ICHIBAYASHI

HOME OF THE SPARROWHAWKS A Haikyuu!! Fan Project

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KENJI KANEMASA #1

Art by @talietals (Talie on VGen)

SURNAME: Kanemasa NAME: Kenji  KANJI: 謙匡·剣児 謙匡: humble; to rescue 剣児: sword; son  YEAR: 3 POSITION: Outside Hitter, Opposite Hitter (formerly) HEIGHT: 187.4 cm (6’1.8) WEIGHT: 87.5 kg (192.9 lbs) BIRTHDAY: 12/12/1994

Kenji Kanemasa is the captain of the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks and a starting outside hitter. He's a humble, charismatic guy who's great at speaking and directing attention to people in a way that makes them feel special. He never overblows his own importance, but he is friendly and teasing to his teammates. He sees it as a way to keep them sharp. He also has a more competitive side to him that few people can bring out. It's tied to his own need for constant self-improvement. 

Kanemasa joined the Sparrowhawks in his first year and earned his spot in the starting lineup as the opposite hitter due to already being pretty skilled. He also has the added bonus of ambidexterity-- in volleyball, this means the spikes he hits with his left hand have a unique spin, making them harder to receive for the opposing team. Kanemasa took great pride in his position as an opposite, as he played it for two full years straight. It became a part of his identity. 

During his third year, however, another player joined the team who was also a skilled opposite hitter– and a lefty in combination with another unique skill that Kanemasa didn't posses. After some competition, he realized that there was no denying that this player had a skillset that the team needed and that it would be more beneficial overall if they played opposite. He gave up the position to this new player and transitioned to outside hitter instead.

Fun Fact: He’s a skilled artist and really likes painting.

GALLERY

Art by Talie on VGen

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KIIRA SHIOGAI #6

SURNAME: SHIOGAI NAME: KIIRA KANJI: 塩貝·姫羅 塩貝: salt; shell 姫羅: beauty/princess; silky/netting YEAR: 2 POSITION: Outside Hitter HEIGHT: 181.8 cm (5’11) WEIGHT: 76.3 kg (168 lbs) BIRTHDAY: 9/23/1995

Kiira Shiogai is a starting outside hitter for the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks’ Girls Volleyball Club. Witty and social, she has a magnetic presence and is often surrounded by friends and admirers. Kiira Shiogai is aware of her own social power but never abuses it, and is a very empathetic person at heart. She struggles with living up to her own self-image at times, and can be very self-critical.

Shiogai is a rising star and a core part of her team. She is their main offensive weapon and a duo with her best friend Sora Tosaka, their skilled libero. Due to her name’s double meaning as princess and netting as well as her skills, she’s earned the nickname Princess of the Net. She has both great strength and accuracy, as well as a game sense that is improving quickly. She and her brother Renshi Shiogai often play two on two matches at home with their younger siblings.  

The Ichibayashi girls’ team was the favorite to go to Nationals to represent Fukuoka, but they lost in the very last round of the Preliminaries. After Tosaka left the team, Kiira confided in her brother Renshi Shiogai that she is not as confident on the court without Tosaka, as she was the one who made her feel as if she could score without worrying about being blocked. Still, she continues to practice and improve. 

Fun Fact: Her favorite color is lavender. 

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SORA TOSAKA #5

SURNAME: TOSAKA NAME: SORA KANJI: 兜坂·颯空 兜坂: armor, slope 颯空: swift wind; sky YEAR: 3 POSITION: Libero (formerly), Manager/Assistant Coach HEIGHT: 164.5 cm (5’4) WEIGHT: 60 kg (132 lbs) BIRTHDAY: 12/10/1994

Sora Tosaka is the starting libero for the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks’ Girls Volleyball Club. She’s an all-around amicable person who gets along with her team, as well as a reliable player who makes others feel safe just by her presence alone. She’s highly adaptable and skilled, but tends to see herself as modest or ‘just average’ and often doesn’t give herself the credit she deserves. 

Tosaka is a core part of her team, the defensive knight backing up her team’s offensive powerhouse Kiira Shiogai. The two of them form an unstoppable duo when on the court together. Tosaka is also a strategist and often directs her team despite not being in a leadership position due to being a libero. Her teammates often go to her for guidance and practice, as she is skilled in multiple positions, not just as a libero. 

The Ichibayashi girls’ team was the favorite to go to Nationals to represent Fukuoka, but they lost in the very last round of the Preliminaries. After their loss, Sora left the club as most third years do. During her downtime, a member of the Ichibayashi boys’ team asked her to help coach their team, as their current advisor lacked the expertise to guide the team on a technical level. Tosaka agreed to step in as their manager, but overall became more of an assistant coach. She is able to fill in the expertise that Coach Okada wasn’t able to provide. 

Fun Fact: She has two younger siblings.

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KAIMA OKADA, COACH

SURNAME: OKADA NAME: KAIMA KANJI: 岡田·会真 岡田: hill; rice field 会真: to gather; truth POSITION: Coach, Club Advisor HEIGHT: 174.8 cm (5’8.8 ft.) WEIGHT: 61.6 kg (135.8 lbs) BIRTHDAY: 4/3/1947 (65 years)

Kaima Okada is the club advisor and coach for the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks. He’s a strict teacher who takes no nonsense, but also deeply empathetic and patient, and will go the extra mile when it comes to helping his students. He’s also somewhat isolated and deeply lonely after his lifelong best– and only– friend passed away the year prior. While Okada doesn’t know much about the technicalities of coaching, he is good at understanding what his players need on an emotional and personal level, especially in times of stress.

Okada was a manager for the Ichibayashi boys’ baseball team in his youth and always felt like he was watching from the sidelines in both activity and life. He was only really close with one player on the team, Engo Murakami, who was one year older. After that player left the team, Okada left as well despite only being a second year at the time. In college he went on to get degrees in psychology and certifications in social work. He returned to became a counselor at Ichiko High. To his surprise, Murakami had also returned there to work as a coach for the baseball team. The two reconnected and remained close friends until Murakami passed away, though Okada never got involved with sports again.

After the former volleyball coach quit after the incident at the Interhigh Preliminaries, Okada advised Kanemasa and Miura to leave the club as most third years do after a loss during the first term. He also warned them that the club was likely going to be shut down without an supervisor by the new term. Despite this, Kanemasa and Miura both stayed, amd about halfway through summer, Kanemasa asked Okada to visit the training camp he had set up. Seeing the determination of the boys to rebuild reminded him of Murakami. At the end of the summer, Okada made the choice to become their advisor and coach of his own accord. 

FUN FACT: He drinks tea every morning to wake himself up before work.

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SHINKICHI YAGI #15

SURNAME: Yagi NAME: Shinkichi KANJI: 八木·心吉 八木: eight; tree 心吉: heart, lucky YEAR: 1 POSITION: Libero HEIGHT: 180.5 (5’11) WEIGHT: 69.3 kg (152.7 lbs) BIRTHDAY:  6/9/1996

Shinkichi Yagi is a libero for the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks. He’s an optimist who looks on the bright side of things, even in dire situations. He’s also very adept and learns quickly, and has a kindness about him that means he gets along well with pretty much everyone. Despite this, he’s also often unaware of the history and complex feelings between his teammates and doesn’t pick up on hidden feelings well. 

Yagi is pretty skilled at his position considering he’s a first year. He is learning quickly and becoming very competent at digs and receives thanks to both his own hard work and the encouragement of his mentor, Reiji Miura. The two get along extremely well and Miura goes out of his way to help Yagi with anything he needs. 

Yagi has been best friends with Daito Kimura since grade school and the two played volleyball in middle school together. Upon joining the volleyball club, he was taken under the wing of their third-year libero, Reiji Miura, who was happy to teach him. He was unaware of the difficulties that Kimura was having with his own mentor, Raiga Yamada, and Kimura opted not to tell him in order to keep him from worrying. 

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DAITO KIMURA

SURNAME: Kimura NAME: Daito KANJI: 木村·乃斗 木村: tree, village 乃斗: you; constellation YEAR: 1 POSITION: Setter HEIGHT: 178.7 cm (5’10.3) WEIGHT: 75.2 kg (165.7 lbs) BIRTHDAY: 9/6/1996

Daito Kimura is a setter for the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks. Serious and diligent, he practices often and consistently. He does his best to apply himself in all situations, but can get lost in his own head and ruminate or repress himself. He’s also protective and cares deeply for his friends, especially Shinkichi Yagi, his best friend since childhood. Despite his quiet nature, he’s surprisingly tough and will stand up for himself when pushed to the limit. 

Kimura is a highly intelligent player who is good at understanding the plays he has to execute and the steps it takes to execute them. He’s good at reading both people and movements. With more training and skill, he could become an extremely talented setter. 

Kimura has been best friends with Shinkichi Yagi since grade school and the two played volleyball in middle school together. Kimura loves Shinkichi deeply but also feels insecure when compared to him, as he tends to see Shinkichi as someone to strive to be like. 

When Kimura finally joined the high school club, he was frustrated to find that Raiga Yamada wasn’t interested in teaching him to become a better setter and instead seemed to make him the butt of every joke. Despite this, Kimura opted to learn setting on his own, but feels his progress is much slower learning by himself rather than with a mentor. 

Fun Fact: He plays the acoustic guitar

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YUSHIN NORITOMO #13

SURNAME: Noritomo NAME: Yushin KANJI: 憲委·由新 憲委: law; to entrust 由新: origin, fresh YEAR: 1 POSITION: Middle Blocker HEIGHT: 177.5 cm (5’9.8) WEIGHT: 73.5 kg (162 lbs) BIRTHDAY: 9/5/1996

Yushin Noritomo is a middle blocker for the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks. He’s a new but determined player striving to improve his skills at volleyball. He is one of the more hot-blooded first-years along with Hikaru Suzuki, though never in anger. He’s a generally positive person and is rarely shaken, finding strength and reassurance in the actions of people he looks up to. He’s also a considerate person who wants others to feel welcome in his vicinity. 

Yushin Noritomo hasn’t developed his own playstyle yet, and tends to try and heavily imitate the playstyles of those around him. He doesn’t quite have the power or skill for that yet, so it ends up being a pretty poor performance. Still, being willing to try anything at least once is a strength helps him find what does and doesn’t work for him. 

Yushin Noritomo is the younger brother of Eiji Noritomo, one of the two outside hitters involved in the Interhigh Preliminary incident. He initially joined the club so that he could be like his brother and learn from him. After his brother was suspended from the club he was distraught, but decided to stick with the club and eventually found mentors in the other older players. 

Fun Fact: Almost all of his clothes are hand-me-downs. 

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YUKIO TAZUME #12

SURNAME: Tazume NAME: Yukio  KANJI: 田爪·雪夫 田爪: rice field; talon 雪夫: snow, worker YEAR: 1 POSITION: Opposite Hitter HEIGHT: 182.1 cm (5’11.6) WEIGHT:83 kg (182.9 lbs) BIRTHDAY: 2/18/1997

Yukio Tazume is an opposite hitter for the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks. He has a serene presence and seems to be detached from mostly everything around him, and rarely reacts strongly to things. He’s highly observant and watchful as well, often pointing out things that his teammates haven’t noticed yet. He’s also surprisingly defiant, and dislikes authority, wanting to do things his way and not taking advice from others often. 

Tazume might look delicate, but that graceful presence belies a terrifying amount of strength. His spikes hit extremely hard, but they’re poorly aimed and he doesn’t seem to have much interest on improving anything other than his spikes. In middle school he was able to get by on pure power before, so he hasn’t learned to hone his technique much yet. He seems to be having trouble adjusting to having new upperclassmen. 

After the incident at the Interhigh Preliminaries, Tazume was induced into the new starting lineup as an emergency due to the two second-year outside hitters leaving the club. Being as rigid as he is, he refused to adapt to the outside position and insisted on continuing to play opposite hitter. The team’s captain, Kanemasa, took this in stride and gave up his position of opposite to him for the time being. When two new hitters arrived to replace himself and Suzuki on the lineup, Tazume didn’t seem to care much about losing his new starting position. It’s hard to gauge exactly what he cares about at any given moment.

Fun Fact: He likes spicy foods.

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HIKARU SUZUKI #11

SURNAME: Suzuki NAME: Hikaru KANJI: 鈴木·光 鈴木: bell; wood 光: light YEAR: 1 POSITION: Outside Hitter, Pinch Server HEIGHT: 177.7 cm (5’9.9) WEIGHT: 74.7 kg (164.6 lbs) BIRTHDAY: 1/8/1997

Hikaru Suzuki is an outside hitter and pinch server for the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks. He’s an enthusiastic, highly excitable person who has a bad habit of tiring himself out quickly by expending all his energy in one go. Despite this, he’s highly persistent and learns quickly, overcoming obstacles by sheer desire to keep going. He’s playful with his teammates but often gets caught up in rowdy rivalries and taunting. You can often find him being reprimanded often by authority figures. 

Suzuki is brand-new to volleyball and only began playing in the last year or so. He joined the club with only the expectation to have fun and practice, never thinking he’d get much of a chance to actually play due to there being two older outside hitters already on the team. When they both quit abruptly, he was thrust into being a starting player without much warning. While he was excited about his new role, he found that he had much to improve upon before he could be useful on the court.

The arrival of two new hitters on the team caused Suzuki to rejoin the bench. He was disappointed to see less play, but also relieved because he began to understand just how much he had to learn. He became inspired after watching Kento Takahashi play, motivating him to begin learning several types of serves in order to become useful to his team from the bench. 

Fun Fact: His favorite school subject is physics. 

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YUKICHI ABE #10

SURNAME: Abe NAME: Yukichi KANJI: 阿部·湯吉 阿部: hill, group 湯吉: bath; auspicious YEAR: 2 POSITION: Middle Blocker, setter (temporary) HEIGHT: 179.6 cm (5’10.7) WEIGHT: 70.8 kg (156 lbs) BIRTHDAY: 1/20/1996

Yukichi Abe is a middle blocker for the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks. He’s a mild-mannered, calm person who doesn’t push his limits much. He is very risk-averse and plays only what he was taught, nothing more and nothing less. He is also very inflexible in plays and prefers to stick to rotations.

Abe’s rigid ideals are both a strength and a weakness to him. While it makes him a very consistent blocker and a quick, reliable attacker, it also makes him very vulnerable to playstyles or strategies that he hasn’t encountered before, which becomes more and more of a problem at higher levels of competition.

Abe was never a part of the starting lineup prior to the incident at the Interhigh Preliminary tournament. After Raiga Yamada, Eiji Noritomo, and Konan Ogawa were suspended from club activities, Kenji Kanemasa made the decision that Abe would be trained as the replacement setter due to being the most skilled player for the role. He didn’t like the pressure suddenly thrust on him or having to go out of his comfort zone, but did his best anyways.

Fun Fact: He has some of the best academic grades out of the whole team.

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UNIFORMS

CLUB UNIFORM DESIGNS

Ichibayashi High School Boys' Volleyball Club

Winners of the 2013 Spring National Tournament

About the Club

SCHOOL UNIFORM DESIGNS

school uniforms made using charat.me

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KONAN OGAWA #9

SURNAME: Ogawa NAME: Konan KANJI: 小川·湖南 小川: small, river 湖南: lake; south YEAR: 2 POSITION: Outside Hitter HEIGHT: 178.5 cm (5’10.2) WEIGHT: 71.1 kg (156.7 lbs) BIRTHDAY: 4/13/1995

Konan Ogawa is an outside hitter for the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks. He’s a quiet guy who seems subdued at first, but who is always watching. He’s also a bit repressed, biting back what he truly thinks in order to keep the peace, and due to that, is prone to snapping under emotional pressure. However, he has gotten much more candid and better at letting others know what he truly thinks since the Spring Qualifier incident.

While Ogawa is not as outright powerful as Eiji Noritomo, he’s a lot more consistent and has better receiving and passing skills. He’s overall a very consistent player who can read the court and react to plays well. 

Ogawa was one of two outside hitters on the starting lineup at the beginning of the school year. Several factors led into a physical altercation between them and Raiga Yamada during the Spring Qualifiers, causing the Sparrowhawks to get eliminated from the bracket and for the three players to be suspended from club activities until the end of the term. When Kenji Kanemasa extended a hand to them in order to ask them to rejoin, Ogawa took some time to decide, and eventually rejoined. He feels guilty over what happened during the Spring Qualifier, but resolves to work on his own faults and prevent it from happening again.

Fun Fact: He’s got two younger siblings.

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EIJI NORITOMO #8

SURNAME: Noritomo NAME: Eiji KANJI: 憲委·鋭児 憲委: law; to entrust 鋭児: sharp, son YEAR: 2 POSITION: Outside Hitter HEIGHT: 182.3 cm (5’11.7) WEIGHT: 84.2 kg (185.6 lbs) BIRTHDAY: 11/3/1995

Eiji Noritomo was an outside hitter for the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks. He’s a force both on and off the court and his intensity and abrasiveness can put others off. Despite this, he’s a person who feels that actions speak much louder than words. He’s not in a position of leadership on the team, but he seems to possess a certain level of protectiveness and responsibility over his teammates, especially his underclassmen.

He was the Sparrowhawks’ most powerful hitter during the beginning of the season and was quite remarkable for being a second year player. He was also decent at consistent blocks and attacks as long as he kept his cool, but could get riled up by taunting by opponents– or teammates– easily. Eiji Noritomo is also the older brother of Yushin Noritomo, who looks up to him greatly. His presence on the team was his younger brother’s motivation to join. 

Eiji Noritomo was one of the two outside hitters on the starting lineup at the beginning of the school year. Several factors led into a physical altercation between them and Raiga Yamada during the Spring Qualifiers, causing the Sparrowhawks to get eliminated from the bracket and for the three players to be suspended from club activities until the end of the term. While Kenji Kanemasa extended a hand to them in order to ask them to rejoin, Noritomo decided not to due to feeling responsible for the overall incident. However, he did thank Kanemasa sincerely for the opportunity, and has conflicting feelings about his decision not to rejoin.

FUN FACT: He and Konan Ogawa have been volleyball teammates since middle school.

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RENSHI SHIOGAI #7

SURNAME: Shiogai NAME: Renshi KANJI: 塩貝·恋詩 塩貝: salt; shell 恋詩: to yearn; poem YEAR: 2 POSITION: Middle Blocker  HEIGHT: 197.1 cm (6’5.6) WEIGHT: 90.3 kg (199 lbs) BIRTHDAY: 9/23/1995

Renshi Shiogai is a starting middle blocker for the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks. He’s an eager player who’s actionable and craves approval from his teammates, so he always tries his best during games. He’s also a kindhearted person who is on good terms with pretty much everyone on the team. Besides that, he’s a bit insecure– he’s aware that he’s on the court only for his defense capabilities and doesn’t stand out otherwise. 

Shiogai is in an interesting place on the lineup, as he’s really only there for one reason. He’s extremely tall and decently fast, which means he’s a decent blocker and not much else– he’s very aware of that fact. 

Shiogai is from a loving family who encouraged him to pursue whatever path he sees fit. While he appreciates their support, he also feels overwhelmed due to the amount of choices he has in front of him. He chose to pursue volleyball because of his twin sister, Kiira Shiogai, a prodigy outside hitter for her school’s girls’ team. He often wonders what he is compared to her. 

Fun Fact: He’s a skilled handyman and often helps his mother fix things around the house.

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RAIGA YAMADA #6

SURNAME: Yamada NAME: Raiga KANJI: 山田·雷牙 山田: mountain; field 雷牙: thunder: fang YEAR: 3 POSITION: Setter HEIGHT: 183.6 cm (6’0) WEIGHT: 80.9kg (178.3 lbs) BIRTHDAY: 3/14/1995

Raiga Yamada is the starting setter for the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks. Just like his friend Reiji Miura, Yamada appears laid-back but is actually quite volatile. He is highly emotional and changes moods quickly. He tends to mimic the attitude of others that he sees as well-liked so that he might gain favor as well. He is persistent and works hard towards his goals, but also selfish and can be arrogant, throwing his weight around on the team.

Yamada is a naturally talented setter who could be considered a genius, but tends to self-sabotage. His personal feelings often get in the way of his reasoning ability, causing him to make mistakes on the court or choose otherwise risky plays. 

Yamada is best friends with Reiji Miura, but has a much more complicated relationship with him than appears on the surface. Yamada often imitates his mannerisms and is secretly quite jealous of him and the natural ease that Miura has with people. 

Yamada joined the club excited to play during his first year, but was met with a second year setter as a mentor whom he didn’t get along with well. The two butt heads often and he lost his enthusiasm for the game. He didn’t play in an official game during his first or second year. When he took over the setter position in his third year and became vice captain by default, he began overcompensating and pulling rank with the first and second years. This culminated in a physical altercation during the Fukuoka Interhigh Preliminaries between him and two of the second years. This resulted in his suspension from club activities until the end of the term and the loss of his position. 

Fun Fact: He is very good at budgeting. 

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REIJI MIURA #5

SURNAME: Miura NAME: Reiji KANJI: 三浦·伶士 三浦: third; shore 伶士: performer; scholar YEAR: 3 POSITION: Libero HEIGHT: 171.2 cm (5’7.4) WEIGHT: 65.4 kg (144.1 lbs) BIRTHDAY: 5/4/1994

Reiji Miura is the starting libero for the Ichibayashi Sparrowhawks. While he appears laid-back and almost lazy, he’s actually a highly intelligent and observant player who is always reading every single action on the court. He’s also very charismatic: something about him seems to win over the crowd at games very easily. Miura is also nurturing and cares deeply for his teammates, especially his underclassmen, and wants them to succeed. 

Mirua has amazing reflexes and seemingly endless energy. He’s good at reacting to split-second plays and changes, making him highly adaptable. His receives are by far the best on the team and he is the backbone of Ichibayashi’s floor defense. 

Miura is best friends with Raiga Yamada. The two met in their first year when they both joined the volleyball team at the same time. He was mentored by a third-year libero who he got along with well, and he often cites this as critical to his development and motivation to continue playing. At the same time, Miura knows what it’s like to be set apart from others due to the nature of his position as libero. Due to this, he makes a conscious effort to make Shinkichi Yagi, the first-year whom he is training, feel welcome and connected to the team despite the separation that being a libero brings. 

FUN FACT: He has a folder in his contacts of all the numbers girls have given to him during games.

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