Sarukawa Tech Nekoma
And Sarukawa gets a break point!
They've taken the lead for the first time halfway through the second set.
It's annoying how they hit the ball where it's hard to receive.
Even in situations where they might score if they go all-out,
they're holding back on purpose.
They've been skillfully weaving that strategy into this game.
When you actually stand on the court and are facing your opponents' attacks,
things might not go as you planned on the whiteboard.
But they have the resilience to pull it off,
as well as the smarts and calm to look at the game as a whole.
You've got some great players there,
Aritaka.
Crush him...
That setter's been babied by having all the passes go right to him.
Crush him...
Crush him!
Haikyu!!
Episode 18: Trap
Nice receive!
It's not that nice.
Nice kill!
That was a bit low.
Sorry.
Sarukawa Tech Nekoma
Nekoma High's center line,
#4 Yamamoto-kun, #1 Kuroo-kun, and #11 Haiba-kun,
are all incredibly strong.
I'm sure that Sarukawa's blockers were on their guard here with Haiba-kun,
and that's how Fukunaga-kun on the left got that point.
Kenma-san, you look super tired!
Shut up.
Um... the setter? If you guys knew that he was so weak,
couldn't you guys have just ganged up on him, too?
Ah, well, even if we were going to gang up on him,
the setter usually touches the ball second.
Ganging up on anyone else is a pretty good strategy.
You need a lot of guts and persistence to put that much
direct pressure on someone for that long.
Sarukawa Tech Nekoma
Did the setter, Kozume, trip over his own feet?
Lucky, lucky, Sarukawa!
Keep Standing Back Up
Lucky, lucky, Sarukawa!
You do move around quite a bit as the center.
Sarukawa Tech Nekoma
That position is a lot harder than it looks.
Even if it may look like a repetition of simple points,
they are still stacking up gradually.
Five one-touches instead of the one-kill block.
Ten pressures.
Five B-passes you get up rather than one perfect A-pass.
Or ten C-passes.
The stronger our opponent,
the more we have to look at the flow of the game as a whole.
Stack up the 100 shots that don't stand out at the end,
rather than the perfect point.
Right!
You good?
Ugh, how lame...
We've only played two sets so far.
My hands are melting.
No one ever looks cool when they're desperate.
Seriously. Could you not look so happy about it?
Sarukawa definitely has the upper hand this set,
so letting Kozume rest until the next set is an option.
And look.
Speak of the devil...
All right, just one more push.
Out...
It's all good. Let's keep this up.
Man, that was close! They were aiming for a great spot, though.
Sarukawa Tech Nekoma
We still have control of the flow.
Now's the time to keep pushing through.
Don't rush it!
One-touch!
Follow through! Follow through!
Zawa!
Nice receive!
It's short.
Sarukawa Tech is calmly aiming for all the holes.
Nekoma's being thrown off their game!
Sarukawa Tech Nekoma
Nekoma's catching up at the end of the set!
They tied it up!
They were thrown off balance,
but they got the ball to the right, where the blockers weren't as deep.
They're starting to get used to us.
But they're not perfect.
Don't rush it.
Right!
Sorry about that!
Don't worry about it!
Nice serve, Kura!
Front! Front!
That serve heads casually to the front.
Yaku!
Got it!
Did Nekoma's receive veer too far to the side?
Hey, come on, now. Get that ball up properly.
Over here.
Wait.
They did that on purpose to lure our blockers away from the left...
Stay there!
You figured it out?
Okay. Guess we're going to the right, then.
Yeah!
Kai Nobuyuki scores from the right!
Connect Nekoma High School Boys' Volleyball Club PTA
They're going after the right, even though it's narrow.
Nice, nice, Nekoma! Push it, push it, Nekoma!
Sarukawa's blockers look a bit shocked, too.
Sarukawa Tech Nekoma
Kozume-kun is a setter who doesn't stand out very much,
but he may be the one everyone needs to keep an eye out for.
It was short. I'm sorry.
It's okay.
They might've messed up that receive on purpose.
To lure away the blockers.
Hey, wait... Then that means...
When did this start?
Haikyu!!
Connect
Looks like their team is trying to get Kenma to run around.
Tokyo Nekoma
Yeah.
Huh? What? What's that mean?
Inuoka...
Well...
You know what an A-pass is, right?
Yeah.
The receive goes back to the setter with an A-pass.
Can we come up with some strategy where we win without me getting tired?
Yeah.
But then the setter has to move to where the ball is going to fall.
Yeah, right.
Are you really Kenma? That was a dumb thing to say.
Right.
The longer the rally is, the more they can make the receives sloppy,
In order to get past our opponents' guts and perseverance,
which can exhaust the setter, too.
Yeah.
That's what they're trying to do.
we're gonna have to be just as resilient.
What?! Is that what they're trying to do?!
They sure are. It's pretty amazing.
We'll get used to it.
The receivers will, that is!
Yeah! We take care of our pampered little prince.
Nekoma knows how to keep our setter from moving much.
But...
Just seeing who can hold out longer isn't that much fun.
Huh?
You mean you want us to do sloppy receives?
I mean, we use that strategy sometimes, but...
Not every time, okay? Just at the opportune times.
I mean, we can get the ball up wherever you need it,
but you're pretty exhausted already. Are you gonna make it?
I can move a little bit.
I mean, I don't want to keep running to the end line and back every time, but...
You guys will have it harder than me.
Because I'm telling you to get me the ball where I ask you to
while getting used to Sarukawa's attacks.
But we can do it.
Because you're all so determined to begin with.
So, any other requests?
Get the ball up high.
You got it!
Got it!
Those guys are probably watching out for the center line with Kuro and Lev.
That means their blockers will try to head toward the center.
And since their whole plan is to try to crush me,
they're totally going to fall for it.
That these receives are just extra sloppy.
Lure the blockers one way with the ball and our middle blockers,
then I'll set the ball on the exact opposite side.
And once they realize what's going on...
Stay there!
That's when we aim for the other side.
Kai Nobuyuki scores from the right!
Connect Nekoma High School Boys' Volleyball Club PTA
Nice, nice, Kai! Nice, nice, Kai! One more time!
Sarukawa Tech Nekoma
When did this start?
This might've just been a coincidence.
Don't let this throw you off.
Just think about winning this set.
Right.
Were they planning this from the start?
We thought we were manipulating them, but they were the ones manipulated us?
They brought out the reserve setter, but they don't seem to be switching him out.
Was that to get our guard down?
Maybe Nekoma's setter wasn't as exhausted as we thought he was...
You've got some great players, Aritaka.
But as usual,
things don't always go as they were planned on the whiteboard.
Now doubt begets doubt.
Well, isn't that some great timing.
Ishikawa Sarukawa
You guys didn't make a mistake.
All that pressure you applied is working,
and the Nekoma setter is definitely exhausted.
We're up against a powerhouse, so everything won't go according to plan,
but we're hanging in there.
Let's give them another push.
Right!
If Nekoma was doing sloppy receives on purpose,
that means they realized their opponents' plan to wear Kozume down,
and then they tired him out further to make this work.
Are they friggin' sadists?
There's no easy victory here.
Hey, I know what this is. It's a deuce.
Uh, yeah...
This is, uh, that... really tough thing.
Sarukawa Tech Nekoma
Yeah.
Nice receive!
You're the ones who'll suffer the longer this game goes on.
Their plan was to gradually crush Kenma...
Too bad we're Nekoma.
We'll just get used to it.
Nice receive!
Everything will be decided at the end of the second set.
Everyone's used to what's going on.
Don't rush it!
Meaning, the moment Sarukawa rushes to try to win,
we're going to get the break point and win the game.
At least, that was the plan, and everything was going well up until now...
You're so damn stubborn!
Would you just...
Let the ball drop!
Go, go, let's go, Sarukawa!
Keep Standing Back Up
We're not going to lose...
...at persistence!
Connect Nekoma High School Boys' Volleyball Club PTA
Nice, nice, Nekoma! Push it, push it, Nekoma!
Sarukawa Tech Nekoma
Both teams are masters of defense and unwilling to back down.
We can feel the tension from the court all the way up here!
I should've told them I'd work extra hard the third set,
so they'd let me sit out the second set.
Why is gravity a thing in this world? Gravity pisses me off.
If gravity didn't exist, the ball wouldn't fall into our court.
Gravity is what causes the ball to fall and...
Kenma, concentrate.
Curse you, gravity. Why do you exist, gravity? Gravity... Gravity...
Concentration's is the one trait Kenma has more than anyone else,
and he's starting to lose it.
He's reaching his limit.
Tamahiko, warm back up.
Right!
Then what about you, huh?!
I don't wanna hear about guts from a gutless brat like you!
Ever since Tora said that to me, I wondered what guts really were.
Guts...
I've always despised that word.
I'm pretty sure society hates that word lately, too.
They make it sound like it just comes to you.
But lately, I've been thinking...
Whether you love or hate how that word sounds,
it's actually a lot harder to show your guts than you'd think.
Guts are probably a final move.
Only those who have trained their bodies and souls can pull it off.
Meaning, that's an ultimate move that I can't use.
All of these rallies have been super long.
One touch!
Front!
Get to the ball a half-step quicker.
That half-step will allow you to control the ball.
Their fatigue has definitely built up.
And yet, all of their plays are so careful.
The fact that we might be baiting them...
The fact that we might attack from either side...
They're being super careful about all of that.
And at times like this, you just simply...
Go down the middle of the court.
Sarukawa Tech Nekoma
And there's the break point!
It was Nekoma that finally broke through their opponent's defense!
Nice, nice, Kuro! Nice, nice Kuro!
You guys use guts or whatever.
I'm pretty sure you somehow think that you can't.
It's true that you always want to give up,
and try to find the easy way out.
But...
It didn't matter if you were last or how much you complained.
Whether or not our senpais or teachers were watching...
You always saw it through until the end.
Sarukawa Tech Nekoma
Sorry!
Someone cover!
Right now...
Fukunaga's on the left.
Fukunaga's good, so even if there're blockers, he'll still be able to make that point.
Huh... Then, hey. Is your team good?
But it's not me that's good.
It's everyone together.
He only uses that pass after he's gotten an A-pass...
Minimal movement...
into a perfect set!
Oh...
Sarukawa Tech Nekoma
And there it is!
The one to finally break through the opponent's defense...
was Nekoma High!
Well played, Kozume-kun.
He didn't give the blockers a chance to read him at all. What an excellent set!
He really gave it his all.
Nice toss, boss.
Keep Standing Back Up
Thank you very much!
Nekoma High School
Thank you very much!
We'll have to try harder next time.
The masters of defense, Nekoma...
Compared to the past teams, or rather...
This team was far more aggressive than I could've imagined.
Sometimes they're even more aggressive than I could imagine.
But...
You were worthy opponents.
Sarukawa Tech.
You actually put in some effort today, Kenma.
Who would've thought you'd come up with a plan to exhaust yourself even more?
I just pushed myself so we wouldn't have to play a third set.
I never would've survived a third set under those conditions.
Sarukawa would've crushed me completely.
So, hey, Kenma-san. When you fell earlier, was that all an act?
Do you really think I could fake that?
R-Right...
You finally showed some guts, Kenma!
That's not it.
I'm not at the level where I could use guts.
Wha?
How do I put this? I don't...
I felt a sense of duty...
Everyone was working so hard to get the ball back up.
So I felt like I had to try, too...
And I'm trying to tell you, that's what guts mean—
Seriously, do you have to give someone's effort a name?
Is it that weird that I actually tried?!
Why are you so angry?!
I think I heard you getting mad at the air during our match.
Your personality changes way too much when you're angry.
You must be low on carbs. Have a banana.
Is it so weird that I worked hard for my friends?!
Is it that weird for me to do that, huh?!
K-Kyanma!
The hell?!
Kyanma! My dear friend!
You're so extra, Yamamoto.
You're freaking me out!
Nah... It's pretty rare for Kenma to actually call a stranger a friend.
Come get some!
Back off!
Fukunaga, don't jump in on this.
Ooh, bananas.
I'm just gonna take one.
Now if only Kenma could be half as aggressive in volleyball
as he gets when he's playing video games.
Could you not try to narrate my thoughts? Thanks.
Yeah... I hate guts.
They're way too hard for me.
But...
I definitely leveled up for this.
If we're gonna do this, I wanna play against a strong boss.
I guess there's one guy Kenma actually gets aggressive against.
Heck yeah!
Looks like Karasuno's up against the Miya Twins.
Oh, hey! It looks like they already took the first set, though!
Hey, Karasuno.
Nekoma (Tokyo)
We're here.
Karasuno (Miyagi)
We made it this far.
Episode 19: The Ultimate Challengers
Next time, "The Ultimate Challengers."