Haikyu!! is a hugely popular volleyball manga currently being serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. The story centers around protagonist Hinata Shoyo, who excels at sports but has almost no competitive experience, and Kageyama Tobio, a volleyball genius but setter with a difficult personality. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the impact that Kageyama Tobio's participation in the All-Japan Youth Training Camp had on him!
What is the All-Japan Youth Training Camp?
The "All-Japan Youth Training Camp" is a training camp for candidates to select members for the Japan Under-19 National Team, known as the "All-Japan Youth." In other words, the camp selects the strongest players among 15- and 16-year-olds from across Japan! From this group, the team that will represent Japan and compete against world champions two to three years from now will be selected. The camp will be held at the Ajinomoto National Training Center in Tokyo, where current Olympic athletes train! It really feels like Kageyama is finally becoming an incredible player!
A quick introduction to the youth team members!
Now, let's take a quick look at the players who were called up for this amazing training camp! They will likely appear in Season 4 of the anime, so be sure to check it out.
Kageyama Tobio of Karasuno High School
■Height: 181.9 cm ■Weight: 66.3 kg ■Position: S (Setter)
Kageyama Tobio is the other main character of "Haikyu!!," needless to say. Despite his genius volleyball talent and ambition, he lacks communication skills, and despite being called a "genius," his talents never fully blossomed until high school. However, when it comes to volleyball, he boasts superb specs, capable of precise tossing and spiking the ball perfectly.
Itachiyama High School - Sakusa Kiyoomi
■Position: WS (Wing Spiker)
Sakusa is one of the "top three spikers in Japan" and is the only second-year student. Nicknamed "Kanto's Sakusa," his name is known nationwide. Since details of his matches are not revealed in the story, his playing style remains a mystery. He is characterized by two moles lined up next to each other on his forehead and always wears a mask. His comments during training camp suggest he is a germaphobe.
Idatsuyama High School - Komori Motoya
■Position: Libero
Komori is a talented player, known as the "No. 1 high school libero." Even during youth training camp, Kageyama was impressed by his defensive skills and consideration for those around him. His kind nature is evident from the fact that he quickly stepped in to help the quirky Sakusa when he was picking on Kageyama. He has distinctive round eyebrows.
Kamomedai High School - Hoshiumi Kourai
■Height: 169.2 cm ■Weight: 61.7 kg ■Position: WS (Wing Spiker)
Hoshiumi is an all-around player who makes up for his short stature with skill, truly a modern-day "little giant." Even Kageyama was surprised that he outjumped Hinata during training camp. He famously said, "Being small may be a disadvantage in volleyball, but it doesn't mean you can't do it."
Inarizaki High School - Miya Atsumu
■Height: 183.6 cm ■Weight: 73.3 kg ■Position: S (Setter)
Miya Atsumu is known as the "No. 1 high school setter." He actually has a twin brother, Miya Osamu, who also plays at wrestling, and they are known as the "Miya Twins." Their coordinated attacks, combined with the ability of Osamu to follow up even when Yuu is held back, make this a formidable duo for opponents.
Shinzen High School - Chigaya Eikichi
■Height: 193.2 cm ■Weight: 78.5 kg ■Position: Middle Blocker (MB)
Chigaya is a left-handed blocker with excellent adaptability. Even during the training camp at Shinzen High School that Karasuno participated in before the Spring High School Volleyball Preliminaries, he was able to keep up with the unconventional fast breaker in the second half. He joins Kageyama at the youth training camp. Kageyama calls him "Broccoli No. 2."
Kageyama finds himself entangled with a quirky youth member...
Unfortunately, Kageyama isn't the smartest guy. His advisor, Mr. Takeda, wrote him detailed directions to the venue, and he made it there safely. However, there, a group of eccentric members awaited him... That said, Kageyama is quite the eccentric, so let's take a look at the daily lives of these eccentrics, who may seem intimidating to outsiders.
He's being approached by Sakusa from Itabashi...
Sakusa highly values Ushijima Wakatoshi, who, like himself, is considered one of the "Top Three Aces in the Nation," and he's curious about Karasuno, who defeated him to advance to the national tournament. Then, at dinner, he suddenly snapped at Kageyama, "Hey, why did Shiratorizawa lose? Was Wakatoshi-kun in poor form?" He continued to bombard Kageyama with questions like, "So why did you lose? What tactics did you use?" Furumori, who is in the same school, stepped in to stop the situation and calmed it down.
But Kageyama remained unfazed, saying, "Sakusa-san hasn't gone all out yet, has she? I thought you were more normal than I imagined." Furumori burst out laughing at this, but Chikadani, who was eating next to Kageyama, seemed uneasy inside.
The "Little Giant" Seikai mysteriously pointed out to him, "Be surprised!"
Kageyama was stretching after a youth training camp practice when Hoshiumi suddenly called out from behind, "Hey, have you seen me before?" When Kageyama replied, "No," Hoshiumi mysteriously pointed out, "Then be more scared! Be more surprised! You've been making that 'eh' look on your face since the first time you saw me!" Kageyama replied, "I'm scared, but it helps," leaving Hoshiumi speechless. And once again, Chikaya, who was standing next to Kageyama, was muttering to himself, "Somehow this guy is a pain too."...
Miya Atsumu's comment, "Your play is pretty good, isn't it?", became a source of worry for Kageyama.
Right after Kageyama was confronted by Seikai, Miya Atsumu stepped in. "By the way, Tobio, you gave off quite a harsh first impression, but your play is pretty good, isn't it?" Kageyama was annoyed by these words, but they stuck with him and influenced him for a long time.
Two Things Kageyama Learned at This Training Camp
At the All-Japan Youth Training Camp, Kageyama practiced match-style drills and shuffled positions. He learned two key lessons from watching the high-level play of skilled players. Here are two of them.
Receiving with the Next Move in Mind
First, let's look at Komori's "receiving without interfering with the attack." As the No. 1 libero in high school, Komori's receiving technique is completely free of unnecessary movement. Not only that, but he even moved immediately after receiving the ball so as not to impede the spiker's run-up! Kageyama noticed this immediately and shared it with libero Nishinoya after returning to Karasuno.
How to Truely Jump
Next, let's look at Hoshiumi's jumping technique. When spiking, he takes off with incredible force. It's hard to put into words, but Kageyama felt it was completely different from the jumps he usually sees in Hinata. After returning home, he explained this to Hinata with the unfortunate onomatopoeia, "A great jump is a 'thump'."
Kageyama and the All-Japan Youth Training Camp
Kageyama was inspired by spending time with high-level players at the youth training camp. Immediately after returning to Karasuno, he became frustrated by the "level difference." However, he overcame that frustration and will now compete in the national tournament. It will be interesting to see how well Kageyama performs!
