After thinking and thinking about how to truly celebrate the greatest #rinharumemories for the 10th anniversary, I have come upon a solution! I just finished updating the Rin Matsuoka Translation Masterlist so I'm going to share with you my fave RinHaru content that's often underappreciated by all but the most hardcore fans.
This will not be content from any of the anime series/movies. I'm also skipping bigtime things like the Duet Drama, S2 Drama CDs, S3 Drama CDs and the Mook because PEOPLE BETTER KNOW ABOUT THOSE. It will be entirely extra material, but it is 100% recommended to all RinHaru fans to get those memories flowing!
In order of release:
Style 5 Interview from S1 Final DVD: Do you love RinHaru teasing each other and Rin being tsun? This is the content for you!
Haruka vs Rin, The Crab Festival's Peak Playoff from S1 Drama CD2: Crab battoru! Need I say more? Also Rin and Haru do their strip thing. Nonstop hilarity at its finest!
A Promise of Rainbows from Illustration Works 1: Have you heard oldtime RHers going on about RinHaru and rainbows? This is the reason. Haru reflects on young Rin making rainbows for him while playing in the pool. It gets cuter from there...
S1 Endcards Skit: Notorious for the image of Rin bridal carrying Haru but so much more nonsense can be found. Some of the best of RinHaru bickering. XD
The Missing Endcard Skit: No part of this madness isn't amazing. A truth or dare strip game Free style.
RinHaru Interview from S2 DVDs: Do you love Haru being the ABSOLUTE KING OF SNARK? This is where the fan-favorite "Looks like you’ve got it rough—Oniichan." comes from and also has so much of crybaby shark.
Ano Natsu no Long Slow Distance: If you haven't read/listened to this, you've done yourself a deep disservice. This is some of the best blend of snarky and soft RinHaru, including Rin borrowing Haru's shirt again and Rin asking Haru for ten of his best smiles. XD
RinHaru Text Chat from S3 DVDs: I have long said that the BEST part of Dive to the Future is the extras and this text chat is the perfect example. From the suggestive line of Haru telling Rin he forgot him to a forgotten water bottle to just being awesome rivals, a must read.
Rin After Talk from S3 Rin Spotlight: The highlight of this is Rin's description of attempting to meet up at the marketplace and chaos ensues. But also includes Rin talking about exchanging recipes with Haru and getting an Aussie souvenir for Haru. :3
Special Memory Episode 4 from S3 Rin Spotlight: Short and sweet but can you resist Rin teasing Haru about having delicate skin? XD
Special Memory Episode 2 from S3 Haru Spotlight: Another short and sweet and has my guilty pleasure of Rin teasing Haru about blushing. >>
Haruka's Birthday Story 2020: The follow-up to Rin and Haru exchanging recipes, where Rin finally decides to give into Haru's special tastes.
i saw this makoharu shipper on twitter post this followed by a bunch of mh screenshots. clearly a blatant dig at rinharu, and honestly guys i dont think anyone needs to embarrass them with all the instances of rinharu interacting outside of swimming and the entire goddamned episode that was dedicated to just them doing that alone, because the final stroke part 2 has already embarrassed them enough. kyoani constantly likening makoto to haru’s mom in FS interviews has embarrassed them though. tattsun getting caught in coworker pussy and tanking his reputation and career to the point that kyoani had to massively downplay the role of his character bc of the PR nightmare has embarrassed them enough. the knowledge that makoto will never be as relevant as he was bc of this has embarrassed them enough. the way they genuinely think kyoani gives a shit about the role of a character voiced by a disgraced actor over someone as famous as mamo has embarrassed them enough. the fact that they think utsumi ever favored mh when she literally used the copy paste tool from rinharu to renga has embarrassed them enough. do we really want to embarrass them some more? or is it not embarrassing enough to be a makoharu shipper post the final stroke? but maybe we shouldnt feel bad for embarrassing them considering they are constantly coming out of the woodwork to take shots at a rival ship that is minding its own fucking business. maybe they havent been embarrassed enough
people can call ikuya’s inclusion in the anime unnecessary all they want but i personally think a character who has been getting his life repeatedly ruined since middle school by the same two fucking gay people is a pricelessly hilarious addition to the story
starting days was where rinharu was at its funniest. haruka wakes up for his first day of middle school like thank god that annoying kid who i hated went to school in another country. why does everything Hurt
Head canon that after the Kamomedai match after everyone went back to their rooms Kageyama waited for the rest of the team to fall asleep before he quietly slipped out and went to find Hinata. He silently walked in, told Hinata to shut up when he stared at him half-asleep, half-delirious from his fever, and fully surprised, and silently slipped into his futon with him. Hinata, freezing although he was burning up, immediately rolled over and clung to him, and Kageyama held him tightly while he began running his fingers through his sweat-dampened hair. Neither of them said anything. After a few minutes Hinata mumbled a very soft, very satisfied, “Goodnight, Kageyama.” And Kageyama affectionately said, “Goodnight, dumbass.”
The next morning he slipped out just as silently after detangling themselves from one another, gave a very brief kiss to the top of Hinata’s head, and went back to the team’s room with his face as warm as Hinata’s body. They never brought it up. They never spoke about it. On the way home the next day they sat by one another on the bus and Hinata leaned his head on Kageyama’s shoulder, and Kageyama laced their fingers together. They both fell asleep basking in the warmth and comfort of each other ignoring their surroundings. At some point during the ride Suga looked back to check on Hinata and after noticing their positioning he turned back with a small smile on his face.
• ⭐️🎖️ jellyfish, by mysterytwin — hinata makes a list of things to do before graduation; and that includes confessing his feelings to kageyama. a wonderful story, so heartwarming. my utmost favorite.
• ⭐️ in transit, by mysecretfanmoments — while riding the bus together, hinata begins to discover about his feelings for kageyama. absolutely lovely.
• dare, by majesticartax — kagehina’s chosen to play a dare in which they end up locked in a room, and, of course, revelations ensue. this one made me scream lots. rated m!
• you know all the strings (and know just how to tug them), by artemisia_hq — 5 + 1 story about kageyama being whipped and can’t say no and hinata saying yes. domestic fluff.
• like always, by artemisia_hq — during their last walk home together, hinata becomes aware of his feelings and decides to do something about it. short story, yet so cute!
• ⭐️ i wanna know you, and i wanna love you, by momochai — kagehina go on a day together, or better yet, a date; even though they’re not quite aware of it. i was dying throughout all of this, outstanding!
• you’re grabbing my hands like they’re handbars, by mountains_6 — basically tsukishima being a third wheel when the three of them travel to rio, based on the extra bit of the manga, lol. short and endearing.
• 🎖️ a hundred or so hellos, by iwillstillopenthewindow — kageyama reincarnates over and over and hinata continues dying over and over. angst. a lot of angst. but still goddamn beautiful.
• let me in on the open secret too, by switmikan74 — kageyama doesn’t know that he’s dating hinata, until he gets hints from a shoujo manga. that’s so fitting, definitely worth the read!
• highway verse, series by emleewrites — a pixel cars au that i didn’t think it’d catch me until i read it and had dreams about this fantastic universe.
• ⭐️🎖️ if it wasn’t for you, by halfbloom (diphylleias) — in brazil, hinata learns more about relationships and what it means to have a bond with kageyama. got my heart effortlessly. such a delight.
• ⭐️ one more thing, by marks — it’s tsukishima and yamaguchi’s wedding, and kageyama and hinata decide to go together. can i please have more of this? sweet stories like this makes my heart melt, i swear.
• 🎖️⭐️ i can do better, by buu — kagehina compete over everything under the sun, and that includes kissing. and some more. in fact, every kagehina fic by this author hits. and this one… made me feel stuff. rated m!
• ⭐️ no angels could beckon me back, by lilacnoctua — heated arguments lead kagehina to heated moments with each other. a hot story with great development. loved every part of it.
• from this day forward, by emleewrites — kageyama tries to propose; it goes as badly as you can expect. so funny, seriously! i could easily recommend every fic by this author too, as well as esselle’s, but i’m gonna list my favorites anyway, so hang on!
• soft serve, by tothemoon — kagehina drives an ice cream truck to help karasuno; as one might expect, feelings are involved in between. summer fic, brings a ton of good emotions!
• 🎖️ famous v-league players make fools of themselves on twitter dot com, by crone_zone — the appearance of one hinata shouyou through the eyes of twitter users. pure comedy and it’s a whole show. gorgeous!
• room to grow, by mysecretfanmoments — things are different in their third year and hinata’s still learning how to deal with it. ah, young love! the best kind.
• raining verse, by emleewrites — kageyama’s cursed to be a kitten, hinata’s the one who finds him. i love a magic realism au, so imagine my happiness while reading this.
• future’s kiss, by mervousmer — kageyama somehow travels to the future for a moment, and hinata’s there, all grown-up. come on, time travels also have my heart! this one’s cute as hell.
• ⭐️ dethroned, by setkia — kageyama counts his victories and losses against hinata in his mind. what a gem! short and fabulously creative.
• saffron and cayenne pepper, by dontsaycrazy — neighbours kagehina: one only knows how to set the kitchen on fire and the other one’s actually a chef, what could work between them? everything, that’s the answer. a hit!
• on quarantining together…, series by winterey — social media kagehina making lives while on quarantine. fun and addictive!
• conflict of interest, by zukushou — more of social media kagehina, this time with journalists thinking they’re rivals when they’re actually… yknow *gay for each other*. just everything i’d ever want for them.
• ⭐️ with suds in your eyes (and a smile on your lips), by hqkrys — established relationship kagehina take a messy shower together. overall just endless fluff, which melts my heart!
• a bento for dr. kageyama, by zukushou — hinata leaves food for his husband and causes gossip at the hospital said husband works in. hahaha, this is definitely terrific.
• the best laid hands, by mysecretfanmoments — kageyama doesn’t even know how to deal with his own romantic life, so it’s best if other people don’t ask for advice. but what if it’s an advice for hinata? you never know :)
• ⭐️ better than firewhiskey, by mysterytwin — hogwarts au with kagehina! someone should definitely find this author by the way and give them a big hug. i want to. they rock.
• chase the light, my love, by thebeaming sun — kageyama planning to propose and earning support of his teammates. established relationship kind of thing that makes me smile.
• hinata and kageyama terrorise a simple interviewer, satorou masashi, series by call_me_j — story told in the form of an interview, including post time-skip kagehina of course. remarkable!
• optical, by kvhottie — kageyama wears glasses; everyone freaks out. do i need to explain more? hella entertaining.
• never doubt i love, by gentle_autumn_rain — jealous hinata thinks kageyama got a boyfriend. he didn’t. love these small misunderstandings that lead to a confession! so good.
• of gentlemen and scoundrels, by mysecretfanmoments — historical au with kageyama as a gentlemen in london and hinata who’s… well, not very much like him. the writing and the sexual tension in this is spectacular!
• ⭐️ save the last dance for me, my prince, by zukushou — prince kageyama and bodyguard hinata, as this fandom deserved. and such a well-developed at that. charming!
• patience, by mistonthelake — surprisingly enough, hinata discovers about kageyama’s crush on him earlier than the man himself. a lesson in being patient.
• wrestle for victory, by emleewrites — after their fateful game, kagehina decides to compete over wrestling. that’s definitely something they’d do and it got me hooked.
• ⭐️ oh we play, in autumn days, by aruariandance — kagehina being silly boys and kageyama getting a phone. is it because he wants to text hinata? that, he’ll never admit. i’d give it a hundred kudos if i could.
• ⭐️ ridiculous, by festivetrickster — yachi has to spend some time with kagehina in their apartment. the way they live just makes me suspicious of their relationship. no, like, this is indeed so ridiculous but i like it so much!
• sunstruck, by orphan account — kageyama gets the help of romero to sort out his relationship with hinata. seeing introverted kageyama slowly but surely trust his teammate and idol with issues like this makes me proud.
• ⭐️ sun above your shoulders, by longleggedgit — even in an universe where they go to different high schools, kagehina meet each other anyway. everything’s delightful here!
• the missing piece, by akaashism (acciomerlin) — kageyama deals with the changes in hinata. just adorable, i giggled a lot.
• the trouble with soulmates, by navybluewings — our sweet cupid hinata’s journey to get soulmates bonds fixed! this au rocks.
• five star review, by emleewrites — hinata’s hired to paint kageyama’s wall and they start a “friendship” out of it. amazing to see this unfold, so nicely done.
• 🎖️ for the best of all possible worlds, by tinygumdrops (curryramyeon) — an au about kagehina’s relationship journey from across countries, including letters. they meet while being apart and we see it unfold. is there anything better than this? majestic!
• at the tip of your nose, by cloesh_scribbles — where kageyama’s obsessed with eskimo kisses and hinata’s obsessed with him. please help me after this, the fluff killed me.
• the video series, by sunnyslipper — kageyama and hinata breaking the internet over and over with their videos. funny and spot on!
• alexa, play waking up in vegas, by attackofthezee (noxlunate) — kageyama and hinata get married accidentally. the thing is, i can totally imagine them doing this. they’re absurd and lovely.
• meat bun is a love language, by icecreamromantic — kageyama decides to confess using meat buns. come on, it’s stupidly perfect!
• slipping through sand, by majesticanna — an au in which kagehina meet in brazil. just so warm, waaah!
• high dose, by akaashism (acciomerlin) — hinata convinces kageyama that, because of a health issue, he needs kisses. i swear, these silly boys will break me. this is excellent.
• why do i feel like it’s (fake) love, by izucaii — hinata and kageyama pretend to be boyfriends while in brazil. a gorgeous fake-relationship story!
• ⭐️ a best man’s worse problems, by villainphilia — tsukishima, the best man for kagehina’s wedding, prepares his speech while reminiscing how the two dumbasses got together. all of this is just marvellous!
• five proposals, by dayoldcupcake — kageyama proposing, hinata saying no. done with the intent of giving me diabetes. chef’s kiss!
• ⭐️ plain as day, by emleewrites — hinata has a low self-esteem and kageyama tries to make him realize how wonderful he is. i died and came back. truly stunning.
• kageyama tobio reads thirst tweets (unedited), by popcornpearl — after making a bet, kageyama reads thirsty tweets and tries not to blush. it’s harder than he expected. rated m!
• i’m lucky to have you, zukushou — the famous “just woke up high in anestesia and i can’t remember my own partner” trope. pure comedy, love this for them.
• ⭐️ the obvious is at eye level (but i might need a step stool), by dr_awkward221 — hinata watching sakusa’s relationship with miya and slowly realizing things about his own his kageyama. i loove this one, it’s unbearably good.
• ⭐️🎖️ let the light out, by uhohshouto — kagehina make a bet in which the other one must ask for something of the loser. kageyama wants a kiss… and then something more. seriously though, i can’t believe this; it’s a wonderful story, so entertaining. rated e!
• epic, by esselle — a surfing au with hinata as an instructor and kageyama as an arrogant professional. this charming scenario surely made my day.
• let’s take this offline, by pas_dautres — office employees kagehina who meet through emails and reports. i had to add this, because it’s nice, surely worth the read.
• 🎖️ these hands of time, these hands of mine, by fireheartaw — kageyama being introspective over their story together and apart. light angst maybe, but the narrative’s so interesting and captivating.
• discordant, by majesticanna — academic rivals kagehina meet again as professors. so short but so sweet!
• 🎖️⭐️ pursuit verse, series by emleewrites — a gambler hinata and an attorney kageyama based on the ace attorney game. never played the game. but the story? deserves to be printed. if you never read it, you need to. hear me out: you need to.
• ⭐️ getting it right, by akaashism (acciormerlin) — play pretend boyfriends for miwa who end up actually having domestic moments and finding out more about their feelings, hehe.
• know you better, by mysterytwin — bakery worker kageyama and spell shop owner hinata in a world of magic! great development and very poetic.
note that this is based on the fics i’ve known since i entered the fandom and that i truly enjoy. either they’re famous or not famous, i’m just adding them here for my future self contentment and for those who, just as me, wanted a full list of kagehina fics upon getting engaged in haikyuu media.
if you think i should add more and if you have recs for me too, i’m accepting them! thank yoou.
Hinata who had friends but not teammates. Kageyama who had teammates but not friends. Hinata had the sense of teamwork needed to succeed but not the skill. Kageyama had the skill but not the teamwork. How their first freak quick was a perfect blend of Hinata's unwavering trust and Kageyama's overwhelming skill.
How that was reversed in their fight in season 2 when Hinata's greed to improve his own skill drove him to get in the way of his teammates; and Kageyama's insistance on not messing with the team's equilibrium led him to deny the possiblity of improving their attack. How their new quick attack born out of that still had Hinata's trust at the center but also allowed him to contribute his own skill. And it still relied on Kageyama's genius talent with the new toss but it also incorporated his growth in letting go of some of his control to depend on others.
How they found not only a friend and teammate in eachother but a partner. And how that partnership provides them with both someone who will drive them to always improve, and with someone they can always rely on. Because Hinata needed someone who would recognize his abilities even with the obvious handicap of his height. And Kageyama needed someone who would never turn their back on him even with his abrasive and controling nature.
And so on the steps up to the clubroom before their first tournament together Hinata promised he would still be there in ten, twenty years. And Kageyama promised that he would take them to the top of the world.
i read chapter 698 as a love confession. you know why? because it is.
let’s look at this objectively.
it starts with sasuke begging naruto to tell him why, why he continues to do so much for sasuke’s sake, why he was willing to die with him, why he was willing to be maimed for him, why he wouldn’t give up on him, despite having every right to. even when everyone else did.
this question isn’t new, either. it’s not something naruto hasn’t answered before. sasuke asked him why he wouldn’t give up in vote1 & naruto told him he was one of his most precious bonds. he asked him again in the 5 kage summit arc & naruto told him it was because they were friends. sasuke has enough answers, but he asks again. why? because he’s not satisfied with the answer naruto’s given him. because he’s looking for more.
naruto doesn’t disappoint, giving him the same ‘we’re friends’ response. sasuke is not having it. he gets visibly angry, clearly displeased with the answer. he presses forward & asks naruto for more, asks him to put a meaning to the supposed feeling of ‘friendship’ naruto keeps pushing on him. why? because what he feels for naruto, and what he believes naruto feels for him, is more than friendship. because he needs to know that naruto feels the same way for him that he does for naruto.
so naruto describes the feelings he has for sasuke in words. he tells him that he hurts when sasuke hurts. that he feels his pain too.
i will make a point of bringing up the fact that this ‘i hurt when you do’ is used countless times in media & literature to represent love—especially and predominantly romantic love. and the kicker of this is that this is what makes sasuke react.
sasuke’s expression here is probably one of the most emotion filled expressions of him in the manga. he’s shocked by naruto’s admission, by naruto’s confession. this is a huge deal for him.
this is more than friendship to him.
then we get to see into sasuke’s thoughts about naruto, for the first time in the entirety of the series.
this is sasuke’s confession.
sasuke explains everything he thought of naruto, using phrases like ‘seeing you made me feel warm and fuzzy’, implying things like ‘loving you made me feel weak’.
and sasuke finishes it all with the fact that he hurt when naruto hurt. all along, he’s felt pain when naruto’s in pain. all along, he has reciprocated naruto’s feelings to a tee.
all along, he’s loved naruto back just as much as naruto loved him.
once you realize this, it is easier to understand his reaction to naruto telling him he felt his pain. sasuke reacted like that because he realized that his love was reciprocated, that this feeling of ‘friendship’ that naruto kept going on about was the same thing that sasuke felt all this time. and that it was never friendship at all.
it was love.
then sasuke accepts defeat. accepts that he’s lost. but this acceptance is more than just understanding he’s lost a battle.
sasuke is accepting naruto’s feelings for him he’s accepting his own feelings for naruto. he’s accepting that he never could kill naruto and he never would be able to, not now that he knows that he loves him. not now that he understands the distances naruto would go to for him and why.
sasuke brings it up once more, a few moments later. naruto tells him he knows he won’t try to go rogue again, and sasuke asks him how he can be so sure. to me, it seems like a final effort to really prove to himself that naruto loves him.
and naruto does.
he tells him not to make him repeat himself. he tells him that he knows he won’t because he loves sasuke, and sasuke loves him in turn. because they share each other’s pain and there’s no question about that anymore.
he tells him ‘you won’t hurt me again, now that you know how i feel, now that you’ve seen my heart, now that i’ve seen yours, you won’t hurt me again.’
and sasuke cries tears of joy. because, even after everything, naruto loves him and naruto trusts him.
and the chapter ends with a panel of naruto and sasuke, lying on their backs, with the blood between their arms making it look as if they are holding hands.
they are finally together, exactly where they’re supposed to be.
i don’t know how anyone could read this and not see how it’s love.
In The Final Stroke pt 1, Haru saying "you always show up in front of me all full of yourself, drag me into all of these things... and then Rin, in the end, you always just suddenly disappear"
Bitch WHAT. The censorship goes crazy right here omg. Haru just said the censored equivalent of "you always show up, drag me into stuff, and then LEAVE ME" and that's so????
This part of their fight is just so raw because Haru wasn't ready to throw everything away to get better and was fine with that as long as he still could swim with everyone. And then Rin says he's going pro and won't be swimming freestyle, and Haru just absolutely breaks down. Mans is ready to throw everything away because he thinks Rin is going away again.
"suddenly disappear" my ass, Haru is terrified that Rin is leaving him and that he won't get to swim with him again. So much so that he literally falls to his knees and feels like he can't breath.
