"Ace's Form" (Japanese: 「エース」のカタチ "Ēsu" no Katachi) is the ninety-fifth chapter of the Haikyū!! series written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate. It was published in the 10th issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump's 2014 series.
Overview[]
It's the climax of the match against Karasuno and Fukurodani, and the latter team's ace, Bokuto, doesn't seem to be doing well. His consecutive mistakes cause him to submit to his "dejected mode" which the rest of Fukurodani most likely avoid to happen in matches. With the current situation, Karasuno starts to take the advantage. Will they succeed?
Plot[]
With Karasuno seeming to be able to attack from any point, Bokuto is starting to become frustrated. Sugawara and Yamaguchi excitedly praise how the attack was able to work with the available spikers going to attack at once to throw off the opposing blockers since they wouldn't be able to tell who would be the one to get the set and Sugawara mentions how he has a new idea he'd like to try.
For several plays, Karasuno is able to keep their attacks working and stay just a point behind Fukurōdani. Bokuto is next to serve and he is determined not to let Karasuno take the lead while his team and coach start to notice that he's getting too fired up. Bokuto serves but it goes directly into the net, barely missing Konoha.
With the score now tied, Daichi tells Tanaka to try to aim for Bokuto in order to keep him in place. Tanaka serves but it does further out than he wanted. Bokuto saves it and then calls for the last hit. In the time of 0.5 seconds, Akaashi questions Bokuto's reaction if he were to get the set or not. Akaashi believes that Bokuto will either: a.) land the ball like normal, b.) he will miss/get blocked and get his spirit crushed, or c.) he does not get a set at all and becomes annoyingly pouty.
Akaashi sends Bokuto the ball but his spike bounces off the block and he calls for the last hit again. Wanting to block Bokuto completely on this next chance, Daichi, Hinata, and Asahi jump to block only to be caught off guard when Bokuto sends his shot straight into the net. With this, Karasuno is in the lead for the first time against Fukurōdani.
With Bokuto having missed his spike, the Fukurōdani team prepare for what they know is coming next. Bokuto loudly proclaims for Akaashi not to send him anymore sets and, to his surprise, Akaashi agrees while telling the captain to take the chance to calm down. Though not sure by what's going on, Daichi encourages Karasuno to keep this lead and win against Fukurōdani now that Bokuto seems to be off his game.
After several plays, Fukurōdani is able to keep themselves together and eventually tie the score. Ukai and Takeda both see that the Fukurōdani team are not falling apart and manage to stay strong without their ace. This is further proven when Akaashi lands a setter dump and gets Fukurōdani back in the lead. Eri Miyanoshita comments how Bokuto sees himself as the big brother of the team but is really more like the baby of the family. Despite this, he is still recognized as the strongest player. She and Masaki Gōra are aware that the rest of Fukurōdani is not affected when Bokuto has one of his well-known mood swings and are capable of facing other champion teams head on but become even stronger when Bokuto is in top shape.
Fukurōdani eventually reaches match point as Ukai comes to realize that the team is not one in which Bokuto leads but rather the team leads the way for Bokuto. Tsukishima also makes the same realization but is still aware that Bokuto is the most fearsome player on the team. At this, he is able to block Konoha and bring Karasuno a point behind Fukurōdani, earning him quiet praise from Kuroo.
As he readies to serve, Asahi is aware that he must keep his serve in bounds. He sends the ball over but Ukai notices that he did not do a jump serve. Akaashi guesses that Karasuno must have realized the kind of team Fukurōdani is by now and also determines that they are not paying any attention to Bokuto. Seeing Bokuto is at the state in which he is becoming restless in wanting the ball, Akaashi sends the last hit to Bokuto.
Caught off-guard, the Karasuno blockers hurry to be in place to block but ultimately fail when Bokuto is able to send a powerful straight shot past them.
Appearances[]
Chapter notes[]
Character revelations[]
- Bokuto has a "dejected mode" when his volleyball play is not going so smoothly.