Haikyu!! is one of the best series about sports and easily the greatest volleyball anime/manga around. While characters like Hinata, Kageyama, and Karasuno’s Guardian Deity Nishinoya add color to the series outside of games, Haikyu!! shines brightest during its intense matches. Whether Karasuno is competing for a spot in a local tournament, playing at a national level, or even just playing a practice game, they go all out every time.

The world of Haikyu!! is filled with top-tier volleyball talents scattered across a variety of teams. Each of these teams brings something new, interesting, and sometimes unstoppable to the table when they play The Flightless Crows. Karasuno themselves are a team stacked with some of the most talented and surprising players around. Each game in the series feels like its own character, adding a level of depth to Haikyu!! most sports anime don’t get close to.

10

Karasuno vs. Johzenji

It’s a Party on the Court

Karasuno vs. Johzenji was a very entertaining, high-energy match filled with effort on both sides. There was a little animosity headed into the match as well, as Johzenji’s wing spiker and team captain Yuji Terushima was trying to flirt with Karasuno’s manager and team treasure Kiyoko Shimizu.

Hinata didn’t only show up to save Kiyoko, he also showed up on the court too to shut down Johzenji in two straight sets to send the team through to the next round of the Spring Qualifiers tournament. Johzenji didn’t go down without a fight though, as even Ennoshita commented that their playstyle was entirely unpredictable and dangerous to face. While Johzenji did win a surprising amount of points, it wasn’t enough to take down Asahi and his ponytail.

9

Karasuno vs. Fukurodani

Only Haikyu!! Can Make Practice Matches This Intense

The Summer Training Camp at Shinzen High added a lot to the series and gave Karasuno’s players an entirely new perspective on their competition. Fukurodani was one of the first schools the players at Karasuno saw to play at a completely different level, inspiring them to work even harder. The practice match was only one set in which Fukurodani won 23-25 but it showed off a lot of Hinata’s, Kageyama’s, and Bokuto’s skills in stylish fashion.

Shoyo Hinata is one of the most underestimated characters in anime and manga, which makes it even sweeter when he surprises his opponents and blows them out of the water. Washio and Akaashi are both very confident in their ability to block the new Little Giant until Hinata hits a confident feint and wins the point out of nowhere.

8

Karasuno vs. Aoba Johsai (First Match)

The Great King Doesn’t Mess Around

Aoba Johsai was one of the most intimidating teams in the series when they first appeared because of one player: Toru Oikawa. If Karasuno valued Tobio Kageyama for his quick-thinking, calculated decision-making, and expert play, they were going to hate Oikawa for the same reasons. He’s an older, more refined version of Kageyama and this game showed every ounce of his skill. Karasuno needed to beat Aoba Johsai to reach the next round of the Miyagi Interhigh Prelims and in three brutal sets, they didn’t.

The first time Karasuno faced Aoba Johsai was also one of the first times Karasuno experienced real defeat. Even playing through three sets, with the third finally ending at a whopping 31-33 scoreline, they still couldn’t pull it off. Luckily, this was only a bump in the road for Hinata and the rest as Coach Ukai took the team out to dinner after the game, explained to them that this was only the beginning, and let them cry their hearts out.

7

Karasuno vs. Neighborhood Association

The Ace Asahi Azumane Returns

At the beginning of Haikyu!!, Karasuno was missing a very important piece. They were playing without their third-year wing spiker and ace, Asahi Azumane. Thanks to Hinata, Nishinoya, and a great game with the local Neighborhood Association, the Samurai Guy is back in full effect. Asahi’s powerful spikes are some of the most exciting in the series and this game finally saw him fall back in love with volleyball and rejoin Karasuno in full effect.

The game itself was a great introduction to the cast of Haikyu!!. Coach Ukai was still getting a feel for his new team and got to see a lot of their strengths live. Hinata and Kageyama even got to do their Quick Attack, leaving everyone who hadn’t already seen it speechless. Koshi Sugawara also gets some play, setting reliable and consistent serves to some of the spikers from the Neighborhood Association.

6

Yukigaoka vs. Kitagawa Daiichi

The First Look at Hinata and Kageyama’s Skills

The 2011 Junior High Athletics Meet match between Yukigaoka and Kitagawa Daiichi was a blowout and it’s easy to see why. Kitagawa Daiichi had legitimate volleyball players while Yukigaoka had basketball players acting like volleyball players, doing their friend Shoyo Hinata a favor. Even though it was a blowout, it highlighted both Hinata’s and Kageyama’s key qualities. Even though all the cards were stacked against him, Hinata played with everything he had until the very end, giving fans one of Haikyu!!‘s many inspirational moments.

Kageyama did as well, albeit with a little more force and rudeness. This game was Hinata’s last in middle school and it left him wanting more. Other characters might have been discouraged by such a one-sided defeat, but Hinata wasn’t. He was simply grateful for the experience, thanking all of his teammates for even showing up in the first place.

5

Karasuno vs. Tokonami High

A Look Into The Captain’s Past

If Tobio Kageyama and Shoyo Hinata are Karasuno’s masterpiece works of art, Daichi Sawamura is the canvas they’re on. Without their captain and defensive rock, they wouldn’t be able to go all out like they can every game. The Karasuno vs. Tokonami High game is great because it shows a little bit of Daichi’s past and highlights the fact that, at his core, he’s a great leader and all-around team player.

Tokonami High featured Hayato Ikejiri, a former classmate of Daichi’s from middle school. While Karasuno was obviously better, Daichi’s words about never giving up still rang in Hayato’s head, making him dig even deeper than he normally would. The best part of the match was when Hayato recounted Daichi’s own words back to his teammates, reinvigorating them and allowing them to continue the fight for just a bit longer.

4

Karasuno vs Aoba Johsai (2nd Match)

Sweet Sweet Revenge

Aoba Johsai handed Karasuno one of their most devastating defeats earlier in the series so if there wasn’t already a ton on the line, there was now. The Great King Toru Oikawa came back with a new weapon – Mad Dog Kentarō Kyōtani. Kentarō is an opponent unlike any Karasuno has faced before; he’s selfish, aggressive, and most of all, incredibly powerful. He comes in at the end of the first set and steals a spike away from his teammate Kindaichi, spiking the ball with absurd strength and barely missing the point.

The second set is ferocious, as it sees Kentarō whip out an unanswerable cut shot straight through Karasuno. The rest of the set is filled with some of the best back-and-forth volleyball the series has seen, with Kageyama and Oikawa at their very best. At the end of three exhausting sets, however, Karasuno is crowned victorious.

3

Karasuno vs. Nekoma

The Real Battle of the Garbage Dump

There are plenty of rivalries throughout Haikyu!!. There’s the Great King Toru Oikawa and the King of the Court Tobio Kageyama, the Greatest Decoy Hinata and almost everyone he plays against, but the biggest rivalry in all of Haikyu!! is between the Nekoma Cats and the Karasuno Crows. The Dumpster Battle was a hard-fought match a long time coming. It was also one of the healthiest sporting competitions Haikyu!! has ever shown.

The match was a must-win for both schools, as only the victor could move through to the next round of the 2013 Spring Tournament. While other matches in the series have had at least a hint of animosity in them, there was none to be detected in this rivalry. Instead, Karasuno and Nekoma brought the best out of each other, ending with a hard-fought win in Karasuno’s favor.

2

Karasuno vs. Shiratorizawa

Hinata and Tsukishima, Meet Ushiwaka the Unstoppable

Wakatoshi Ushijima might be the single greatest volleyball player in all off Haikyu!!. He’s tall, powerful, and has a spike so strong it might take an opponent’s arm off. Shiratorizawa was a mountain of a team for Karasuno in the Miyagi Prefectural Spring Qualifiers but after the series’ only 5-set game, Karasuno managed to come out on top and headed to Nationals as the Miyagi Prefecture’s representative.

Wakatoshi was every bit as intimidating as he was built up to be. At first, his spikes and serves seemed like they were going to pull the game toward Shiratorizawa, but after an incredible block from Tsukishima, he was made human again. Karasuno continued with attack after attack until they had finally beaten the mighty Shiratorizawa 3-2 in sets, moving on to the next opponent and the next tournament.

1

Karasuno vs. Inarizaki

Say Hello, and Goodbye, to the Miya Twins

Not only did Inarizaki have two of Haikyu!!‘s best players in Astumu and Osamu Miya, but they also had Aran Ojiro, Shinsuke Kita, and Rintaro Suna, three more players who would be stars on any team they play for. Not only did Inarizaki bring the heat through their players, but they also brought one of the loudest and most commanding bands of the series. There aren’t many moments cooler than Astumu Miya silencing the entire Inarizaki band with a single hand movement.

Karasuno vs. Inarizaki has the best music in the series. The match is filled with high-tempo jazz, making the game feel more like a high-stakes dance than part of a tournament. With incredible music blaring and some of the strongest and smartest opponents in the series, Karasuno vs Inarizaki is easily the greatest match in all of Haikyu!!.