"Haikyu!!" is a hugely popular volleyball manga currently serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. It's a sports manga centered around the duo of protagonist Hinata Shoyo, who excels in physical ability but has almost no competitive experience until he enters high school, and genius setter Kageyama Tobio, who has a difficult personality. In this article, we'll introduce the participants of the All-Japan Youth Training Camp, which brought together future Japan National Team candidates, including Kageyama.
What is the All-Japan Youth Training Camp?
The All-Japan Youth Training Camp is, simply put, a training camp for selecting future Japan National Team candidates. Players selected for this camp will be selected for the All-Japan Youth team two years later. This means that these are Japan's most promising 15- and 16-year-olds, so just being selected is a tremendous honor!
Kageyama Tobio of Karasuno High School
■Height: 181.9 cm ■Weight: 66.3 kg ■Position: S (Setter) ■Uniform Number: 9
He has a mean look and a foul mouth...but his skills as a setter are unmatched. His keen observation skills and ability to grasp the situation allow him to instantly deliver accurate tosses. He's a genius, with both his receive and spikes hitting precisely where he's aimed, so much so that his seniors say, "Kageyama's high specs are infuriating."
Kageyama's pinpoint delivery and Hinata's exceptional explosiveness combine to create lightning-fast breaks, nicknamed the "eccentric break." While the two don't get along at all in private, they're like "partners" who bring out the best in each other.
Kageyama's nickname is "The King of the Court"!
Kageyama's nickname, "The King of the Court," sounds cool at first glance, but it's actually not a good one. This nickname was first given to Kageyama by his teammates at Kitagawa Daiichi, his alma mater, with the implication that he was "the king of arbitrary and selfish behavior." While the main player in a spike is supposed to be the spiker, Kageyama would even give instructions on how to attack with his toss. As a result, his stance of "Do as I tell you!" became so strong that none of his teammates could follow him.
Itachi High School - Kiyoomi Sakusa
■Height: 192 cm ■Position: Wing Spiker ■Unisex Jersey Number: 10
He's the only second-year student and one of the top three spikers in the country. He's nicknamed "Kanto's Sakusa." He's known for his curly hair and two moles lined up on his forehead. Itsukayama is said to be a strong team, but their games have never been shown in close-up, so Sakuya's playing style is a mystery.He highly values Ushijima Wakatoshi, who is also ranked in the top three in the country, and is puzzled by the fact that Shiratorizawa Academy, led by Ushijima, was defeated by Karasuno in the national qualifiers, which is why he confronts Kageyama at training camp.
He also wears a mask during training camp and says he takes a bath before other people's germs get on him, suggesting he's a germ freak. Komori, who was selected for the youth training camp along with Sakusa, describes his personality as "extremely negative," but says he's "cautious."
Itachi High School - Komori Motoya
■Height: 180 cm ■Position: Li (Libero) ■Uniform Number: 13
Although tall, Komori is known as the "No. 1 Libero in high school." Like Sakusa, there is little information about him as his game details have not been released. However, at the youth training camp, he appears to be quite aware of his surroundings, as he was careful not to get in the way of the spiker and made efficient receives. He is also a sociable, sensible person, as seen when he supported Sakusa when she rudely confronted him during training camp. He is characterized by his round eyebrows.
Inarizaki High School - Miya Atsumu
■Height: 183.6 cm ■Weight: 73.3 kg ■Position: Setter ■Uniform Number: 7
He's a talented setter, known as the "No. 1 high school setter." Like Kageyama, he's able to adapt quickly and flexibly, so in the match against Karasuno, he and his twin brother, Osamu, imitated the "weirdo quick attack." Incidentally, Osamu is a WS (wing spiker). The two's synchronized play is the key to Inarizaki High School's offense, earning them the nickname "Miya Twins." While they share the same face, an easy way to tell them apart is by the parting of their hair, with Yu on the left and Osamu on the right.
Miya Atsumu's Specs Are Over the Top!
Yuu is so high-spec that Karasuno's "Souyaka-kun" Sugawara calls him "the problem of over-spec"! First of all, he's handsome, and he's so popular that girls hold fans and cheer him on. In volleyball, he not only has accurate tossing skills, but he's also a big server who gives Nishinoya a hard time, and he's a master of both spike serves and jump floater serves. He's such a talented player that he's even been featured in a magazine. He even speaks in Kansai dialect, has twins, and even has a perfect character!
Kamomedai High School - Hoshiumi Kourai
■Height: 169.2 cm ■Weight: 61.7 kg ■Position: WS (Wing Spiker) ■Uniform Number: 5
He's a "Little Giant" who even Hinata admires. Despite his small stature, he's a great point scorer. He's known for his slicked-back, spiked hairstyle. From the moment Kageyama saw Hinata at youth training camp, he knew he could jump higher than her, and even used Hoshiumi as a model to give Hinata advice on how to jump. He's well aware of his own weaknesses, and once famously said, "Being small may be a disadvantage in volleyball, but it doesn't mean you can't do it."
The emotional, playful Hoshiumi's recent worries are...
Hoshiumi is a very emotional person, telling Kageyama at youth training camp, "Look at me and be more scared," and getting carried away by Hinata's natural flattery. He wants people to be amazed at his high level of play despite his small size, but he's worried that recently fewer people are underestimating him. It's no wonder that Morizen's Chikadani thinks he's "annoying." Incidentally, he's very conscious of Hinata, who is also small but has great flying ability.
Shinzen High School - Chigaya Eikichi
■Height: 193.2 cm ■Weight: 78.5 kg ■Position: MB (Middle Blocker) ■Uniform Number: 7
Kageyama calls him "Broccoli No. 2." During Karasuno High School's training camp with the Fukurodani Academy group, he showed such high adaptability that he was able to keep up with the "weird quick attack" on his first try. Incidentally, he is one of the few left-handed players. During the youth training camp, Chigaya talks to Kageyama, whom he recognizes from the camp, and they hang out together, but he has trouble figuring out what he's thinking. He seems to be a sensible person, as he was intimidated by Kageyama's rude remarks to the strange-looking Sakusa.
All-Japan Youth Training Camp Member Summary
This time, we've introduced the members of the All-Japan Youth Training Camp, a gathering of promising young players from "Haikyu!!" What did you think? By the way, some of you may be wondering, "Why aren't Ushijima and Kiryu, who are among the top three players in the country, included?" However, since they are third-year students, they are not included in this youth team. Ushijima was selected for the youth team a year ago. We are looking forward to seeing what these promising players do in the future!
