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So, is playing recklessly always the same as playing seriously?
Akira Kunimi to Kageyama in a flashback[1][2]

Akira Kunimi (Japanese: 国見 (くにみ) (あきら) Kunimi Akira) was a first-year student at Aoba Johsai High. He was a starting wing spiker for the Boys' Volleyball Club.

As of 2018, he is a college student and will be working at a bank in Miyagi upon graduating.

Appearance[]

Kunimi usually has an indifferent expression on his face and doesn't show his emotions often. He has dark hair that is parted into two sides in the middle. He's quite thin, though he has a lean, muscular build. His eyes are dull brown, and he has somewhat delicate features. His eyes make him look very apathetic and tired. He possesses an average height for a volleyball player, standing at 183 cm, and is slightly taller than average for a first-year high school student.

Post-timeskip, he appears to have let his hair grow out a little longer and keeps most of it swept over to the right side of his head.

Personality[]

He is a quiet and indifferent person, though it's mostly out of laziness; however, he does smile when needed. He occasionally skips practice as well and doesn't seem to put his full effort into matches; however, his true strength lies in his late game plays because of his "conservative" nature. Kunimi dislikes loud, energetic people and was dismayed when Koganegawa yelled at him to "go all out," which is one of his least liked phrases. He also refers to Hinata, Koganegawa, and Hyakuzawa as the "idiot squad" because of their energy. Kageyama has also mentioned that Kunimi is smart, though it's unknown if that refers to his game sense or general studies.

Background[]

Similar to many of the current Aoba Johsai team members, Kunimi attended Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High and played on the volleyball team along with Kindaichi and Kageyama. Similar to Kindaichi, Kunimi found himself under the harsh criticism of Kageyama for not putting in more effort during matches. He and Kindaichi agreed that Kageyama was demanding too much of them without giving anything in return, and they are shown in a flashback to having asked their coach to bench Kageyama.

After graduating junior high, Kunimi enrolled in Aoba Johsai. He joined the volleyball team and became one of the starting wing spikers.

Plot[]

Kunimi s1-e1-2

Kunimi first appears with the Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High boys volleyball team during the middle school volleyball tournament. In the beginning of the match, Kunimi makes several service aces in a row due to the Yukigaoka Junior High team not being very skilled and therefore missing several receives. Near the end of the second set, Kindaichi is barely able to get a spike in from Kageyama's quick set, and Kunimi questions why the setter is being so serious about the game, only for Kageyama to openly question why he and the rest of the team are not.

When Kindaichi is able to get a one-touch on Hinata's spike, Kunimi attempts to chase after the ball but does not put much effort into it since he believes that he will not be able to reach it before it lands. Because he did not fully run after the ball, Kageyama yells at Kunimi for his lack of effort. Kitagawa would quickly go on to win the match.

Karasuno High Team Formation Arc[]

Seijoh s1-e6-1

During the start of the second set, Kunimi gets ready to block, not giving it much thought. However, he gets surprised when he sees Hinata jump impressively high. Even though Karasuno is not able to get the point of this, Kunimi's surprise does not falter as Kageyama apologizes for having tossed too high. Near the end of the third set, Kunimi is subbed out in order for Tōru Oikawa to enter the game.[3] After Aoba Johsai's loss, Kunimi finds Kindaichi having just ended a confrontation with Kageyama. Kindaichi expresses his shock over how Kageyama said 'we' when telling him that Karasuno was going to beat Aoba Johsai, which confuses Kunimi, and he smacks his friend.

Interhigh Arc[]

Aoba Johsai enters the arena, and as it passes by, Hinata suddenly calls Kindaichi by his nickname[4]. Though Kindaichi's confused, Kunimi snickers and remarks that he fits the description. When warming up to go up against Oomisaki, Mizoguchi notices Kunimi slacking off and yells at him.

Karasuno vs Aoba Johsai[]

During the match, Kunimi immediately notices that Hinata is being used as a decoy. Kindaichi falls for the trick, but Kunimi doesn't get to the other side of the net in time before Asahi scores. During the third set, Kunimi saves Asahi's spike after failing to block it and earns a compliment from his teammates. After the rally ends, Oikawa checks up on Kunimi, and as this happens, Kageyama thinks back about how Kunimi ran to get that ball since in middle school he felt so demotivated all the time, which lost them a rally against Yukigaoka because he wasn't willing to run after the ball.

Kunimi s1-e24-1

Kageyama's surprise furthers when Iwaizumi is used as Aoba Johsai's decoy and Oikawa sets for Kunimi. Additionally, the audience notices that Kunimi has been the one with the most energy during the last few rallies and wonders how he could still be moving so much[1]. When Oikawa sets for him, Kunimi gives a tip to conquer Karasuno's block and win Aoba Johsai's rally. Seeing Kunimi smile after winning made Kageyama afraid because he didn't know how he could be able to beat Oikawa, someone who could make full use of all of his players.

Aoba Johsai vs Shiratorizawa[]

Kunimi is seen joining Kindaichi and Iwaizumi in trying to stop Ushijima. They were unable to stop the powerful ace, as he was still able to get past them and win the match for Shiratorizawa. As a result, Aoba Johsai placed second in the tournament.[5]

Spring High Preliminary Arc[]

Sometime before the qualifiers begin, Kyōtani decides to come back to practice and backs off when getting intimidated by Oikawa, which is something Kunimi compares to having animal instincts.

Aoba Johsai vs Date Tech[]

Aoba Johsai first faces off against Date Tech.[6] Kunimi performs a few efficient blocks. During the second set, Kunimi is getting ready to move as Oikawa sets but ends up pulling a setter dump, and Kunimi is seen with a smug look on his face. When Iwaizumi scores Aoba Johsai's winning point, the whole team comes to congratulate him, but Kunimi silently does so.

Aoba Johsai vs Karasuno[]

Not far into the match, Kunimi is tasked with smashing the ball as Kageyama is about to set but is too slow, and Tanaka scores behind Kageyama. Kunimi would soon be subbed out for Kyōtani and after surprising everyone by interrupting Oikawa's set, Kageyama assumes that he is most likely smart as they subbed him in for Kunimi. When Yahaba explains to him about Kyōtani only listening to Iwaizumi because he has never been able to beat Iwaizumi in any kind of competition, Kunimi compares the team to a wolf pack with Iwaizumi as the alpha.

Group s2-e22-3

During the third set, Kunimi is subbed back in for Kyōtani to recollect himself. As he is about to attack, Kageyama predicts that he is going to do a tip, which is correct. However, this creates tension between the two. Moreover, Kunimi is subbed out a few rallies later. In the final set, Kunimi is also in the triple block that reads Kageyama's motion to set Hinata, but they still fail to block him. After Aoba Johsai's loss, Kunimi does not go to the ramen shop with his team. Despite this, that night he is seen practicing quietly in his room with a hard stare on his face.

Tokyo Nationals Arc[]

Kunimi s4-e1-1

Johzenji High's Coach Anabara has invited him and several others to participate in a training camp.[7] During the camp, Hinata, and then later Koganegawa, carefully study Kunimi's plays, much to his displeasure. Throughout the camp, Kunimi continues to put minimal effort into his plays, which causes some frustration among others, but he also shows clever tactics that make up for his lack of effort. At the end of the camp, he tries to help Kindaichi put the events of middle school behind him while promising Hinata that Aoba Johsai will defeat Karasuno the next time they play one another. He follows Karasuno's matches at the Spring Tournament and, at times, comments on how Kindaichi seems to be cheering for Karasuno and for Hinata in particular.

Kindaichi and Kunimi watch Karasuno's match against Kamomedai together. In the third set, Kamomedai gains a three-point lead, and Kindaichi expresses his distress for Karasuno, telling Hinata to do something, and Kunimi tells him to learn to be specific. Sometime later, Hinata uses his minus tempo attack to get through Kamomedai's blockers, which Kindaichi bursts into laughter about but goes quiet when Kunimi reminds him that he'll be the one to have to face him in the following year.

Final Arc[]

Kunimi appears in the Final Arc when he goes to the game between the Schweiden Adlers and the MSBY Black Jackals with Kindaichi. At the time of the game, Kunimi is a college senior and will be working for a bank in Miyagi the following year. At the end of the game, Kunimi agrees to Kageyama's request to play volleyball with him and Kindaichi.

Statistics[]

High School Statistics
Power
 
3/5
Jumping
 
3/5
Stamina
 
3/5
Game Sense
 
5/5
Technique
 
3/5
Speed
 
3/5

Kunimi's hidden weapons are being efficient, conserving energy, and always being calm. Kunimi is a proficient player, having been a starting member of a champion team like Kitagawa Daiichi and now on Aoba Johsai. He has efficient blocks but decent spikes that don't gain momentum until the late parts of the match. He has also improved tremendously since junior high and digs and spikes the ball with better effort, thanks to his increase in motivation.

Skills[]

  • Feint: One of Kunimi's most used methods. Kunimi will use the feint shot to get over blockers or try to land the ball in an area where there are no defenders.
  • Blocks: Being one of the taller players on the team, Kunimi is a valued blocker.
  • Spikes: While Kunimi's spikes are not particularly powerful, thanks to his conservative nature, Kunimi's attacks are more of a threat during the later parts of a match.
  • Receives: Kunimi is shown to be a skilled and thoughtful receiver. During the First Year Training Camp, Hinata observed him send the first receive at a high point so that he and his partner would have plenty of time to prepare for an attack at their own pace. Kunimi was also shown to be nearly able to receive one of Ushijima's spikes.
  • Conservative nature: This is noted to be one of Kunimi's strongest points. Since Kunimi does not put much effort into the earlier parts of a game like others, he is able to conserve energy to use during the later half of a match, which allows him to attack multiple times in a row. While this was a trait that did not sit well with most others, Oikawa saw it as a strength and allowed Kunimi to continue this method on the condition that he would be more relied on during matches when everyone else became exhausted.

Jumping Reach: 320 cm.

Relationships[]

Aoba Johsai High[]

  • Yūtarō Kindaichi:
    Kindaichi and Kunimi s1-e7-1
    Kunimi and Kindaichi have played on the same team since junior high. They are often in each other's company and understand each other well. In junior high, they shared a dislike for and distrust for Kageyama and often made snide comments about him to each other. Kunimi is aware that their past with Kageyama greatly affected Kindaichi and has tried to get Kindaichi to overcome this several times. They continued to stay friends after high school, as they were shown together or texting each other at different points during the Final Arc.
  • Aoba Johsai High:
    Seijoh s1-e6-2
    Kunimi gets along well with all of his teammates and holds tremendous respect towards Iwaizumi and Oikawa, who brought his true potential out of him. Mizoguchi has been shown to yell at Kunimi the most out of everyone on the team, and Kunimi is somewhat scared of him, although this is due to Mizoguchi noticing Kunimi's lack of effort during his plays. Like some of the other members, Kunimi appears somewhat fearful when around Kyōtani.

Karasuno High[]

  • Tobio Kageyama:
    Kageyama and Kunimi s1-e1-1
    Kunimi disliked Kageyama in junior high because of the latter's personality and treatment of his teammates. Kageyama often yelled at Kunimi for not giving more effort; this is the main factor that Kunimi changed in Aoba Johsai, surprising Kageyama. Though Kunimi and Kindaichi seemed to be the main targets of Kageyama's demanding demeanor in junior high, Kunimi did not appear to hold the same level of animosity toward the setter as Kindaichi did at this time and into high school. In the Final Arc, Kunimi appears to no longer be concerned about their history in middle school and starts a new friendship with Kageyama when he agrees to play a game with Kageyama and Kindaichi when they have free time.

Trivia[]

  • Current Concern: "Staying awake during class is hard."
  • Star Sign: Aries.
  • In Haikyuu's first popularity poll, Kunimi ranked 24th with 856 votes.[8] In the second popularity poll, he rose to 16th with 3,495 votes.[9] In the Takara Tomy Character Poll, he ranked 16th with 1,619 votes.
  • In Haikyuu's Best Order Poll, Kunimi was the 6th most voted for outside hitter with 6,503 votes despite never playing outside hitter in the series.
  • He has a list of most hated words/phrases such as:
    1. Pitiful (Japanese: かわいそう Kawaisō)[10]
    2. Reckless (Manga)/Go All out (Anime) (Japanese: がむしゃら Gamushara)[10]
  • He is the youngest high school student in the series.
  • He is the youngest first-year and member on the team.
  • He and Akira Saitō share the same first name and pronunciation, but not the same kanji.
  • Furudate commented that if Kunimi actually tried, he would become a dangerous opponent.[11]
  • He is sometimes referred to as "923" due to the fact that the on-yomi (adopted Chinese pronunciation) of 9 and 2 are "Ku" and "Ni," respectively, while the kun-yomi (Japanese pronunciation) for 3 is "Mi". This has led some fans to treat September 23 (9/23) as "Kunimi Day."
  • Nomenclature:
    • Akira (英) – Intelligent
    • Kunimi (国見)
      • 国 – Country
      • 見 – See

References[]

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