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Takanobu Aone (Japanese: 青根 (あおね) 高伸 (たかのぶ) Aone Takanobu) is a second-year student at Date Tech High. He plays as a middle blocker on the Boys' Volleyball Team and is famously known as the main pillar of the "Iron Wall".

As of 2018, he is a construction worker as well as a middle blocker for VC Date, a municipal team in Miyagi.

Appearance[]

Aone is 192cm tall and always wears a serious expression on his face. People often confuse his expression with a glare when he looks at them. Alongside his light hair color and large frame, his most outstanding feature is his missing eyebrows.

Aone is most commonly seen wearing a Date Tech Volleyball Club's tracksuit, consisting of teal pants and a white/grey jacket with teal collar. During official matches, he first dons the jersey with the number 7 during the Interhigh. After the third-years retired, his number changes from 7 to 1.

Post-timeskip, Aone's appearance has changed very little with his most noticeable change being that his hair has grown slightly longer.

Personality[]

Despite coming off as intimidating from his physical appearance, Aone is actually very kind-hearted and even-tempered. He dislikes when his team members argue and is usually the one to stop them from escalating further, as shown when former captain Moniwa relies on him to stop Futakuchi and Kamasaki from fighting. He is also very respectful, which can be seen when he greets Hinata by bowing despite the latter being a year younger than him. Aone is shy around strangers and minds the opinion others have about him. He is almost always silent, thereby surprising his teammates when he talks.

During matches, Aone is calm and composed even during difficult situations. He is very determined and solely focused on stopping the opponents, taking his job as a blocker to heart. It is noted that Aone has a habit of "locking on" to other team's aces as they are his natural opponents[1].

Background[]

AoneFutakuchiBlockAsahi

Aone and Futakuchi block Asahi's spike.

Aone, together with the rest of Date Tech team, faced off against Karasuno in the 68th Prefecture Sporting Competition Volleyball Tournament the past March before the start of the story[2]. They lived up to their reputation as the "impregnable fortress" when they delivered a crushing defeat to Karasuno[3]. According to Sugawara, all of Asahi's spikes were completely and utterly blocked, crushing the ace in the process. Aone, being the vital component to Date Tech's iron wall, played a central role in their team's victory.

Plot[]

Interhigh Arc[]

On the first day of the Interhigh, Aone and the rest of Date Tech runs into Karasuno in the hallway. He immediately locks onto Asahi and points at him before Moniwa and Futakuchi stop him[1].

After advancing into the second round, Date Tech faces off against Karasuno. Aone quickly shows off his speed and capabilities as a formidable read blocker by catching up to Hinata on his first spike. Just like an "iron wall", they continue to shut out Karasuno's spikes one after another. However, they are taken aback once Karasuno unleashed their ultimate weapon, the oddball quick. The rest of his teammates believe the oddball quick to be a fluke, but Aone instinctively grows wary of Hinata[4]. His suspicion proves to be right when Kageyama and Hinata perform the quick once again. Date Tech can't even react on time to put up any defense before losing another point to Karasuno.

Haikyuu17

Aone blocks Hinata only to find out Karasuno is opting for a back row attack.

As the match continues, Aone and his teammates are having trouble dealing with the quick. Nevertheless, Aone is determined to stop Hinata. He immediately changes direction and jumps a second time after seeing Hinata dodging the blockers. This time, he successfully shuts down Hinata's spike[5]. By now, Aone has focused all his attention on Hinata and react to his every movements. When Hinata charges forward to spike, Aone immediately goes to block without even reading the path of Kageyama's toss. He realizes his error too late after he sees Asahi emerging from behind Hinata for a back row attack. Throughout the rest of the first set, Aone gets taken in by Hinata as a decoy and makes errors in blocking. However, he is already adapting and putting up more of a resistance to the oddball quick than before.

After getting used to Karasuno's offense, Aone's reaction time drastically improved during the second set. Even after being distracted by Hinata, Aone still lands a touch on Asahi's spike. Later, he purposely leaves an open space in his block to draw Asahi's spike in. When Asahi smashes the ball, Aone quickly shifts his arm to the side to knock it down[6]. He continues to be a formidable opponent for Karasuno as he thwarts many of Asahi's attacks. Ultimately, they lost the match point to Karasuno after one of Asahi's spikes lands a lucky net-in.

HinataAndAone

Aone offering Hinata a handshake after their match.

After the match, Aone extends a handshake toward Hinata across the net. Hinata returns the gesture, and the two players are seen gaining mutual respect for each other. Aone later approaches Moniwa and blurts out the words "Spring Tournament". Futakuchi shares the same sentiment and joins Aone in declaring their revenge against Karasuno in the Spring Tournament. To their distraught, Moniwa reveals he and the rest of the third years won't be around by then. However, Moniwa instructs his underclassmen to live up to the name of the "iron wall" and defeat even the strongest of teams. Aone and the rest take Moniwa's words to heart and are determined to see it through[7].

Spring High Preliminary Arc[]

Prior to the start of playoffs, Aone encounters Hinata in front of the men's bathroom. Hinata unknowingly bumps into him while backing away from Ushijima, Oikawa and Iwaizumi. They greet each other with a bow before going off their own ways. Later, Date Tech plays against Shirato and wins in straight sets[8].

Karasuno vs Johzenji[]

After winning their first match in the preliminary, Aone and Futakuchi stay to observe Karasuno's match against Johzenji. The two pay extra attention to Karasuno's oddball quick and seem to have noticed something after seen it used for the first time in the match. Soon, they are joined by Obara and Sakunami. Aone listens quietly while the others discuss about Johzenji's rough but persistent play style[9].

AoneAnnoyed

Aone is annoyed after hearing Futakuchi dismiss Hinata.

Later, Aone sees Hinata being substituted by Narita after Kageyama was taken off court for a nosebleed. He gets annoyed at Futakuchi when the latter comments about Hinata's amateur skills. It turns out that Aone has formed an unlikely friendship with Hinata after their match. To the further surprise of his teammates, Aone speaks up for Hinata, saying that Hinata is well-aware of his current skill level[10].

They continue to watch the match until Karasuno is officially declared the winner. By now, Aone and the others have realized that Karasuno's quick strike has evolved. Aone then signals to Futakuchi to go on ahead without him, and the latter complies. He waits by the entrance of the court and approaches Hinata when Karasuno finally exits. Aone states he will be the one to stop Hinata in their match tomorrow, indirectly implying that both teams will defeat their next opponents. As he walks away, Aone hears Hinata answering his challenge. He looks back with a content smile before leaving[11].

Aoba Johsai vs Date Tech[]

Date Tech plays against Aoba Johsai the following day. They lost the first set and can't seem to close the two-point gap in the second set. Now that the third-years retired, Date Tech is still adjusting with their new and inexperienced setter, Koganegawa. As a result, Aone and Futakuchi find themselves unable to coordinate with Koganegawa's overly high tosses[12]. Despite the setbacks, Date Tech lives up to their reputation as the "iron wall" and earns back points through their blocks. Eventually, Aone pulls off a successful quick with Koganegawa "putting" the ball to his spike point[13].

HinataAone1

Unable to face Hinata again because of his loss.

Date Tech manages to keep the score close but ultimately fails to overturn the set when Iwaizumi breaks through their block to earn the match point for Aoba Johsai[14]. After the match, Aone and the rest meet up with the retired third-years to discuss their performance. When Koganegawa declares that he will stop all opponents no matter how tall or powerful they are, Aone corrects him saying those are not the only ones difficult to block. At that moment, Aone crosses path with Hinata once more. This time, neither say anything, with both sides knowing their promise to a match is no longer possible. However, Aone is determined to face Hinata once more and stop him.

Tokyo Nationals Arc[]

Date Tech Practice Match[]

Aone and the rest of Date Tech are in the midst of their routine practice when Coach Oiwake informs them of a upcoming practice match the following week. They are surprised to find their opponent to be Karasuno and become even more fired up[15].

Group s4-e6-6

When Karasuno arrived at Date Tech, Aone joins his teammates in greeting their opponents and Hinata in particular. Just before the match started, Aone had attempted to point out Asahi but was prevented from doing so by Futakuchi. Once the practice match starts, Date Tech immediately puts up a three-man block on Asahi's back row attack even with Hinata acting as a decoy. It becomes apparent right away that the team has become even more skilled at using a bunch shift where the blockers are moving together to overwhelm the opposing spiker with sheer numbers. Following their block on Asahi, Aone and Futakuchi manage to match Hinata's speed and land a touch on the minus-tempo quick from the start although it would be called as a block-out attack in the end[16]. Date Tech continues to dominate the first set and eventually takes the set win while Karasuno is still experimenting with their newly learned techniques.

Later during the fourth set, Aone reveals his recently acquired jump serve. He packs immense power in his serve and sends the ball over in a clean trajectory. The serve unfortunately lands out-of-bounds, but it becomes clear that his serve is shaping up to be a powerful weapon once Aone improves his control[17].

Afterwards, Aone proves his reputation as a skilled read blocker by continuously shutting down Karasuno's attacks. He accurately rules out Hinata's decoy from a glance and successfully blocks Daichi's spike from a synchronized attack. However, Aone and the rest of Date Tech start to have a difficult time discerning the real spiker after Karasuno employs their blend and distract technique, in which Hinata slows down to match his teammate at first tempo. Aone, Futakuchi, and Koganegawa are initially confused by Hinata's unusual play style and pay even more attention to him. This causes a delay in their reaction to block Asahi's spike, which causes Date Tech to lose the fourth set[18].

Group s4-e8-2

Date Tech manages to remain calm and unfazed throughout four sets, but they are showing signs of impatience after Hinata throws off their timing. When Kageyama and Hinata suddenly pull out their minus-tempo quick again, Aone and Koganegawa fail to put up a proper block and lose more points to Karasuno[18]. Despite having more trouble dealing with Karasuno, Aone quickly adapts and blocks Hinata's quick near the end of the eighth set. Aone continues to be a powerful wall against Karasuno's offense by shutting down Asahi's spike at Karasuno's set point. Aone, Futakuchi, and Koganegawa then put up a three-man block in response to Asahi's second attempt. However, the three blockers are unable to stop Asahi from hitting a powerful block out that sends the ball flying all the way to the second floor of the gymnasium. With that last point, the practice match comes to an end with Date Tech and Karasuno tied at 4 wins and 4 losses[19].

After the practice match, the two teams bid each other farewell. Aone and Hinata formally bow to each other before heading their separate ways.

Karasuno vs Tsubakihara[]

On the first day of the Spring Interhigh, Aone and his teammates gather at Date Tech's computer room to watch Karasuno's match against Tsubakihara[20]. They remark just how different watching Karasuno's quick feels compared to facing it directly on the opposite side of the net. Later, they take notice of Tsubakihara's defense and their ability to constantly put up two blockers against Karasuno. After Karasuno won the match, Date Tech resumes their afternoon training, seemingly even more fired up.

Karasuno vs Inarizaki[]

Date Tech s4-e24-2

Date Tech continues to tune into Karasuno's match against Inarizaki the following day. When thinking of intimidating blocker, Hinata immediately thinks of Aone. In the third set, Aone and Futakuchi watch Asahi pull off a powerful block-out against three Inarizaki blockers. They are reminded of the time when they delivered a crushing defeat to Karasuno that broke Asahi's spirit and how much he has changed since then. Having encountered the block-out during the practice match, Aone and Futakuchi know that Asahi purposely delayed the timing of his spike to wait for the moment that blockers start to descend. At the same time, they are aware that such a spike is difficult to execute correctly, even more so during a desperate moment when the spiker is already exhausted[21]. Aone continued to watch the match until Karasuno was able to win.

Karasuno vs Kamomedai[]

Aone and his team continue to watch Karasuno during the tournament when Karasuno's match against Kamomedai takes place, though they claim that they are watching Kamomedai more due to their reputation for being a maxed level version of Date Tech. When Hinata had landed his first attack, Aone points out that Kamomedai's three blockers all tried to stop it despite having seen it for the first time. Aone and Futakuchi would later show displeasure when Hirugami demonstrated exceptional read blocking and was able to block Tanaka. Midway into the set, Aone picks up that Kamomedai is using the dedicated shift when Asahi goes to spike.

Just before the second set begins, Aone and his team notice that Kamomedai shifted their rotation which they guess is to increase their offense. However, Aone is able to later see that part of the reason for Karasuno's own change in rotation was most likely because Hinata would be more of a threat when Kageyama was in the vanguard. In the middle of the set, Aone is shown reacting when Hinata uses a combination of his new 'bam' jump plus his minus tempo speed to get past Kamomedai's blockers[22].

In the third set, Aone is seen acting in a similar motion to Hirugami when the middle blocker looks like he would chase after Hinata's fast attack but stopped himself before it was too late[23]. Aone and Futakuchi would later be seen with sullen expressions after relating to Kamomedai's blockers when Hinata was able to trick them into blocking him but the set instead went to Tanaka and he scored un-marked. Aone and several others would also be seen reacting to Hinata collapsing from his fever and being removed from the game.

Final Arc[]

During the next Interhigh following the 2013 Spring Tournament, Date Tech defeats Karasuno in the Finals and advances to nationals for the first time in 11 years. Aone and Futakuchi are seen embracing happily while crying. They made it to the top 16 at the tournament.

Aone and Futakuchi attend the match between the MSBY Black Jackals and the Schweiden Adlers. He and Futakuchi are impressed with Hinata's increase in skills while also remembering how it felt to play against him. Aone is revealed to currently be working as a construction worker and plays as a middle blocker on the VC Date community team.

Statistics[]

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

Aone is the undisputed backbone of Date Tech's famous "Iron Wall" defense. He is an experienced read blocker whose strong points include his sturdy physique, a calm mindset, and the tenacity to stop his opponents' attacks[5]. Aone mostly works with his teammates in using a blocking strategy called bunch shift, in which all three blockers congregate at the center and move together to block their opponents' spikes. His blocking skills are so great that he is a blocker most often used during references and comparisons.

Jumping Reach: 335 cm.

Skills[]

Post-Timeskip Skills Parameter
Serve
 
7/10
Serve Reception
 
5/10
Dig
 
5/10
Setting
 
5/10
Spike
 
7/10
Block
 
10/10
  • Read Blocking:
    Hinata Aone Futakuchi 1
    Aone has a reputation as a formidable read blocker. He excels at reading the situation and will not move to block until he sees where the ball is being sent. As a result, he doesn't easily fall for decoys and rarely makes a mistake when blocking. On the occasions where he misreads, Aone has demonstrated the ability to quickly correct himself and still put up a decent block[5].
  • Jump Serve:
    Aone s4-e7-1
    Aone used a jump serve during the most recent practice match against Karasuno. He has yet to gain perfect control over it but his serve packs enough power to be a dangerous threat once improved[17].

Relationships[]

Date Tech High[]

  • Kenji Futakuchi:
    AoneFutakuchiWatchingMatchTogether
    Futakuchi and Aone are good friends and would help keep each other in-line with Futakuchi noted to be the only one able to stop/prevent Aone from locking on to the ace of an opposing team. From knowing Futakuchi so well, Aone is able to keep his fellow second-year from getting into arguments with their upperclassmen but is also not afraid to stand up to Futakuchi if he feels he is wrong, such as when Aone defended Hinata during the Johzenji match. After the third-years retired from the team, Aone is shown to help Futakuchi in leading the new members of the team, most notably first-year setter Koganegawa. During a match, the two are shown to work extremely well together and are highly feared due to their reputation as some of Date Tech's best blockers. They occasionally do a chest bump after a good play which usually causes Futakuchi pain since Aone tends to unintentionally use too much strength. Post-timeskip, they are shown to have remained close friends and attend the Adlers vs Jackals match together.
  • Kanji Koganegawa:
    AoneComfortKoganegawa
    Aone acts as an encouraging senior figure to Koganegawa. He is seen comforting a distraught Koganegawa after their loss to Aoba Johsai and even imparting his own wisdom and caution about strong opponents to the rookie setter. Aone is very patient toward Koganegawa's antics and would complement him when Koganegawa does something well but tends to let Futakuchi be the one to correct the setter on any mistakes he makes.

Karasuno High[]

  • Shōyō Hinata:
    HinataAndAone
    During their match at the Interhigh, Aone found a challenging opponent in Hinata. After the match, Aone initiates a handshake toward Hinata as a sign of acknowledgment and respect. During the Spring High Preliminaries, Aone is revealed to have formed an unlikely friendship with Hinata and is seen glaring at Futakuchi when the new captain criticized Hinata's abilities during the Johzenji match, going so far as to verbally speak to defend Hinata. They have a friendly rivalry and hold each other in high regards, Aone even once telling Koganegawa that it's not always the larger players he should be on guard against. The two tend to greet one another with a bow in a sign of respect. Post-timeskip, Aone sees how much stronger Hinata has become when he attends Hinata's debut match in the V.League.

Quotes[]

  • (To Hinata) "Tomorrow, I'll stop you."[11][25]
  • (To Koganegawa) "Those who are tall and strong aren't the only opponents who are difficult to block."[14][26]

Trivia[]

  • Pre-timeskip Concern: When he's riding the train, nobody wants to sit on either side of him.
  • Post-timeskip Concern: Futakuchi always arrives at the last minute.
  • Star Sign: Leo.
  • His teammates are surprised when he talks.
  • He doesn't seem to know his own strength and has the unfortunate habit of accidentally hurting his teammates when giving high fives or chest bumps.
  • He and Yūdai Hyakuzawa are currently tied as the second-heaviest volleyball player in the series at 88.2 kilograms or 194.4 pounds.
  • In Haikyuu's first popularity poll, Aone ranked 21st with 1,003 votes.[27] In the second popularity poll, he dropped to 30th with 1,403 votes.[28]
  • It is confirmed that he shares the same class as Kenji Futakuchi.
  • He is the oldest second-year on the team.
  • Aone shares his Japanese and English voice actors with other characters.
  • He and Futakuchi are currently VC Date players.
  • Nomenclature:
    • Takanobu (高伸)
      • 高 – Tall
      • 伸 – Stretch
    • Aone (青根) – Deep Blue

References[]

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