Atsumu Miya (Japanese:
Appearance
Miya has golden yellow hair. Unlike his twin brother, Osamu, his hair is flipped to the right side and dyed in blonde. His undercut and eyebrows are black, an indication of his original hair color. His eyes are large, hooded, and slightly drooping. He can usually be seen wearing a smile or a smirk on his face.
Atsumu in the anime
Personality
Outwardly, Atsumu appears to be a carefree, confident person who's usually seen with a lazy smile on his face, though he enjoys provoking people and giving offhand compliments. He can be quite condescending, and somewhat selfish at times. Osamu has described him as someone who doesn't listen to others, doesn't return what he borrows, and lies habitually.
He also appears to be a perfectionist who has ridiculously high standards for himself and his spikers. He strives to provide the best toss for his spikers, but in turn, expects the spikers to perform at a high standard. If the spikers fail to meet his standards, Atsumu is not afraid to confront them directly and even call them trash, including his own twin brother. He is extremely sensitive when it comes to serving and how much noise is around him; if he's disturbed while serving, his outward personality changes completely and he becomes intimidatingly angry towards the disturbance. Atsumu is a competitive person who hates losing; sometimes, these traits can veer off in a bad direction. Osamu has also noted that Miya's mental age drops by five years whenever he's in the middle of a game.
Background
Atsumu lives in Hyogo Prefecture, and thus speaks in a Kansai dialect. He is currently a second year at Inarizaki High School with his twin brother, Osamu. He is recognized as the number one high school setter as well as receiving the Best Server award during middle school and the Interhigh. Due to his top-notched skills, Atsumu is one of the few players invited to the All-Japan Youth training camp.
The twins have been playing volleyball since their elementary school days. In the fourth grade, they attended a volleyball workshop where they met their current teammate Ojiro Aran. During the workshop, Atsumu witnessed personally how a skilled setter brought out the potential of their spikers by sending them the best tosses. This piqued his interest in becoming a setter. At first, Osamu was picked as the setter due to being more skilful. However, according to Aran, Atsumu is said to have an irrepressible hunger as he pushes himself to improve. Eventually, Atsumu overtook Osamu as the official setter of the team.
Atsumu often got into conflicts with his teammates during junior high, especially when they failed to perform to his expectations. As a result, he was detested among his teammates. When asked about it, Atsumu revealed that he couldn't care less about being hated.
Plot
Tokyo Nationals Arc
Preparation for Nationals
Atsumu is one of the players invited to the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp[1]. During the first practice match, Atsumu chuckles lightly at the sight of Kageyama messing up. Sometime later, during a break, he approaches Kageyama as the latter was talking to Hoshiumi. After Kageyama tells Hoshiumi that he's not really affected by his jumping power, Atsumu laughs and calls Kageyama a cool and collected person. He then bluntly tells the first year that he initially thought Kageyama was a badass, but he can now see that Kageyama's just a goody-two-shoes. This annoys the latter, who glares at Atsumu hostilely.
In the final practice match, Atsumu tosses to Kageyama for the first time[2]. Kageyama spikes it with ease and tells Atsumu later that his tosses are easy to hit. In response, Atsumu simply replies that people who can't hit his tosses are scrubs. He then asks Kageyama if he enjoys spiking more than setting because Kageyama seems to be annoyed when he sets. Kageyama doesn't understand and stresses that he's a setter, and Atsumu leaves it at that. Kageyama questions Atsumu about what he meant by being a goody-two-shoes, and Atsumu replies that he just means Kageyama is obedient and honest.
As the players head home after the training camp, Atsumu says goodbye to Kageyama while telling him that they'll meet again at nationals.
Nationals
Atsumu watches Karasuno's first match against Tsubakihara and notes that Kageyama is completely different from when he was at the camp[3]. He then turns to Hinata, having seen his jumping power and speed, and wonders who he is.
Atsumu and his team, Inarizaki, faces off against Karasuno on day 2 of the Spring Interhigh. In addition to his team being the second seed, Atsumu has a twin Osamu who plays opposite. While the two teams warm up in the subarena, Atsumu approaches Kageyama to tell him to give it his all since Atsumu hates playing against players who suck, indirectly referring to Hinata. When Kageyama assures him that Hinata is no pushover and will be a handful, Atsumu breaks into an intimidating smile but stops any further taunts.
Once the match begins, Atsumu is the first to serve. He silences Inarizaki's orchestra as he requires absolute silence to concentrate. However, two girls not familiar with Atsumu's habit, cheer loudly. Atsumu hits a powerful spike serve that paints the line between Tanaka and Nishinoya. He then harshly glares at the two girls who cheered him on during his first serve, displeased with them for interrupting him. He makes his second serve but hits it out of bound. Later, Atsumu is seen questioning Hinata's max jumping power and his similarity to Kageyama as the type of guy who did as he pleased after Hinata tries experimenting something during their match.[4]
As the match progresses, Atsumu shows off his aggressive playmaking by setting off the first touch to Ojiro who scores before Karasuno could react. His cool demeanour is finally broken when Karasuno counters with a minus-tempo broad attack as Atsumu can't help but fanboy over the spike after witnessing it up close. On his next serve turn, Atsumu hits a floater aimed right at Nishinoya, who fails to save the ball. He observes that Karasuno is not particularly shaken by his serves and instructs Osamu to not mess up the timing of their next attack. Atsumu hits another floater, and this time, Karasuno receives it. Once the ball returns to Inarizaki side, Atsumu successfully executes a minus-tempo quick with Osamu, taking everybody by surprise. Afterwards, Atsumu admits that his accuracy is not as precise as Kageyama's but he has the urge to imitate a flashy move. The match continues with both teams using their quicks against each other. Atsumu deduces from watching Karasuno's previous matches that Kageyama has a habit of forcing a quick after a botched receive. It appears that Atsumu has informed of his team about this beforehand as all three blockers jumps at Hinata to shut down his spike.[5]
Statistics
| High School Statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 3/5 | ||
| Jumping | 4/5 | ||
| Stamina | 4/5 | ||
| Game Sense | 5/5 | ||
| Technique | 5/5 | ||
| Speed | 4/5 | ||
| Post-Timeskip Statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 4/5 | ||
| Jumping | 4/5 | ||
| Stamina | 5/5 | ||
| Game Sense | 5/5 | ||
| Technique | 5/5 | ||
| Speed | 4/5 | ||
Atsumu is the current best high school setter in Japan. His tosses are said to be very easy to hit, never wavering and never off, thus creating the illusion that the spikers have improved. Atsumu is always ready to go the extra mile to give his spikers the best toss possible even in difficult positions whereby an underarm toss is the norm. Like Kageyama and Hinata, he is capable of perfectly coordinating with his twin brother Osamu in pulling off the God-Like Quick. However, his toss is not as accurate as Kageyama's version due to executing the attack without prior practice. In addition to being a skilled setter, he also won the Best Server award at both the middle school meet and the Interhigh.
Jumping Reach: 335 cm
Skills
- Spike Serve and Jump Floater: Atsumu is known as the "Dual Wielder" for his mastery of both the spike serve and jump floater. His spike serve is packed with power while his floaters are fast and unpredictable. This makes it incredibly hard for his opponents since they won't know which type to prepare for until the last minute. However, Atsumu has some peculiar habits regarding his serves. He takes 4 steps from the end line for a jump floater and 6 steps for a spike serve.[6] He also requires absolute silence during his serve or else risks losing his concentration.
- High-Quality Tosses: Kageyama has described Atsumu's toss to be incredibly easy to hit, thus creating the impression that the spikers have improved. Atsumu is extremely dedicated to providing the best toss for his spikers and would try to use an overhand toss even in difficult positions. An example is when Atsumu gets into a crouched position while tossing overhand with the same speed and fluidity. Due to this, Kenma has described him as the "prototypical setter."[7] His talent as a setter is so immense that he can mimic Kageyama's toss for the minus-tempo quick on the spot.
- Sharp Game Sense: In addition to his ability to make the best use of his spikers, Atsumu is an expert on pressuring his opponents. He doesn't hesitate to copy Kageyama and Hinata's signature quick to shake Karasuno up. He is also very observant and figures out Kageyama's tendency to toss to Hinata after a botched receive.[5]
- Dump Shot Feint: Atsumu can bait his opponents into a foul by pretending to do a dump shot before switching to set up for a toss. This relies on the rule forbidding the blockers to reach over the nett for the ball unless it's an offensive play. Atsumu is seen using this trick to gain an advantage in battles at the edge of the net.[8]
Relationships
Osamu Miya
Atsumu and Osamu have a typical sibling relationship. Between the twins, Atsumu is the one usually taking the initiative with Osamu following along. However, whenever Atsumu steps out of line, Osamu is not afraid to use physical force to teach him a lesson. Despite being quick to quarrel and fight, they don't stay angry for long and quickly reconciles over playing a soccer game.
The twins have been interested in volleyball together since elementary school. The two are each other's biggest rivals and pushes each other to improve due to their dislike for losing. On the court, they have perfect chemistry and can perform a God-Like Quick without prior practice.
Tobio Kageyama
Kageyama took an immediate dislike to Atsumu when the second year called him a goody-two-shoes, but Atsumu later explained that he was referring to how Kageyama was diligent, honest, and obedient; it's still unknown though if Atsumu intended his explanation to be a compliment or another derogatory comment. Despite this, Kageyama doesn't hold the grudge for long. Atsumu seems to be amused by Kageyama for some reason and calls him "Tobio-kun".
Shōyō Hinata
Atsumu first took notice of Hinata when he went to observe Karasuno's match against Tsubakihara. Atsumu didn't think highly of Hinata at first and indirectly referred to Hinata as "people who are real crap at the game." However, Atsumu's opinion changed during their match after realizing Hinata's potential as a player and his "trust" as a spiker to his setter. At the end of the match, Atsumu called out to Hinata declaring that someday he will toss to Hinata. Later, the two would become teammates in MSBY Black Jackals, thus fulfilling his earlier promise.
Quotes
- "People who can't hit my tosses are nothin' but scrubs." (To Kageyama , Volume 25 Chapter 219)
- "Give it your all today, ya hear me? 'Cuz I really hate playing matches against people who are really crap at the game." (To Kageyama , Volume 28 Chapter 248)
- "The underarm only uses 2 arms. The overhand use 10 fingers. That's all the more to support your spikers with. Which is what it means to be a setter." (To Suna , Volume 32 Chapter 279)
- "I'll toss to ya one of these days... But before that happens, I'll destroy you at the Interhigh, so you better brace yourself." (To Hinata after their Tokyo Nationals second-round match, Volume 33 Chapter 291)
- "Heh heh... Looks like somebody sure has guts." (To Kageyama , Volume 24 Chapter 215 )
- "For that prickly first impression, you gave... Out on the court, you're an awful sweet goody-two-shoes, ain'tcha." (To Kageyama , Volume 24 Chapter 215)
- "What? Did I say something wrong? Heh heh..." (To Kageyama , Volume 24 Chapter 216 )
- "Tobio-kun, aren'tcha suited to the role of a spiker rather than a setter?" (To Kageyama, Volume 25 Chapter 219)
- "Well... It's just that when you're setting, you have kind of a tortured expression on your face..." (To Kageyama , Volume 25 Chapter 219 )
- "? Literally that. Someone who's diligent. Honest and obedient." (To Kageyama, Volume 25 Chapter 219)
- "That totally ain't the way he looked back at camp. Geez, that guy's almost scary!" (About Kageyama , Volume 27 Chapter 235)
- "Haha! Super body and soul switch time delayed spike!" (In practice, Volume 28 Chapter 249)
- "Don't interrupt my serve again... You oinkin' pigs!" (Volume 28 Chapter 249)
- "Wait a sec. You sayin' that the jumps we've seen so far ain't the highest he can go?" (Thoughts on Hinata , Volume 28 Chapter 249)
- "The speed and quickness to leave the blockers in dust... All without losing even a millimetre of height." (Thoughts on Hinata , Volume 28 Chapter 251 )
- "There's no way I could ever be as precise as Tobio-kun but, y'know, you get the urge to imitate those flashy moves, right? Heheh." (To Suna , Volume 28 Chapter 245 )
- "Shōyō-kun...One day I'm gonna set for you" (To Hinata , Volume 33 Chapter 291)
- "I'm deeply moved Shōyō-kun" (Thoughts on Hinata , Volume 32 Chapter 286)
- "Man, Tobio-kun is so lucky! Using Shoyo like that to make their blockers dance to his tune... He's gotta be having a blast!" (To himself ,Volume 41 Chapter 363)
- "Us foxes...The kitty-cats...and then those seagulls. It took aaall three of us to bring that monster down."(Thoughts on Hinata, Volume 41 Chapter 365)
- "Tobio-kun. Wouldja mind not pickin' a fight with our wing spiker, hmmm?" (To Kageyama ,Volume 43 Chapter 379)
Trivia
- Favorite Food: Fatty Tuna .
- Current Concern: It's the season where your fingertips get really dry.
- When Atsumu Miya and Osamu Miya were fourth-graders, they found Ojiro Aran cool for his foreign-sounding name.
- The Miya brothers went to the same junior high school as Ojiro Aran
- Although Coach Ukai listed Osamu's, and by extension Atsumu's, age as 16, the Miya twins should have already been 17 by the Spring Interhigh due to their birthday in October.
- He is currently second in serve rankings under Tobio Kageyama.
- He refers to Ojiro Aran as someone he should look up to because of his ability to shut down jokes and always have a comeback ready.
Nomenclature:
- Atsumu (侑) - Urge to eat
- (Metaphorically cannot satisfy his hunger for winning)
- Miya (宮) - Shrine