Hi! It’s Annie!
Keeping on with this series, I realized that I still hadn’t talked about the amazing characters from one of my favorite animes of all time! ‘Haikyuu!!’ is widely agreed to be one of the best animes out there and definitely the best sports anime to come out in a while. And while this anime makes volleyball interesting and thrilling; the real standout from this anime has to be the characters. The character development in ‘Haikyuu!!’ is generally unmatched in anything, not just anime. The show really takes its time developing each character, which makes it so that there’s a lot to go off of here! Not to mention that there are quite a few characters to go through this time. I’m not going to go through every character in ‘Haikyuu!!’, only the members of the Karasuno team. And I’m probably not even going to go over every single member of the Karasuno team. But even with that, there’s plenty to go through. This is your MAJOR SPOILER WARNING! I will be going into some backstory details, so if you haven’t watched it already I would highly recommend you go and do that! I promise, you will not regret watching it! I’m currently half way through my second time watching everything of the series that’s out so far. It’s that good.
Hinata:
He’s almost the smallest on the team. Almost. But he’s the highest jumper and the most determined on the team. Hinata has loved volleyball since he saw someone of a similar height playing and has gone through a lot to practice and play the sport. Including putting his own team together at one point. His determination and hard work are some of the most prevalent of the team. But it’s really difficult for me to make a clear call on whether or not he’s dateable. He seems pretty married to the game on one hand, and on the other hand he does act pretty childish at times. In fact, he’s definitely the most childish on the team, so much so that Tsukishima refers to him as the team’s “feral child” on a few occasions. Though he has a lot of good qualities, I think I’m leaning towards saying that he’s too childish to be really dateable.
Kageyama:
Another one of the most determined on the team and the integral second part of the dynamic duo. He’s a setter, and because of that he often has to be the most reliable member of the team. He’s generally very logical and a quick thinker, which makes him even more reliable and observant in his position. But I think similarly to Hinata with him, in that he’s not really mature. Though he is also hard working, he’s quick to anger. And having a boyfriend with anger issues just doesn’t sound like the most ideal situation you could be in. Though by the time the show ends he has this more under control; like Hinata, I think he has some more maturing to go before he gets to a dateable point. But also like Hinata; I think he can get there someday soon.
Daichi:
The team Captain is always on top of things. He keeps track of everyone else and is excellent at keeping team morale high. The general Dad of the group; he keeps the more energetic members reeled in and helps the shy members out of their shells. He’s also very high strung, completely anxious, and always on the look out to improve. All things that I personally find relatable. And I don’t think it would surprise anyone if I said that Daichi was totally dateable and, in fact, one of the most dateable on the team. It helps that he’s a third year whereas Hinata and Kageyama are both first years. Daichi already has the maturity needed to be a great boyfriend, and on top of that he also has an incredible amount of responsibility just being the team Captain. Daichi would be the absolute best and most attentive boyfriend. Truly the type to remember every last detail and probably is nervous about every date because he has so much planned and wants it to be perfect.
Tsukishima:
The tall middle blocker on the team, though he’s younger than he looks. And don’t you dare call him Mister Vanilla because he’s anything but. Tsukishima has a certain dry sense of humor that’s always hilarious and a sharp wit to match. His wit just shows you how smart he is, which is often what makes him such an effective middle blocker. He can see what moves opposing players will make just by a flick of their eyes. But his observant nature doesn’t necessarily make him a good boyfriend. I am, again, going to group him in with Hinata and Kageyama here. He has all the potential to be one, but he probably needs a little more time. He’s cynical in his way of viewing the world, mostly due to disappointments he’s had in the past. He probably needs a little more time to learn to trust and appreciate the people around him more.
Nishinoya:
Now we get to the shortest member on the team. Nishinoya may be a little short, but he packs a punch. Not only is he well accepted among the other members of the team to be one of the coolest people on the team, he also has an energy that can’t be outmatched. Only the libero is this skilled at spotting and defending everyone at once. He’s the guy that always has your back. Which is why I also think that Nishinoya would make a great boyfriend. While he may be far too enthusiastic about dating sometimes (and probably needs to tone it down other times), he’s reliable when it counts. There’s also something to be said about the way he and Tanaka protect their female managers from creeps on other teams. He would be the type of boyfriend who would resent being shorter than you, but he’d care about that for about two seconds until he remembered he was dating someone again. Definitely the type to always be happy that you’re there.
Tanaka:
I can’t really talk about one of the chaotic goofs on the team without then talking about the other. Tanaka is straight up hilarious. There’s not much to say other than that. He’s just completely funny all the time. And part of that makes him the biggest morale boost to the group other than Daichi. He’s constantly caring for, protecting, and hyping up every other person on the team while simultaneously making them laugh. I seriously don’t know why Tanaka’s such an underrated character, because he’s one of my favorites. He’s quick to help out anyone and the first to take all of the first years under his wing. He may be chaotic, but he would be the best boyfriend. Again, like Nishinoya, he can be too enthusiastic. But he would be the type to suddenly appear whenever you need help with anything. He would be there in a heart beat. He would also be the best hype man.
Sugawara:
While Daichi is the Dad of the group, the role of Mom is usually filled by Suga. While he’s not always a hype man, he does show his caring nature the most. He may not always be on the court, but that’s ok with him because he wants what’s best for the team. He might not be Captain, but he’s certainly going to care for everyone else like he is. I don’t think it needs saying that Sugawara would be a great boyfriend. He would be incredibly attentive, probably constantly worrying about you, and the best shoulder to cry on. But he would be absolutely willing to call you out on your bullshit if that needed to happen. He’s good at that too.
Asahi:
The ace of the team and one of the most aggressive spikers on the court. Off the court, not so much. Asahi has been described as the opposite of Nishinoya. While Nishinoya is short but powerful; Asahi is tall but a little bit cowardly. Asahi is easily scared and often swayed towards nervousness. But that doesn’t really happen when it counts. Especially as the series goes on, he becomes fearless on the court. Even if he’s still probably not all that fearless off of the court. I think Asahi would be a great boyfriend, especially considering the way he stands up for Kiyoko and criticizes the way other people talk about her. Asahi would need a lot of assurance when it comes to a lot and don’t expect him to kill that spider for you. But he would be sweet, thoughtful, and reliable when it really counted.
Yamaguchi:
Though we don’t see a lot from him other than the fact that he’s really good friends with Tsukishima, we often see him be really sweet. He’s adorable and has the friendliest disposition when he’s not shy. And he has a wicked serve once he really figures out how to do it. But, like the other members his age, he probably has a little more maturing to do before he becomes dateable. Yamaguchi doesn’t really have much in the way of self confidence and it takes him a little bit to find any, but even where he is in the series now he probably still has a little bit to go. But just like all the other first years, he’s also almost there.
There you have it! I had a really difficult time not putting all of them as dateable for this one and had to find a bit more to go off of so that I would have some different decisions. But it’s still so difficult! All of these boys are the absolute best and deserve the world! I know there’s a lot more where this came from when it comes to ‘Haikyuu!!’ characters and I may consider doing a second part to this post in the future. Nekoma would be a good place to start. But for now, I just wanted to stick with our main team. And seriously, go and watch this anime if for some reason you haven’t already. Even if you don’t generally enjoy sports, like me. This anime has the ability of making anyone interested, whether or not they enjoy the sport regularly.
See you across the pond!
Sincerely, Annie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 