Haikyuu!!is a series that understands that life isn't about winning and losing. Certainly, fans of the show love nothing more than to see Karasuno victorious, but the team's wins wouldn't matter in the least if they didn't feel earned. What makesHaikyuu!!so great is its cast of characters and the myriad ways they interact and grow. Volleyball is the framework for this development, but just as in any other kind of story, characters learn just as much from failures as successes.
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Having said that, some wins and losses weigh much heavier than others. There are games that matter and games that don't, and caring about these characters means fans weep and cheer right alongside them.
10 Devastating Loss: Hinata's First Encounter With Kageyama
Haikyuu!!'s pilot episode establishes the show's beloved pair of protagonists with uncommon grace. The immediate friction between Hinata and Kageyama makes them both more compelling, especially since it's apparent they'll have to work together one day. Hinata's loss is gut-wrenching because he is the only member of his team who truly cares about volleyball.
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But it's clear his teammates care about him,which is so far from anything Kageyama has experienced. Knowing these two will one day provide the exact support the other has lacked is truly a gratifying start to the story.
9 Satisfying Win: Karasuno Vs. Dateko
In the early days of Haikyuu!!, Dateko is the first real challenger that Karasuno faces in the Interhigh competition, and the teams already have history. A large portion of Asahi's character establishment hinges on the fact that he couldn't break through Date Tech's Iron Wall. When at last these crows fly and smash through, the victory is beyond uplifting. Haikyuu!! might not be a show about winning, but it is certainly getting back up again after every fall.
8 Devastating Loss: Karasuno Loses To Aoba Johsai
One of the most iconic scenes from Haikyuu!! takes place in an after-credits cut-scene. In the penultimate episode of the first season, Karasuno loses to Oikawa and Seijoh after atense final set.The team remains respectful in the wake of the loss, bowing to the audience and shaking hands with their opponents. Karasuno is a great team because they lose with dignity, but it's still gutwrenching for the characters and the audience to see their dreams dashed. When the entire team starts sobbing over dinner after the loss, it's hard not to feel crushed.
7 Satisfying Win:Nekoma Defeats Sarukawa
Nekoma is a clear fan-favorite team in no small part because of the character dynamics between Kenma and Kuro. Kenma is introverted, perhaps even neurodivergent, and usually reserved to the point of seeming disinterested. But during the match against Sarukawa, the audience is granted rewarding glimpses into Kenma's past struggles. The audience is used to seeing Kenma interact with Kuro and Hinata, but seeing how he struggled to win the trust of Yamamoto makes him an even more dynamic character. This victory is multifaceted, belonging to the group and to Kenma specifically.
6 Devastating Loss: Aoba Johsai Loses To Shiratorizawa
Almost immediately after a hard-won victory against Karasuno, the show establishes Shiratorizawa as a fierce future rival. The Karasuno team learns that Seijoh lost easily to Shiratorizawa in the succeeding round, proving the worlds of difference between the top Miyagi team and the teams the audience has come to know.
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The audience doesn't even witness most of the devastation because the bulk of the game happens offscreen. By this point,Seijoh's players are beloved characters, and watching Oikawa realize that all of his team's hard work will be wasted is deeply upsetting. And if evenSeijoh can't beat Shiratorizawa, how can Karasuno hope to?
5 Satisfying Win: Karasuno Defeats Aoba Johsai
It was bound to happen, but that doesn't make the victory any less sweet. A season after losing to Seijoh in the Interhigh tournament, Karasuno faces off against their rivals once again and this time succeeds. Seijoh is no worse a team than they were, but it's a testament to the formidable growth the crows have made in training that they truly earn this win. This hard-won victory had fans cheering in their seats.
4 Devastating Loss:Yamaguchi's Upsets
Yamaguchi is one of the best-written characters in the entire series, in no small part due to his mistakes. Initially cast as Tsukishima's freckled lackey, even Yamaguchi sees himself as a side-character among the other talented freshmen. But he decides to do something about it,andgradually develops into a tenacious, flawed player and irreplaceable friend.
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Rather than fading into the background, Yamaguchi works hard to make himself essential as a pinch-server. But because that's his sole purpose on the team, each serve he misses is heartbreaking to watch.
3 Satisfying Win: Karasuno Defeats Shiratorizawa
Because Shiratorizawa is established as an insurmountable opponent from the get-go, this showdown was bound to be one for the books.The match goes into a fifth set and culminates in a breathless series of volleys that are among the most suspenseful sequences in recent anime memory. When at last Ushijima's incredible weight is lifted and the ball goes out of bounds on Shiratorizawa's watch, breaking the tie, the entire cast holds its breath. WhenKarasuno's players erupt into raucous cheers, the audience is right there with them.
2 Devastating Loss: All the MatchesWe May Not See
As of this writing, Haikyuu!! has not been renewed for a fifth season. The manga has recently ended, and there are certainly more matches worth watching depicted in its pages, but there's no guarantee we will see the match against Nekoma or the rest of Nationals, let alone what becomes of these characters in the future. Knowing the manga has more in store makes it impossible not to want more time with these characters onscreen, too. The greatest loss of all is the loss of the show itself.
1 Satisfying Win: Karasuno Defeats Inarizaki
The freak duo truly turns it out in the most recent victory in the series, the culminating battle against Inarizaki.This arc was one worth waiting for, and fans really did have to wait.Due to COVID, episodes intended to air in the summer were pushed back until October, raising the suspense in the real world as well. Add to that the formidable Miya twins, who successfully replicate Hinata and Kageyama's signature quick, and it seems Karasuno has really met its match. The final block in the last seconds of the game proves truly unforgettable.
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