Why Haikyu!! Is More Than Just a Sports Anime

Haikyu!! is often considered the greatest sports anime of all time. While other sports anime struggle to find a footing, Haikyu!! manages to not only excel in its particular genre but also compete with other popular shows from different genres. Following the life of high-school students and their love for volleyball, Haikyu!! builds into a realistic and inspiring tale.

Haikyu!! starts with Shoyo Hinata, a young boy who aspires to play volleyball but is obstructed by a lack of passionate teammates. Once he joins Karasuno High, he meets allies who are equally skilled and passionate about the sport. But the anime turns into a story beyond sports.

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Haikyuu!!: The Evolution of Teamwork in Karasuno

Through trust, communication, and perseverance, Karasuno learns that true strength lies not in individual talent but in a collective effort.

Why Do Sports Anime Often Fail?

Anime is known for its over-the-top world-building and charismatic characters with supernatural abilities. Even the simplest of plots include fantastical elements in one way or another. But the same can not be done so easily in sports anime. The genre draws inspiration from real life and often requires to be realistic.

Popular sports anime like Koruko’s Basket have tried to implement the inclusion of supernatural abilities. While this might please some viewers, many find it defeating the purpose of sports, it drives the anime closer towards fantasy. It creates a situation where the anime is stuck between realism and fantasy, which often results in an underwhelming experience.

But adapting sports realistically is not an easy feat either. Sports can only be dramatized to a certain extent while needing to keep things real. Animating scenes from the actual match is another challenge. Every sport has different aspects that it holds important. An anime dealing with basketball would want to emphasize the significance of a good pass, while one dealing with boxing would want to highlight the impact of a punch. Anime like Slam Dunk and Tomorrow’s Joe did it in the past, but modern anime struggles to replicate the same.

Lastly, another major concern for sports anime is not being able to offer much beyond sports. Many sports anime fulfill their purpose of depicting the sport, but they often fail to give us elements that are valuable beyond sports.

Haikyu!!: Representing Sports and Beyond

Haikyu!! manages to tackle all the mentioned limitations of sports in anime. It creates characters and narratives that go beyond sports. All the characters are multidimensional, teaching various values that are not only applicable to sports but life in general. The animation also perfectly captures the intensity of the moment with the right angles and perspectives. Haikyu!! not only manages to be complete as a sports anime, but it does it in a way that allows it to feel much greater.

Every character has a story to tell

One of the most beautiful things about Haikyu!! is its ability to give most of its characters a moment to shine. Main characters like Hinata and Kageyama lead the premise with their own stories. Hinata, despite his limitations, does not fear to face even the strongest opponents. Time after time, his resilience not only inspires his allies but also his opponents. He represents passion and hard work. Meanwhile, Kageyama is considered a prodigy, so being at the top would seem effortless for him. But despite his talent, he finds himself unable to deliver his best for the team. His character represents the importance of teamwork and the journey of a lone prodigy to an outstanding team player.

Even comparatively minor characters like Yamaguchi have a story to tell. We only see him in action momentarily when making serves, but even those small moments add immensely to the team’s progress. He represents the importance of being able to stand up to one’s worth, even if it is just for a moment. Similarly, every character, big or small, holds their own significance.

Visual Representation Uplifts Realism

Haikyu!!‘s realism is commendable. Every character goes through a journey of victory and loss. Karasuno, even when they seemed invincible, lost. Even the best players are not portrayed as perfect. Unusual elements like Hinata’s ability to jump extremely high don’t seem unrealistic and are justified by his passion and resilience.

The anime further enhances this realism by the use of visual representations. Hinata’s jumping is compared to flying, which not only depicts him reaching the ball but also his dreams. The match between Karasuno and Nekoma is visualized as a battle between crows and cats. During the match we also see Kenma’s tactics being visualized as a birdcage for Hinata.

Morals beyond Volleyball

The morals and values that Haikyu!! teaches are universally applicable. It does not limit itself to just sports, it shows friendship, loyalty, and rivalry similar to how any other successful shonen would. Haikyu!! doesn’t feel like a story about volleyball but instead a story of young men chasing their dreams, and that dream just happens to be volleyball. Therefore, the show is so appealing to fans, whether they like sports or not.

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Which Team is Your Favorite in Haikyuu!! & Why?

My favorite teams would have to be Johzenji and Aoba Johsai. I love Johzenji’s party-like team spirit and boisterous gameplay focused on fun, while Aoba Johsai has some great rivalries with both Karasuno and Shiratorizawa. Plus, their signature ‘oooooooh’ when Oikawa Serves is the perfect subtle sound effect to build hype for the team. A close third place would have to go to Fukurodani, though, simply because Bokuto’s antics are endlessly entertaining.

Haikyu!! has truly transcended the sports genre. Its characterization and animation allow it not only to be a great sports anime but also a great shonen anime.

Haikyu!! is currently available to watch on Netflix and Crunchyroll.

Haikyuu!!

Release Date

April 5, 2014

• 

  Ayumu Murase

  Shoyo Hinata

• 

  Kaito Ishikawa

  Tobio Kageyama

• 

  Yu Hayashi

  Ryunosuke Tanaka

• 

  Satoshi Hino

  Daichi Sawamura