Things will continue to fly high as the Haikyu!! anime hits its 10th anniversary this year. The hit volleyball series based on Haruichi Furudate’s manga is getting a special celebration that includes new visuals, an exhibition, and a finale event to mark the climax.
Reflecting the theme of ‘tsunagu’, or ‘connect’, the project has kicked off with two new images starring Shoyo Hinata and Tobio Kageyama from Karasuno High alongside Nekoma High’s Kenma Kozume and Tetsuro Kuroo.
An exhibition will also be held from July in various parts of Japan. Visitors can expect display materials and a realistic, hands-on experience of the Haikyu!! world, with the planned schedule as follows:
- 13 July to 4 August: TFT Hall, Tokyo
- 11 to 19 August: Kamei Arena, Miyagi
- 14 September to 9 October: Hakata International Exhibition Hall & Conference Center, Fukuoka
Other cities are expected to be announced soon. In the meantime, fans can check out a series of school banners and logos on the event website, including new artwork that didn’t make it to the manga. These designs will be featured on the 10th anniversary commemorative merchandise, available for pre-order on the TOHO animation store now.
The celebration is set to end in 2025 with a yet-to-be-revealed finale event. “Congratulations to the anime Haikyu!! 10th anniversary! Thanks to the anime, I think there are so many people who have become aware of the appeal of volleyball,” said Furudate on X / Twitter, as shared by the official franchise account. “I really appreciate it. The anime Haikyu!! is still in progress, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the story!”
Currently, Haikyu!! the Movie: Decisive Battle at the Garbage Dump is making its rounds in Japan. It serves to replace the anime’s fifth season, and is the first of a two-part film. As for the show, it began airing in 2014 and concluded in 2020 with Season 4, with a synopsis that reads:
“Haikyu!! is a slice-of-life sports anime revolving around Shoyo Hinata’s love of volleyball. Inspired by a small-statured pro volleyball player, Hinata creates a volleyball team in his last year of middle school. Unfortunately the team is matched up against the ‘King of the Court’ Tobio Kageyama’s team in their first tournament and inevitably lose. After the crushing defeat, Hinata vows to surpass Kageyama. After entering high school, Hinata joins the volleyball team only to find that Tobio has also joined.”
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Trinity Sun
Kaylyn Lim
