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We'll never win if we don't believe we can.
Daichi Sawamura to Hayato Ikejiri[1]

Daichi Sawamura (Japanese: 澤村 (さわむら) 大地 (だいち) Sawamura Daichi) was a third-year student at Karasuno High. He was the captain and a starting wing spiker for the Boys' Volleyball Team. During the period when the original coach, Ikkei Ukai, was hospitalized, he was one of the captains who had to act as the team's coach.

As of 2018, he is currently part of the Miyagi Prefectural Police in the Community Safety Division.

Appearance

Daichi has short dark hair and dark brown eyes. He is not particularly tall among volleyball players and possesses a muscular build. It's been noted by many players that he seems "big" up close, to which most of the time Daichi believes he is being called fat. Daichi has a reassuring appearance that immediately gives off the aura of a captain and mature individual. He is usually seen with a gentle smile on his face, but when he gets angry, his eyes glaze over intimidatingly.

Post-timeskip, he has let his hair grow out to a slightly longer length that he keeps styled upward similar to Ukai's.

Personality

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Daichi becoming irritated at Hinata and Kageyama.

Daichi is a very caring and responsible captain who always puts his team first. He is also very patient and understanding, but becomes terrifying when angry, though he only shows this side when necessary. He becomes very strict when his teammates are out of line, as shown when he locked out Kageyama and Hinata from the gym when they argued and refused to listen. Nevertheless, his actions have always been for the best interest of the team. Due to his devotion to his team and his command, he is both well-respected and feared by his team.

Outside of his traits as a captain and team player, Daichi is incredibly mature and independent. During his first year at Karasuno, Daichi naturally emerged as a leader among him, Asahi, and Sugawara. He would suggest ways for improvement as well as recruiting Kiyoko as a manager even though the Karasuno team was left in disarray without a coach or a strong leader figure.[3] He has been noted to not give off the impression of a high school student because of his mature personality. Despite that, Daichi occasionally has moments where he displays childish behavior, such as when he got in trouble for accidentally setting off the emergency bell while struggling with the captain of the boys' basketball team during the lunchtime rush.[4]

Background

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Daichi at Izumitate Junior High.

Daichi went to Izumitate Junior High with Hayato Ikejiri and Yui Michimiya.[5] He and Ikejiri played on the same volleyball team with Daichi as captain. In their final tournament, they won the first match but were up against a powerhouse in the second. Almost everyone in the team started to lose hope, but Daichi never gave up and did what he could to motivate his teammates. He was the only one to run and chase after the ball with all his might, even until the very end. However, they lost anyway. While the rest of the team all saw that coming and therefore were less upset, Daichi was the one most affected as he believed that they had at least a slight chance to win.

In the last year of junior high, Daichi made a promise with Ikejiri, since they were going to different high schools, that they would continue playing volleyball and one day meet each other on the court again.

Daichi then enrolled in Karasuno High and joined the Boys' Volleyball Club.[3] By then, Coach Ikkei Ukai was already retired and the team had been left with a teacher advisor. As Daichi introduced himself, he announced his reason for joining Karasuno when he saw them play at nationals. The entire team went silent, but the captain complimented Daichi excitedly, announcing his goal to win the nationals.

As time went by, Daichi got closer to Sugawara and Asahi. One day, after practice, they were discussing their team's lack of practice matches. Hiroki Kurokawa commented that other teams didn't want to waste their valuable time on them since they were no longer a champion team. Daichi thinks to himself that he'd known Karasuno wasn't the same as it used to be, but he thought as long as they practiced hard, there would be a day when they would rise again. However, as the days went by, it became clear that Karasuno wasn't going to change.

Refusing to give up, Daichi started staying after practice, inspiring the other first-years to do the same. Along with Sugawara and Asahi, Daichi started researching volleyball tactics and improving his receive.

In the end, Karasuno lost their first match of Interhigh. Before the third-years graduated, the captain announced that they had unified too late. Tearfully, he notes that Karasuno might not ever be strong again or it might be many years later but no matter what, if an opportunity comes along, the first-years must grab it.

However, the team ran into more problems next year when Asahi started losing confidence in himself as the ace. During the match against Date Tech, he stopped asking for tosses in the middle of the game and Daichi had to cover for him. In the end, he was blocked and Karasuno lost the match. That night, Asahi and Nishinoya had a huge fight, leading to the former storming out of the gym.[6]

As Sugawara cleans up the mess, Daichi reassures him that it isn't his fault, knowing well how his teammate feels as the setter. He explains that Asahi was overburdened, but there are instances where they can only rely on the ace. They're inexperienced and lacking as a team, but they don't have any other plan at the moment except to keep practicing.

Plot

Karasuno High Team Formation Arc

Daichi attends Kitagawa Daiichi's match against Yukigaoka with Sugawara and Tanaka to see how the "King of the Upper Court" plays.[7] Throughout the match, Daichi is impressed by Hinata's high jumps and notes that if Yukigaoka had a proper setter, Hinata would become an incredible asset. On the other hand, Kageyama seems to not make good use of the players around him and appears to be playing the match completely on his own.

On the first day of school, Daichi receives the first-years' registrations from Kiyoko and remarks with disappointment that there aren't that many this year. As he looks over them, he suddenly stutters in shock as he recognizes one of them.

First appearance

Sugawara, Daichi, and Tanaka greet the first-years.

Daichi, Sugawara, and Tanaka walk to the gym together for practice after school while talking about Kageyama and wondering why he's at Karasuno. As he arrives, he sees the first-year in the gym and greets him. Daichi thanks Kageyama for coming and then asks him about his height. As they talk, they neglect Hinata, who loudly calls for their attention. Surprised by his presence, Daichi quickly looks through the registrations and remarks that he's surprised they both came to Karasuno.

Suddenly, Kageyama insults Hinata, which leads to a small argument. Daichi tries to tell them that since they're teammates now, they should get along, but the two are too busy arguing to hear him. Their fight ends up catching the Vice Principal's attention and Daichi tries to explain that they're just passionate about volleyball. However, the two first-years then challenge each other to a mini-match and Daichi has to yell at them. Despite that, they continue anyway and end up knocking the vice principal's wig off his head and onto Daichi's head.

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Daichi gets angry at the first-years.

The vice-principal gravely tells Daichi to go outside with him and, thirty minutes later, Daichi returns to inform them that the vice-principal won't punish them on the condition that they stay silent about his toupée. Before he can continue, Kageyama starts yelling at Hinata. Angrily, Daichi cuts in and starts to explain Karasuno's past and their current status as "Flightless Crows". He wants to end that reputation and go to nationals again. Kageyama points out that there are a lot of other teams with the same goal and Daichi acknowledges that. However, he's serious about his aim. He doesn't need the two first-years to be friends, but he needs them to be teammates so, despite their talent and determination, he can't have guys who fight on the team.

Example of the combination of Hinata and Kageyama

Daichi explains his goals of going to nationals.

With that said, he slams the first-years' registrations into their faces and kicks them out of the gym with the declaration that they will not be allowed back in until they can at least work together as teammates. Sugawara asks Daichi if he's sure about his decision and Daichi angrily affirms it, explaining that they can't practice the way they are now.

Suddenly, Kageyama exclaims that he'll work with Hinata and Daichi opens the door to see if he's serious. Sheepishly, Kageyama replies that he'd rather play by himself and Daichi responds that in a game like volleyball that focuses so much on teamwork, Kageyama can't be by himself and needs to learn to rely on others.

3-on-3 First Years Match

Nearing the end of practice, Tanaka wonders if the two first-years will try to challenge them to a match for their admission. Daichi replies that if the two do return, he wonders if Kageyama will use his true talent. Just then, the two first-years outside call for Daichi.

Karasuno-2 S1E2

The first-years challenge Daichi.

Tanaka opens the door to the first years still standing outside. They then challenge the upperclassmen to a match. Daichi goes to the door and asks them what they would do if they lose and Kageyama confidently replies that they'll accept any punishment. Daichi accepts and turns the match into a 3-on-3 with the other first-years. He easily persuades Tanaka to join Hinata and Kageyama's team and proposes that if Kageyama loses, he won't be allowed to play as a setter while the third-years are still here.

Seeing Kageyama's outrage, Daichi explains that the way Kageyama is right now won't help them win. Kageyama yells that he's a setter only and Daichi replies that as long as he wins, it should be okay. Resigned, Kageyama accepts it and the upperclassmen go back to practicing.

As they reenter the gym, Sugawara wonders why Daichi's being so rough on the first-years and the captain explains that Kageyama's talented, but he needs to fix his self-centered personality if he's going to play on the team. However, if Kageyama plays together with Hinata, they may be able to form an incredible combo.

On the day of the 3-on-3, Daichi joins the other first-years' team, much to Hinata's dismay.[8] As the match begins, Tsukishima tries to provoke Hinata and Kageyama and an amused Daichi remarks that he has a bad personality.

The match starts and Daichi shocks Hinata and Kageyama with his superb receiving skills. Daichi calls to Kageyama and reminds him that as an upperclassman, he has been practicing his defensive abilities much longer.

A little while into the match, Tsukishima picks on Hinata and Kageyama again. Tanaka rushes to his teammates' defense, but to his confusion, Daichi stops him.

When Hinata and Kageyama pull off their first quick strike,[9] Daichi's shocked when he realizes Hinata had his eyes closed. Tsukishima asks him to explain and Daichi says that Hinata had hit the ball while trusting Kageyama completely. He notes that it's hard to understand how Hinata can trust someone like that, especially his rival.

In the end, Daichi's team loses. Tanaka approaches him and Sugawara and asks incredulously if they'd known Hinata and Kageyama would team up like that. Daichi admits that he thought Hinata would be able to match Kageyama, but the two exceeded his expectations completely and ended up creating an amazing combo.

He then goes to Tsukishima and asks him how he felt about the match. Tsukishima responds that he doesn't particularly care and knew he would lose to Kageyama. Daichi points out that Tsukishima still got pretty serious during the match.

ACowardsAnxiety1

The upperclassmen welcome the first-years into the club.

At that moment, Hinata and Kageyama run over to Daichi and hand in their registrations. Daichi accepts them and asks Kiyoko if the jackets came in. She brings over the boxes with the jackets and after the first-years put them on, the upperclassmen officially welcome them into the club.

As the first years are celebrating with Tanaka, Daichi sighs and remarks to Sugawara and Kiyoko that things are finally settled for now. He watches the underclassmen with Tanaka and says to Sugawara that he and Tanaka helped, and Sugawara begins panicking, afraid that Daichi discovered the secret practices.

Aoba Johsai Practice Match

After practice, the team heads down to the Sakanoshita Market. Along the way, Kageyama brings up the practice match against Aoba Johsai and apologizes to Sugawara. When Sugawara replies that he'll be happy to see Kageyama defeat his former teammates, Daichi adds that they would dominate as a team.[10]

He later discusses the lineup with the team after asking Kageyama about his feelings towards a set with Hinata. Though the team is reluctant about Hinata's success with his attacks, Daichi confidently insists that they will still try.

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However, Hinata proves to be more nervous than Daichi anticipated. The match starts poorly as Hinata makes all sorts of mistakes, culminating in him serving into the back of Kageyama's head. However, Tanaka and Kageyama resolve the issues, surprising Daichi who remarks that it's a relief to have them here.

Karasuno wins the first set and Sugawara remarks that he's glad Aoba Johsai doesn't have a server like Kageyama. Daichi agrees, noting that their defense isn't good enough. Just as they say this, the official setter for Aoba Johsai arrives.

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Oikawa proves to be a much stronger server than Kageyama and aims for Tsukishima, taking him off-guard. Daichi quickly steps in, expanding his sphere of defense, but there are still holes. The ball gets past him, but it's saved and sent to the first-year duo, who scores and wins the match.

Despite the victory, Daichi is uneasy and remarks that Kageyama and Hinata are strong, but overall, the team is still lacking. Oikawa suddenly appears and agrees with Daichi, pointing out Karasuno's shortcomings. He leaves after a comment on Karasuno's preparation for the upcoming Interhigh. Kageyama apologizes for Oikawa, but Daichi doesn't seem faltered. He agrees that there's not a lot of time left for them, but a crucial member of their team is returning.[11]

Asahi and Nishinoya's Return

After the team returns to the school, Daichi heads home with the others. As they're discussing their role, Daichi states that they are lacking a lot in terms of positions and coaching. Sugawara adds that Karasuno isn't a powerhouse, but they're not weak by any means. If they could reunite their members and combine the first-years' prowess, they could go to Nationals.

The next day, Daichi arrives at the gym to see Nishinoya, who's returned to the club. The team catches up for a little bit until Nishinoya asks about Asahi. When he realizes that Asahi's still missing, he storms out, leaving the third-years with troubled expressions.

After Hinata brings Nishinoya back to practice, Daichi explains to Takeda that if Nishinoya comes back, it'll be encouraging because of his large presence. Sugawara later remarks that they have the strongest team because of the first-year combo and Daichi hopes that it'll be a change for the better. Sugawara then scolds him for his weak-spirited comment.

Later on, during practice, Takeda asks if Karasuno is still doing the Golden Week Training Camp and Daichi affirms, stating that they need a lot more practice.[12] He's surprised when Takeda announces that they will have a practice match against Nekoma at the end. Daichi then ends practice with a short motivational speech.

He's approached by Nishinoya, who tells him that he won't be participating. Daichi asks if it's because of Asahi and Nishinoya apologizes for being selfish, but Daichi reassures him that he understands, but tells him to come to the training camp anyway.

The next day, Daichi heads to practice and sees Asahi standing outside the gym. Knowing why he's there, Daichi simply states that they have a practice match set up. When Asahi's scared by it, Daichi yells at him and stops him from running away. He asks if Asahi's heard that Nekoma's coming. He remarks that from their perspective, it's like hearing folklore, but this match will be something like a revival for them.

Asahi sadly replies that he can't face Sugawara or Nishinoya. Daichi teases Asahi, calling him wimpy for someone with that build. However, he reassures Asahi that the others would accept him back. It doesn't matter what Asahi's done so far; as long as he still likes volleyball, then it's enough of a reason for him to return.

On the day of the practice match against the Neighborhood Association, Ukai notices that Nishinoya isn't playing and starts interrogating him. Daichi quickly steps in and tries to reason with Ukai, but Nishinoya is forced into the game anyway.

Sugawara plays on the opposite team and impresses the underclassmen with his sets. Daichi eagerly brags about Sugawara's skills. He's later seen looking on proudly as Asahi finally recovers and can openly call for a toss again.[6]

As the second set starts, Tanaka happily calls Daichi over to look at Asahi after his powerful spike. Daichi remarks that with Asahi's revival, it's going to be harder for them, but he seems pleased by it.

At the end of the match, Daichi tells Sugawara that he's made a comeback too. Sugawara teasingly apologizes for being hesitant and timid all the time and Daichi replies that he's never said those things.[13] He then welcomes Nishinoya back before turning his attention to Asahi, calling him a greenhorn wing spiker who's only an ace in name.

Nekoma Practice Match

Sometime prior to the match, Daichi hears running in the halls and scolds Hinata and Kageyama for their behavior. The next day, when receiving their uniforms, Daichi informs Hinata that they hadn't been done yet in the match against Aoba Johsai. Shortly after, when Hinata gets upset that he received a number lower than Kageyama's, Daichi tells him that it was the number the Little Giant wore during his second year of high school.

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Karasuno meets Nekoma.

Upon meeting Kuroo at the end of the training camp,[14] Daichi immediately gets on guard and speculates him to have a "nasty" attitude despite both of their friendly natures. Shortly after, when giving his team a pep talk, Daichi admits that they are all basically strangers who just met but uses the analogy of that being a wall that they would have to climb. During the match's second set, Daichi is able to receive Hinata getting blocked by Inuoka, Nekoma's own rookie blocker.

When Tsukishima response to Hinata's apology rivals that of the team's other hitters, Daichi disagrees with the taller blocker and shows his support for Hinata, as well as for Asahi. Daichi reassures Hinata to try out his new techniques since they'll be right behind him, defending his back.[15] True to his word, Daichi recovers the next spike that Hinata misses, allowing Karasuno another chance to attack. He keeps an eye on Hinata, making sure to reassure him to not strain himself and lose sight of the bigger picture. Sometime later, when noticing Hinata getting impatient with Inuoka, Daichi reminds him not to lose his temper.

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Daichi shaking hands with Tetsurō Kuroo.

Following the matches' conclusions, Daichi notices Asahi intimidating Shibayama. Although he does not directly tell the ace, Daichi gets mad at him for taking an intimidating approach despite his intentions being good. Kai notices this and defends Asahi saying that from his perspective, it looks like a conversation between father and son rather than Daichi's thinking of looking like attempted kidnapping. When parting ways, Daichi shakes hands with Kuroo, and he vows to defeat Nekoma the next time they meet as they both are putting as much strength into the handshake as possible.

Interhigh Arc

Before the Interhigh starts, Daichi is approached outside class by Michimiya, who asks him if he's thought about his speech yet.[16] They chat for a bit before Daichi notices that Michimiya is lacking confidence in herself. Immediately, he lectures her to go into her matches with the mindset that she'll win but apologizes when he realizes her mood. She reassures him with a quote he told her back in junior high and Daichi warmly acknowledges it, but states that he doesn't listen to what others tell him anyway.

On the first day of the Interhigh, the third-years meet on the way to school. As Asahi starts to say something sentimental, Daichi and Sugawara cut him off with Daichi stating that they're going to win all their matches, so there's no need to have a sentimental talk at the moment.

Karasuno vs Tokonami

DaichiAndIkejiri

Daichi and Hayato Ikejiri.

At the stadium, Daichi is approached by Ikejiri, who chats with him for a bit. Ikejiri mentions how Daichi would have unwavering determination in all their matches in junior high despite the team being weaker than the opponents, and inadvertently motivates himself. He states that it doesn't matter what skills the opponents have because what matters is defeating them; Daichi smirks at this and accepts Ikejiri's challenge.

The match against Tokonami starts completely in Karasuno's favor. Despite having a large point gap, Karasuno remains vigilant about every point.

After Karasuno wins, Daichi is approached by Ikejiri, who tells him to win his games for Tokonami.[17]

Karasuno vs Date Tech

Karasuno moves onto the next match against Date Tech, which causes tension amongst the members due to their previous loss. When Karasuno is due on the court, Daichi calls Asahi to stand up. When seeing Nishinoya's rolling thunder move, Daichi warns him that he could've just done it normally. During the game's first rally, Daichi immediately receives Kamasaki's serve. Sometime later in the first set, Daichi botches his receive, which excites Date Tech. Despite this previous botched pass, Sasaya finds himself impressed when Daichi manages a perfect bump from his spike.

In the second set, Hinata spikes out of bounds but Daichi makes him feel better about losing that rally. Following Karasuno's victory, Sugawara confesses to Daichi that he wishes they'd won with his toss. Although Sugawara is apologetic about thinking in such a manner, Daichi is glad he still has this determination as a setter. Uncharacteristically, Daichi forgoes his usual optimistic manner and solemnly states that they'll win the upcoming match.

Karasuno vs Aoba Johsai

The day of the match comes and both sides are determined to win. Aoba Johsai seems to have the upper-hand initially, but Daichi quickly reassures the team that they won't lose when it comes to the setter's skills and flashiness of their attacks.

Daichi is the first to notice that Aoba Johsai has improved since the practice match.[18] Aoba Johsai gains a large lead over Karasuno before Sugawara is switched in. He quickly increases everyone's morale, though he lectures Daichi on losing his composure.[19] Daichi gets his head back in the game and thinks about how Sugawara may seem like a pitiable third-year whose spot got stolen, but he's still Karasuno's other setter.

Oikawa goes up to serve and Karasuno misses the first few, but Daichi stands his ground and receives the last one, surprising Oikawa. For the start of the second set, Karasuno's formation shifts to Daichi and Nishinoya covering the entire back court to receive Oikawa's serve. Daichi successfully receives the first serve, allowing Karasuno to score the first point.

Yamaguchi is switched in to offset the point gap, but he misses his serve, causing Karasuno to lose a point. Daichi assures him that he'll make it next time, re-boosting his confidence.[20] On the inside though, Daichi worries that they're running out of time now that Aoba Johsai has reached 20 points. He resolves that he will take any serve and spike and keep the ball in play. Thanks to that, Karasuno's defense stays intact.

Daichi receives Oikawa's powerful spike, but it goes back over the net. Both sides fight desperately, but in the end, Hinata gets blocked and Karasuno loses. Hinata tries to apologize to Daichi, but Daichi quickly reassures him that he didn't make a mistake.[21] He keeps on a strong façade until the end as the third-years gather to discuss their next move.

Loss and Decisions

Daichi is shown looking despondent in his classroom the next day. He, Sugawara, and Asahi later meet up and Daichi states that how he thinks it would be for the better to retire from the team and allow the second-years to take over. He thought it would be good for them to make it to Spring High as third years, but he trusts the second- and first-years to take over a little earlier than planned. Sugawara interrupts him, asking if that's how he really feels. Tearfully, Daichi exclaims that he still wants to continue playing.

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Later on, they meet with Takeda who talks to them about their future plans and how they need to put serious thought into whether or not they should stay on the volleyball team, especially since there would be no guarantee that they would make it to the Spring Tournament. The third-years resolve to stay in the club and make it to Nationals.

Tokyo Expedition Arc

Daichi and the remaining third-years decide to stay on the team for the chance to make it to the Spring Tournament. After a practice game, Takeda enters the gym and announces that they've been invited to a training camp held by the Fukurōdani Academy Group which will give them the opportunity to play against other teams. However, Daichi soon learns that several players on the team will need to focus on passing their final exams and avoid supplementary lessons in order to attend the camp. He later helps in welcoming Yachi onto the team when she officially joins as a new manager.

When the team makes it to the first training camp held at Nekoma High, Daichi and the team suffer numerous losses until Hinata and Kageyama arrive and help the team win against the Shinzen team. After the game against Nekoma on the final day, Daichi silently agrees with Hinata's desire to change things in order for them to grow stronger. When Tanaka informs the third-years about the fight between Hinata and Kageyama, Daichi believes that it would be best to let the two work things out on their own but still keep an eye on them from a distance.

During the next training camp at Shinzen High, Daichi and the team begin working on new attack methods during the games. He joins in during the practices to master the synchronized attack. When it's brought up that Tsukishima doesn't seem to have much interest in the club anymore, Daichi thought it best to allow Tsukishima to figure things out for himself but did admit that he would try to convince the first year stay if he mentioned leaving the team.

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Captains trying to make them eat more food.

On the last day of the camp, Daichi overhears several of the coaches discussing a secret matter that he keeps to himself until the team once more loses a game and seems to be at their wits end. He informs them that he overheard the coaches planning to hold a barbecue for the players. This seems to inspire the team and they are shown to start mastering their new attacks during their final game against Fukurōdani. When Bokuto seems to be off his game, Daichi tries to encourage the team to take the win, but Karasuno ultimately loses. At the barbecue, Daichi is seen mingling with other players and trying to get Tsukishima to eat more food.

Spring High Preliminary Arc

Karasuno vs Ohgiminami

Although Karasuno was able to win the match without much trouble, Daichi noticed that he was able to see the movements of the opposing players much clearer than before as he was able to tell when one player switched to a feint shot and Daichi was able to react right away.

Karasuno vs Kakugawa

After defeating Ohgiminami, Daichi looks at the bracket with his team and assures them that they'll be able to move on to the qualifiers, and this is where the Karasuno team come face to face with the tallest high school player they've come across yet. As Karasuno gets into position for the match to begin, Daichi and Asahi express their intimidation over how even more intimidating Hyakuzawa looks from a shorter distance. Not far into the game, Daichi goes up against Hyakuzawa but quickly fails, however, he does not blame himself for it as he deemed it impossible to block. During a break, Daichi and Nishinoya pick up that Hyakuzawa is only hitting cross shots in the direction of where his body is facing. To lay out a counter plan, he tells the team to ignore the line shots and only defend the cross.

During the second set, Hyakuzawa is able to score with a harsh cross-shot. In an attempt to motivate his teammates, Daichi simply tells them that their new "arsenal of weapons" would allow them to score even more points than Kakugawa would with Hyakuzawa. As the second set reaches its end, Daichi speculates that spectators are probably commenting about Hyakuzawa's height compared to his own, Tanaka's, and Hinata's. As the rally begins, Daichi tells Tanaka and Hinata to direct the ball someplace else rather than try to stop it. This is referred to once more when the blockers go far a plate block when going against Hyakuzawa. This allows Karasuno to control the rally and lead to Hinata scoring the final point for them to win.

Karasuno vs Johzenji

Faced against party team Johzenji, Daichi re-affirms his position as the solid foundation of the team. Noticing that some of the players are getting caught up in Johzenji's wild energy, Daichi is able to keep them from getting out of control and stay levelheaded. His mature demeanor is noted by Takinoue to be beyond his age until Yachi proves otherwise by telling Takinoue of an incident Daichi was recently involved in when he got into an altercation with the captain of the boys basketball team and accidentally set off the emergency alarm in the process.[4] At this point, Daichi takes notice that Terushima is watching him. When Kageyama is injured when trying to block, Daichi has the setter leave the game until he heals. When Johzenji copies the synchronized attack and fail to execute it properly, Daichi is among those seen to be surprised.

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Daichi saves the ball for the first time.

When Hinata and Kageyama are subbed back into the game, they are warned to keep calm but are not able to which leads Daichi to save a set that had gone past Hinata. He admits he was able to do this because he knew the two first years wouldn't be able to calm themselves like they were told to. Though Daichi admits that he is not a flashy player, he is aware that he can make the solid foundation for the team and give them all the support he can give. His essence as a reliable captain reminds Terushima of his former captain.

With Daichi continuing to support and lead the team, Karasuno starts to take control of the game. It isn't until Johzenji's team manager, Hana Misaki, gets the Johzenji players under control that things start to become more complicated. When Hinata begins having trouble with Johzenji starting to receive his quick attack, Daichi reminds Hinata that he hasn't used his new special attack, the feint shot taught to him by Bokuto. The young middle blocker would right away use and succeed in the feint attack and Daichi rewards him with a thumbs up. Karasuno continued to keep the lead and eventually win the match.

Karasuno vs Wakutani Minami

In the match against Wakutani Minami,[22] Daichi is excelling in his position as the captain as he is able to keep his team focused and under control. He is able to see several methods that Wakutani is using in attempts to beat them and keeps the team from falling for many of the tactics while finding himself forming a rivalry with Nakashima.

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Daichi and Tanaka collide.

During one of the rallies, Daichi attempts to save a ball but collided with Tanaka when the second year tried to save the ball as well. Daichi was rendered unconscious for a short period but quickly came to. Takeda and Ukai check on his condition and see that the collision unfortunately left injuries to Daichi's face and he lost a molar tooth. He is taken out of the game in order to go to the medical station to check if he possibly has a concussion. Ennoshita was substituted for him. After the match, Daichi is welcomed back. He tells Ennoshita that he actually returned a bit earlier but didn't want to interrupt the new rhythm the team had gotten into with Ennoshita leading them. Then, he fortunately compliments Ennoshita for his impressive save and how he handled things before rejoining the team.

Aoba Johsai vs Date Tech

As the second set begins, Daichi notices his teammates devouring their food after their own match ended and tells them not to stuff themselves. Soon after, he notices Date Tech's third years entering the gymnasium and greets them. Moniwa notices that all of Karasuno's third-years decided to stay on their team. Sometime later, Daichi confirms Asahi's comment about how tall Koganegawa is. Moniwa proudly gloats about how Koganegawa is their biggest weapon, but when he sets the ball out of the court. Immediately after, this Moniwa tries to convince Karasuno in a hurry that Koganegawa still needs a lot of practice, and the people next to him notice that it's just making Daichi feel like he has to apologize. Despite this, Moniwa repeats his proud little speech when Koganegawa manages to block Oikawa.

Karasuno vs Aoba Johsai

In the rematch against Aoba Johsai, Daichi keeps himself and the team in high spirits to get their revenge. He and Oikawa shake hands before the game where Oikawa would claim that Daichi seemed more dignified. Daichi gives partial credit of the growth of himself and his team to a group of 'odd' new friends; namely Kuroo and Bokuto. When Karasuno wins the coin toss, Daichi announces that Karasuno will choose to receive.

Daichi s2 e20 2

Daichi receives Oikawa's first serve that allows Karasuno to cut him off. He is mostly seen making receives in the first set and is tasked with trying to receive Oikawa's serves along with Nishinoya. Despite Oikawa's powerful serve having landed out of bounds, Daichi is still shocked at how much power was behind it. Trying to play it off as a lucky break, Daichi questions if it was a possible fluke but knows that Oikawa doesn't do things unintentionally.

In the second set, Daichi notices Oikawa's aim on his new serve is starting to get better. After Kyōtani scores several points in a row, Daichi notices how Seijoh's plays are different and warns his team to stay on guard. Before Sugawara is subbed in, Oikawa serves again but this time the serve is too quick and Daichi is unable to receive it. It was at this point that Daichi realizes the rivalry between Karasuno and Aoba Johsai was growing more than he originally believed.

Like the rest of the team, Daichi heavily praises Yamaguchi's numerous successful jump float serves that bring Karasuno to nearly win the second set. With the new chance given to them, Daichi is determined not to let it go to waste but soon feels the pressure upon them when Oikawa is able to score with his serve after Nishinoya was not able to receive. Daichi enlists Asahi's help with the serve receive but Daichi is the one to make the receive. Despite their best efforts, Aoba Johsai is able to win the second set, but Daichi looks forward to the third set and still has hope that Karasuno will win. For majority of the third set, Daichi mostly partakes in receives of serves and spikes. When Aoba Johsai reached match point, Daichi made the receive on Oikawa's serve that would enable Karasuno to gain a point back. When Karasuno goes on to win the game, Daichi is seen celebrating the victory along with his team.

Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa

After Karasuno's match against Aoba Johsai concludes, Karasuno heads home. As the team gets off the bus, Sugawara teases Daichi about having cried in his sleep. After the team gets back on campus, Daichi reminds his teammates that they aim to win nationals.

Daichi and Michimia s3 e1

Daichi and Yui Michimiya.

The next day, he meets Michimiya and she congratulates the boys' team for getting to the finals and gives him a token for luck. Daichi gladly takes the gift, though, this doesn't indicate to him that Michimiya has a crush on him. Shortly after, Sugawara bumps into Daichi when he suddenly stops when seeing the old man that always cheers on those he thinks will win. Hearing this, Daichi and the other third-years vow not to make him call them 'has-beens' again.

Daichi is the first to serve in the game, but it goes out. When Ushijima's left-handedness proves to be a dangerous enemy, Daichi concludes his teammates' conversation by saying that even Ushijima's soft spikes could be hard to deal with. At Ushijima's serve, Daichi tries to receive it, but it bounces right off him and Ushijima scores an ace. When facing Shiratorizawa's block, Daichi deliberately hits it in order to let his other teammates have a better chance to score. Right at the start of the second set, Goshiki serves, expecting to do a service ace, but is caught off-guard when Daichi receives it and spikes it past Shiratorizawa's libero after Kageyama sets to him. Near the end of the second set, Daichi is impressed at Nishinoya perfectly digging Ushijima's spike. Shortly after, Daichi digs one of Reon's spikes, which shocks him because he thought he had scored. In the very next rally, Daichi roughly bumps Ushijima's serve.

As Shiratorizawa is one point away from winning the rally, Ushijima serves. Daichi speculates that the ball might go out of bounds, but he is afraid that his speculation is wrong, so he bumps it. Following Tsukishima wins the set by stuffing Ushijima, Asahi wildly goes to hug his underclassman but seeing Nishinoya and Tanaka already on top of him, Daichi prevents him from doing so. As the third set is about to being, Daichi tells motivates himself, and as well as the team, that they were going to win that match. Near the end of that set, Daichi serves and Reon predicts that he is going to aim at him, which turns out to be correct. After Goshiki is able to score through the narrow spot between the net's antenna and Kageyama, Daichi admits that it looked cool.

During the fourth set, Daichi notices that Yunohama's serve is going to swerve and goes for an overhand pass. After Tsukishima is subbed out because he injured his finger, Daichi tells himself that that moment is one of the times where Karasuno really needs to demonstrate their abilities. Daichi does not break his vow in the next rally and receives Ushijima's serve. As he prepares to block Goshiki, Sugawara knows that he can't win but also sees Daichi behind him and trusts him to be able to dig Goshiki. Later on, Daichi bumps the ball and joins in Karasuno's synchronized attack. Daichi then hits the ball and scores, which frustrates Kawanishi.

Group s3-e10-6

As the match comes close to its end, Daichi tries to motivate his teammates by telling them that they wouldn't stand a chance against Ushijima if volleyball wasn't a team sport, however, with the help of the entire team, they could defeat him. Shortly after, Daichi wants to dive in for the ball, but his legs refuse to move. Fortunately for him, Nishinoya is there to save the ball. Even so, Daichi fills the team's defense when digging an enemy spike. After Karasuno wins the game, Daichi hugs Sugawara and Asahi in tears.

Tokyo Nationals Arc

Prior to the Spring Tournament, the Karasuno team has their measurements for their personal height, spiking points, and blocks done. Daichi is noted to be upset when he claims that he actually lost 1mm in height. Later when the team is measuring their highest spiking point, Daichi overhears players from the basketball team express interest in scouting Hinata but silences them with his intimidating presence.[23] When Kageyama is invited to the All-Japan Youth Camp and Tsukishima is invited to the First Year Training Camp at Shiratorizawa Academy, Daichi agrees that it would be good for both of the first years to attend the camps.

Karasuno s4-e2-1

Daichi scolding Hinata for sneaking into the training camp.

When Hinata is later discovered to have crashed the First Year Training Camp, Daichi is said to be the first one to have located Hinata the next day to scold him on following his impulsive behavior and causing problems for others. During a practice match against Tokonami, Daichi and other members of the team find themselves still carrying out the punishment of flying laps when they lose a game; having gotten into the habit of this punishment after doing so many during the training camps.

Date Tech Practice Match

The night prior to the Date Tech practice match, Daichi lets Hinata and Kageyama stay inside the gym for a short while. Noticing that it is about to snow, Daichi wonders if they will hold their promise, which Asahi mocks him for. After this, he sees Hinata and Kageyama arguing and yells at them to go home through the window. Not far into the match, Daichi fails to get past Date Tech's defense. Surprisingly, Kageyama apologizes for this, which leaves Daichi confused as to why. When Tsukishima and Kageyama start getting into their third argument of the match, Tanaka and Daichi, respectively, both push them away from each other. As Kageyama gets into another argument with Asahi this time, Daichi prevents the latter from losing his temper but remarks that the rookie setter has been on edge that day.

During the second set, Tanaka and Kageyama get into a short quarrel about whether to sub the hitter out or not. Noticing this, Daichi tells Kageyama to look for ways to experiment with his hitters and look for weaknesses as they are in practice match. When Karasuno wins the second set, Daichi is about to announce another lap of diving but is reminded that they won. Following the match's conclusion, Daichi defends Moniwa when Sugawara and Asahi express their intimidation over Date Tech's third-years.

Arriving in Tokyo

Karasuno s4-e9-3

Daichi's nightmare.

Shortly before the team departs to Tokyo, Daichi has his first dream of the new year. He dreams that he is still a first year and that all of the volleyball clubs' matches had ended the previous day. Upon entering the gym at Karasuno in his number 11 jersey, Daichi spots his upperclassmen Tashiro and Kurokawa playing basketball before informing Daichi that he is the only member of the volleyball club. After waking-up and realizing he was just dreaming, Daichi heads to a shrine that the third years agreed to go to together.

Though he arrived half an hour early, he is soon joined by Sugawara and Asahi and they wait until the correct time when Kiyoko arrives. Sugawara points out that the shrine visit is the first time they've done a visit together despite how long they've known each other. Having been successful in hiding his nerves about their upcoming matches at Nationals, Daichi later admits that he is nervous when Asahi had mentioned that one of the things he had wished for at the shrine was luck for their games. They are given words of inspiration from Kiyoko that seem to settle their nerves, but Daichi still remains somewhat unconvinced, so he heads to Karasuno to make sure their court has not been taken by the basketball team. While there, he runs into Hinata, Kageyama, Tanaka, and Nishinoya playing a game of hanetsuki together before forcing them to return home as they should be resting on their day off.

While walking around, Daichi runs into Ikejiri. Ikejiri reveals that he had watched Karasuno's game against Shiratorizawa and asks if Daichi is nervous about the tournament. When Daichi answers that he is indeed nervous, Ikejiri says that he shouldn't add more pressure on himself since they did beat the champion school in the prefecture to make it to Nationals. Despite this, Ikejiri still encourages Daichi to do his best.

When arriving in Tokyo, Daichi tells the team of their schedule to drop off their luggage at the hotel and to head to the gym that Nekomata was able to rent for some light exercises. After this, Daichi strictly tells three of the members to behave while in the hotel, which intimidates them. Despite this, Daichi is still required to tell Hinata, Tanaka, and Nishinoya not to mess around once they get there. The next day, Daichi meets Kuroo and they nervously tease each other about their stress. Shortly after, Daichi tells the team's three most problematic players not to lose their badges, which offends Tanaka since he called them out by name.

Karasuno vs Tsubakihara

Kiyoko and Daichi s4-e10-1

The team has a brief setback when Hinata's shoes are discovered to have accidentally been taken before the team arrived to the stadium. While Daichi would agree with Ennoshita that they could purchase a new pair of shoes, the team was saved by Kiyoko volunteering to get the shoes. It would be during a brief flashback that it is revealed Daichi had asked Kiyoko to become the volleyball team's manager when he learned she was not part of a club during their first year of high school; an act that earned him great praise from his upperclassmen. Once Kiyoko returned in time with Hinata's shoes, Daichi and the rest of the team begin the match against Tsubakihara.

Early in the game, it became apparent that Kageyama was having trouble adjusting to his new surroundings and requested some time from his team to get his senses together. Daichi and the others keep the team afloat in order to give Kageyama the time he needs. During this time, Daichi would be one of the first to notice that Hinata was starting to read players forms which would allow him to be in place to receive their attacks. After the team is finally back on track, Daichi would prove to be a valuable receiver and would get praise from his upperclassmen Hidemi Tashiro and Hiroki Kurokawa who have attended the match.

Karasuno s4-e11-2

Daichi saves the ball once again.

When Aoi Himekawa was subbed in at the end of the first set, Daichi and several others were thrown off when the first-year's serve accidentally hit Motoki Teradomari in the back of the head. However, Daichi and the others would later be blindsided when Himekawa was able to use his ceiling serves to get several service ace's off Karasuno since the ceiling serve would cause them to look directly in the stadium lights and have their vision temporarily disrupted which caused them to miss several receives. Later in the set, Kageyama and Tsukishima were not able to sync up for an attack which led Daichi to saving the ball, determined not to let Karasuno have come to nationals as mere participants. When Sugawara is subbed into the game, the team is able to gain the final point and claim victory.

After the match, Daichi reunites with Tashiro and Kurokawa; of which he did not notice their presence until the end of the match due to being more nervous than he originally believed. Daichi briefly introduces his former captains to the first-years and answers their inquiries about Kageyama and Hinata. Kurokawa would encourage them to win their next match. Afterwards, Daichi and the team would watch Nekoma's match.

As they head back home, Karasuno stumbles upon Nekoma. After few short interactions, Daichi and Kuroo wish each other good luck for the second round. When arriving at the hotel, Daichi notices Niiyama having changed hotels. That night, Asahi tells Daichi that he has the right to do his "last tournament" speech. Despite his offer, Daichi declines.

Karasuno vs Inarizaki

Like many others, Daichi is nervous about being faced against the team that placed second in the Interhigh but Takeda is able to help inspire him and his teammates by reminding them that they surprised everyone who had believed they couldn't beat Shiratorizawa and that they should surprise everyone watching them now. As the match begins, Daichi and the other receivers are taken by surprise by the speed and power of Atsumu's spike serve but relax more when his second serve lands out.

Daichi quickly establishes himself as a solid defender but soon finds himself being caught up in Inarizaki's rhythm. Shortly after Saeko's arrival with her taiko group, Daichi is able to score past Inarizaki's blockers when Hinata unintentionally acted as a decoy when he wanted to do a minus-tempo back attack. At Atsumu's next serve, Daichi remembers how Ukai explained the way they could tell what type of serve Atsumu would attempt by counting the number of steps he takes from the end line. At seeing Atsumu has walked four steps from the end line, Daichi and the other receivers position themselves further ahead in preparation for a jump float serve. However, this would prove unbeneficial to the Karasuno team as Atsumu's float serve was too quick for Nishinoya to receive. Hoping to keep the team from getting discouraged, Daichi reminds them that they've faced difficult to receive serves many times before and have managed to survive those times. Although he was able to keep the team from getting upset, Daichi would share their shock when the Miya twins performed the freak quick in the next play.

At one point, Daichi receives a powerful serve by Yūto Kosaku. The power behind the serve causes the receive to head back to Inarizaki but also out-of-bounds. Luckily, Kageyama pulls of a surprise set by running under the net and returning the ball from Inarizaki's territory without causing Karasuno to get a penalty or foul.[24] Daichi is later able to get the team to set point when he does a back attack. After Tanaka unintentionally has his straight shot land out of bounds to put the score at a deuce, Daichi tries to comfort his junior and keep him from getting depressed.

Daichi and the team would be utterly surprised when they witnessed Hinata make an amazing receive on Aran's spike. Despite playing their best to win the rally, they were unable to win when Atsumu's return receive clipped the net and fell in the vanguard before anyone could save it. Daichi and the others became crestfallen at their hard work having gone to waste but soon find themselves rejuvenated when Hinata excitedly claims that he will make another receive in the game.

As the third set continues, Daichi soon finds himself having a rivalry with Kita as the two captains realize they share the same pressure of looking after their respective teams. After the Miya twins failed to make their reverse quick attack work, Daichi is aware that he himself is not there just to protect his teammates and that they are all there to attack. He is able to do a back attack that ricochets off Kita and directly into the Inarizaki banner[25]. When Atsumu is able to trick the blockers with a setter dump, Daichi does his best to keep the team going by telling them that they have no time to waste on feeling dejected. When Hinata had been able to get Karasuno to match point and Atsumu was next to serve, Daichi was unable to make a receive on his float serve. After encouraging words from Ukai, Daichi laughs when he makes the connection that Karasuno seems to be in this type of situation quite often. He is then able to receive Atsumu's spike. Even though the receive went long, Hinata and Kageyama were able to perform a quick attack.

Karasuno s4-e25-1

Near the end of the third set, Daichi is able to make a miraculous save when Tsukishima was barely able to keep the ball alive when it appeared to be heading out of bounds. Because of Daichi's save, the ball returned to Inarizaki. The Miya twins instantly tried to perform their quick attack only for Hinata and Kageyama to block them and win the match. Daichi and the others rush to the two to embrace them as they celebrated their hard-earned victory. As they team line-up to thank their supporters, Daichi comes to realize that if it hadn't been for them and Saeko's group, Inarizaki surely would have easily overwhelmed them.

When coming back to the hotel, Daichi is seen laughing with the team about the television coverage their match received. Sometime later, he converses with the other third years about Kageyama's potential autograph and Daichi discourages Sugawara to make one for him. Their conversation then grows into flashbacks from the match and Daichi's admiration for the team. After this, however, he reminds Sugawara and Asahi not to let them get outmatched by the juniors.

Karasuno vs Nekoma

As the match is about to start, Daichi and Kuroo are called to shake hands. As they do, Kuroo does not hesitate to tease Daichi about Karasuno being the masters of the flying laps and Daichi in turn gives partial credit to Kuroo for this while gripping his hand with great strength. While giving the pre-game pep talk, Daichi doesn't sugar coat that Nekoma has an overwhelming winning streak over Karasuno and tries to retract his words out of fear that he's placed negative thoughts into the player's minds while Asahi simply believes he was trying to look cool. Despite this, Daichi is still excited about finally being able to face Nekoma in an official match.

He mostly makes several receives during the first few rallies of the first set. One of his first spikes would be blocked by Kuroo after the Nekoma team performed a synchronized attack. After Yamaguchi's serves, Daichi complimented the first year for having been able to score several points for Karasuno. As the set continues, Daichi starts to receive more of Nekoma's spikes and would attempt to block some of their attacks. He at times appears to face off against Kuroo more than any of the other Nekoma players. Daichi is later able to score with a back attack when the Nekoma players become hesitant of who would be next to attack.[26] At the end of the set, Daichi and the rest of Karasuno would be left in total shock when no one had made a move to save the ball that Kenma returned. Daichi and Tanaka would each try to take the blame for missing the ball before Ukai tries to get Daichi to help the team move past what happened. As they go over things they've noticed during the set, Daichi also warns the team to be cautious of Kuroo's serves and that they should try to stop him at a single serve if possible.

When Hinata is prevented from attempting a second wide broad attack, Daichi instead gets the set and is able to score. As the game continues, Kenma again attempts to send the ball to a spot that would have caused a repeat of their earlier miscommunication, but the team is prepared. Daichi makes the receive and sends the ball high enough to give them time to prepare for a synchronized attack. During a later time-out when it's discussed how Nekoma was attempting to keep Hinata from using the quick attack and cause his stress to build, Daichi and the others decide to figure out when it would be someone else to make a serve receive so that Hinata would be kept available. Daichi would later attempt a back attack, but Kuroo was able to quickly figure out a way to counter it. When Sugawara is subbed into the game, Daichi is aware of how many times that Hinata has been able to create opportunities for his teammates and Daichi feels the time has come for them to do the same for him.

When the match moves into the third set, Daichi and Kuroo appear to face-off against one another several times. Daichi continues to be seen making numerous receives. As the set nears the mid-point, Daichi is able to score a point when Yaku orders the Nekoma team to move back from belief that Daichi would attempt to land the ball towards the back. This actually allowed Daichi the chance to attempt to hit the ball where he wanted and originally attempted to spike to an open spot near the back of the court only for his spike to clip the net and drop into the front row. When Tamahiko Teshiro makes his second appearance on the court, Daichi is able to make a receive of his ceiling serve. After several long and hard played rallies, Karasuno was able to win the match when the sweat on the ball caused it to slip from Kenma's grasp. Although Karasuno had finally won against their fated rival, Daichi and the other players found themselves too exhausted to fully enjoy this achievement. As the players shake hands, Daichi embraces Kuroo before walking off the court with Sugawara and Asahi.

Fukurōdani vs Mujinazaka

At Bokuto's chest receive, Daichi speculates that the ace had most likely been panicking at that moment. Sometime later, he notices Sarukui's impressive overhand receive despite him having made it look easy.

Karasuno vs Kamomedai

As Karasuno's match against Kamomedai is about to start, Ukai and the team go over who will be their biggest threats from Kamomedai but requests Daichi to give his teammates a pep talk. Daichi then tells the team that with their win in the third round, Karasuno is now one of the country's top eight teams and that if they manage to win against Kamomedai, they would get to the semi-finals and play on the center court. This successfully gets the team excited.[27] Not long after, the third years debate about what meal they would get for dinner and Asahi wins the debate by saying he would like ginger pork. During the match, Kamomedai is quick to demonstrate their great defense, so when Hoshiumi serves, Daichi tells himself that the first step Karasuno could take to stay steady and play solidly while not let their serves throw them off, to then show Daichi being successfully bumping the serve.

Later on, Daichi notices that Hoshiumi manages to bump Kageyama's serve perfectly and praises him internally for being able to do it and approach straight into an attack right after. When Hakuba wins Kamomedai the first set despite having fallen for Hinata's decoy trick, Asahi explains that he's worried because Hakuba can still block in time even if he has to jump twice in the same play. Daichi agrees and tells the team that they were going to have to pay more attention to not only the speed of the attacks but their width as well. When Daichi notices that Asahi is feeling useless during the match, he tells his teammate not to look at him for support.[28] However, after Asahi gets blocked numerous times, Daichi tells him to wipe off his "end-of-the-world" face and that he can't be expected to score one hundred times out of one hundred.

As the match progresses, Sugawara is benched back in and Karasuno wins a two-point lead. Hoshiumi serves beautifully, but Karasuno does not react, as Daichi says he doesn't have the energy to bother getting worked up over every little thing anymore. Hinata fails to spike against Hirugami, but Daichi can dig the ball last minute when it seemed like they were going to lose. Still, in the same rally, Karasuno refuses to let the ball drop and after Nishinoya and Tanaka each get a turn to bump it, it goes back to Daichi, which leads to a synchronized attack and Hinata spiking the ball to earn Karasuno a point.

Sometime later, Sugawara knows to watch out for Kageyama's dump, so he has three blockers on the watch for it but gets surprised once he sees that Kageyama doing the dump but that it lands on Daichi's foot. At this, Kita thinks to himself that it would be a mistake to think of Daichi as a defensive specialist and instead concurs that he's a wing spiker who happens to be good at defense. Following this, Daichi exclaims to himself that he wouldn't let the team's first years surpass him as the captain of that team. When Hinata collapses from a high fever, Daichi is angry at himself for not picking up the signs from Hinata's change in demeanor earlier.[29] When Hinata tearfully apologizes to the team, Daichi tells him to get better because the team needs him.

After this, the game resumes and Daichi apologizes to Suwa for the disruption, which follows with Karasuno gathering together and Daichi tries to motivate his teammates. Kamomedai is only one point away from winning the match and exhausted, Daichi bumps the ball and entrusts it to Asahi as the ace, who is able to get past an opposing triple block. Nozawa digs it, resulting in Hoshiumi spiking the ball and Tanaka being unable to reach it before it lands. At their loss, Daichi collapses and struggles to stand up. After shaking Suwa's hand, Daichi fist bumps Kuroo who praised the team for their well-played game. When Tsukishima tells Daichi that he wants to watch Kamomedai's previous matches, Daichi exclaims tearfully that Tsukishima's grown so much; a statement that confuses the first year. This is followed by Sugawara tearfully apologizing to Kageyama, and Daichi turns to Takeda and states that, out of all the good fortune that Karasuno has had during the year, having Takeda as their advisor was the greatest gift.

Sometime before graduating, Daichi thinks back at the times he's shared with his team until Hinata and Kageyama burst into the room and Daichi thinks of what to tell them. He is thinking about telling them that they were in charge of the team now but changes his mind and instead tells them that he's looking forward to "it". Daichi and the other third-years eventually graduate high school and, as he retires from the team, Daichi officially appoints Ennoshita as the new team captain.[30]

Final Arc

Daichi has become part of the Miyagi Prefecture Police Force: Community Safety Division.[31] Daichi joins Asahi and Sugawara while waiting for the game between the MSBY Black Jackals and the Schweiden Adlers to begin. After Asahi tells Sugawara to stop acting like they had some kind of secret handshake that he forgot, the three break into laughter. The three later greet Kiyoko and Tanaka. Daichi would inquire about Ennoshita and learns that he was unable to get the day off from his job to make it to the match. As the members of the Jackals begin to make their way to the court, Daichi and many others laugh hysterically when Bokuto does his own introduction by cartwheeling onto the court.

After Hinata performs his first jump serve, Sugawara recalls the time when he had accidentally hit the back of Kageyama's head during the practice match against Aoba Johsai. Daichi playfully comments that now the serve would probably cause more damage. Not long after Hinata's serve, Daichi and the others are captivated by the plays of Nicollas Romero. As the set continues, Daichi praises Hinata for his great improvements in defense but he also realizes that Hinata had baited the opposing spikers and that he was acting as a decoy for himself as well. Mid-way into the set, they hear how Hinata was able to catch the attention of the opposing team long enough to allow one of his own teammates to land a shot and is proud of how great of a decoy Hinata is. Not long after, Daichi asks Asahi about Nishinoya and is surprised upon learning that he was currently in Italy. Daichi soon sympathizes with Hinata when he wasn't able to withstand the power of Ushijima's spike.[32]

Into the second set, Atsumu gets ready to serve and he takes 6 steps. Daichi remembers how Ukai told them about his serving habits and how they could tell which serve he would use by counting out his steps. Near the end of the third set, the three men discover that Ushijima had improved his spiking swing which added even more power to it. This and the already unique spin of a left-handed player would make it even more difficult for any receivers trying to save the ball. During the fourth set, Daichi finally sees that all of the training Hinata had done in Brazil had improved his balance so well that he had not once gone down on his knees during the game. When the Jackals eventually won, Daichi claps in celebration and later is seen reuniting with Bokuto and Kuroo.

In 2021, Daichi and Sugawara join Kiyoko and Tanaka at their home to watch Japan's match against Argentina and receive a photo of Asahi and Nishinoya currently travelling through Egypt.

Statistics

High School Statistics
Power
 
4/5
Jumping
 
3/5
Stamina
 
3/5
Game Sense
 
4/5
Technique
 
4/5
Speed
 
3/5

Daichi's weapon isn't his attack, but his solid receive. He is a player who specializes in defense, though he and Shinsuke Kita note that he is not a defensive specialist, and along with Nishinoya is often tasked with handling difficult receives (such as Oikawa's serve) or covering for another teammate's mistakes. Daichi has also commanded formation shifts to cover for the opponents' attacks. His knowledge of the game resulted from having to learn many tactics by himself during freshman year due to the lack of a coach.

After the Tokyo Expedition Arc, he has improved his solid receive, flying fall receive, and soft block. He also says that he feels like he can see the opposing spiker's movements more clearly than before. Adding onto that, it's shown that he can use the opposing spiker's form to read the spiker's course.

Height and reach, as of mid-November:

  • Fingertip Height: 223 cm.
  • Jumping Reach: 310 cm. (spike) / 298 cm. (block)

Skills

  • Solid Receives:
    Daichi s1 e6 1
    Daichi is one of the defensive pillars of the team and is often tasked with some of the most difficult receives. He is capable in both underhand and overhand receives, allowing him to save the powerful spike serves as well as the tricky jump floaters.[33] His expertise in receives is a result of his observing the spikers' forms and deducing the path of the spike.
  • Back Row Attack: Daichi has increased his participation in offense with a back-row attack off a synchronized attack. Although he isn't as skilled in this as Asahi and Tanaka, he is capable in his own right and has come through for his team in crucial moments.[25] This tactic is particularly effective in that opponents least expect Daichi to spike while he's in the back row.
  • Feint:
    Group s4-e11-3
    A tactic rarely used by the Karasuno captain, Daichi has shown that he can perform the feint shot.[34] Because he does not use this attack often, it catches his opponents off guard when he uses it.
  • Rebound: During the match against Shiratorizawa, Daichi reveals that he is able to perform a rebound.[35]

Relationships

Karasuno High

  • Kōshi Sugawara:
    DaichiSuga
    Daichi has a close relationship with Sugawara, having been friends since their first year of being at Karasuno. They know each other very well and rely on each other as teammates and friends as they've been through the ups and downs of their team together. Along with Asahi, they often hang out together outside of the team, and they are on a first-name basis. Sugawara also seems to be the only member of Karasuno who can lecture Daichi and occasionally be immune to his intimidation. As the original team setter, Daichi greatly admired and supported Sugawara's skills and his eventual decision to step back as the official team setter in order to give Karasuno a better chance at victory. Even after high school, the two have stayed close friends.
  • Asahi Azumane:
    DaichiAsahi
    Daichi has a close relationship with Karasuno's ace spiker and enjoys teasing him; especially about Asahi not appearing like a tough ace. Since knowing each other since their first year at Karasuno, Daichi knows Asahi very well and his issues with self-doubt at being the ace of the team. However, Daichi has full support in Asahi and what he is able to do and constantly lets the ace know this. As such, their relationship did not change when Asahi temporarily left the team and eventually returned. After graduating high school, they continued to remain close friends.
  • Kiyoko Shimizu: Daichi is close to Kiyoko as he was the one who recruited her into Karasuno in their first year. They occasionally talk to each other outside of team activities. Daichi also finds her attractive but doesn't actively seek her affections like Tanaka and Nishinoya. Like others on the team, he heavily respects all of the work she does for them.
  • Ryūnosuke Tanaka and Yū Nishinoya: Daichi believes in the two second-years' incredible skills and even considered Nishinoya as the team's "guardian deity". Despite this, he is often exasperated by their wild behavior and lack of responsibility; often times he is seen reeling them in from getting too carried away.
  • Tobio Kageyama:
    Kageyama and Daichi s2-e16-1
    Like many others, Daichi initially found Kageyama's behavior somewhat troubling since the setter wasn't able to connect with his teammates early on and his temper caused many near altercations; many of these situations involving Hinata or Tsukishima. As Kageyama started to change to become more of a team player and overcome his troubled past as the King of the Court, Daichi can occasionally be seen with a proud look on his face as he witnessed Kageyama's progress. Daichi does become annoyed when he has to keep an eye on Kageyama and Hinata when they start to argue with one another but knows and supports how well they work together during a match. Throughout their time playing together and after the timeskip, Daichi continues to be impressed by Kageyama's talent and abilities.
  • Shōyō Hinata:
    Hinata and Daichi s1-e13-1
    Although Daichi can sometimes be caught off guard by Hinata's energetic and impulsive nature, the captain greatly supports the first-year. Even knowing how timid and nervous the first-year can be before a match, Daichi makes sure to give him plenty of encouragement so he plays as best as he can. Daichi admires how Hinata is always looking to improve, although he doesn't always agree with the manner in which Hinata will follow in order to make that happen. After Hinata joined the V.League, Daichi continued to support Hinata and was impressed at his new overall strength and abilities.
  • Kei Tsukishima:
    Daichi and Tsukishima s1-e4-1
    Similar to Kageyama, Daichi found Tsukishima's original behavior difficult to handle since the middle blocker was just as unwilling to open up and connect with others. Even with how difficult Tsukishima could be, Daichi still recognizes his abilities and careful nature as a blocker, and trusted that he would figure out how to overcome certain difficulties.
  • Chikara Ennoshita:
    Daichi and Ennoshita s4-e10-1
    Although Ennoshita doesn't trust his abilities as a leader and the team's future captain, Daichi is very supportive of Ennoshita, especially after Karasuno managed to defeat the powerhouse school Wakutani Minami under Ennoshita's leadership. He helps Ennoshita understand his abilities and feels confident in leaving the team to him.
  • Yui Michimiya:
    Daichi and Michimia s3 e1
    Daichi and Michimiya are close friends as they attended the same junior high. They are often seen discussing their teams with each other. Daichi is often shown helping Michimiya gain confidence in both herself and her position as the team captain. It has been hinted several times during the series that Michimiya holds feelings for Daichi but it is unclear if he acknowledges this.
  • Ittetsu Takeda:
    Takeda Daichi s1 e7
    As the team's advisor, Daichi greatly admires everything that Takeda does for the team, such as scheduling practices matches and reconnecting with other schools and former rivals. Although he is aware that Takeda is not very knowledgeable about volleyball, he was still grateful for everything he did for the team including when he was able to convince Ukai to become the coach. When the team eventually lost in the Spring Tournament, Daichi expressed how he felt that it was thanks to Takeda that the team was even able to make it that far and considered having him as their advisor the greatest blessing the team was able to have.

Tokonami High

  • Hayato Ikejiri:
    DaichiAndIkejiri
    Daichi and Ikejiri are shown to have attended the same middle school and played on the volleyball team together. They appear to have been close friends with Daichi attempting to inspire Ikejiri and his teammates during matches. After going to different high schools and not having seen each other until their third year, the two have remained good friends and Daichi continued to be supported by his friend.

Nekoma High

  • Tetsurō Kuroo:
    Daichi and Kuroo s2-e14-1
    Daichi and Kuroo share a mutual respect as they are both team captains and many times lookout for their teammates and underclassmen. Most of their interactions take place during the training camps where their teams play against one another. It was during one of these camps that Kuroo approached Daichi to apologize for upsetting Tsukishima. Kuroo occasionally teases Daichi for the Karasuno team doing the most penalties during the camps and Daichi later hints to Oikawa that he and his team became stronger thanks to help from Kuroo and Bokuto. Both also share the goal to have their teams face one another at Nationals. After Nekoma's loss at nationals, Kuroo did not hold a grudge against Daichi but instead hugged his friend and even congratulated Karasuno for putting up a good fight against Kamomedai despite their loss.

Quotes

  • (To Michimiya) "Even if your opponent is so formidable that you definitely don't seem a match for them, if you don't go into it intending to win, you'll never be able to."[16]
  • (To Karasuno) "We're going to win the first round [of Spring High] for sure!"[36]
  • (To Michimiya) "Even if we're not confident that we'll win, even if others tell us we don't stand a chance, we must never tell ourselves that."[1]
  • (To himself) "'The poor third-year that was replaced by the genius first-year.' I'm sure that's how some people would see Suga, but Suga is Karasuno's other setter."[37]
  • (To Asahi and Sugawara during their conversation about whether of not they should leave the team before the Spring Tournament) "I...of course, I want to keep playing! I want to keep playing volleyball with you guys [Asahi and Sugawara]!"[38]
  • (To Karasuno) "It's [the Spring tournament] the stage that Karasuno has been to just once in the past—Tokyo, the Orange Court. We're [Karasuno] going to go there one more time!"[38]
  • (To Kageyama and Hinata) "I can't do any fancy plays, but I can give you guys a solid foundation."[39]
  • (To himself) "If we don't show them what we're made of now, when the hell are we supposed to show it?"[40]
  • (To Hinata) "It'll be hard without you. There's no denying that. Hinata, we need you, so just eat some food and rest up!"[29]

Trivia

  • Current Concern: His incessant dreams about the Vice Principal's flying wig.
  • Star Sign: Capricorn.
  • He wears white gym shoes with black accents.
  • Because the underclassmen frequently misbehave, he always has to be around.
  • Daichi forms a set with Sugawara and Asahi. His jersey number (#1) is symbolic of his solid receive and how an underarm pass is usually the first contact.
  • In Volume 5 Chapter 35, it was revealed that Daichi picked Karasuno for two reasons: he was inspired after watching its Boys' Volleyball Team play in the Spring High on TV (it was a match that "he'd never forget"), and he lives near Karasuno High.
  • It is confirmed that he shares the same class as Kōshi Sugawara.
  • He is the second oldest third-year on the team and is only one day older than Asahi.
  • In the English dubbing of the anime, he is one of the few characters referred to by his first name instead of his last name.
  • In Haikyuu's first popularity poll, Daichi ranked 12th with 2,646 votes.[42] In the second popularity poll, he rose to 11th with 4,634 votes.[43] In the Takara Tomy Character Poll, he ranked 14th with 1,785 votes.
  • Furudate gave him this name because: "His surname simply came to me. I decided on his name without much trouble because I finished his character first. I like the way 'Daichi-san' sounds."[44]
  • Nomenclature:
    • Daichi (大地) – Ground, Earth
    • Sawamura (澤村) – Swamp Village

References

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