5 Character Endings in Haikyuu!! That Made Us Go "What?!"

Serialized in February 2012, Haikyuu!! gave us one exhilarating volleyball match right after the other. We’ve witnessed the then crow chick Shoyo Hinata grow into who he became for more than eight years. Needless to say, it was one hell of a ride. When the final chapter was released on July 20, 2020, an entirely mixed emotion swept over us. We’re proud to have witnessed the series’s birth and glorious ending, while being sad at the same time for witnessing a masterpiece end. Alas, everything must come to an end.

Haikyuu!!’s final arc, Challenger, is basically a long epilogue. We’re very glad to see that most of our favorite characters ended up playing in the professional league and leaving their own legacies in the sport. However, there are also those who took different, but reasonable paths. And then, there are those who just made us go “What?!”


5. Osamu Miya

Osamu Miya is half of the famous volleyball twin monsters, the Miya twins. Osamu was a wing spiker of Inarizaki High, while his twin brother, Atsumu, was the setter. They were so great that they managed to imitate Hinata and Kageyama’s minus tempo without any practice. They had the skills to go pro, and Atsumu Miya did go pro. Osamu, however, decided to pass on the opportunity. Just like any brotherly bonding, Atsumu tried knocking some sense to Osamu. Alas, it turned out that he was actually very sane. In the end, he quit volleyball and ventured into the food industry. His brand, Onigiri Miya, then became a renowned name.


4. Asahi Suzumane

Asahi Suzumane was Karasuno’s ace. Despite his tough and gangster aesthetics, he was actually a softy. Although it was debatable whether or not he had the skill to go pro, we never doubt that he’d be in a good place. During Kageyama and Hinata’s first match as pro players, Karasuno had a big reunion to watch them duke it out. That was when it was revealed that Sugawara became an elementary school teacher, which perfectly fit his image. Meanwhile, Daichi became a police officer. We guess that all those years keeping all those unruly teammates paid off in the end. The most shocking was Asahi being an apparel designer. We mean how, when, where did that happen?



3. Yu Nishinoya

Yu Nishinoya was Karasuno’s amazing libero. A not-so-secret secret is that he’s one of our all time favorites. We mean, who wouldn’t like his crazy antiques and one-track mindedness? Although he was the smallest member of the team, his pride and skills were definitely topnotch. If not for his simplemindedness, he definitely would’ve been an amazing asset. Well, we guess being simpleminded was the reason he set out to travel the world. Heck, he was even in Italy trying to catch humongous marlins.


2. Kenma Kozuke

Another favorite of ours is Kena Kozuke. He was Nekoma’s brains and setter. It’s no exaggeration to say that he was the engine that ensured Nekoma continued to function. We, and probably most of the fandom, loved Kenma for his wit, sass, and undying love of video games. Everybody, including his best friend, Kuroo, knew that Kenma’s love for volleyball would end after high school. We mean, it’s written all over the place. What nobody would have guessed, however, was that Kenma would be a damn famous Youtuber and CEO of his own company. Of course, his undying love of video games never ceased. After all, he even met Hinata in a room full of video games, arcades included.


1. Kiyoko Shimizu and Ryunosuke Tanaka

We get it. There had been countless amounts of foreshadowing leading to these two getting together. But still, Ryunosuke Tanaka, Karasuno’s wing spiker, and Kiyoko Shimize, Karasuno’s student manager, getting married shook the entire fandom. Given that Kiyoko is considered as the series’s goddess, she was shipped with a lot of characters. Needless to say, we also had our own ships, which we’d rather keep secret for security reasons. Despite most ships not sailing, we would love to believe that the fandom supports and are happy for Ryunosuke and Kiyoko’s marriage.


Final Thoughts

Haikyuu!! never failed to keep us on the edges of our seats, quite literally. From heart pounding matches to new techniques and strategies, there was something to look forward to in every arc. That said, Furudate-sensei continued to amaze us until the very end. The entire final arc gave us the closure we didn’t know we needed. It was a phenomenal way to end a masterpiece that had run for more than eight years. For that, we would love to express our gratitude to Furudate-sensei for giving us the opportunity to witness her genius.

Haikyu-Wallpaper-700x394 5 Character Endings in Haikyuu!! That Made Us Go "What?!"

Writer

Author: Christian Markle

I am a copywriter, proofreader, and editor. I love watching anime, reading manga, and writing my own stories. Watch out in the future as you may see one of my works one day. Manga and anime were big parts of my childhood. I grew up watching Yu Yu Hakusho, Slam Dunk, One Piece, and Dragon Ball Z. Those were probably one of the happiest and most carefree days of my life. In fact, most of my values are probably molded by manga. No, that's not an exaggeration.

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