Inarizaki High School is switching out players.
Taking the place of #4 Ojiro Aran,
is the captain, #1 Kita Shinsuke.
He's a player we didn't get to see in the videos.
Yeah.
I wanted to put a little more pressure on Ojiro, but...
Listen, guys. You don't have to be that guarded.
I'm just a substitute. I'm here to tide them over.
So you don't need to be scared of me.
Haikyu
Episode 20: Leader
Someone's always watching, Shin-chan.
The gods are everywhere.
So someone's always watching.
Gin!
Why'd you force that spike earlier?
I-It felt like the game was going in Karasuno's favor, so I tried to stop it.
And that's supposed to happen by you getting blocked?
Everyone's so on edge as soon as Shinsuke enters the court.
Well, his sound arguments are like a punch to the gut.
Nice serve!
Right between...
Got it!
Daichi-san!
Looks like he tried to get them to set from the back lines.
Sorry, it's short!
Azumane-san!
Yes!
Akagi!
Free ball!
I hate this.
Gin!
Hell yeah!
We Don't Need the Memories
Inarizaki's break point! That one point is gonna hurt Karasuno!
Inarizaki Karasuno
Nice kill, Hitoshi! Jump, jump, Hitoshi! One more time!
I have a bad feeling about this.
They got the break point,
but now, it somehow feels like plays the boys could've made earlier
suddenly aren't possible.
Guys like Shinsuke show up every once in a while.
They're definitely not the star, but their presence takes over the whole court.
He's had that kind of presence ever since middle school.
Their #4 won't hit a straight shot.
Right!
He never did anything unnecessary and his words were precise.
His plays needed a bit of work, but they were thorough.
And now...
Shinsuke is overflowing with confidence.
Not confidence that says that he's stronger than others.
But confidence that ensures that he won't mess up.
How does Kita-san just pop onto the court and play flawlessly like that?
He's got way more EXP than you.
But apparently, Kita-san never played in a game until his third year.
Huh? Seriously?
But he totally acts like he's a seasoned veteran.
Which means even if he played in middle school,
he didn't have much of a chance to play in high school.
Actually, not only was he not on the starting lineup in middle school,
they never even gave him a uniform.
What?
I don't understand why anyone ever gets nervous.
What?
What are you, some kind of robot?
I mean, I've been on to you, but...
You only get nervous because you try to be more powerful than you usually are, right?
I mean, when you do day-to-day things like eat or use the toilet,
you don't get nervous.
That should apply to volleyball, too.
If it's something you can do during practice, there's no reason to get nervous.
Inarizaki Karasuno
Get out there!
Oh, there he is. Karasuno's first-year relief server.
He seems pretty good at scoring.
That felt good!
Shinsuke's abilities could be considered better than average.
It's not like he's physically or technically impressive, or stands out.
But...
Anything he can do during practices, he can also absolutely pull off in matches.
The best praise you could give Shinsuke is to not be surprised.
What, Atsumu? Did you catch a cold?
Shouldn't you be resting?
This is nothing! I'll get worse if I don't play volleyball!
That's the spirit! Love of volleyball conquers all!
Go home.
Don't compliment him when he's obviously not taking care of himself.
Why am I in trouble?
Ice cold.
Now I'm gonna catch a cold.
Boys' Volleyball Team
What... the hell?!
Couldn't he be nicer about it?!
Atsumu, Make sure you eat and sleep \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hKita
Pickled Plums
Warm Lemon
You're gonna make me cry!
Pickled plums?!
You gotta do it every day. Properly, every day.
Taking care of yourself.
Cleaning, tidying up...
Thank you for the food.
Your greetings.
Volleyball.
Don't worry about it.
That's Shinsuke's ritual.
The gods are everywhere.
That's what Grandma would always tell me,
but at some point, I stopped caring.
It's not like I'm doing this for the gods.
Repetition, being methodical, and being thorough just feels nice.
Someone's always watching.
#1, Kita!
Yes, sir.
Inarizaki High School
Next up, #2, Omimi!
Yes, sir.
I figured Kita-san was basically a robot.
Yeah...
When an adult says, "The process matters more than the results,"
kids aren't really gonna understand.
Results are everything!
But I totally agree with the adults.
I'm basically built from my daily routine,
and the results are nothing more than byproduct.
It's not like I'm gonna make a living playing volleyball.
Inarizaki High School
But... I wonder if this is a result, too...
Who cares about the small stuff?!
You don't need a reason for emotions! If you're happy, you're happy!
What're you laughing for?!
Yeah...
I don't need any applause.
I'm just going to do what I need to do.
If Aran, Rintaro, or Atsumu throw our enemies into despair...
Shinsuke's role is to prolong that despair.
Nice kill, Hitoshi! Push it, push it, Hitoshi! One more time!
Inarizaki Karasuno
And Inarizaki High is at set point!
Don't give up! You're only 8 points behind!
They're probably going to lose this set.
But what's important is how they do that.
The final set is going to be affected
Concentrate! Let's break their streak!
by however the end of the second set plays out.
Right!
Please end on a positive note!
Cut it off on the one!
Good, good. Looks like we've got this set.
But you never know.
Last year, the tables turned on us even though we were six points ahead.
They could go for a new record.
What?!
The first- and second-years are always moody.
Seriously...
It's not like he ever yells or hits anyone,
but the pressure he puts on everyone else is so intense.
It doesn't matter what it is. This guy just never gives.
Damn it, he's already here.
Morning Practice
He's Always First
I wonder if there's a shortcut somewhere...
Morning Practice
Of Course He Goes All-Out
What's a failing grade?
Academics
His Grades Are Always at the Top of His Class
I seriously wish I could catch him with his guard down.
I know. For example...
Catching him using baby talk with a pet.
That's a good wittle boy!
* Imagined
I don't put Kita in just to strengthen our defense.
Whenever there's a difference in the scores,
the second-years either panic or let their guard down.
They should have authority, but they're mentally weak.
Inarizaki High School
Kita's the only one who can whip them into shape.
Atsumu is aggressive and hates losing, which can be a disadvantage at times.
Despite the fact that Osamu seems calmer than Atsumu,
they still share the same DNA.
Gin feels responsible and is passionate, which causes him to rush.
When we're ahead or it looks like we're going to win, Suna starts slacking.
I'm watching all of you.
Their #5 turned this around at the end of the first set.
We Don't Need the Memories
Nice serve!
In that case, I'll use my serves...
to drag him back down!
Ryu!
They're not holding back despite their lead!
Yes!
Free ball!
Here it comes!
Just try and stop me!
We Don't Need the Memories
Nice kill, Rintaro! Jump, jump, Rintaro! One more time!
Inarizaki Karasuno
A powerful serve followed by a powerful quick
allows Inarizaki High School to instantly take the second set!
Karasuno High School is at a loss!
Haikyu!!
We Don't Need the Memories
The quicks from Inarizaki's #10 just keep coming!
Not to mention, Karasuno's blockers seem
like they're on top of things, but their defense is full of holes.
They keep getting around the same guy.
Come after me already.
All right! Let's change things up!
Right!
I've never seen Nishinoya-kun be quiet off the court.
I want to believe it's because he's concentrating, but...
You're doing that thing you do when you mess up practice,
Nishinoya.
Get a grip! You practiced more than enough!
You'll be fine.
Yeah.
Nishinoya.
You can do it.
Actually, I can't guarantee that.
That serve is so intense that even you're having trouble getting it.
That's Miya Atsumu's serve, and that's how it is.
Also, I suck at cheering people up.
I have my hands full dealing with myself.
Really?
But I can also speak for myself.
Even if we can't pull off an A-pass,
I'll make it over!
Yeah, I don't really care about the A-pass either,
but could you bump the ball higher?
Really?
You know... we really need to talk about your timing.
Huh? What's your problem?
Well said, Asahi!
I wanted to say something, too!
Hyogo Inarizaki
Atsumu...
Seeing Karasuno's setter serve earlier
has made you want to do a spike serve, hasn't it?
"Man, it's so much cooler just blasting a spike serve."
"I'm getting pretty sick of jump floaters, too."
How does he know that?
Your jump floaters are scoring right now.
You've been trying to crush their libero, so see it all the way through.
Got it!
Inarizaki Karasuno
The ultimate challengers, Inarizaki.
All right, let's go!
Yeah!
The unknown veterans, Karasuno.
Which team will reach the summit first?
The fateful third set starts off with Miya Atsumu's serve.
We Don't Need the Memories
Out!
Yeah!
Just how many is he going to get today?! The big time server, Miya Atsumu!
We Don't Need the Memories
He's starting off the set with a service ace!
Inarizaki Karasuno
I totally thought it was out, too.
Atsumu's pretty sharp today.
He might actually get a spike serve over.
Yeah. Maybe the chances of him getting either one over won't change that much.
But you just told him to do jump floaters.
When Atsumu serves, either choice is powerful.
But if he switches over to a spike serve and the other team manages to get it,
he'll end up thinking that he should've gone with the jump float serve.
But if they got a jump floater that looked good,
knowing Atsumu's personality, he'd feel even more competitive and motivated.
I think it's better for Atsumu's motivation if he gets those jump floaters over.
The scary part is, he's always right about this stuff.
My feet feel like they're nailed to the floor.
I can tell that my response is slower than usual.
I see...
I'm actually scared right now.
Left!
Azumane-san!
Yes!
Nice kill!
Wow, Asahi's actually being super dependable.
It's all right for Nishinoya to have his hands full every once in a while.
Nice, nice, Asahi! Push it, push it, Asahi! One more time!
Karasuno switched up their rotation.
Suguru-kun, feel free to share your expert commentary.
Huh? Oh, uh...
Serve
Back Row
Front Row
If there's one unique rule about volleyball, I'd say it's the player rotation.
That's where, whenever someone serves,
everyone rotates one position clockwise.
Order Sheet
3rd Set
Karasuno High School
Team Name:
As for the order, they decide that before each set starts and submit it.
Front Row
Serve
Setter
Back Row
For example, a common rotation is for the setter to start off in the back row.
Because that means there'll be three attackers up front right off the bat.
Front Row
Also, it's pretty common to start off with the strongest server.
Front Row
For Inarizaki, their setter is also their most powerful server,
Serve
Setter
Serve
Setter
so both of these rotations apply.
Serve
Setter
Serve
Setter
This is probably the rotation that Inarizaki always starts with,
and it's like they're trying to say,
"We don't care what the enemy team looks like! This is our starting rotation!"
On the other hand, Karasuno tends to dive in headfirst,
but I think they use a lot of trial and error.
Inarizaki seems pretty strong regardless of the rotation they use,
but whenever their #4, #10, and #11 are up front,
their attack points are at their highest.
But Karasuno is a bit more extreme.
Especially their middle blocker.
Their shrimpy #10 specializes in attacking.
He's basically a scoring machine, and he can do it from anywhere on the court.
Also, he's an effective decoy.
Their four-eyes #11 seems to be the keystone of their blocking,
so you'd want him to be up there when there are strong attackers.
Or maybe they should concentrate everything on shutting down Miya Atsumu's serves.
No, no... But starting off with their strongest server is vital, too.
Do they go with the setter or the samurai dude?
Yeah!
Crap! No one likes a blabbering know-it-all!
Sorry! I talked for way too long!
2nd Set
Net
So the fact that Inarizaki is starting with the same rotation,
but Karasuno is switching things up...
Does that mean that when Inarizaki tries to score,
3rd Set
Karasuno will have different blockers?
Yes, exactly!
The match-ups are different!
Every time the rotations change,
we're going to see different little battles play out!
Aran!
Got it!
Karasuno manages to get the ace Ojiro to touch the ball first!
That's a super-fast quick!
One touch!
Yes!
Why are you freaked out, Hinata?
This is why Karasuno chose this rotation.
Net
Now, four-eyes and the twins' quick will keep matching up!
All right, let's switch up our rotation.
Even if we don't have Nishinoya in the middle of Miya Atsumu's serves,
he's apparently going to keep aiming for you.
Talk about stubborn.
Tsukishima, I'm going to have you match up
with Miya Osamu and Suna Rintaro as much as possible.
The twins' quick?
Yeah. That's the most unexpected thing we've dealt with so far.
I'm counting on you, weirdo quick killer.
Uh... sure.
Hinata's Inuoka strategy was pretty good,
but unfortunately, I'm pretty sure Tanaka's getting tired of having to try to block
in the middle for Hinata over and over.
I'd like to say I'm fine, but the middle's pretty rough.
You jealous that I got offered a big role, Tsukishima-kun?
My bad. I guess I stole your big role from you.
Tsukishima never forgets payback, and he slays.
It's an art form, really.
Samu!
Aran!
The one we don't want on a roll the most is Ojiro Aran.
I want him to hit another high wall one more time.
Yes!
And he's shut down!
First-year Kageyama Tobio
Fly
stopped the ace Ojiro Aran all on his own!
Good, good, Tobio! Push it, push it, Tobio! One more time!
Yes, yes, yes!
They've learned from the second set!
That seems like what Karasuno's break point is getting across.
Inarizaki Karasuno
Nationals always has some amazing blockers.
I can't even count how many times I've been shut down.
They come after me as though I look completely frozen in time to them,
and there are times they're in front of me before I even try to attack.
Those looming hands are basically fear itself.
And...
A block that's not scary isn't actually a block.
This guy's way scarier than four-eyes over there.
Episode 21: Hero
Next time, "Hero."