There's no way that I can beat Ushiwaka.
But...
I'm planning on stopping at least a few of his spikes.
All right!
Haikyu!!
Karasuno High School vs Shiratorizawa Academy
Episode 05: Individual VS Numbers
Shiratorizawa!
He purposely cleared a way for the ball to go through.
He made Wakatoshi-kun think he could push it through,
and then he blocked it.
Shiratorizawa!
That damn little brat with the glasses...
Shiratorizawa!
But still, we lost that set.
I'm more scared at the fact that Tanji-kun hasn't yelled at us yet.
Shiratorizawa!
Kenjiro.
Shiratorizawa!
Yes?
Shiratorizawa!
Your expression tells me that you already know.
Shiratorizawa!
You alive, Kenjiro?
Shiratorizawa!
If this was a practice match, I would have gotten a slap across the face.
Shiratorizawa!
Really?
I wouldn't say that toss was actually a mistake.
Shiratorizawa!
Stuff like this happens all the time.
Shiratorizawa!
This wasn't some simple mistake.
Shiratorizawa!
Shiratorizawa Karasuno
Daichi-san, nice serve!
Cover!
Don't mind! We're going to keep pushing through!
Right!
Shiratorizawa Karasuno
Hup.
It doesn't seem like Shiratorizawa's going to shatter at all.
Nice kill, Tendo!
Yeah.
All right!
That setter...
Not only is he not letting the second set get to him,
Tendo! Tendo!
but it seems like his eyes are more focused than ever.
That attack made me dizzy.
And I look up to setters who play elegantly.
But...
All right!
Shirabu, your tosses are as sharp as ever today.
Right.
Miyagi Prefectural Junior High All-Around Sports Competition Boys' Volleyball
Our team was pretty strong,
Shiratorizawa Kitagawa Daichi
but in the end,
it was often these two schools fighting to get one step higher.
Kitagawa Daichi were lacking in their physique,
but their strategies involved skills using speed and combinations,
and they looked elegant.
To a setter like me, Oikawa definitely seemed like a monster,
and yet I thought...
That the height and power that could stop any skilled teamwork,
or attacks involving a handful of people,
were the coolest things of all.
I want to be able to fight like that.
Where, if all else failed, we could win with just an open toss.
That would be volleyball without the setter needing to control everything.
I'm going to Shiratorizawa.
Huh?
I'm going to go play some powerful volleyball
where other powerful people will also gather.
For me, the coolest form of volleyball
is this.
I will become the setter that stands out the least.
Karasuno
All right!
Damn it...
Shiratorizawa!
Next! We'll get the next one!
Shiratorizawa!
Are you all right, Nishinoya?
Shiratorizawa!
There's no getting around the fact that the bigger you are,
Shiratorizawa!
the greater your advantage is in volleyball.
Shiratorizawa!
And right now, there's no one bigger than him.
Just one more set!
Shiratorizawa!
But that means nothing to a libero.
Shiratorizawa!
The only one that's equal to him
is me.
All right, here we go!
Be Courageous Warriors
All right, here we go!
Karasuno High School!
Since you were able to move like that,
I thought that you'd be good at receiving and blocking, too.
You can't fight with height,
so what can you possibly do if your technique is clumsy, too?
"Clumsy: Immature and lacking. Bad at something. Not skilled." Okay?
Okay!
Hey, stop dawdling!
Shiratorizawa!
You and Ushiwaka are somehow alike.
Shiratorizawa!
Yeah?
Well... I want to eventually be able to hit spikes like that, too.
Shiratorizawa!
That's not what I meant.
Shiratorizawa!
All right, have a seat. Rest while you can.
Shiratorizawa!
I'm sure you're finally getting used to both the finals
Shiratorizawa!
and Shiratorizawa's cannon.
What you're doing is technically not wrong.
Shiratorizawa!
Don't get confused.
Shiratorizawa!
I know you're probably tired, but always remember to keep your blocks together.
With scattered blocks, you won't just be unable stop the spike,
but you'll get in the way of the receiver, too.
With both offense and defense,
using your numbers to create an advantage will lead to victory.
Don't forget that.
Right!
Be Courageous Warriors
Fly
Azumane-san.
Karasuno Shiratorizawa
Tsutomu, nice serve!
I'm on a roll right now.
I'm gonna do this in one shot!
Out!
Home run!
Lucky! Lucky!
Leon!
Nice receive!
This is clearly Ushiwaka's winning pattern.
He's going to smash it from above, we're going to get blown away,
or if we're lucky, we'll get a one touch.
Or...
If Ushiwaka comes in fast from the right and attacks,
if you and I both block,
let's tighten up the cross side
a little more.
We won't be able to narrow the course as much as a three-person block,
but while we're tightening the cross...
the guardian field of view becomes clearer.
The only one equal to Ushiwaka...
...is me.
I can't let us keep losing!
All right!
Nice receive!
All right!
Yeah!
Tsutomu!
If you keep standing in half-assed places,
you won't be able to dig or follow up with a one touch!
Yes, sir!
Coach is quieter than usual, but he's not holding back on me at all.
Why do you think you get yelled at the most?
Because I lack discipline!
Because he's counting on you the most.
Huh?
All right, bring it!
He's way too simple-minded!
But what I said is true.
Karasuno Shiratorizawa
All right!
You're too slow.
Blocking is all about reading and your sense of smell.
Blocking is systematic.
Hinata!
Goshiki!
It's the guy who does the super-sharp straights,
so we'll tighten up for a straight!
Yes! Hinata's fast!
He hit the outside?!
All right!
He went through there?!
That was totally luck, wasn't it?
Luck? No way...
You're only an ace if you're able to create miracles.
Stop trying to make it sound cool!
All right. That shot was amazing.
It was amazing, but...
That just means we have to use another method to get a point.
Yeah!
Karasuno Shiratorizawa
Nice receive!
All right!
Use your numbers to your advantage!
Go! Synchronized attack!
Oh, here it comes.
That annoying attack.
But...
The synchronized attack was...
stopped.
Haikyu!! Karasuno High School vs Shiratorizawa Academy
Karasuno Shiratorizawa
Nice kill, Kawanishi!
Be Courageous Warriors
Kawanishi!
That #12 confirmed
that Sawamura's stance didn't completely go back,
and instantaneously threw out the possibility of an attack on the right.
It wasn't certain that they wouldn't attack on the right,
but the chances of them forcefully going toward the right were low.
If only you'd thought about all that in the past.
Hello!
You guys always seemed to go for the ball without giving it any thought.
W-We were doing what we could!
With single plays like doing strong spikes or getting serves through!
It's their old, super scary coach.
That's Ukai-kun's grandpa.
There we go.
Looks like Washio-sensei's got a pretty good lineup, as usual.
Karasuno...
If all of them didn't come in for the attack,
one of them might have been able to follow up with a block.
Right.
The strategies of our two teams are completely different,
but we both are alike in that we like to score points by force.
Karasuno Shiratorizawa
All right!
This is a battle between concepts.
It's always been like that with Ukai.
This is the perfect opportunity
to see which of our groups of high school students
is currently stronger.
Daichi-san, nice serve!
If Ushiwaka is not participating in the serve and receives,
we just have to restrict everything to the left.
Leon!
Nice receive!
And then have Ushiwaka
hit as much as possible!
We're going to stop him!
I've seen Tsukishima-kun look annoyed before,
but seeing him look frustrated is pretty new.
Karasuno Shiratorizawa
All right!
Yes! It's off!
Here we go.
Ready, and...
If the perfect toss goes up to Ushiwaka, and he completely plows one through,
there's nothing that we can do.
We'll just have to do whatever we can to stop the rest.
We'll have the center back's defense go one step back,
if we're able to stick two or more blockers on Ushiwaka.
The thing that Kinoshita-san did in the Wakunan match!
That's it!
Because our blocks with Tsukishima as the center are holding up more than we thought,
we should definitely give this a try.
It's merely one step...
But it's still a step.
Don't let it end with Hinata or Tanaka, whose reflexes are fast, picking it up.
Get one that's not a miracle.
Daichi!
Got it!
Tanaka, get the last!
Get back! Get back!
Nope!
What?!
He stopped it!
Miracle boy,
Sa-to-ri!
Damn it!
He was seriously able to stop that spike without knowing where it would go?
Good job stopping that.
He had no time to look for a block, standing like that.
And spikers frequently end up looking at the spot they're planning to spike.
So that's how he was able to determine where the ball would go.
Which means, their #5 was going to hit where he had planned,
I'm sorry!
regardless of where he was standing.
Don't mind!
That block was pretty amazing.
Yes, it was!
That's just fine,
if they're able to do those high-level things without a doubt.
But their opponents are called champions
because it's going to take more than that to win.
Wakatoshi, nice serve!
Karasuno Shiratorizawa
Sorry!
What?
Is he Mr. Perfect?
Is Ushiwaka-kun Mr. Friggin' Perfect?!
Karasuno Shiratorizawa
One more!
Cover!
I'm not going to let them get
any more of a lead!
The block's low!
All right!
Right!
Hey.
If you don't score any points when you're on the front line,
nothing's gonna start.
Got it!
Come to think of it,
didn't Ushiwaka say something to Hinata in between the sets?
Oh, yes.
"A shrimp that sucks like you has no reason to live."
Apparently.
Seriously?! Are you sure he didn't imagine some of that?
That's what I thought, too, but apparently that's what he meant.
I wonder what Hinata's going to do after being told that...
Should you be laughing at that?
Well, I mean,
if his heart was going to break after being told something like that,
he wouldn't be here right now.
A good spot!
Sorry! It's short!
Ohira-san!
You can't fight with height,
so what can you possibly do if your technique is clumsy, too?
Damn it!
I'm so jealous that he's so tall!
I'm jealous, but...
It's a block, but it's almost like...
He's doing an approaching run for a spike!
The approaching run...
gives you man-made wings.
Fly
He stopped it!
I'm jealous, but...
I never said that I wasn't going to fight with height!
Karasuno made a break!
Karasuno Shiratorizawa
Hey, hey, hey!
That little #10 finally did a decent block!
Yeah, well... that #10's plays are erratic,
so it might have just been luck.
Why are they talking like they know each other?
But if that wasn't luck,
this match is going to change.
Nishinoya.
I've fallen for Shoyo again!
He should just do that every time!
No, no, no. An approaching run like that
won't be able to handle fast attacks.
Not to mention, it'll wear down his stamina.
Middle blockers jump everywhere to begin with,
and Hinata's already been moving around a lot.
You were always trying to figure out how you were going to be lazy.
Yup!
I've got no complaints if you were actually able to successfully be lazy.
Ohira-san!
One more time...
Of course!
I'm so sorry!
Don't mind.
Think about how fast you're going, you dumbass!
Shoyo, this is from Ukai-san.
The ideal jump is to jump straight up,
but for now, he said you can go to the sides, too.
In return...
We'll support both sides.
Yeah.
Karasuno Shiratorizawa
My timing's slow! Then there's no point!
Hit it directly!
If you successfully be lazy, there's no problem.
But, with Shrimpy...
his only choice is to jump.
All right!
Hinata, nice kill!
Oh. You're here, too.
You said that you weren't going to come because it'd piss you off, no matter who won.
No matter which side wins,
I'm gonna be able to see the other team's faces when they lose.
You really are a piece of crap.
I don't have time to sit around feeling sorry for myself.
I see that their #10 sure is moving around a lot, like always.
He's definitely some kind of monster.
However, it sure must be rough
having to stick around that monster.
Sorry!
Tanaka!
Right!
All right!
Karasuno Shiratorizawa
Tsukishima, nice serve!
The top of the jump! The top of the jump!
The top of the...
jump!
Front! Up front!
Left!
One touch!
Chance ball!
Wakatoshi-kun!
Come on, Hinata.
I'll... support you!
One touch!
Got it!
Don't you dare get worn out!
Shut up!
He's going to the opposite side from there?
Damn it.
All right!
Tanaka! Great job supporting him!
It's a senpai's job
to always be there and help
It's a senpai's job to always be there and help his precious juniors.
A haiku!
It's a senpai's job to always be there and help his precious juniors. -Tanaka
Karasuno Shiratorizawa
Karasuno got a break!
Hinata, nice one touch!
After a reckless synchronized attack...
Karasuno sure likes to do some risky things.
New, tricky skills and combo plays...
Then...
Let's stomp those out with the individual strengths that we've sharpened for so long.
An individual's physical abilities, height, and power...
If those were the only things to prove one's strength,
this match would be much simpler.
But it's because that's not the case,
that this is so deep and so interesting.
Tch...
Tsukishima, you're clicking your tongue a lot more than usual.
You sound like a clock.
A clock? What does tongue clicking have to do with clocks?
Hey, concentrate on the match.
Episode 06: The Chemical Change of Encounters
Next time on Haikyu!!: "The Chemical Change of Encounters."