"The Guardian's Hero" (Japanese:
Overview[]
While Inarizaki takes their timeout, Nishinoya reveals his childhood memories to the team. He remembers the hardships he had dealt with under the teachings of his grandfather who was helping him overcome his fears. He then further notes that the current game situation somehow takes him back to those times. With the help of Kinoshita, who had been practicing with him before the Nationals, Nishinoya successfully accomplishes his task and overcomes the fear he had been facing with since the match had started.
Plot[]
Kinoshita comes out of the court, aware that he wasted his chance to shine. Sugawara assures him with a pat on the back that he still had chances to look cool on the court and score clutch points in the future. Despite that, Kinoshita knows that the third-years could be having their last match that day and regrets over his inability to make a difference.
Back on the court, Aran serves straight to Nishinoya. Later, Kageyama's serve grazes the net but the ball still goes over to the other side. Inarizaki fails to receive it, resulting in a point for Karasuno. Inarizaki calls for their first timeout while trailing 5-8. During the timeout, Nishinoya suddenly brings up his childhood life. He reveals that he used to be a child that was scared of many things. Asahi is in disbelief and asks for confirmation whether Nishinoya is talking about himself. After confirming, Nishinoya states that with his grandfather's tough love and handling, he got over most of his fears. Ukai notices Nishinoya's unusual talkativeness and attributes it to nerves. Ukai's suspicion is confirmed when Nishinoya admits that Atsumu's serves scares him and reminds him back to his childhood days. However, Nishinoya recalls his grandfather's advice that being afraid is a waste of opportunity to learn and experience something new.
When the match resumes, Karasuno is once again up against big server, Atsumu. Atsumu sends a jump floater aiming at Nishinoya. Kinoshita immediately calls out to his teammate telling him to move forward. Nishinoya reacts in time to pull off a perfect overhand receive. Karasuno capitalizes on the chance to do a synchronized attack and scores. Afterwards, Nishinoya points to Kinoshita and shares a moment together as an acknowledgement of Kinoshita's contribution to his last receive.
Appearances[]
- Family/Others
Chapter notes[]
Character revelations[]
- Nishinoya was afraid of bugs, dogs, birds, tricycle, and monsters when he was a kid.
- He was once shy to strangers.
- He hates moths and onions even to this day.