Akira Kunimi (Japanese:
Appearance
Kunimi mostly 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 possess an average height for volleyball standing at 183 cm and is somewhat tall for a first year high school student.
Personality
He is a quiet and indifferent person, though it's mostly out of laziness. 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. 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
He went to Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High with Kindaichi and Kageyama, and the three are often shown together in the flashbacks. Kunimi and Kindaichi were the ones who got the coach to bench Kageyama (though in Kageyama's flashbacks, the entire team was shown to be responsible). He and Kindaichi also seem to be very close friends, likely from attending the same junior high, though whether they were friends before then is unknown. He currently goes to Aobajohsai High and is a starting wing spiker on the boys' volleyball team.
Plot
Karasuno High Team Formation Arc
Aobajohsai plays a practice match against Karasuno.[1] Kunimi doesn't have much of a role and is mostly seen commenting on Kageyama with Kindaichi.
Later on, he encounters Kindaichi outside the boys' bathroom and asks if he was talking with Kageyama.[2] Kindaichi sadly comments that he's frustrated that Kageyama uses "we" with his current teammates, but not with them and Kunimi hits him.
Interhigh Arc
Aobajohsai enters the arena and as it passes by, Hinata suddenly calls Kindaichi by his nickname.[3] Though Kindaichi’s confused, Kunimi snickers and remarks that he fits the description.
Karasuno vs Aobajohsai
Aobajohsai later goes up against Karasuno.[4] Kunimi doesn’t have much of a presence in the early game and is mostly seen commenting on Kageyama’s changes with Kindaichi. Later, Kunimi starts chasing after the ball and gaining momentum despite the other players’ exhaustion.[5] After a good spike, he smiles happily with his teammates, shocking Kageyama who had never seen him smile in genuine happiness before.
Spring High Preliminary Arc
Aobajohsai first faces off against Date Tech.[6] Kunimi performs a few efficient blocks. In the next match against Karasuno, he plays less and is subbed out for Kyōtani at some points. However, his late-game prowess comes into play again. In the end, Aobajohsai loses to Karasuno.[7] Kunimi is one of the only members who doesn’t cry, but he’s seen looking off in frustration.
Tokyo Nationals Arc
He and several others are invited to participate in a training camp hosted by Johzenji High's Coach Anabara.[8]
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 Aobajohsai. 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.
Jumping Reach: 320 cm
Relationships
Yūtarō Kindaichi
Kunimi and Kindaichi have played on the same team since junior high. They are always together and understand each other well. In junior high, they shared a dislike and distrust for Kageyama and often made snide comments about him to each other. Kindaichi and Kunimi went together to ask the coach to bench Kageyama.
Tobio Kageyama
Kunimi disliked Kageyama in junior high because of the latter's personality and treatment of his teammates. Kageyama often yelled at Kunimi for not chasing after the ball; this is the main factor that Kunimi changed in Aobajohsai, surprising Kageyama. Though it was Kunimi and Kindaichi who mainly got Kageyama benched, Kunimi still asks how Kageyama is doing to his teammates at Karasuno.
Aobajohsai High
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.
Trivia
- Favorite Food: Salted caramel
- Current Concern: "Staying awake during class is hard..."
- In Haikyuu's first popularity poll, Kunimi placed 24th with 856 votes.[9] In the second, he rose to 16th with 3,495 votes.[10]
- He has a list of most hated words.
- His star sign is Aries.
- Nomenclature:
- Akira (英) - Intelligent
- Kunimi (国見) -
- 国 - Country
- 見 - See