A short kid who jumps like he has wings, a setter nobody wants to play with, and a team called the fallen crows.
We think Haikyu!! is the best-written team in sports anime: every player on Karasuno's court has a reason to be there, and the show finds it. Here are eight reasons, one on each slide.
Reason 1 – Hinata, too short and jumping anyway
Shoyo Hinata fell for volleyball watching a small player called the Little Giant on TV. He spent middle school practicing almost alone.
He is short, he has no technique, and he jumps higher than anyone you have ever seen.
Reason 2 – Kageyama, the king nobody wants
Tobio Kageyama is a genius setter whose old teammates stopped going for his sets. They called him the King of the Court, and they did not mean it kindly.
He crushed Hinata's only official match, and then they both enrolled at Karasuno.
Reason 3 – The quick attack
Kageyama puts the ball exactly where Hinata's hand will be, and Hinata swings with his eyes closed.
It should not work. When it does, two players who cannot stand each other become the fastest attack in the prefecture.
Reason 4 – A team called the fallen crows
Karasuno once reached nationals, then faded. Rivals now call them the fallen crows.
Captain Daichi, setter Sugawara and the loud second-years Tanaka and Nishinoya want to fly again, and they need the two first-years to do it.
Reason 5 – Sugawara, the setter on the bench
Sugawara is the third-year who loses his starting place to Kageyama, and he helps him anyway.
It is a small storyline about losing gracefully, and it is one of the most adult things in sports anime.
Reason 6 – Rivals with reasons of their own
Nekoma, Aoba Johsai's Oikawa and every opponent gets their own history and their own coach's speech.
You end up hoping nobody has to lose, which is exactly how the show wants you to feel.
Reason 7 – Production I.G and the sound of a spike
Susumu Mitsunaka directed the first season in 2014, adapting Haruichi Furudate’s manga, and the camera moves like a player on the court.
The sound of the ball hitting the floor carries more weight than most anime explosions.
Reason 8 – Where to start
The first season runs twenty-five episodes and opens with SPYAIR's “Imagination”. You do not need to know a single rule of volleyball.
We say watch three episodes. The first time the quick attack lands, you will be in.
Where to watch
HAIKYU!! was listed on Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix in the USA when we last checked, in October 2026. Catalogues change by country and by month, so check the service where you are.
In the shop
HAIKYU!! in the Anime Guide · HAIKYU!! merchandise
Source: the Anime Crush Anime Guide.
