KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 – A match between the Japanese men’s team and the Argentine national team at the Olympic Games tonight has become an unexpected “must-see” for anime fans.
In a rare case where reality resembles fiction, fans of Haikyuu!! will experience a game that resembles a crucial moment that occurred in the sports manga series.
Nobody is promoting the upcoming Japan vs Argentina volleyball match more than Haikyuu fans. I respect it
— Anita (@curlystrawhat) July 30, 2024
the fact that Japan will be playing Argentina in men’s volleyball at the Olympics on Wednesday makes the Haikyuu fan in me so emotional ????????
— Aspen. (@honeycider_) July 27, 2024
Japan vs. Argentina game later, aka it’s finally here, Haikyuu fans, our time has come.
— March 🙂 (@bbangskz_) July 31, 2024
Japan vs Argentina later, oh my god, close enough, welcome back Haikyuu Chapter 402!
— mai (@trcikstar) July 31, 2024
So why did this match excite Haikyu!! fans so much?
The series focuses on the high school volleyball team of Karasuno High School in a fictional small town in Japan. The main character Hinata Shoyo tries to defy all adversities and become one of the best middle blockers despite his small stature.
One of the biggest antagonists in the anime is a setter from another school named Oikawa Toru, whose ambitions were dashed when his team was defeated by Karasuno in a regional tournament.
After a time jump in the manga series, in which all the characters were now adults, Oikawa finally played for Argentina in the Olympics.
Why do fans love Oikawa?
Oikawa has a strong rivalry with the protagonist team Karasuno, especially with their setter Kageyama Tobio, who was touted as a genius in the series and had overshadowed him when they were on the same team in middle school.
A mixture of his hardworking personality and rivalry with Kageyama fueled the fanbase’s mixed feelings towards him.
In a poll conducted by X-user @NORBOLOGY last year, Oikawa was voted the best Japanese anime villain with over 4 million votes, or 59.24 percent of the total.
Some users have also created fan art for tonight’s game:
Written by Haruichi Furudate, the Haikyuu!! The manga began publication in 2012 and was adapted into an anime series about two years later by the popular studio Production IG.
Ten years after the first episode of Haikyuu!! Broadcast, it has attracted a huge audience far beyond Japan due to its masterful storytelling, character development and dynamics, and the lessons it teaches over time. It also explains the intricacies and rules of volleyball through its characters.
It is the latest film, Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle The film premiered in Japan on February 16 and in Malaysia on May 16 and grossed over $93 million worldwide.
Both Japan and Argentina are currently bottom of the preliminary round in Group C after losing their first matches against Germany (2-3) and the USA (0-3), respectively.
The volleyball match between the men’s teams of Japan and Argentina is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. Malaysian time.
