I don't get if I'm supposed to really like or really hate Oikawa Tooru.
I am so going to use my chance and this is going to be LONG. very long. You’re warned.
Let me begin with saying that I understand what you’re talking about. When I first read the manga I found Oikawa…incredibly annoying, and no pretty design could make up for it to me.
Yet here I am, now, loving Oikawa with all I’ve got. Do ya wanna know why?:D
Do or don’t, I will take my time to rant about Oikawa Tooru anyway.
Because the thing is, the more you think, truly think about Oikawa and his behaviour and his attitude, the more you understand him. Let’s begin with what seems like a horrible personality. When Oikawa is shown for the first time, he seems like nothing else but a womanizer with a fanclub, constantly seeking attention, a not-too-smart frivolous guy who is there to get on the way of our protagonists.
This is what Oikawa Tooru is on the first glance.
But the more you think about it, the more you get to realize that he’s much more than that and that there’s a lot he hides behind all of his bravado.
I feel like the majority of people who dislike Oikawa, do that because of his attitude towards Tobio-chan in Junior High, which, I admit, made me kind of dislike him too. At the beginning. He is an antagonist who throws sand in a wheel of our beloved Tobio-chan. Annoying, right?
Not quite, when you start thinking about it from Oikawa’s perspective.
Let’s come and think about what Tobio is to Oikawa. It was said Oikawa is not a genius. Which means, he has to work his ass off and ALWAYS giveit everything he’s got, just to be able to simply compete against people who are. People like Tobio-chan, people like Ushiwaka-chan.
Ican’t help but think Oikawa doesn’t only add the “chan” to hisopponents’ names just to mock them, but also to remind himself theyare just people like him, they don’t fly, they don’t breathe fire.They are like him, so he can be able to stand against them on anequal level. He just has to work more.
Except,no, he thinks he can’t. When he’s 14, in Junior High and full ofinsecurities once Kageyama comes into picture, comes there to take hisplace, just because he’s soridiculously gifted,Oikawa is obviously pissed off. Angry and scared and bitter, becausethis is not FAIR. Why is that he has to work his ass off perfectinghis serves, receives and tosses, working until it’s late and the skyis dark when there is someone like Tobio-chan who is so ridiculouslyGOOD just because he’s born this way? Why does he improve so fasteven though he works less? Why can’t Oikawa?
In which Tooru ends up workingeven harder, almost to the point of self-destruction that WOULD takeplace if only Iwaizumi wasn’t there for him.
People hate Oikawa because, wow,he was 14 and almost punched Tobio-chan, but remember his face afterhe realized what he almost did? The shock? I don’t thinkOikawa quite gave a thought for it back then, I don’t think he ever thoughtthat it wasn’t Kageyama’s fault he was more talanted than he is. Ithink Iwaizumi helped him realize that and also that Tooru is notalone with it. That he doesn’t have to be alone.
And this is where Oikawa’s truenature comes in place, because Kageyama doesn’t look up to him fornothing. Oikawa is someone who learnt how to find a key to everylock, how to connect with everyone on his team. He learnt thedifferences, the special things for every player. Do you know howhard it is to understand the way someone else is thinking? Howimpossible it seems? Oikawa found a way to understand everyone.Wow, what a horrible guy.
If Kageyama was trying to force his way of thinking onto someone else, run faster, jump higher, find a way to connect with ME, then Oikawa is the one who jumps higher and runs faster to connect with someone else. Kageyama thought people are there to spike his perfect tosses, Oikawa thinks his tosses are there to be spiked. And that he will do everything to make sure his toss fits the spiker perfectly. Oikawa makes everyone realize they are special. (mind you, I don’t only talk about his teammates. The girls from his fanclub made him cookies and what Oikawa does? he tries them, thank the girls and tells them that the cookies are GOOD.) God what a jerk.
Oikawa’s tactics in volleyballsometimes are nearly mean towards his opponents, because he seesweaknesses, and obviously he uses it for his team advantage. BUT,Oikawa never goes against the rules. In the sports animangas we oftenforget that the antagonists, the guys who are meant to be horribleand meant to be defeated are just people like everyone else, who lovethe same sport and just happen to be on the other side of the net. Haikyuu!! reminds us about it.
Then, remember how Oikawa wantedso bad to mock Tobio after he loses? How he wanted to say that hecan’t win by himself no matter how strong he is? It’s almost likehe’s mocking his past self, because with this they are kind ofsimilar. But then, Oikawa never does. Because he knows it’s no longertrue.
But even after everything hecan’t defeat Ushijima. No matter how hard he worked. No matter howmuch he polishes everyone’s skills and even despite the fact he wasable to find a way to every player and draw out their potential tothe limit, they are still not strong enough to defeat genius, todefear pure brutal force. In volleyball, you have to use everythingyou’ve got, but even that is not enough.
Yet what Oikawa does? Oh, heworks harder!
Later in the manga he comes upwith a new killer serve, which isn’t completely perfected just yet.But Oikawa never gives up no matter how hard things are, and alwaysgives it his all. Always cheers on his teammates and reassures themwhen needed. Everyone.
And you know what, Oikawa doesn’tonly care about his teammates? Later when Kageyama is confused andlost and can’t find a way to get to his spiker (aka Hinata), whatdoes he do? Comes to Oikawa seeking advice. To that horrible horribletrashy character. And what that asshole does? He gives the advice tohis opponent. To someone who is already a genius. He gives the valuable advice that will make this genius kid even stronger. Not only that, but from Tooru’s words (something like“little guy is the one who spikes the ball”) it’s obvious that hedoesn’t take all the credit for his actions, because he knows he’s notthe one who spikes, he acknowledges how important spikers are. Eventhough setters come with a pattern for a game, they would be nowherewithout people who spike their tosses. He makes Kageyama realize this.
The last thing for now is therecent chapter. The chapter in which Oikawa admits he’s not a genius,chapter in which he almost sets the limits for himself. But then hedoesn’t, and then Oikawa thinks that if he’s not a genius he willMAKE himself into one by working hard, by using all he’s got. Ifit’s not enough then he will use more. Learn more tricks. Doeverything to be good enough.
He says that if you think you don’t have talent, then you will probably never have it. And this is the lineI nearly teared up on because it’s so. damn. relatable. This is whatOikawa’s world is like. He KNOWS he lacks talent, knows he’s not aprodigy. So what? He will make himself into one. There are no limitsas long as he practises hard enough.
And this, is why Oikawa is such animportant character. He is there to make people believe in themselves even though there is someone better than them. Loving him, hating him…you’re the one tochoose. But personally, Oikawa is someone I would endlessly respectbecause this guy deserves it.
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