"Aces and Heroes" (Japanese: エースとヒーロー Ēsu to Hīrō) is the forty-seventh chapter of the Haikyū!! series, written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate. It was published in the 10th issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump's 2013 series.
Overview[]
Despite being stopped multiple times, Asahi refuses to give up and continues asking for the ball. After Nishinoya saves the ball with his foot, it's sent to Kageyama, who sets it to Asahi after persuasion from Sugawara and the ace himself. Asahi spikes past the blockers and score the final point for Karasuno's victory. As the teams accept the outcome of the match, Date Tech listens to its captain's last command and Karasuno discusses the revenge it was finally able to get. However, this relief is only temporary as Karasuno prepares for its next opponent—the powerhouse Aoba Johsai.
Plot[]
Asahi thinks to himself as he spikes continuously that no matter how many times he gets stopped by the Iron Wall, he'll never stop hitting the ball as long as it's tossed to him. Right at that moment, his spike gets blocked, but Nishinoya saves the ball with his foot.
As soon as the ball's back up in the air, Asahi moves back and reminds himself to keep thinking and moving his feet because if he loses that mindset, the ball will fall. The ball goes to Kageyama, who hesitates about sending it to Asahi again. Simultaneously, Sugawara and Asahi call to the first-year to keep trying again until they end the match. Kageyama recovers his composure and remembers what Sugawara told him about Asahi's specialty. The first-year performs a high toss and Takeda questions it, but Ukai reassures him that a high toss is exactly what they need at the moment. Asahi spikes the toss and slams the ball past the blockers. The ball land on the net and falls onto Date Tech's side of the court, ending the match in Karasuno's victory.
The players line up and bow. As Hinata's heading off the court, he notices Aone extending a hand towards him. Eagerly, he accepts the handshake and the two share a smile as their teammates walk away. On the side, Takeda asks Ukai what he meant when he said a high toss was the best choice. Ukai explains that in the situation before with their formation in chaos, helping the ace succeed by all means was the best tactic. If the ace succeeds, it would boost his confidence in himself and allow the team to win the game. Also, having Kageyama perform a toss specifically for Asahi would give the latter the sense of pride he desperately needed.
The members gather around the benches as Nishinoya and Hinata compliment Asahi. Asahi states that he may be the ace, but everyone on the team is a hero. Kageyama and Hinata are impressed as the other third-years watch on approvingly.
On Date Tech's side, Aone approaches Moniwa with a scowl. His captain comments that Aone did a good job against the opponents' outrageous quick strike but before he can finish, Aone yells: "Spring Tournament." Futakuchi jumps over and adds that they're going to get their revenge then so they should head back quickly to come up with a new plan. Moniwa interrupts and reminds them that the third-years are retiring after this game. He thanks the two for helping Date Tech gain the reputation of being the "Iron Wall" before sternly telling them to destroy all their opponents during the Spring High. The underclassmen agree to their captain's last command.
In the bleachers, Takinoue and Shimada wonder about how Hinata can tell when Kageyama's using their infamous quick attack or just a normal quick. On the court, Hinata and Kageyama walk off together as Hinata notes that the opponents didn't catch on to their signals. Tsukishima comments on their ability to think of something like that despite their low levels of intelligence and Hinata begrudgingly admits that Sugawara was the one who did.
Ahead of the two, Sugawara smiles as he remarks that they were finally able to get revenge against Date Tech for last year. However, he wishes that they won with his toss. Daichi replies that he's glad Sugawara still intends to fight for his spot.
The Karasuno members' attention is soon brought to a nearby court, where Aoba Johsai just began its first match. Oikawa goes up to serve and announces that his team will devour both "champions" and "dark horses" and advance to the nationals.
Appearances[]
Chapter notes[]
Character revelations[]
- Asahi's specialty is a high toss slightly away from the net.
- Nishinoya saved the ball with his foot out of instinct and didn't plan that tactic out beforehand.
Trivia[]
- Despite being a powerhouse now, Moniwa has stated that during either his first- or second-year of high school, the team had been considered weak.