"First Goals" (Japanese:
Overview[]
Unable to fully adapt to the outdoor conditions, Hinata and Oikawa lost their first beach volleyball match to the "Buy Me a Drink" brothers. Few days after, the two challenged the brothers for a rematch. With a renewed appreciation for the basics of volleyball, the duo made great strides in a short time.
Plot[]
The "Buy Me a Drink" brothers Gabriel and Gino challenged Oikawa and Hinata to a beach volleyball match with a condition of the losers treating the winners to drinks. Oikawa was confident in a quick win and brought out his powerful jump serve; however, the wind pushed the ball off-course in midair, causing Oikawa to swung emptyhanded as the ball dropped down nearby. Gino served next. Oikawa got the first touched despite finding it difficult to move in sand. Hinata tossed to Oikawa, who spiked it out-of-bounds. After reaffirming beach volleyball rules, Oikawa immediately adjusted his usual grip when setting. Still, Hinata and Oikawa were having trouble adapting to the outdoor environment and lost spectacularly.
Afterwards, Hinata pleaded for Oikawa's contact information, eagerly wanting to play with Oikawa once again. Oikawa seemingly agreed after feigning reluctance and basking in Hinata's praises. Oikawa then questioned Hinata's decision to start over from the beginning in beach volleyball despite having built up his skills on the indoor court. Hinata answered that he doesn't mind leveling up since it's always an enjoyable process.
Once Hinata returned to his dorm, he found Pedro reading "One Piece". Hinata immediately brought out his own volume and struck up a conversation with his roommate about their favorite characters. He revealed that he watches anime series to learn the new language. Pedro then offered to let Hinata watch his recordings of "Naruto" and "My Hero Academia" in Portuguese.
A few days later, Hinata and Oikawa teamed up for a rematch against the "Buy Me a Drink" brothers. Gabriel made the first serve. The wind caused the ball to move in an erratic trajectory, but Hinata cleanly received it nonetheless. While moving in to toss, Oikawa accounted for the wind and set the ball further away from the net. The tailwind pushed the ball to the perfect spot for Hinata to spike. After scoring, Hinata grew frustrated over the deficiency of his own toss while being awestruck over Oikawa's foresight and attentiveness; meanwhile, Oikawa rediscovered the fun in the sport as he recalled the hardships he experienced while climbing to a higher stage. He was once again reminded of the core concept of "connecting" and going back to the basics.
Appearances[]
- Aoba Johsai High (Former)
- Karasuno High (Former)
- Nekoma High (Former)
Chapter notes[]
Character revelations[]
- Oikawa was in Brazil for a week to partake in some practice games.
- While playing beach volleyball, Hinata is also practicing with a local junior indoor team.
- Hinata reads One Piece, and his favorite Character is Zoro.
- Pedro is a huge anime fan and reads Naruto, My Hero Academia, and One Piece. His favorite character in One Piece is Luffy.
- Oikawa is now explicitly shown to be able to use a jump floater.
Errors[]
- This chapter shares the same title as Volume 21 Chapter 189, which is also named "Declaration of War: Part 2". It is likely a naming mistake. The title is corrected to "First Goals" in Volume 42.
Trivia[]
- The text on Oikawa's shirt, "Zacco Platypus", is a specie of fish that is called Oikawa (オイカワ), which in one sketch of the manga, is a source of Iwaizumi's goofiness.