"Let the Game Begin" (Japanese:
Overview[]
Karasuno's first match is against party team Johzenji High. Karasuno quickly find themselves at a loss when Johzenji seems to not follow regular play methods and instead thrive off being spontaneous and wild.
Plot[]
Daichi informs Ukai and Takeda that Karasuno will be first to serve before rejoining the team. Takeda observes the players and sees how some look more nervous than others, the third-years in particular.
Hinata notices Tsukishima's new sports glasses and compliments how cool they look. Tsukishima is not sure he can take that as compliment since he is not sure he and Hinata have the same definition of the word. A quick flashback shows when Tsukishima's older brother, Akiteru, gave Tsukishima the new sports glasses so he won't have to worry about ruining his regular glasses.
Before the game is about to begin, the Karasuno third-years seem somewhat envious at how the first-years seem even more confident then they do. The game between Karasuno and Johzenji soon begins with Asahi delivering the first serve.
Rintarō Numajiri receives the serve and, though it goes up sloppy, Terushima is still impressed with the power behind it. Libero Arata Tsuchiyu is able to cover and Terushima goes for the last hit. Despite it being near the back end of the court, Terushima is able to skillfully return the ball back and score, earning him praise by his team and impressing the Karasuno side for his nimble play.
Kazuma Bobata serves next. Kageyama sends the set to Tanaka who attempts to score, causing Johzenji to do all they can to keep the ball going. Takeharu Futamata nearly misses making the receive but is able to kick the ball up with his foot and allow his team the chance to score again.
Takeda admits he is not able to figure out the rhythm that Johzenji has. Ukai sees that the Karasuno players are having trouble figuring out where to block because the Johzenji players are not like other teams when it comes to keeping the ball going. Sugawara and Ennoshita come to the same realization as Ukai, stating that Johzenji seems like a different kind of athletic team that just happens to be playing volleyball but their plays don't seem to be coming off as a fluke. They figure out that being unpredictable and spontaneous is the true strength of Johzenji.
When Bobata misses his serve, he is hassled by the rest of his team but Takinoue sees that they still have high energy regardless if they mess up or not. Terushima becomes excited at the thought of a sure point when Futamata's serve clips the net but Tanaka is able to receive it though the ball heads toward the back end of the court. Hinata surprises everyone when he jumps after the ball to make the receive then skillfully catch himself on the wall and launch himself back onto the court, getting dubbed as "the Mini-Spiderman." Nishinoya makes the final dig and scores.
Sugawara is amused at the play. Stating that while Johzenji have their own wild players, so does Karasuno.
Debut[]
Appearances[]
Chapter notes[]
Character revelations[]
Trivia[]
- In commemoration of the second year anniversary of the manga's serialization, the magazine cover shows Hinata holding a volleyball with a large crow on the background. The text reads: "Higher than anyone else."
- The chapter also includes a center color page of Karasuno High Boys' Volleyball Team grouped into their respective positions. The text reads: "Congrats!! Lead color to celebrate 2 years of serialization!! Fight using the pride carried with you!!"