed than Atsumu, but as Kita notes he does "share the same DNA" and therefore can be just as irresponsible. Most notable whenever Atsumu pisses him off in some way, such as overdoing his jump serve (because Atsumu mocked him for scoring less service aces) or suddenly beating Atsumu up in a flashback (as he had enough of Atsumu scolding him for not playing well in a match).
• Sibling Yin-Yang: He's mostly calm and collected at a glance, while Atsumu is more of a jokester and hot-head.
• The Stoic: Doesn't express much due to his laidback nature, other than maybe slight annoyance.
• Theme Twin Naming: He and his twin brother have similar sounding names, Osamu and Atsumu. While they're written with different characters, they can mean "hot" and "cold" respectively, reflecting the differences in their personalities. Their last name is also counted as an Odd Name Out in the team; instead of being named after a species of the Animal Motif foxes, the name "Miya" means shrine and is a reference to the shrines of the fox deity Inari.
• Walking Spoiler: His existence is meant to be a big reveal in the manga when Karasuno analyses Inarizaki the night before their match and meets them in real life the next day. Unfortunately, saying his name alone gives away The Reveal that he's related to Atsumu; looking up any information and pictures of Osamu also gives away the bigger shocks that 1) he's on the team and 2) he and Atsumu are identical twins.

Kamomedai High

Kōrai Hoshiumi

Kōrai Hoshiumi - #5

Voiced by: Natsuki Hanae (JP), Tyler Galindo (EN)

Played by: Ryuu Kiyama

Position: Wing Spiker
Height/Weight: 169.2cm/61.7kg
Second Year

The powerful wing spiker on the Nagano prefecture team Kamomedai High, and considered to be the current title holder of the Little Giant. He's one of the players selected for the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp, where he meets Kageyama.

Favorite food: Kappa Ebisen Plum flavor.
Current concern: The number of people who are underestimating him is decreasing.

---

• The Ace: Good enough of a player to be chosen to attend the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp despite his unfavourable height. His performance at Nationals confirms that his jumps and spiking power are indeed frightening, giving him the "Little Giant" nickname.
• Animal Motifs: The kamome in Kamomedai means seagull, an animal Hoshiumi greatly resembles thanks to his white feather-like spiky hair and peculiar eyes.
• Berserk Button: He gets annoyed and goes off on a tangent when when someone doesn't watch him in awe at first meeting (as enjoys taking people by surprise with his talent) or mentions his short height (even if they're trying to say he's good for a small player).
• First-Name Basis: Most of his teammates refer to him by his first name Kōrai, showing how close he is with them along with their mutual trust with each other.
• Height Angst: While he takes great pride in his height in the present, flashbacks show he really detested it and felt weak because of it. His mother's encouragement and the immense practice he put himself through helped him to get over it. He still doesn't like it when people go out of their way to talk about his height when complimenting him, though.
• I Will Wait for You: A platonic rival variant happens with Hinata. After he's discovered to have a fever and is taken out of the Karasuno vs Kamomedai match, Hoshiumi declares that he will wait to play him again and resume their "Battle of the Little Giants" (even if it means playing him in another match). This shows that he's fully acknowledged Hinata's potential, and is confident that he will be back to compete again at the top. Later on, their V-League teams play each other after the Time Skip, and it's shown Hoshiumi has been looking forward to this rematch ever their Nationals clash (aka 5-6 years ago).
• Meaningful Name:
  • His first name "Kōrai" means "future light", and he was the "light" that pulled Hirugami out of his self-hatred, influencing him positively to become who he is today: more relaxed and approachable. This also explains why they become very close in the present.
  • The kanji characters of his last name is the reverse of Kaisei, a high school not known for its volleyball but famous for its star player and now Japan's national team Opposite Spiker, Yuji Nishida. Nishida is known for his super spikes, powerful serves, and incredible jump height. He is also viewed as not-tall when compared to the rest of his teammates and opponents.
• Pintsized Powerhouse: He's slightly taller than fellow shortie Hinata and is shown to jump even higher than him, and he's also a good all-rounder including at spiking. This is why he's considered the current "Little Giant".
• Strong Family Resemblance: Both him and his brother share the same eye design like their mother. Kōrai in particular inherits from his mother the most, from the white hair to the shorter statue comparing to his taller brother and father.
• Worthy Opponent: Is (grudgingly) in awe of Hinata's skills when watching Karasuno at Nationals, and this feeling is reciprocated by the first year. When they're confirmed to be playing each other in the quarterfinals, he challenges Hinata to decide who the true "Little Giant" is.

Sachiro Hirugami

Sachiro Hirugami - #6

Voiced by: Yu Miyazaki (JP), Michael Wronski (EN)

Played by: Kouki Emoto

Position: Middle Blocker
Height/Weight: 190.4cm/80.8kg
Second Year

The expert middle blocker on the Nagano prefecture team Kamomedai High, he is considered an invaluable asset on the team for his blocking expertise.

Favorite food: Shumai with extra fillings.
Current concern: His sister's boyfriend is annoying when he's being lovey-dovey.

---

• Animal Lover: Implied. Hirugami seems to love his dog, since a photo of him hugging the dog can be seen in his dorm and as his phone wallpaper. Post-Time Skip, having completely retired from volleyball after graduating high school, he's revealed to be a veterinary student which suggests he has a passion for animal health and wellbeing.
• Awesomeness by Analysis: He is a highly capable middle blocker known for his keen block reading skills and ability to react quickly to any enemy attack (even unconventional ones); his skill allows him to identify decoys and not fall to them.
• Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: His eyes lacked shines and lighting in the past as he put to much pressure on himself and forgot the simple joy of playing volleyball. As he begins to move on from his perfectionistic streak, they regain their light again.
• Embarrassing Nickname: Hirugami mentions that he dislikes his "Immovable Hirugami" nickname because it sounds like he stands still and does nothing.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: He used to be The Perfectionist who strived to be the ideal player during middle school. He would feel guilty over every mistake he made and practiced intensely to make up for it. At one point he even self-destructed, scraping his right knuckles against the stone fence along the road, drawing blood in the process. However, after a talk with Hoshiumi and realizing that quitting is an option, Hirugami moved on from his uptight personality to become more relaxed.
• Gentle Giant: Despite his massive build and height, he is one of the calmest and kindest characters in the series.
• Lightning Bruiser: His massive build is backed up by an equally massive speed (4/5 in the stats book) and reaction time.
• Perpetual Smiler: Normally wears a polite and friendly smile.
• Red Baron: Known as the Immovable Hirugami at Nationals due to his freakish read blocking skills. He's not too fond of the nickname though, since it makes it sound like he hates to move.
• Stone Wall: A vital part of Kamomedai's strong and renowed line of defense and able to react immediately to block any play.
• Strong and Skilled: Aside from his strength and well built physique, he is a highly technical player capable of performing jump float serves that are nearly impossible to receive.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Has the same soft facial features as his older brother, who's introduced after the Time Skip as Kageyama, Hoshiumi and Ushijima's V-League captain.

Gao Hakuba

Gao Hakuba - #10

Played by: David Shintani

Position: Wing spiker
Height/Weight: 203.3 cm/100.4 kg
Second Year

A wing spiker of Kamomedai High, who is a vital part in the team's defense.

Favorite food: Teriyaki Pizza.
Current concern: He thinks it would be better if his body was more toned.

---

• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He seems to be arrogant and full of himself, but is just as friendly and kind-hearted deep down, noted by Suwa.
• Innocently Insensitive: Zig-Zagged. There are times when he deliberately riles up his opponents and teammates, but he sometimes pushes people’s buttons without noticing it.
• Keet: He’s extroverted and always full of energy.
• Meaningful Name: His first name means “to sprout/grow”. During Kamomedai's match with Karasuno match, he is stated to have even more room to grow and further polish his skills as he’s still inexperienced. After the Time Skip, he changed his position to middle blocker and play in Tachibana Red Falcons, a Division 1 team.
• Stone Wall: A vital part of Kamomedai's strong and renowned line of defense and able to react immediately to block any play. He is easier to fool with decoys than his teammates because of his lack of experience, but his height gives him enough leeway to jump twice before a spike is launched, allowing him to remain a threat even after biting on a decoy.

Mujinazaka High

Wakatsu Kiryū

Wakatsu Kiryū - #1

Played by: Yusaku Kawasaki

Position: Wing Spiker
Height/Weight: 188.3cm/85.6kg
Third Year

The captain of Mujinazaka High, from Oita prefecture. He's not only their ace wing spiker, but also one of the top three high school aces in Japan alongside Ushijima and Sakusa.

Favorite food: Raw oyster.
Current concern: Receiving serves, how he should guide his juniors, his little sister's brown hair, the swallows that come to his house every years haven't been coming lately... (cut for length)

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• The Ace: One of Japan's top three aces. He has extraordinary power and can hit amazing spikes even with mediocre tosses, backed up by massive leg strength.
• Always Someone Better: Despite his talent and top three ranking, he worries over his reliability as the ace; he's felt insecure over Ushijima's excellent form ever since the two were in middle school, and he also worries about how lacking he may be compared to Bokuto (despite him ranking within the top five rather than top three) when their teams play each other.
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: Has large oval eyebrows.
• Early-Bird Cameo: His first few appearances (with his face showing) occur when Day 2 begins and the narration states the seeded teams will begin playing (manga-only) and when he watches some of the Inarizaki match. While this hints at his identity, the series only confirms it to the audience later on when his team plays Fukurodani.
• Foil: Comparable to fellow top three ace Ushijima, who he often faced in middle school. Both are the star players of their teams and have similar play styles, but Kiryū is said to be more of an all-rounder while Ushijima relies more on brute force. Ushijima is generally fearless and scores with little trouble, whereas Kiryū has confidence issues and used to let the pressure get to him in the past.
• Gentle Giant: A huge boy who's nearly 190cm tall and is very strong. Underneath that bulk however is a surprisingly timid and paranoid personality, and he's a kind captain to his team.

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