Why is an Oikawa Tooru? (And So Can You!)

An essay about Oikawa Tooru

Notes:
Title shamelessly adapted from this YouTube video.
Insights were drawn from friends, the subreddit (and discord chat) and these links:

Naturally, after I finished this analysis, I found that some other people had also written great analyses of Seijoh and Oikawa, so here are some other recommended readings:

 

SPOILERS ARE AHEAD. You have been warned.
There are spoilers up to and including anime episode S2E25 (end of season 2) and manga chapter 149, with optional spoilers to manga chapter 189.
This document is coded so that you can read this even if you have only watched the anime (up to and including the end of season 2). If you have read the manga up to and including chapter 189, there are some extra paragraphs that contain content that is yet to be animated. Outside these marked regions, there are some allusions to content yet to be animated without being explicit so you may want to be careful if you're an anime watcher only.

Use the links below to toggle all hide-able spoilers (note that this is only for spoilers regarding events yet to be animated).

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Oikawa Tooru is a character from the private school of Aoba Johsai (Seijoh) in the fictional Haikyuu!! universe. When he first appears, he is the powerful setter and server that has many fans, presumably drawn to him by his appearance and possibly also his volleyball skill. In this essay, I will describe Oikawa's character, outlining what I believe are the reasons why he is popular, his antagonism, and also explore his relationships with a few key characters. I will also analyse some implications of the narrative purpose of Seijoh's matches against Karasuno.

This essay is in several parts:

  1. Who is this Oikawa fellow?
    An introduction to Oikawa and his major character traits.
  2. The rise of the Grand King
    How Oikawa is built up as a powerful player in the first two Seijoh vs Karasuno matches.
  3. More of a 'grr' kind of guy
    Oikawa as an antagonist.
  4. The Grand King and the plain old regular King
    Oikawa and Kageyama, and their interactions.
  5. Iwa-chan~
    Oikawa and Iwaizumi (and a bit about the other Seijoh third years).
  6. Spring forward
    The Spring High Seijoh vs Karasuno match.

Most references to events will be provided in terms of the anime episode. Episode names and full character names (family name followed by first name) are written in full the first time they appear. Thereafter, episodes will be referenced in a S#E# manner and characters will be referred to by their most commonly used name in the series.

 

 

Part 1: Who is this Oikawa fellow?

I'm assuming that if you made it this far, you know who Oikawa Tooru is. He's the captain of the Aoba Johsai Volleyball Club (for simplicity's sake, I will refer to them as Seijoh), one of the top four schools in the Miyagi prefecture. In this introductory section, I will outline his basic character traits and his relationships with other characters.

The very first glimpse that we see of Oikawa in the anime is in Kageyama Tobio's memories in S1E5 A Coward's Anxiety. In the short few seconds, we see only his back as Kageyama thinks about the day ahead (we can assume it is Oikawa from the hair and the Kitagawa Daiichi uniform). I will explore the relationship between Oikawa and Kageyama further in part 4, but for now, this image makes Oikawa seem ominous. He is someone from Kageyama's past - and is someone to look out for.

Oikawa as a character is intended to be pretty, and, superficially, Oikawa is a popular character because he is aesthetically pleasing. Before we see Oikawa's face for the first time in S1E6 An Interesting Team, we hear girls screaming in the background. It is made clear that some of them are watching specifically because he is playing, and as they don't seem to know a great deal about volleyball, we can assume that they're there for Oikawa's looks. This trend continues when he talks to a number of girls before the Interhigh tournament in S1E15 Revival. Oikawa is implied to take great pride in the way he looks, and this has garnered him fans. We are led to believe that many of his fangirls act in that manner because of his appearance alone.

Oikawa's talents at volleyball and his ability to draw any spiker to their full potential is well recognised in the series. Aside from winning the best setter award in middle school, his ability is recognised by Kageyama, who is arguably a technically superior player (S2E14 Still Growing). Kageyama admits that he "may never be able to beat Oikawa-san", and says that it "didn't matter if he [Oikawa] disliked the player, or if the player had certain habits … [Oikawa] could use them freely." Even Ushijima Wakatoshi recognises Oikawa's talent, as he says that "Oikawa is a setter that can bring the absolute best out of his team" (S2E1 Let's Go To Tokyo!!). By Oikawa's own admission, he wants Kyoutani Kentarou to later recognise what a privilege it had been to play together, despite the latter's irritation with him (S2E14).

Despite this, Oikawa has an inferiority complex. It manifests as his hatred for Ushijima and Kageyama. During his flashback in S2E24 The Absolute Limit Switch, it can be inferred that he used to blame others for his not being a genius. This leads onto the sentiment later in the episode that "talent is something you make bloom. Instinct is something you polish", one of his most iconic lines. We know that the Oikawa that is a third year at Seijoh is a team player, but still harbours a deep dislike of Kageyama and Ushijima.

His inferiority complex is reflected in his actions in two main ways: first, he presents himself as arrogant and overconfident, and second, he overworks himself in order to back up the confident mask. After he makes the realisation that a team is stronger than an individual, he becomes both a servant and a leader for his team. He is a servant in the sense that he feels great responsibility for his team's performance, acting as a consummate team player, adjusting to the spiker (in direct opposition to when we first meet Kageyama). As a leader, he has a habit of taking responsibility for the team's fate onto his shoulders. This is seen through his late-night preparation the night before their Interhigh match against Karasuno. It's expected that as the team's attack axis, he should be willing to work hard to read the opposition and set up the perfect attack and ensure his team has confidence in him. But the effort that Oikawa puts in is above and beyond what is expected of him, to the point of overworking himself. According to S1E22 Evolution, this was catalysed by his panic over Kageyama overtaking him, compounded by his drive to beat Ushijima.

What is interesting to note here is that Oikawa is a highly talented sportsperson, who is a good all-around athlete (S1E22). Although he is a brilliant setter, he could do well for himself in almost any other position.

Oikawa is initially shown to be quite flippant, as evidenced by his use of pet and first names. His comments are deliberately provocative, with Kageyama specifically saying that Oikawa is worse than Tsukishima Kei (S1E7 Versus the Great King). Oikawa may light-heartedly joke, but it's easy to see that as soon as he walks onto the court, he's ready to give Karasuno hell. In S2E18 The Losers, he deliberately riles up Datekou. His motivation for doing this is unclear, although Kageyama in S1E7 saying that "agitating others is like a hobby to him" suggests that isn't a new behaviour.

From the very start, Oikawa is painted as a talented volleyball player, Kageyama's superior in both years and skill. In addition to admirers of his volleyball skill, he also has admirers of his looks. But there is another side to his character, one that is jealous of Kageyama and Ushijima's talent, backed by a habit of working hard and taking this to extremes. This is the foundation upon which Part 2 will build.

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Part 2: The rise of the Grand King

The Grand King Oikawa is kind of a scary fellow. He serves as a benchmark for player's abilities for much of the series so far. Why? That is the question that I want to address in this section. I will also discuss what I see as the reasons for the outcomes of the first two matches that Karasuno and Seijoh play (the third match will be discussed in Part 6: Spring forward).

Seijoh's matches against Karasuno have a distinct narrative purpose. The first match that is played by the teams is the practise match. For much of the game, both teams are not performing to their maximum ability - Seijoh is missing Oikawa, and Karasuno is missing its ace and libero. This loss is supposed to show that the teams without their experienced and specialised players are evenly matched, with Karasuno having a slight edge due to their surprise quick. But the glimpse of the raw power and control that Oikawa has is what sets the tone for their next interaction. In a way, the whole point of the first Seijoh match is to introduce Oikawa as the setter, and show how important he, and by extension the position of setter, is to the function of the team.

It's worth mentioning here that the animosity built up between the two teams in this match is largely based on interactions between former Kitagawa Daiichi students. Kageyama, to them, is still the King of the Court, a setter who is nothing like the one that now plays for Karasuno. There is a whole other train of thought that this leads to, but for the sake of brevity, I will cut it short. Suffice to say that although Oikawa waltzes in and draws attention to himself close to the end of their first match, he is not the underlying cause of all of the tension in this match.

During this first match, we learn of Oikawa's powerful jump serve. In S1E7, Kageyama heaps on the praise, stating that Oikawa is a "super offensive setter" and that Kageyama learnt "how to serve and block by watching him". This is significant, as at this stage in the story Kageyama has one of the most powerful serves of any character. This is demonstrated as soon as Oikawa steps us to the line and unleashes three pinpoint jump serves in a row. He repeats this in their Interhigh match by aiming for Nishinoya Yuu (S1E20 Oikawa Tooru is not a Genius). In S2E24, an outsider remarks that Oikawa "is a monster" after watching him serve.

So when we see Karasuno and Seijoh play at the Interhigh, there are a two things that you are aware of. Firstly, Karasuno has improved greatly. They have had practice against Nekoma and they are once again in possession of their ace and libero. Secondly, the main obstacle standing between Karasuno and victory is Oikawa - his serve, but also his highly advanced skill at setting.

The win that Seijoh gets against Karasuno at the Interhigh is the first loss that you see Karasuno have at an important competition. Aside from losses against Nekoma, Karasuno is relatively immune to losing at this point in the story. It is interesting to note that the losses at the practise matches against Nekoma don't feel shocking to the audience. This is possibly because Nekoma, despite being rivals with Karasuno, are seen as friendly but powerful, unlike the openly antagonistic tone that Oikawa has taken. Furthermore, at the Interhigh, the Karasuno team is fresh off a victory against Datekou, who had been this spectre in the background. We never see that game, beyond brief impressions and flashbacks. But in the Seijoh vs Karasuno match, we know that Karasuno has beaten this team in the past, and they've just won against another strong school. Despite the hype leading up to the Interhigh match, the loss is not entirely unexpected. At some point, Karasuno will have to lose a match - this keeps the audience on edge and unsure of the outcome of future matches. So in some senses, this was an inevitable outcome.

But there's more to the Interhigh match than that: it serves to give Oikawa backstory. His losses to Ushijima during middle school and his subsequent strong emotional response to Kageyama serve as his motivations to continue improving. This is important because his work ethic is a key reason why Oikawa is so popular. His reasons for wanting to get better are quite different from a number of other characters, chiefly those from Karasuno, who are generally framed as wanting to get better so that they can spend more time on the court. Even though Hinata Shouyou professes he wants to get better to beat Kageyama, when he speaks to Sugawara Koushi in S1E3 The Formidable Ally, he says that his primary purpose for wanting to beat Kageyama is because he wants to prove that he isn't weak, that he can play against better opponents. I will discuss Oikawa's direct antagonism further in the Part 3.

It's also established that Oikawa is very smart, despite not being a genius, as suggested by the title of S1E20. He quickly figures out the code that the veterans of the Neighbourhood Association team could not (S1E18 Guarding Your Back) and communicates this to his team. Furthermore, Ukai Keishin notes several things that make Oikawa a great player. One of these is that the Seijoh team huddles are more player-based (S1E25 The Third Day), with little input from the coaches. This is a comment on the ability for Seijoh to devise counter moves on the fly, led by Oikawa and supported by the other third years. Another is his command of the game in S1E20, when Oikawa prevents Kageyama from setting. Oikawa is a brilliant strategist and tries to outwit his opponent as much as he outplays them.

The Seijoh win against Karasuno kills two birds with one stone - satisfying the sports anime trope of losing at the first major tournament, and also developing Oikawa as a character. Beyond that, this is the point of the story where hard work is explicitly favoured over natural talent. There are hints of this in the other team members of Karasuno and also Nekoma, but none of those characters have the overt character arc of working hard. Oikawa being on the winning team in this match vindicates his hard work, despite it being revealed by proxy that they lose to Shiratorizawa later in that tournament.

Oikawa goes from being a back of a head to being one of the most important characters, due to his power on the court. This is built up through the first two matches that Seijoh and Karasuno play, establishing himself as a benchmark for Kageyama to beat. The effect is to set up their third encounter on the court as a contest for the title of better setter.

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Part 3: More of a 'grr' kind of guy
(Yes, I am aware this quote refers to Kageyama. I thought it was appropriate here too.)

Oikawa Tooru is a major antagonist in Haikyuu!!. There, I said it. He, along with his team, represent an important step in the development of the Karasuno team. In this part, I will attempt to elucidate why that is, largely through the lens of the purpose that Oikawa and Seijoh serve in the story.

Oikawa spends a lot of time as the primary antagonist. There are three major antagonistic individuals introduced, in the following order: Kageyama, Oikawa, Ushijima. (One could consider the other teams antagonistic as well, but generally speaking these are individuals that Hinata strives to beat.) What is interesting to note is how long Oikawa maintains his antagonist status. Kageyama, though introduced first in S1E1 The End & The Beginning, is won over to Hinata's side, so to speak, within the next three to four episodes, depending on your definition of won over. It would be expected that Oikawa's animosity would be either be resolved or overshadowed by someone else relatively quickly. In Haikyuu!!, Ushijima, who is foreshadowed to be stronger than Oikawa, is first mentioned in S1E14 Formidable Opponents, but does not appear in a speaking role until S2E1, over 10 episodes later - at this point Karasuno has already played and lost to Seijoh at the Interhigh. Ushijima does not speak again until S2E14. After that are his lines in S2E25 Declaration of War - after the third time Seijoh and Karasuno play. Now consider Oikawa, who first appears in S1E6, and whose storyline is largely resolved in S2E25 (but will likely make an appearance in S3, although not as a player). In fact, we meet Oikawa and set up his storyline before we even finish meeting Karasuno players. By the end of the first season, he's had his character arc and multiple flashbacks, and his multiple appearances in the second season cement his place as an essential character.

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Takeda Ittetsu calls Seijoh Karasuno's archnemesis (S2E23 Team) - why? One reason might be that Seijoh is strong, which is true. But we also have Nekoma, a strong team and even ‘fated rival' to Karasuno, that is not painted in that light. It is possible that this is because Nekoma has so many character parallels to Karasuno, such as Tanaka Ryuunosuke and Yamamoto Taketora, Sugawara and Yaku Morisuke, Sawamura Daichi and Kuroo Tetsurou, so they seem inherently friendlier; Nekoma represents what Karasuno could - and possibly will - be. (Ineia on YouTube has a great analysis on this.) Is it then because Seijoh is openly antagonistic? Well, so is Datekou. But there does seems to be a differentiating factor here, as Aone Takanobu is seen to be friendly towards Hinata. Furthermore, Oikawa specifically hates Kageyama (and by extension Karasuno) and Ushijima (and by extension Shiratorizawa) because of how they are seen to be better than he is. Compare this to Datekou, who antagonises whoever it is they are facing with the same ferocity. I believe it is this specificity of hate that sets Oikawa and Seijoh apart from all of the other characters that are introduced.

Another thing to note is the way shots with Seijoh in them are framed. Oikawa in particular is often drawn with an angry expression when he's not being charming. The shadows that are cast over his face when he serves or makes crazy plays, as well as the sharp angles of his eyes when compared to, for example, Sugawara or Azumane Asahi, also serve to make him seem like more of a villain. Compare this to instances where Hinata is trying to look intimidating - you will see a similar effect. You may note that on some occasions, such as S1E19 Conductors when he is being interviewed on TV, that his eyes are much rounder. This is probably a mask, as Iwaizumi Hajime points out in S1E22 that it's rare for Oikawa to smile without an ulterior motive. In this instance, he's trying to be charming, but his eyes are also rounder when he is emotionally vulnerable. These are the visual reminders of Oikawa being an antagonist.

Oikawa is built up as someone that Karasuno has to beat. Painted as a counterpoint to Karasuno's friendliness, he and his team are the perfect test to prove the Karasuno team has improved. If Karasuno were to ever beat Seijoh, that would be a major accomplishment for Karasuno. Of course, this is only true because of Seijoh's power, with Oikawa leading the charge.

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Part 4: The Grand King and the plain old regular King

A very interesting interaction is between Oikawa and Kageyama. In this section, I want to ruminate on this further, but in the process I will be highly disapproving of the way Oikawa deals with this situation. You have been warned.

Let's start by having a quick look at their relationship the first time they meet. Oikawa is a third year at Kitagawa Daiichi, and Kageyama is beginning his first year. This puts Oikawa in a position of power relative to Kageyama, which is even more important if you consider the fact that it seems Oikawa is the captain. Furthermore, given that both are setters, Oikawa is something of a role model to Kageyama. The similarities in their play styles does not go unnoticed; Hanamaki Takahiro, in S2E24, says that Kageyama is "definitely Oikawa's junior".

From the very beginning, Oikawa refers to Kageyama as "Tobio-chan". Although this is characteristic of the way that he refers to other characters - for example, "Iwa-chan", "Mattsun" and "Watacchi" for Iwaizumi, Matsukawa Issei and Watari Shinji, respectively - he uses Kageyama's first name. It's likely that he means this as a sign of disrespect for the other setter, as a petty way of asserting his power. However, this changes as Oikawa matures; in S2E24, he refers to Kageyama as "Tobio" in his thoughts. Still a bit disrespectful, but not as much. Does this mean that Oikawa is beginning to see Kageyama as being his equal? We see from dialogue in S2E25 that Oikawa believes that Kageyama is an inferior setter, but does recognise that Karasuno is a better team with, and for, him.

Oikawa is at times childishly spiteful towards Kageyama. In S2E20 Wiping Out, Oikawa wrestles with Kageyama over a volleyball, causing Hanamaki to question Oikawa's maturity. In S2E6 Tempo, Kageyama asks Oikawa for setting advice. His request was not overly polite, but he was willing to bow to Oikawa, showing his respect and deference. Oikawa's response is condescending but ultimately helpful. Oikawa's nephew openly looks at Oikawa with contempt as Oikawa taunts Kageyama with "You're stupid! You stupid face!", and later calls Oikawa lame for being so happy about getting one over Kageyama (when Oikawa tells Kageyama to remain bowing while he takes a selfie). The relationship between the two is reciprocal dislike and grudging acknowledgement of the other's skill, with Oikawa determined to belittle Kageyama.

The kicker is the real reason that Oikawa is in fact jealous towards Kageyama. Kageyama is, for the most part, a scapegoat for Oikawa's feelings towards Ushijima. Kageyama doesn't really do anything, per se, that angers Oikawa; it is Oikawa's own feelings of uselessness that form the basis of their relationship. Oikawa feels threatened by Kageyama's abilities, and is so jealous that he intends to use violence (S1E22). In this flashback, there is one section when the world is seen through Oikawa's eyes and the animation style dramatically changes. There's a hard cut to an image of Ushijima in this sequence, even though he's not in the scene. It's a harsh reminder of the strong feelings that Oikawa has surrounding his inability to defeat Shiratorizawa.

As noted in Part 1, Oikawa is in no way a sub-standard setter. Oikawa's abilities as a setter comes from his ability to use his teammates in an effective way. When we first meet Oikawa, he is the better setter based on his ‘soft' skills - his communication with his teammates as well as his game experience. Kageyama has the greater innate talent; after all, he is described as being a genius. Oikawa instead works hard to "make [his] talent bloom" (S2E24) and realises that as Kageyama is also a hard worker, Kageyama will be able to surpass him. It is not surprising, then, that Oikawa is resentful towards Kageyama for his genius.

In the end, though - in the end, Oikawa reveals out loud to Ushijima what he's probably been thinking for a long time (S2E25, chapter 148). He knows that the reason that he's been a more powerful setter is that he's a team player, able to bring out the best in anyone he sets to. And what he realises in that Spring High match, and possibly earlier, is that Kageyama knows it too, now. Even his last interaction with Kageyama is satisfying in a way the others are not - he acknowledges that Kageyama is gaining in strength while simultaneously also delivering a promise that he, too, will be working hard to improve. It is the declaration to Ushijima - openly stating that his former kouhai is now more powerful for having a team, to the one person that he's resented for so long - that is satisfying, as sad as it is.

Oikawa's interactions with Kageyama reach a conclusion that is, I believe, both realistic and bittersweet. We see it go from hatred to anger, through to a grudging jealousy and acknowledgement that Kageyama is indeed a capable setter, and, with a team at his back, ready to take on Shiratorizawa. Despite that, it is important to remember that Oikawa was petulant and immature when the two first meet, for reasons almost entirely outside Kageyama's control. However, that final acknowledgement by Oikawa, more than anything, sets up a future where the animosity is no longer so strong, and is something I look forward to if this relationship is ever explored further.

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Part 5: Iwa-chan~

Another relationship worthy of deeper analysis is between Oikawa and his childhood friend Iwaizumi, and it is this that I want to explore in this part. I will also briefly discuss the relationships that they share with the other Seijoh third years, Matsukawa and Hanamaki.

Iwaizumi is shown to be reliable and steady, and occupies a ‘team mom' style role towards his teammates at times. He is able to understand what Oikawa is thinking much of the time, owing to their long association. They trust each other, despite Iwaizumi's outward behaviours of violence and rejection towards Oikawa. This is exemplified by their on-field plays, where their level of mutual trust is known and exploited by Kageyama. Furthermore, Iwaizumi is a role model to many of the other Seijoh characters, who look up to him (for example, Kindaichi Yuutarou and even Kyoutani).

How Iwaizumi approaches the relationship between Oikawa and Kageyama is unexpected at first glance. Despite his history with Oikawa, he protects Kageyama (S1E22). His reasons for doing this are not explicitly stated, but it can be assumed that it's not all for Kageyama's sake; there's an element of defending Oikawa from himself. Let's imagine for a moment that Oikawa does manage to hit Kageyama - then what? While Oikawa is outwardly abrasive, he doesn't seem like the type to injure someone intentionally, no matter how much he hates them, because he would rather work himself into the ground and beat them with his abilities. This incident shows that Iwaizumi is able to read Oikawa, possibly better than Oikawa himself can.

After their first match against Karasuno, there is a scene with Oikawa and Iwaizumi in a gymnasium (S1E7). During their conversation there, Oikawa admits that Kageyama is one of the best setters in the prefecture, although he himself is still a better all-round player. Iwaizumi responds with "you know you can toss as well as him too, you stupid shit". Iwaizumi once again reassures Oikawa of his talent in S1E20. Iwaizumi acts as a perfect foil to Oikawa, abrasive and yet still reassuring. There's an interesting piece of trivia tied to this - Oikawa and Iwaizumi are born on Alexander the Great's date of birth and death, respectively (source - links to tumblr). Oikawa leads Seijoh as though they are his troops (and is styled as such in S2E14), and Iwaizumi is always there to keep him humble and remember what's really important.

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Perhaps the most confronting example is the interaction in the flashback in S1E22. After Oikawa lashes out against Kageyama, Iwaizumi yells and physically hits Oikawa to hit home the message that he isn't fighting alone against their opponents. This marks a turning point in Oikawa's volleyball style into the more recognisable team player that we know (and some of us love).

This strong relationship is reciprocated. At the end of the match against Karasuno at the Spring High (S2E25), Iwaizumi is distraught over his inability to score. Oikawa doesn't overtly do anything aside from slapping Iwaizumi's back, but that's probably enough while they're still on the court. Like their actions while they are playing, it's possible that there is a lot of wordless communication that takes place here, the same way that few words are exchanged when they go to see the Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa match. Hanamaki and Matsukawa also join Oikawa in giving their ace a supportive slap on the back.

Speaking of the other two Seijoh third years, not much is revealed about Hanamaki and Matsukawa throughout the course of the story so far. There are some inferences that we can draw about these two - they are close friends with each other and also Iwaizumi and Oikawa, as shown by their calling out of ramen orders should Oikawa fail to serve (S2E20). At important moments, they are able to be more serious, standing with Iwaizumi and stating "We believe in you, captain" in the same episode. Both are shown to be skilled volleyball players, highly perceptive and able to formulate strategies. For example, Hanamaki is the first one able to counter Yamaguchi's jump float in S2E22 The Former Coward's Fight, and Matsukawa is the one who suggests narrowing the course of Hinata's quick attack in S2E20. They are seen to be humourous and are often characterised by the fandom as "memelords", but are generally supportive though teasing of the other two third years.

These characters are generally seen to be good friends, and contribute to the humanisation of Oikawa. They serve to demonstrate the camaraderie that Oikawa can show to his teammates, which are at the core of his abilities as a setter. Furthermore, Iwaizumi's strong relationship with Oikawa shows the more personable side of both of these characters, deepening the compassion we feel towards them.

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Part 6: Spring forward

In this final section, I would like to consider the final match that Karasuno and Seijoh play. I will address the outcome of the match as well as some thoughts on Oikawa's role in the match. Finally, I will use the end of this section to pull together some ideas from other sections.

Ultimately, Seijoh never gets the win that Oikawa wants to get against Shiratorizawa. Instead, their loss against Karasuno in the semifinal of the Spring High means they don't even play Shiratorizawa. In terms of narrative, this outcome important as it sets up a match between Karasuno and the best team in the prefecture, so that Karasuno can showcase how much they have improved. In this sense, Seijoh never stood a chance; they were always going to be beaten by the main characters in order for the story to progress. But there's more than that general feeling of improvement in this match. The match serves to also allow Kageyama to show that he's outgrown both Kitagawa Daiichi and Oikawa (to some extent).

A criticism of the outcome of the Spring High match is that the outcome is unrealistic. It is undisputable that Seijoh has a better team the first and second time that the two teams go head to head. The raw power of Iwaizumi and Oikawa are, at that time, too much for the newly formed, barely coherent Karasuno to counter. However, in addition to the fact that the two teams are very nearly evenly matched during their second match, the number of events that take place between Interhigh and Spring High - namely the Tokyo matches and training camp - are plenty reason for Karasuno to have attained the ability to be a marginally stronger team than Seijoh. Seijoh, of course, has also improved since the Interhigh; they are fuelled by their loss to Shiratorizawa. But they have less room for improvement than Karasuno, and have not formulated as many new strategies and plays as Karasuno in that time. The main difference in the Seijoh team is that they now have Kyoutani; the main difference in the Karasuno team is their new quick attack, and their synchronised attack, and Tsukishima's new enthusiasm (plus many others, as seen in S2E10 Cogs). This explosion in new skills on the part of Karasuno is enough to be able to justify an upset victory over Seijoh at the Spring High.

The final play of the Spring High match is a neat, clean finish to Oikawa's interactions with Hinata and Kageyama. Oikawa has by now made the realisation that Kageyama's recklessness is currently his biggest strength, when combined with Hinata's. Oikawa sees the path of the ball clearly and would have been able to receive it, had Hinata been Ushijima. What seems to occur is Oikawa sees the gap that Hinata would (and does) aim for, but expects an ace's spike, a strong hit that goes through the block. However, Hinata uses the gap for a more wipe-like maneuver that throws Oikawa off, resulting in the end of the match. It is possible that Oikawa in this case forgets that he's not playing against his archnemesis, and with that comes the realisation that Kageyama is not Ushijima. It calls to mind Ukai in S1E14, warning Karasuno that "if you keep staring up at the top, they'll [their current opponent] pull the rug out from under you". From his interactions with Kageyama after the match, he doesn't begrudge them this victory. Both teams have utilised their most powerful attacks - Oikawa gives Iwaizumi a perfect toss and it is hit with perfect timing, but is stopped by Karasuno; Kageyama and Hinata's attack ultimately succeeds. In that sense, there doesn't need to be any further interaction between Oikawa and Karasuno - Karasuno has shown themselves to be the stronger team, surpassing the benchmark that Seijoh sets and allowing them to move forward.

As the match ends, we see Hinata watch as Oikawa takes care of his team, and he remarks that "the Grand King really is awesome!" (S2E25). This underscores Seijoh's importance in the story - that is, an obstacle that Karasuno must overcome. Despite Oikawa being the antagonist that he is, he is a bridge from Kageyama's past into his future, and Oikawa's aim of beating Shiratorizawa is essential to building Shiratorizawa up as a powerful team. In the end, Oikawa is human and flawed. He is jealous and angry and sometimes spiteful, he is an expert in manipulating emotions, but he works hard and does not give up. I know that despite my general ambivalence towards his character, I will "never forget this worthless pride of [his]" (S2E25).

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