"Haikyu!!" is a hugely popular manga series currently being serialized. It tells the story of high school boys' struggles as a volleyball club member. It's so popular that it's been adapted into various forms, including anime and stage plays. The fourth season of "Haikyu!!" is scheduled to air in 2020, and the series is gaining in popularity. The series features many unique characters, all of whom are incredibly cool and wonderful. In this article, we'll introduce a ranking of the most popular supporting characters in "Haikyu!!"! Did your favorite character make the list? Let's take a look!
Supporting Character Popularity Ranking: No. 1: Oikawa Tooru
He's incredibly popular! First up, taking the number one spot is Oikawa Tooru. The prince of Aoba Johsai High School, he has a sweet look and a powerful serve, making him a popular character among women. He's even said to be skilled enough to surpass the genius Kageyama Tobio! He can toss the ball to suit any opponent. Incidentally, he was Kageyama's senior in middle school, and Kageyama apparently learned to block and serve by watching Oikawa. His movements are genius, but he says they're the result of the hard work of an ordinary person, which is also cool.
What's his personality like?
He has a playful personality and a sweet face, making him popular with the girls. He's always flirting with the girls, which gets him scolded by Iwaizumi, but during games, he's so charismatic that he can change the team's atmosphere with just a word. Kageyama says he likes to stir things up and has a bad personality. Hinata also calls him "The Great King," referring to him as a senior whom Kageyama, known as the "King of the Court," fears.
Sub-Character Popularity Ranking: No. 2 - Nishinoya Yuu
Next up on the sub-character popularity ranking is Nishinoya Yuu, a second-year student at Karasuno High School. He also enjoys passionate support from fans and consistently ranks highly in popularity polls. He is the shortest character of all, standing just 160 cm tall! His position is libero, and he is known as Karasuno's "guardian deity," specializing in receiving. His exceptional reflexes and instincts make him a "genius libero," and he has an unparalleled passion for libero.
What kind of character is he?
By the time our protagonists Hinata and Kageyama joined the team, Nishinoya was serving a one-week suspension and a one-month ban from club activities. He graduated from Chidoriyama Junior High School and was such an accomplished player that he won the Best Libero Award at the time. However, he was a bit of an oddball, not even considering attending a strong school, instead enrolling at Karasuno High School for reasons such as "it's close to my house," "the girls' uniforms are cute," and "the boys' uniforms are black school uniforms."
It's so noisy! However, as a child...
Oikawa is so boisterous that he's been likened to a "guerrilla downpour." He also gets carried away when flattered. His spinning receive, "Rolling Thunder," is his special move, and Hinata admires it. He always wears a T-shirt with a four-character idiom logo, and it seems he has a wide repertoire. It's hard to imagine now, but he was apparently quite timid as a child. However, inspired by his grandfather's words, "It's a waste to give up without understanding," he seems to have overcome his timid nature. It's surprising, isn't it?
Sub-Character Popularity Ranking: 3rd Place: Kuroo Tetsuro
Next up in third place on the sub-character popularity ranking is Kuroo Tetsuro. He is a third-year student and captain of the Nekoma High School volleyball team, playing as a middle blocker. He is highly regarded for his jump serves, spikes, and receiving skills. He is also known for his mastery of lead blocks. Furthermore, he possesses the sense of responsibility that a captain needs to lead his teammates, earning him the trust of his teammates. He also has a caring side, offering advice to his juniors, Haibane and even Tsukishima from Karasuno High School. Many people seem to be drawn to his friendly and caring side, despite his appearance! Not only is he a reliable senior, but he also has a wonderful passion for volleyball! This makes him a popular character among women.
Popularity Ranking of Sub-Characters: 4th Place: Akaashi Keiji
He's also quite popular among the sub-characters! His calm and cool demeanor seems to attract many female fans! Akaashi Keiji is a second-year student at Fukurodani Academy High School, and an excellent player who serves as vice-captain despite being only a second-year. His position is setter (S), and his birthday is December 5th. He has a cool personality and is always the one to deal with Bokuto and Kuroo's pranks and jokes. Sometimes he makes stern and accurate remarks, and sometimes he just ignores them... Although he is younger than them, he seems to know how to handle them. However, he is by no means cold, and when it comes to matches, he suddenly becomes passionate, which is a nice contrast to his personality.
The lethargic setter!
That said, Akaashi is basically a lethargic guy. However, he sometimes displays a tsundere-like behavior, which seems to resonate with female fans. As expected of a second-year student who was selected as vice-captain, he has impeccable skills. We can't wait to see what happens next!
Sub-Character Popularity Ranking: 5th Place: Kozume Kenma
Next up in 5th place is Kozume Kenma. He's also incredibly popular! He's a boy with a black, pudding-like head and cat-like eyes. He's always low-key and listless, his hobbies are gaming, and his favorite food is apple pie. He's a student at Nekoma High School. While he's not particularly good at sports, Kuroo calls him "the spine, brain, and heart of Nekoma"! It's clear that he's a very important member of the team. He has a keen eye for observation, predicting his opponent's moves and devising countermeasures as if it were a game. He says he doesn't actually love volleyball itself, but continues playing because "it bothers my friends." This "friend" is likely Kuroo.
Why does he have a pudding-shaped head?
When you look at Kenma, one thing that always catches your eye is his pudding-shaped head. It all started with something Yamamoto said to him. Kenma didn't want to stand out, so he styled his hair with long black bangs that hid his face, but Yamamoto told him it made him stand out more. Kenma chose the wrong approach to stand out, and ended up dyeing his hair blonde to make him stand out even more. Apparently, he didn't bother to re-dye his hair, so he left it, resulting in his pudding-shaped hair. Pudding-shaped hair is rare and refreshing for an anime character!
Popularity Ranking of Sub-Characters: 6th Place: Akira Kunimi
Next up in 6th place is Akira Kunimi. He's known for his center-parted black hair. He's a first-year student at Aoba Johsai High School, and actually Kageyama's former teammate! That's why he appears in the first episode. Naturally, he's one of the characters who doesn't like Kageyama. Kuroo is generally listless and lethargic, and even back then, he didn't show much motivation, not even following the ball to the end, which led to Kageyama scolding him. Even now, he doesn't seem to practice seriously or get fired up for matches. However, there's a reason for this: he conserves his energy. "Efficiency, fuel economy, and constant calmness" are his strengths, and Oikawa saw through them. He's a naturally talented player, so it's no surprise that he's a regular player at Aoba Johsai, a powerhouse volleyball school, despite only being a first-year.
【Haikyu!!】Sub-Character Popularity Ranking Summary!
That concludes the "Haikyu!!" sub-character popularity ranking. One of the great things about "Haikyu!!" is that not only the main characters but also the supporting characters are appealing. I'm looking forward to seeing their exploits in the fourth season of the anime!
