disclaimer: I haven't read the manga in a while, so do correct me if I'm wrong. This is my interpretation.
Karasuno unknowingly healed Tobio's grief of losing his grandfather, Kazuyo.
Tobio is so, so, so full of love, and it was Kazuyo who was the only one to truly understand him then. It's not as simple as Tobio losing Kazuyo---though the death of someone so beloved is hardly ever simple---but rather, Kazuyo was his whole world and volleyball was the way in which they connected with each other, more so from Kageyama. So Kazuyo's death felt as if Tobio's connection with his grandfather was severed.
In the panels when Tobio visited Kazuyo in the hospital, and the funeral, and him not getting into Shiratorizawa, he wasn't crying. He spoke nothing. He made no indication of grieving in a way that others could see. It was simply an empty, dull expression. His grief was silent. It was as if the world had stopped.
Kazuyo promised Tobio that if he [Tobio] did not purposefully limit himself on the court, be it his skills or his hunger for more volleyball, he would eventually find his "somebody even better." If Tobio did not hold himself back, then he would undoubtedly find someone just as crazy about volleyball and have the same hunger and drive to remain on the court; someone who not only loves volleyball but lives and breathes it, as if it's the most natural thing in the world---like him.
As if to attempt to fulfill that promise as quickly as possible, as if to find that spark and that familiar connection once again, he sought it with desperation. (paraphrasing) "Why are you so slow?" "Why are you not going for the ball?!" "It doesn't matter if we're leading in the game, you cannot give up on the ball!" His complicated expressions, abrasive tone, and all the problems that came with it eventually resulted in him being dubbed The King of the Court. Tobio simply wanted to be understood, but his teammates could never fulfill that promise because that special someone is not anyone of them.
(I just want to say that Kitagawa Daiichi's players were NOT wrong in not wanting to play with Tobio, even though my heart is sad to see Tobio alone.)
To other players (specifically Kitagawa Daiichi), Tobio came off as arrogant because he IS extremely skilled, but a prickly personality and incompatibility (in many ways) with the team did not help, so they (reasonably so) thought that Tobio looked down on them because they did not and could not match his speed and skills. But to Tobio, he was merely trying to do what Kazuyo promised. Relationships were strained on all sides. We have a boy who is grieving in silence, trying to fulfill a promise, grief-stricken, and boys who don't know.
That is, until he met Shoyo Hinata, and the entirety of Karasuno's boys' volleyball team. (I have so much to say about how EVERYONE took part in Kageyama's growth, but that's for another time.)
Yes, Hinata indeed fulfilled that singular, specific promise, but it wasn't JUST Hinata who made an impact on Tobio's life. Karasuno, from the players to the managers, to the coaches, and all those who came to support their games (looking at you Saeko), they unknowingly built a home for Tobio. The connection is not the same as the one Tobio had with Kazuyo, but it's there, and Tobio is always welcome to be in that space as he is surrounded by people who care and understand. Karasuno, as a whole, reconnected him with his grandfather by fulfilling that promise.
His grief remains, but he's no longer alone. He found a lifelong partner. He found strong teammates. He found a community. He found strong players at the highest stage and across the world. Tobio's love and the grief of Kazuyo's death will always remain with him, but now, these new connections have allowed him to take a step forward. Kazuyo's promise came true---THEIR promise came true---and how wonderful that is.
"Why are you even here? So you can have some fun memories of your last year?" vs. "I wanted to take this team further" vs. "I know, now. All of you taught it to me, so I know it must be true!"
Ex-literature Student Hyperfixates on Haikyuu Characters and launches off their rocker
the title says everything.
i got too silly trying to plan a hrhs yuri au fic and ended up deciding to do an analysis on the Kamomedai team (its mostly hrhs. my bad guys)
I'll be analysing volumes 38-41 in this post!! If I miss out on certain panels or misinterpret moments, that's my bad. Most of the panels I'll be putting here are taken irl, so they might not be that easy to read 😞🙇
This is also an opportunity for me to dissect my brain and figure out why I took a liking to these characters. I LOVE ANALYSIS and genuinely wish there was more over Haikyuu, especially on themes and characters and their philosophies!
so, what will I be focusing on in this analysis?
Kamomedai's philosophy, importance + message
Hirugami Sāchiro and
Hoshiumi Kōrai's significance in the story of Haikyuu
Coach Murphy's connection to HRHS' philosophies
If there are any topics I've failed to list here but have explored in this analysis, please understand that I was simply too excited to write and may have forgotten to list them here!
Word Count (excluding titles): 4838
Hirugami Sachiro
His Backstory
of course, whenever Sachiro is brought up, his backstory is the first thing that automatically pops into mind. It's tragic but even worse, it's realistic. It stuck with me the first time I read the entire manga, but I couldn't figure out why. I knew it resonated with me, reminding me of the several burnouts I witnessed in multiple kids around me at school, but that reasoning wasn't enough. So I supposed that pushed me to write this analysis haha!
From these panels, it's safe to say that Sachiro did have love and passion for the sport. He practically grew up with it- his parents and siblings played it, and they eventually went down the path of going pro. It would be no surprise that he was bound to follow in their footsteps. It was natural. There's no confirmation and this is more like a theory/headcanon, yet I believe that his family did have these expectations for him or placed pressure on Sachiro to play volleyball, whether or not they intentionally meant to. When you grow up with a family of star athletes who all did the same sport, why would you do something different?
In the manga, Hirugami states that if he just 'straight up quit' volleyball there and then, there would be a whole set of problems. We could assume that maybe their coach would be upset, but this could be another hint that his family would not take the news that well. Perhaps his parents would be the more judging ones.
Since he has all of these expectations and the pressure to improve and earn respect and acknowledgement from his family, it wasn't a surprise that this mindset would eventually turn sour and cause Sachiro to crash. We even have some supporting evidence for this, and it (strangely) comes from Atsumu.
Atsumu states that he knew Hirugami was always this good, but the way he played was 'like a man possessed', and watching him gave Atsumu the impression that he was on edge at all times. In the panel that displays Atsumu's recollection of his original impression of (middle school) Hirugami, we can see that the Miya Twins are completely fine compared to Hirugami who is panting like a dog, tired out and not looking in top shape. I don't think it's a far-fetched assumption to say that Hirugami was just forcing himself to play the sport, to keep on going and giving his all despite his body protesting, trying to tell him that he's reached his limit. But the mind can be stubborn and Hirugami's mind was also dead set on goalless/vague improvement; He wants to build more muscle, not let anyone outdo him, and not get left behind- all these goals don't have a proper end and that's harmful. Of course he's going to force himself to continue whether or not his body gets the rest it deserves. To him, there's no such thing as a rest day. Hirugami doesn't believe he gets to rest until he finally achieves or stops chasing the improvement he desires. But there's no end to the goals he wants to achieve. If Hoshiumi didn't stop him, how long would've Hirugami been aimlessly chasing his own demise?
Hoshiumi & Hirugami's Middle School Relationship (sub-category of Hirugami's backstory)
I think that Hoshiumi and Hirugami have quite similar philosophies! Both are centered around hard work and the need to improve, to become better. However, here's the difference: Hoshiumi's more accepting, acknowledging the harsh reality that he's weak. There are stronger people out there, which is why he NEEDS to be competitive and strive for improvement in order to avoid lagging behind his competition. If Hoshiumi makes any mistakes, he most likely would take it as a learning opportunity and eventually shrug it off. He already knows he gives everything his all, so any mistakes he encounters are not an outcome of laziness or lack of effort.
On the other hand, Hirugami's is more degrading. It's harsher, taking any mistake he makes and echoing it back at him in a harmful manner, telling him that he could've- should've done better, that there were ways Hirugami could've gotten that last point, that the smallest mistake he made would affect the way he and his team played. There's no room for error because if there is, then there's something wrong with him.
And because of their difference in philosophies, I believe that led them to interact when Sachiro finally crumbles and hurts himself.
While re-reading Sachiro's backstory, I got the impression that he and Hoshiumi barely interacted during their middle school days, so I asked myself: why would Sachiro tell Hoshiumi, an all-time bench warmer, that he doesn't like volleyball? The few times we've seen middle school Hoshiumi and Hirugami interact besides the self-harm scene were they only getting brief glimpses of one another. The panel above shows Hirugami briefly noticing Hoshiumi, acknowledging that he's still practising this late at night, then shrugging it off and walking back to the canteen.
Well, Hoshiumi just helped him out of a daze during a difficult moment. Hirugami's head is now above the deep, dark water called his thoughts, so he's most likely disorientated. He's shaken up by the pain in his knuckles that are finally alerting his senses and at the same time, he's settled on a simple conclusion: He doesn't like volleyball anymore. And in that moment of silent anguish, who else could he let out this confession to? Any walls Hirugami has put up during this time are now knocked down by raw vulnerability. He needs to speak and ground himself, to let his mind finally acknowledge that he doesn't want to continue playing volleyball like this. And it just so happens that Hoshiumi is also there to hear this statement.
There is no hesitation in Hoshiumi, not when he offers a tissue for Sachiro to clean up his bloodied hands, not when he listens to Hirugami's sudden, sensitive confession and simply asks, "Okay. Why don't you quit?", a question that Hirugami didn't consider nor thought possible before. He doesn't coddle but offers Sachiro advice that he could take or leave behind. Korai doesn't forcefully press the tissue packet into Sachiro's hands, nor continues to show his discomfort at the sight of the other boy's wounds despite the response being natural. His steadiness and composure are reassuring, allowing Hirugami to take his time to calm down and process his thoughts and the advice that Hoshiumi has given him. Also, Hoshiumi's advice is structured more like a conversation, if that makes sense. Hoshiumi is straightforward and honest and his words hold no flattery when he points out Hirugami's strengths, something that he can't achieve as easily as the other could. He's not making a big deal out of the situation and is staying calm yet helpful, which is essential.
Because of his approach and advice, Hoshiumi unknowingly helps to give Hirugami an entirely new perspective, when he probably intended to only stop him from harming himself even further.
(I also believe that Hirugami revealed this thought to Hoshiumi because sometimes, people find it easier to talk to strangers than the family or friends that they are close to.)
Little note: I love how supportive HiruHoshi are of one another!! Throughout the manga, we can see how close they are; Hoshiumi has always been there for Hirugami, ever since they first properly interacted in middle school until the end of their high school days. And of course, during adulthood. Hirugami visibly reciprocates this by taking the time to understand Hoshiumi, learning his story and other things like his thought process and quirks in volleyball.
Sachiro's View on Volleyball
One of the special arts that included Hirugami called him 'dispassionate' and I found that very interesting. It highlights his whole stance on volleyball; He likes it, but after all that he's been through, Hirugami would rather leave it behind and watch from the sidelines. He likes it, but he's not going to get overwhelmed by it again, unlike the other Kamomedai members or characters in Haikyuu. This time, Hirugami has set the goal of playing volleyball only until the end of high school. Knowing that he will get to quit after all these years, that these long periods of burnout will finally come to an end, its a relief to him. Hirugami still has a love for volleyball, but he understands that his relationship with the sport will not go back to the original, passionate state that it was before. And he's accepted that. He wants to play the sport without getting drowned in those overwhelming thoughts, he wants to have fun and not let volleyball take over his life. It doesn't matter if his talent in volleyball gets wasted. So what if it does? Hirugami knows what he wants in life now and wants to pursue it.
Dispassion can come off as someone having no passion, but that's not true; it's simply another meaning for being calm and not letting emotion take over logic.
Parallels with Asahi
Also noted that he and Asahi have some parallels! Not as much or obvious as Hinata and Hoshiumi, but it's there! Even the summary for Volume 40 acknowledges this!
Both characters have had a past with or are currently experiencing overthinking, along with how it affects their attitude and behaviour during games and or in general. Their arcs are connected to their mental health/well-being and how volleyball, the sport they play, are closely intertwined. However, Asahi's character does seem to be more centred around anxiety and how it can affect his gameplay and social life. Meanwhile, Sachiro's character has a more intense focus on the depression that can come from burnout and the effects it can develop. Yet both of these characters share the pressure of needing to be better, the need to live up to certain expectations that have been placed on them consciously or not. For Asahi, it's being the ace. And for Sachiro, it used to be, well, being good at volleyball.
Throughout the entire story of Haikyuu, we can note that Asahi is still trying to get over the overthinking that his anxiety has given him- he's struggling with the thoughts, which have been shown to affect his plays and his relationships. Asahi is learning to have more faith in his abilities, to go easier on himself and stop wallowing in his negativity.
Meanwhile, Sachiro is shown to have already gotten past that. Has he made a full recovery? I don't think so. But he's shown to have not been affected by expectations anymore; He's over that burden and he knows that even if things get tough, volleyball is just a game. If he makes a mistake, Sachiro knows he won't die. It's a sport he enjoys, but there are simply other things in life that he has more passion for. He's just currently focusing on having fun with volleyball and trying his best.
Hoshiumi Kōrai
The Little Giant Legacy
If you care about either Hinata or Hoshiumi, you would know that the cause of their rivalry is the pursuit of the 'Little Giant' title. It makes sense after all! Both players are considered astoundingly short for their sport, have great jumping lengths and are considered amazing players by their team, just like the original Little Giant, Udai (who changed his mind on the pursuit of volleyball and went on to do manga instead).
Personally, I believe that the moment their rivalry was officially solidified was actually at the end of Chapter 361 and the beginning of Chapter 362!
This panel was when Hoshiumi started to develop some respect for Hinata, recognising him as a potential rival he wanted to go against. But before it, when Hinata jumps and manages to spike the ball against Kamomedai's defence, Hoshiumi recalls a statement he made earlier, one he gave to the interviewer: "Yes, being short is a disadvantage...but it isn't a sign of incompetence."
And this panel establishes just how similar they are. They haven't heard one another's philosophies, yet they share it already. Gao acknowledges it with an expression of unease, and even Sachiro thinks, "He's just like Korai-kun."
For this part, I will focus on these four people due to their connection with one another: Hinata, Hoshiumi, Udai and Coach Washijo.
These four characters have experienced how height can be an extreme hurdle to overcome in sports.
According to Udai, the original 'Little Giant', he talks about how he knew he was the ace back in the day and how he deserved to feel confident over it. However, as Udai grew up, it is implied that the pressuring competition experienced at nationals most likely got to him. Udai assumed that if he trained himself even more, and focused on improving his skills and technique, it would be enough to keep up. But there was one thing he forgot to factor in: mentality.
In fact, I think Udai does acknowledge this as well! It's why he politely shoots down Akiteru's comparison compliment of his and Hoshiumi's playstyle. Udai points out during the match that if he was in one of the situations that Hoshiumi was in, he would've failed at scoring as he would've spiked the ball down instead of back, a sign that the block intimidated him and made him retreat.
"Hoshiumi has far better skill and decision-making than I ever did."
Referring to Volume 41, Udai gives this mental narration while watching Hoshiumi set the ball to Hirugami: 'Know your weaknesses. Accept them. Forget the weapons you can't wield. Find all the ones you can...and carefully, persistently hone them all to a wicked point. That is what it means...to be a Little Giant.'
Between these two pages, we can note that Udai is also eagerly watching Hoshiumi's play, with a determination that we can conclude from that if Udai had to pass down the title personally to anyone, he would most definitely choose Hoshiumi. If Hinata has Coach Washijo rooting for him, then Udai is the one who is silently applauding for Hoshiumi from the sidelines.
(Fun fact! In Volume 45, in a small panel that features Udai, we can see him drawing his second manga series and the main character looks reallyyyy similar to Hoshiumi,,,)
All four characters know that they are weak when it comes to volleyball. However, Udai and Washijo are the ones to have been shown to crumble under that knowledge, accompanied by other factors that have made them resign from the court and pursue another path. Yet, that other path is still connected to volleyball. For Udai, it was making a manga based on it; For Coach Washijo, it was becoming a coach and only cultivating those with strong potential.
Coach Washijo has been burdened by the knowledge that his height restricted his ability to play so severely that it's firmly become a staple of his philosophy, that he'll only take in the strongest and biggest, keeping that mindset for 40 years. He only starts to change his mind when Hinata enters the scene; Not when Udai started playing and became Karasuno's ace years ago. Yet, Coach Washijo remains resistant to the idea that a player like Hinata or Hoshiumi can make it. (We don't see what he thinks about Hoshiumi, but I think his view would be similar to how he views Hinata, but not as personal 🤷)
Over the time of Haikyuu- and by the time we reach the Kamomedai vs Karasuno match, Washijo's mindset has already begun shifting into a more positive view. He's started becoming more open and eager to the idea of a 'Little Giant', finally accepting that the harsh reality he faced back then is now possible to overcome. I believe that the match and the development of the fun rivalry between Hoshiumi and Hinata contribute to it, even if it isn't hinted at that often.
Turning back the focus onto Hoshiumi and Hinata, their rivalry is simply a beautiful thing to witness, especially considering the legacy both these players are chasing and discovering the respect they have for one another despite being one another's biggest competition. (also something something about the monster generation players on the Adlers team being the people who are the top three rivals Hinata has experienced in the entirety of the story,,,,yeah)
Referring to a panel from Volume 41 (again), Hoshiumi confesses to Hirugami that compared to other competitor teams, where he states that he simply wants to go through them no matter how good they were, Karasuno is one that he truly wants to beat. This intimidating statement sends a shiver up Hirugami's spine, which is something considering the handful of panels we get of him making a sadistic expression throughout this match.
From this interaction between the two, we can interpret that up until this point, Hoshiumi did give his all to help his team win against several other teams to get to Nationals, but most likely didn't experience much competitive thrill during those matches and had to hype himself up by beating opponents who would underestimate him due to his smaller stature.
Yet now, he finally gets the competition he desires. In Nationals, every team has been proven to be good. No one's planning to overestimate or underestimate anyone, there's simply no time for that. The time on the court is precious, meant to be used to win against whichever team is on the other side of the net. And like a cherry on top, there is someone like him. Someone gunning for the same thing he desired- Hoshiumi and Hinata's relationship can be classified under 'mirror characters'. Or in a more literary viewpoint, parallels.
Typically, this trope is used to give the protagonist a rival, which is one of the reasons why Hoshiumi was created. Hoshiumi's role in the story is necessary as considering the other two main 'rivals' Hinata faces in the story (Ushijima as the Privileged Rival and Kageyama as the Main Rival, referring to TV Tropes), both of them seem to have more of the upper hand due to their height and long experience with getting the chance to play on the court consistently. With the presence of Hoshiumi, his character further drives the message that whether or not you have been given blessings from the start or have access to certain opportunities, working hard & smart along with having passion are also essential elements that you require in order to achieve the success you want.
"They come to us with solid, undeniable strength, and make us choose them."
The Need For Competition
Disclaimer: I do NOT have any siblings. So if I do accidentally miss-analyse anything in this section, I sincerely apologize 🙇
But yeah. Akitomo.
Although we BARELY see him for the rest of the manga, he still has an essential role- if not, why do we need him in the first place? Furudante gives every character a purpose, whether or not they're major or minor.
From Kōrai's backstory, we can see that he and his brother have your usual competitive sibling rivalry and whatnot. Akitomo bullies him and Kōrai retorts. But I think that this manga panel solidified Kōrai's need to be competitive and the desire to drive himself to improve in every area of volleyball possible (besides his mother's helpful advice that also plays a huge role in his philosophy).
This was the utter devastating realisation that he was so much weaker than Akitomo, despite Akitomo not knowing how the fuck to play volleyball. Kōrai learned that sport, dedicated and invested himself into it, yet here comes his brother, easily taking away the spotlight and spiking the ball without breaking a sweat. Just a jump and a hit, and boom. He could be replaced like that. Akitomo has always teased Kōrai over his height, yet this moment was most likely one of several that Hoshiumi experienced and solidified his understanding of how weak he was, and there were some things that he simply couldn't change from just effort and hard work alone.
But with Asa's advice, Kōrai also understood that just because some doors were shut to him didn't mean the rest were. Some doors required a bit of prying to open, while some were already waiting to be discovered, and all Kōrai needed was to find and sharpen the required tools.
Throughout the manga, there is a theme of competitiveness and how it affects the lives of the high school players on the court. We see how it affects them for the better and also the worse. We see how regardless of its positive or negative effects, these teenagers strive for improvement, to learn how to work with others as a team, and the list goes on. Hoshiumi is an example of a character who has a good balance of competitiveness and passion, which keeps him going in his pursuit of being good at volleyball. But in a moment of vulnerability (not defeat), he suddenly turns to Gao during the match and admits that there were times when he'd given up a little, starting to feel there were limits to the height he could reach. I believe that this statement was essential for Hoshiumi to admit out loud, as it further shows us that even a character as confident and competitive as him can eventually start to feel the pressure of keeping up and even almost let it get to him.
But it seems that by the end of the manga, all the effort Hoshiumi has put into his own improvement in both body and mind, along with letting his competitiveness drive his passion instead of control him, he manages to achieve not only a spot on one of the best V1 League teams in Japan but also becomes a player on the Japan National Team for the Olympics. The seeds he's sown have finally grown and now Hoshiumi can reap his rewards as he rightfully deserves.
Someone once told me that competition was simply part of human nature. It can come in forms we never thought possible, but it's still there. Sports, academics, collections, status, and so on. It doesn't matter what form this competitiveness comes in, but it does matter how we use it in our lives. Do we let it control us and our desires in turn? Or do we use it as fuel to strive for improvement, to make a positive change in our lives and for others as well?
Kamomedai's Message
The Importance Of A Coach
Aaron Murphy is the coach for Kamomedai and according to the manga, his background and qualifications make him stand out amongst the range of other coaches we've seen in the story.
He's a coach for one of Italy's Pro Series A leagues for years, took a Japan V2 League team and made them V1, and many kids on the volleyball team purely attended Kamomedai High just to play for him. He's a pro through and through- you'd expect him to be harsh, to have multiple well-detailed training schedules for his team, to push the limits of his players- similar to Coach Washijo, who's also a coach for a powerhouse school that is amazing at volleyball and set up to be one of the biggest antagonists Karasuno will ever face.
But he's not! He seems to be a far cry from that. According to an onlooker (and referencing the manga again), people view him as a coach who doesn't seem to stand out too much, despite knowing he has an incredible record of being one. Meanwhile, Coach Washijo only looks for players with raw strength and power, the ability to intimidate and rule the court with their impressive height and skill and he will cut them off from their position if they refuse to listen to him. He's painfully harsh and it's evident in the way we've seen how his players react when he merely calls their names. Coach Washjio is intimidating and fierce, something you'd expect from a coach who has cultivated a team that's produced some of the most impressive players in the history of Haikyuu.
Yet this treatment stems from his background, where Washijo was not allowed to play volleyball because of his height.
We don't know a lick of Coach Murphy's backstory, but that's okay! It's unrequired to dissect his importance and why someone like him fits perfectly with Kamomedai's message and significance in the story, along with implied effects on Hirugami and Hoshiumi's philosophies.
Earlier, I stated that Udai gave up on volleyball because the pressure of intense competition got to him. It was good that he knew that improving his skills and technique could help him make up for his height, but Udai forgot about improving one thing that Coach Murphy had emphasised when training the Kamomedai team: Mindset. (Or more accurately, mental toughness)
Through short moments in Volume 41, we can see that Coach Murphy focuses on mental training. Furudante could've shown us how intensely he trains Kamomedai, as he does mention that serving and blocking are the other two skills that he wants to train the team in (and Kamomedai is well-known for those two aspects), but we only get a brief panel showing us how sweaty and exhausted the whole team is. Yet, during that moment, the focus is on Coach Murphy talking about mindset, before directing the team to scenario practice. In the same volume, Akaashi recognizes that not one, not two, but the whole Kamomedai team is capable of doing task focus throughout the game, something that he barely managed to do in Volume 38. Akaashi is a character that is typically perceived as someone who is very calm and collected due to his analytical nature, but in Fukurodani matches we get to see that he doesn't have a good view of himself and tends to have negative thoughts that are similar to Asahi. A character like Akaashi noticing and making this connection further emphasizes how the players on Kamomedai are exceptional at their way of thinking, besides their serves and blocking.
We can see that his teachings have effects on his players and that's great! Reflecting on my earlier comparison between him and Coach Washijo, his methods are tough and intensive, but they're not excessive and seem to value both physical and mental health equally. Although Coach Murphy and Coach Washijo have years of experience training volleyball players, only one of them has experience looking over a professional team of athletes. Coach Murphy focuses on taking the players he has and helping them to hone their skills, instead of filtering through them and only picking ones who have the most potential. He looks at the cards he's dealt with and figures out how to make the best use of them. There's an air of professionalism with the way he handles and talks to his players, in my opinion- he's playful at times, but Coach Murphy's words are also grounding and firm. In a way, his method is very similar to gentle parenting (if that makes sense haha). His healthy way of teaching has affected his players, assisting them on their journey of improving their thinking in both their games and outside of the court. In Volume 41 and on the same page that the players of Kamomedai are briefly shown to be undergoing training, Coach Murphy's advice clearly addresses potential physical or mental obstacles players can face during a match- 'What happened was either a failure of your skill...or a failure of your decision-making process and mental control'. Murphy also states that they should make success a larger habit, before following up that a thought along the lines of "Oh, I'm having an off day today" isn't an excuse, unless the player themselves are sick or hurt. From this, it's implied that Coach Murphy is advising his players to pursue success but not let a negative mindset prevent them from doing so. Coach Murphy's second statement also supports the point that his training is gentle but firm by implying that he guides his players on how to properly reflect on their mistakes and spot areas of improvement before making the next step (which is solving the issue).
Kamomedai's slogan is 'Habit Becomes Second Nature', which further supports the purpose and message of the team in the story of Haikyuu. Combined with Coach Murphy's teachings, it's no surprise that Kamomedai will not only grow as a team, but their players will also become people who persist despite undergoing harsh conditions. It's why they're closely linked to seagulls (and also why Hoshiumi resembles and is heavily based on one); To quote Coach Murphy, Kamome means 'seagull'. Seagulls can handle sea or sky, fair weather or foul, no matter what.
So, what is Kamomedai's purpose and message in the manga? From all the evidence I've gathered, I believe that the team exists to show the viewers and other characters in the story the importance of mindset besides skill, to carefully train yourself to persist in doing or achieving something despite obstacles in your way and that if something bad happens, it's not good to beat yourself up. Instead, careful reflection is required if you wish to improve and avoid making the same mistake again. Take care of yourself, both physically and mentally.
But then again, this analysis might be a bit biased as Kamomedai is one of my favourite teams and I've typed a crap-ton of words for this, phewwwwww. My brain is dry now. So if you have any other views on them, feel free to reply to this! I'm all up for discussion :3
How Hoshiumi Quite Literally Brought the Light Back to Hirugami's Life: An Analysis of Haikyuu!! Chapter 351
Okay hi I'm all in my feelings about Hirugami (as is the norm for me nowadays) and something I hadn't realised until recently is how significant of a role light plays in his story — and, more specifically, its significance in his and Hoshiumi's relationship.
CW/TW: discussions/portrayals of self harm (nothing beyond the extent to which it is explored in chapter 351)
I started thinking about this after stumbling upon this post discussing how Hirugami's eyes usually lack any sort of highlights unless he's looking at or interacting with Hoshiumi (where his eyes literally light up like let that sink in for a moment oh my GOODNESS), but I want to take it one step further and examine how Furudate illustrates Hoshiumi as a presence that quite literally lights up Hirugami's life.
Furudate's panelling in chapter 351 alone warrants its own separate analysis, but for the sake of this post, I want to focus particularly on the recurring image of Hirugami walking down a dark, narrow hallway throughout the chapter. The first instance of this image in this chapter is in the panel above, with the only source of light in the hall coming from the gymnasium itself. A room where Hoshiumi is practicing.
And it doesn't stop there because we get yet another instance of Hirugami walking down a much darker, much more narrow hallway later in the chapter:
This time, there isn't a single trace of light in the hall — which, accompanied by how narrow the hallway feels, comes to represent Hirugami's psychological state at this stage in the narrative. As if the walls are caving in on him the further he spirals into this perfectionistic mindset that plagues him throughout his middle school volleyball career. This time, the hallway also feels much more constricted, and the perspective of the panel is positioned much closer to Hirugami than that of the previous panel, and it feels suffocating — a feeling only reinforced by the lack of light in this panel.
BUT THEN
The panel right after this features Hoshiumi entering the hall — however, this time, there is light, specifically coming from where Hoshiumi has entered. There has been no light in the hallway until Hoshiumi has entered it.
We can also tie this back to Hirugami's eyes being completely dark unless he's interacting with Hoshiumi in some way (be it looking at him or talking to/about him). It's important to note that, at the very beginning of chapter 351, Hirugami's eyes do contain light. It's not until he begins to spiral into burnout that the light leaves his eyes.
Case in point:
At some point, Hirugami did find volleyball "fun" (as he notes at the beginning of the chapter), and the light in his eyes reflect that. He wasn't burdened by the fear of making mistakes just yet; wasn't dedicating so much time and effort into the sport so intensely; hadn't realised that he might not be as passionate about volleyball as he once believed himself to be, pursuing it primarily out of a sense of obligation rather than genuine enjoyment. But the moment he begins to do so, that light fades:
Furudate continues to illustrate Hirugami with these pitch-black eyes until Hoshiumi catches him hurting himself:
All of that in mind, allow me to direct your attention to this specific spread:
Now, there are a few things I want to point out from this spread alone (from right to left):
A similar feeling of constriction is elicited (albeit to a much lesser extent) in the panel where Hoshiumi tells Hirugami that he's "probably just burned out on volleyball". The perspective is positioned in such a way that the background of the panel is solely the wall behind Hirugami — the one he dragged his knuckles across.
In the following panel (where Hirugami is processing what Hoshiumi has told him), the background is completely blank, except for a singular leaf blowing past Hirugami, turning his gaze away from Hoshiumi.
The leaf has blown in the direction of an open sky, accompanied by another leaf blowing in the same direction.
This progression of panels (from the wall to a blank background to a view of the open sky) comes to signify how those walls caving in on Hirugami earlier have crumbled away as "the whole world opened up to [him]" after Hoshiumi helped him realise that his life isn't tethered to volleyball, that he can stop playing whenever he wants to.
And the fact that this is also the moment where the light finally returns to Hirugami's eyes... all because of Hoshiumi's intervention... I'm so normal about this I swear.
I also think names play a significant part in this as well. I'm not Japanese, nor do I speak Japanese, so apologies for anything I might get wrong — but Hoshiumi's given name ("Kōrai") is comprised of the characters for "light" (光) and "come" (来), and means "incoming light". Furudate has also confirmed that they gave Hoshiumi his name "so that he becomes a shining person" (for additional context, the name "Hoshiumi" is comprised of the characters for "star" (星) and "ocean" (海), and means "star ocean") (seriously the name "Hoshiumi Kōrai" is SO PRETTY what the heck), and while this seems more in relation to his character individually... I can't help but also think about how that comes into play with his relationship with Hirugami, in a more literal sense. I'm most likely missing the full intention behind Furudate's decision to give Hoshiumi his name (since it's, unfortunately, inevitable that these extra details get lost in translation), but typically, a "shining person" refers to someone admirable; someone so brilliant it's inspiring. Hoshiumi, as his story progresses, becomes that "shining person" — going from a boy who spent his entire middle school career on the bench, to the ace of a powerhouse team coached by someone with coaching experience in multiple professional volleyball leagues, to a first-division V-League player who makes it to the Olympics.
He's inspired the crowd that cheers his name. He's inspired Hirugami — someone whose entire philosophy is founded upon what this boy he hardly knew had taught him:
(Yes, I'm aware that this is an analysis of chapter 351 and these panels are from chapter 360, but they're relevant nonetheless. This internal monologue is taking place while present-day Hirugami is surrounded by a blank background in a way reminiscent of the "burnout, huh...?" panel from that earlier spread. The chapter is titled "Teachings", and Hirugami is specifically reflecting on what Hoshiumi had taught him "that day". It's a different chapter, but it's all relevant.) (Also, is it really a cosmickoshi analysis if I don't go on at least one tangent?)
I know the Haikyuu!! fandom faces a lot of scrutiny due to "making everything about the ships", but the truth is... I don't see how you could discuss certain character arcs without mentioning the relationships said characters form throughout their journeys. No one got to where they did entirely on their own — volleyball is a team sport, after all — and Hirugami is no different! He explicitly refers to what Hoshiumi taught him in middle school as "the foundation" of his entire mindset!
And if we take the visual storytelling into consideration, much of Hirugami's panels following this moment contain much more light than the ones in the flashbacks. To examine this further, let's have a look at this specific page:
Considering everything I've discussed thus far, notice how (from top to bottom):
The earlier panel of Hirugami walking through the narrow hallway is paralleled by present-day Hirugami walking towards the net during Kamomedai's match against Karasuno. He's on the court, participating in a sport he doesn't care about, and yet no walls surround him. There's light all around him.
We get another panel featuring an open sky while Hirugami is still playing said sport he's not passionate about, except this time, the view has never been clearer — because, despite him continuing to pursue volleyball, he now knows he can quit anytime. He's no longer confined by the pressure to be some ideal player; no longer measuring his success as a player based on how many mistakes he makes; no longer spiralling into the pit of self deprecation he was once lost in. "All of my shackles have fallen away."
This is kind of off-topic, but I think it's also important to note the fact that Hirugami starts off the page looking down while reflecting upon the sense of obligation he felt towards volleyball, then tilts his head back up once that section of his internal monologue has concluded. Volleyball is a sport where you're always looking up and yet Hirugami only looks up upon acknowledging that his life isn't tethered to volleyball:
And!!!!! Look at the highlights in his eyes!!!!! There's light in his eyes from the second he looks up!!!!! Are you KIDDING ME.
TL;DR: there's so much great visual storytelling that is so central to Hoshiumi and Hirugami's relationship (and, more specifically, when it comes to conveying the former's impact on the latter) and Furudate is a freaking genius (though I'm certain we all knew that already).
I think that the more imp part of "someone even better will come and find you" is "will find you", cause kageyama has come across many players better than him, even on his own team in adlers there are arguably better players eg hoshiumi, romero, and ushiwaka. But what makes hinata special is that he will always be 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 with kageyama, he will wait for kageyama, and kageyama will wait for him too. They are partners in the truest sense, that they both have the same goals and both want to achieve it with the other.
There are many "someone better"s, but hinata is kageyama's someone better. It was meant to be a specific person from the start.
In ch387, kageyama tried competing with and keeping up with oikawa and iwaizumi, but neither of them were meant to be his partner, they were each other's partners ("you're the partner I can be proud of").
Kageyama might have gone through the same thing in high school if hinata wasn't there. He would eventually have found players as good as him and better, but never a partner, even in karasuno.
The panel of him leaving shiratorizawa really gets to me, but it was for the better; he would never have synced with ushiwaka and the team like he did with hinata and karasuno.
Hinata needed kageyama to start reaching his potential and realising it. Kageyama needed hinata on an emotional level so much, he had been missing hinata his whole life until then. "What have you been doing for the last three years" is meant to make hinata realise that he is capable of incredible feats, but maybe it also means that he should have been by kageyama's side, because in those last three years kageyama started becoming aware of the distance between him and other players capability-wise and emotionally, and he lost the last person who wanted to keep up with him, his grandfather, and he was now truly alone.
Once him and hinata are on the same team, he is never alone again, even after they part after graduation. This time when he is 'alone' (in the olympics, adlers), he's rest assured trusting that his partner will catch up to him.
it's important to me that everyone knows that this is 2.2k words of haikyuu analysis in the big 26. there are spoilers for things both pre and post timeskip! i am so sorry. this is all i have to offer. please enjoy, there will probably be more
his bluntness is a defining character trait, and if you don't look close enough it seems like he holds people at length. i would argue he doesn't— the formality that he treats the people around him with varies a lot (i.e. he calls hinata by his full ass government name, but only uses last names for his team members), and even then, it's not reciprocated. the third years all call him wakatoshi. tendou makes fun of him (and i do think the rest of them do as well, given the comment about him being a volleyball idiot, though maybe to a lesser extent). they all sit together at lunch pre-timeskip, and are all still friends post.
we don't see that much of shiratorizawa? we don't see them nearly as much as karasuno, and so we have much less reason to be interested in their continued friendship over time, so i think that it's supposed to be at least a little important that we see them together after high school. it's thematically satisfying that ushijima and tendou are still friends, but what about the rest of them? what does that mean?
and i think it comes back to ushiwaka.
it is incredibly easy to paint him as cold, or overwhelmingly detached, or completely emotionally stunted, but the text (or the anime? lol) doesn't support that notion. yes, he's earnest, and yes, he doesn't mince words (and yes, there is textual support for him being neurodivergent or at the very least having struggles with social cues comma however that is not the same thing at allllll), but he does make a genuine (and continual! there's a reason why we see what we see post time skip for him) effort to be decent, if not kind. there are several characters in haikyuu who come at karasuno (or other teams) without regard for decency, and they make it quite obvious. that's not saying that anyone is genuinely bad, or truly mean in any way, but the characters that want to get in other characters' heads make that desire plain. there are characters that are genuinely arrogant— and while you can make an argument that ushiwaka is, i wouldn't say so? the way he interacts with others and the way he interacts with his team provides arguments to the contrary.
the narrative demands that the pressure of performance be put on ushijima. his coach demands it, his team demands it, the school demands it, his plans for the future demand it, he demands it of himself. part of the emotional core of ushijima is that he doesn't crack under pressure, not really— even the tiniest of fissures he makes up for rather quickly afterwards. there are several different ways of dealing with that pressure, and ushijima's method is just bearing it. he does it well, too— the entirety of the shiratorizawa match shows that, where he's being targeted the entire game and he still scores over 40 points by the end of it. the narrative demands that the people around ushijima, and even the reader, have insane expectations for him. those expectations extend to his personality— he is the unassailable eagle, the incredibly high mountain that karasuno has to cross in order to get to nationals. the team is made for him. it's a highly individualistic, highly self-centered play. he's self-centered, he has no regard for other people, he's haughty, stuck-up, unkind.
or is he?
something that stuck out to me in my rewatch of s3 was a tiny, tiny moment in episode 9 where ushijima apologizes to tsukki for dislocating his finger. it's a split second, and it's silent, so it's easy to miss (i have missed it several times)— he just holds up a hand when tsukki lines up with him, and tsukki nods back at him to tell him it's okay. he seems to hold no qualms about apologizing— if he makes any mistake, if he misses any point, he'll turn around and say sorry. he prefaces his dismissal of hinata with an apology for any offense caused (which isn't really an apology, but i still think it speaks to his personality). after losing the match the karasuno, he initiates the 100 serves they have to do, despite literally handing off the team two seconds earlier. he very easily will bear the brunt of the responsibility for the team, but seems not to respond to the sense of glory or true arrogance at all. he is essentially the only person that speaks about shiratorizawa as a unit— washijou obviously projects on him, some of his teammates are competing with him (despite mutual affection), hinata and kageyama are personally competing with them, everyone is seeing the matches as ushijima vs the world except ushijima himself.
i do not doubt that we will win. i never do.
there's a common (mis)conception about shiratorizawa that i mentioned earlier. ushijima's character is revealed through the match, and if one thinks that the team is centered around or created for wakatoshi, it's easy to come to the conclusion that he is, in fact, the only man that exists as an island. but that's not necessarily true— the team is constructed to rely on wakatoshi. the same strength that he uses to hold karasuno down is the one that elevates shiratorizawa, that damn near singlehandedly pushes them into superstar status (hence, miracle boy! lol). he doesn't even seem to desire to be distinguished that much— he's contrasted with semi and goshiki, who do! who want praise, who want recognition, who are competing with their teammates as much as they're competing with the other teams, but when ushijima tells shirabu to give him the ball, when he talks to goshiki, he's not calling for attention—
he's bidding for trust.
and yes, his reservation is clear. there are a great many emotions he doesn't show. there is no great soliloquy about the spotlight. there is no overwhelming sense of inferiority that defines his every move. there is no fear of investing too much and receiving too little.
there is just his father.
ushijima's relationship with his parents is his relationship with volleyball. the aforementioned asymmetry between the distance he holds between him and the others and yet how close he lets them get, his willingness to work on their behalf and put his body behind that will, his genuine decency— ushijima exists in the tension between expectation and sentiment, and it's why he can breathe after losing. the expectation has washed away, and now there is only sentiment.
the one scene that we get of him at home is spliced between expectation and sentiment, as well. it starts with his mother saying that his left-handedness is something to be corrected, and his father standing up for him (rather emotionally, might i add). the expectation is that he conforms, the sentiment is split between protection and the hope that that protection allows him to blossom into something new and spectacular. the scene at the end of the movie where he gives pointers to every first and second year is split between expectation and sentiment— goshiki expects to be corrected on every little mistake he's made, he expects to be told off, but the only sentiments are the ones that ushijima showed him throughout the entire match. he's confident in him, he's confident in his talent, he's not bothered by his mistakes or what he has to learn, he genuinely encourages him to keep doing better, he accepts his dig (about being stopped by the first years) as constructive criticism and agrees with him.
he waves away all of that expectation with a simple "i'm counting on you."
from the reigning super ace to his heir, i'm sure could be no greater compliment.
we see what defined his volleyball journey in that small conversation that we're shown, where he's practicing bumps with his father. it's not about that ace's physique, or his height, or his strength— it's about his dependability and the confidence he inspires in others. literally—
he wasn't just all height though. he had this confidence about him. this air of absolute reliability! we all knew if we just put up the ball for him, he'd surely make it count! he could do everything! he did do everything for us! just watching him was so exciting…!
and ushijima very specifically models himself after the person his father admired, not his father. i think that's poignant, important— he modeled himself after someone his father already had affection for. he wanted his affection.
it's just i kinda hope you'll still like volleyball in some way. that'd make me happy.
ushijima's playing, for all of its bravado, for all of the brute strength, for all of the almost comical sincerity, is just a bid for connection.
the second part of the conversation highlights this— when utsui talks about how many people that ushijima will meet and get to know and learn from, he's telling him that volleyball will not only bring him closer to himself, but that it'll bring him close to others. it will connect him with the people around him, which he seems to have trouble doing— it will fill him with a sense of purpose and give him a bridge to the kind of warmth he seems to crave, if not, at least, constantly drift towards.
and he does crave it. every isolated moment of reassurance that ushijima gives is warm, in his own little odd way. he imparts an overwhelming and unfailing sense of confidence, in both himself and his team. he doesn't doubt them for a second, he says so! even after they lose, that sense of confidence is unshaken. even tendou doesn't realize how closely he's watching them, how well he knows them, because it's not ostensible but that scene after the match wouldn't be there if it wasn't saying that ushijima wants to know his team. he has no skin in the game anymore, there's no personal glory to be gained by giving them advice at the end of his time at shiratorizawa. but there is warmth to be earned. there is connection. there is the reveal of his attention and his care for them, even though i think it's super obvious during the match as is.
and there are a couple of moments in the anime and manga where the focus just lingers on him, even when his face doesn't change— one of those times is when tendou says that his father might see him if he keeps playing, to which he agrees, and another one is in chapter 186 where—
he's under ridiculous stress and has gotta be exhausted! don't tell me that isn't affecting him at all!
and it flashes back to him as a child, in the yard with his father. (before calling him crazy for volleyball).
ushijima's greatest moments have very little to do with the sheer amount of power that he has or the amount of control he has over the ball, and everything to do with the sentiment behind it, and though that is true for most characters in haikyuu (because it's a psychological ball manga, come on now), it rings loudest for him because he's constructed so simply and so earnestly. ushijima would be nothing without the moments where he longs for something sentimental— to be childish and crush hinata, to be dependable and to be relied upon, to be cool to children—
to be seen, and known, and loved.
and though his worst habits and his "power over everything" playstyle grow and shift over time, the underlying bid for connection never changes. it's why his relationship with tendou remains strong over the years. it's why a child calling volleyball boring bothers him. it's why he improves. it's why kuroo can bribe him with the very concept of children thinking he's cool. it's why he goes to the training camp after retiring as a third year. it's why his father shows up in his arc at all.
it's why he plays in the first place.
it's just a bid for connection.
i thought it might be nice to be someone like that.
Kai is a calm, collected and the kind hearted vice captain of Nekoma... is not what we'll be talking about today. Let's talk about Actual fun facts
1. Kai is a little playful.
He was one of the seniors who tried to scare Yamamoto Taketora by telling him about the rumour of a ghost (Sadako), appearing in their clubroom. He then sent prayers to Tora as if the ghost is really going to get him.
"Dont you think guys like him who say "I don't believe in all these!" in horror films, tend to be the ones who'd get taken out first?" - Yaku
"Yeah... He just raised numerous death flags with that...🙏 Let's pray for him." - Kai
Source: audio drama "The Pudding Head Story" from HQ season 1 DVD
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2. Despite not talking much throughout the series, Kai has a lot of thoughts in his head.
- the scene where the ball slipped from Kenma's hand in dumpster battle. -
"Wow, things are moving awfully slowly."
"Is my volleyball career going to flash before my eyes!?"
"This is the end of it, after all, I'm not playing after high school. Are memories from my whole career going to flash before me now?"
"Okay. Let's just say that's what's happening. How would it normally go? Will I see things like my roughest practice days? Our biggest victories? Times where I was like "If only I'd done this instead"? "
"Wow... It's only breaks in between practices. (*The "volleyball career" he saw.)
All these words in his head between the time Kenma's hand slipped, to him diving for the ball. Frankly hilarious if you ask me. (note: the match is still ongoing.)
Source: Kai Nobuyuki's nightmare (special chapter to commemorate the release of Dumpster Battle movie back in 2024)
I fear he had more lines from these TWO pages alone, compared to season 1~4. (may be overexaggerating)
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I'll end it here today as it's getting late, but I can't wait to share more about Kai.
There are so many things I want to talk about because of how wonderful (and funny) he is as a character... Please love Kai Nobuyuki with me!!!
I really like that the first panel emphasises the connect aspect of volleyball.
But what really makes me happy is that the series ended on these words too. But instead of just one panel, each line is emphasised with what we learned reading the series.
To us, Haikyuu is about the story of Hinata and Kageyama (literally), as they fight to stay on the court the longest. From a small city gymnasium in middle school, to the top of the world in the Olympics. Although many characters love the game of volleyball in the series, we see it most with these two. Just like in this panel, to us the readers of Haikyuu they are the sport's representatives.
Here the 'separated by the net' is quite literally lol.
Again, it is visual representation of them bouncing the ball and keeping it from touching the floor, but the next page honestly makes me tear up..
Again, 'connect' is emphasised, but this time more beautifully, but with Hinata and Kageyama's teammates and the people who supported them, connected with them...
And it ends with their signature freak quick attack. Now Kageyama always took Hinata seriously, which is one of the things I love about him, and acknowledged his passion and dedication to volleyball when he refused to stop until the ball dropped with a set.
But they connected during that 3 on 3 with their quick, bringing their strengths together... I will never get tired of connection in Haikyuu ugh.
Also!!! Hinata can see past that 'tall, tall wall'!!! You can see the top of the net reflected in his eyes!!!
And then the thing that drives everyone crazy
Gosh I love circular endings. Inspiring people just like he himself was so inspired.
And before this panel came this:
It is the only piece of dialogue since the volleyball exposition piece, and it's the voice of the announcers reminding people once again that Hinata and Kageyama went to school together.
The bicycle kid would have heard this, and how amazing would it feel for him to hear that the two monsters on stage went to school in the same town that he lives in? That those people walked the same roads that he did? (Takinoue Electronics was on the Karasuno Shopping District iirc.)
This was supposed to be about the first chapter of haikyuu but it somehow ended with the last.
yachi's significance in haikyuu (and the importance of writing great characters no matter how minor they are)
ok so this is my first ACTUAL tumblr post so im kinda nervous lmao pls be nice. im aware that this topic isnt necessarily groundbreaking and yachi isnt like the MOST FORGOTTEN CHARACTER EVER but there is a pretty noticeable lack of appreciation for her especially considering how CRUCIAL she was to karasuno's growth so im gonna talk abt it here bcs my girl deserves more love
(edit: i've now added screenshots to show some of my points better! and also to break up all the blocks of text lol)
disclaimer: i decided to write about this after my rewatch of haikyuu at the start of 2025, which means im basing this all off of memory. so if not everything is 100% accurate thats why, but i promise it still counts to the message im tryna send. also this will contain minor spoilers for the timeskip and is also kinda long so buckle up
for starters, let's talk about her direct contributions. the first thing yachi does after being recruited is design a poster for the club after overhearing that they're struggling to gain transport funds. while it may seem simple, this alone helps them receive enough donations to afford a bus for their away games and also leads to people having hope in karasuno's resurgence due to her strategically referencing the little giant, which was a morale booster they definitely benefitted from since this was when they were still trying to regain their former glory as a team. this shows her directly utilizing her strengths the moment she joins the club because she knows that even though volleyball isn't her strong suit, graphic design is
(the glowup is insane but i also lowkey love that kiyoko canonically cannot draw for shit bless her heart LMFAOAO)
after that we see her working hard to learn from kiyoko during matches. she's taking notes, setting up practice games, refilling water bottles and also learning about volleyball terminology in her own time which of course are all things that are expected from a manager. but focusing on the last one, considering she was someone with absolutely no interest or prior experience in sports, the fact that she was pouring so much dedication into learning the technicalities of it shows that her mother's words ("joining passionate people when you aren't going to give it your all is the rudest thing you could do.") definitely influenced her
now to be fair, her mom is far from the worst anime mom out there, but it can't be denied that she does contribute to alot of the self esteem issues yachi has from her remarks, even if it comes from a good place
so the fact that yachi was able to see past the surface level of her mom's words after hinata's encouragement and actually put it into practice shows her desire to grow and become better. which also probably put kiyoko (and by extent the rest of karasuno) at ease due to them having a promising successor for a manager since there seems to be a recurring struggle in recruiting club managers for some reason lol
on the topic of kiyoko, i also think that yachi's existence directly links to us knowing more about her. both times when kiyoko opens up about her past or expresses personal feelings yachi is there, and (as a few other haikyuu fans have brought up) it's when they are in states of undress
we already see kiyoko act as a mentor figure and express a wider range of emotions when yachi is around (concern, amusement, protectiveness etc) but it's a fact that both times she chooses to open up, yachi is present (whether you ship kiyoyachi or not) which alludes to her feeling more comfortable in divulging about her hardships to another girl. since she's normally only around guys, kiyoko really appreciated having another girl in the volleyball club that she could connect with on a more personal level
to add to that, everytime these moments happen it's always when the two of them are ALONE. NO BOYS. these scenes are also never used as fanservice or conveniently angled for the viewers to ogle at the girls' bodies. its just a private moment between two girls sharing and learning about each other. furthermore, the lack of clothing could LITERALLY symbolize kiyoko revealing more about herself, and yachi being open to receiving that information since they're BOTH in vulnerable states
(sidetracking for a bit: i also do think that it's a very intentional narrative choice that we only learn more about kiyoko quite late into the series. we see furudate do this with tsukki and later kageyama too, because considering her more closed off personality, furudate made it so we have to LITERALLY SPEND ENOUGH TIME WITH HER to get to know more about her, and i think that it's neat)
and obviously, it would be remiss of me if i didnt mention her contributions to kagehina during the training camp arc. she already went out of her way to tutor them after school hours AND for their retake as seen in the ova
(this is me promoting the failing marks ova bcs it's just 23 mins of pure slice of life shenanigans. if ur like me and love seeing them interact outside vb this is gonna be a treat for you too)
but even more importantly, she also relentlessly helped them practice the new freak quick night after night even after their fight, showing just how much she cared about them and wanted them to succeed. which is why it makes me so happy that right after hinata and kageyama perfect the new freak quick the moment she notices it she's ECSTATIC, since she saw firsthand all the ups and downs it took to get there. and in turn the FIRST person THEY acknowledge is HER, showing that this victory is just as much hers as it is theirs, directly telling the audience that this would not have been possible without her.
i think this moment really solidified yachi as an integral part of the team, which is further proven in the timeskip
(OKAAYY GIRLBOSS look at her training 2 managers im so proud)
anyway, her contributions aside, i'm also very pleased that furudate didn't take the easy way out by slowly making her fade out of existence after 2 eps or making her a potential love interest for one of the boys, which is an unfortunate fate many female characters in male dominated media are subjected to. i think initially most people expected her be hinata's love interest since they have some moments together in the first few eps she's in. but as the series progresses most of their interactions consist of her occasionally cheering for him at games or him thanking her for helping out, which (shipping preferences aside) honestly leans more platonic than romantic. i'm glad that furudate subverted the expectations of a female character NEEDING to fall in love since she's constantly surrounded by male characters because that's simply not how it is irl lmao. healthy platonic male and female friendships exist and should definitely be represented more in media, and yachi being allowed to exist as her own independent character instead of an accessory for one of the guys is SUCH a breath of fresh air
NOW THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN WHERE MY ANALYSIS ENDED, however right as i was debating whether or not to post this on tumblr, i stumbled across this video by artist Airi Pan who talked about bringing back great (not just good) design. the entire video has great points and i highly recommend watching it, but the one that really struck a chord with me was the last one where she says: "great art always gives back." which essentially means that the difference between "good" and "great" art is that great art will inspire others and in turn lead to the birth of even more art in the world
which then got me thinking, isn't that kinda what i'm doing now?
obviously in the video she's talking about character design, but i think this can be applied to just about any form of media out there. furudate didn't HAVE to make yachi such a great and well thought out character, but they DID, and in turn even though she's a minor character, someone out there got inspired by her character and growth and decided to write a tumblr post (which is another form of media) and share it to the internet
am i saying that my singular post is gonna reach millions and change our nation into one that is ruled by hitoka yachi? OF COURSE NOT LMFAO. but my hope is that at least the few people who DO see it find something new to appreciate about her and/or haikyuu and create something else to feed into the endless haikyuu fandom hole, proving the point being made in the video. the most successful character designs are ones that garner the most fanart, cosplays, merch etc etc and the same can be said with the writing for the characters in haikyuu because EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM SERVE A PURPOSE. it makes the world feel so lived in and complete, which attributes to why SO MANY people have fallen in love with it and have been inspired by furudate's work regardless if they even like/play volleyball because the lessons and messages being presented can be applied to just about anything in life
and the best part is that it DOESN'T EVEN NEED TO BE COMPLEX. as much as i am a sucker for deeply layered characters filled with intricate lore and complicated pasts that shape their morally gray actions, you also can't beat something that is simple and done well, which in this case arguably benefits to haikyuu more since it's a story that's grounded in reality. while yachi isn't a standout ace on the girl's volleyball team that shoots lasers out of her eyes to avenge her dead parents, NEITHER DOES THE AVERAGE READER OF HAIKYUU.
but i'm sure everyone out there has experienced moments of self doubt, awkwardness, hesitation, excitement, (illogical) fear and more which are all traits that can be found in yachi
yachi refers to herself as "townsperson b" which is a role that is so insignificant it doesn't even have an actual name. showing how feels like she's just someone in the background compared to the "main characters" - something i'm sure lots of people have felt before. which is what makes her more relatable to the viewer and shows that even if you have these traits or feel these feelings, it doesn't mean you can't make a difference or that you should let them stop you from stepping out of your comfort zone. once again showing that (even though it isn't easy) there is merit in putting so much care and love into what you create that even the smallest of characters can be inspiring to others (like how yachi was to me)
SO TLDR: yachi's seemingly small contributions ended up playing a major role in the over arching plot of karasuno's growth which ultimately proves furudate's philosophy of "you don't win alone" because if yachi wasn't here karasuno would still be struggling to gain funds for their away games, without her karsuno wouldn't have another manager, without her we would have never learnt anything about kiyoko, without her kagehina would have failed their midterms and never reached their full potential. without her, karsauno would not be what it is today.
WOW ANYWAY! that was long as hell. im aware this isn't the most well written analysis nor is it anything super life changing (I kinda feel like I'm stating the obvious for some of these lol) but as a yachi kinnie i got emotional after rewatching s2 and thus this word vomit was born. again this is my first time posting anything like this so if you think i've missed anything or would like to add more to this discussion please feel free to reblog and lmk!!!! i am sure that it will make me and the 20 other yachi fans out there very happy <3
