"The Monster Crows" (Japanese:
Overview[]
The incredible improvement of Karasuno is starting to overwhelm Nekoma as the former team continues to score despite Nekoma's effort to stop them. Facing a series of new techniques and combinations from the opposing team, Kuroo wonders about how to defeat the current Karasuno.
Plot[]
Players from Shinzen and Ubugawa, teams present during the summer training camp, arrive to support their friends in their match. They express their desire of wanting to be the ones playing but are nonetheless proud of how far Nekoma and Karasuno have come. Just then, they hear a commotion and are amazed to find Karasuno scoring the first point with their signature quick attack.
While Karasuno celebrates, Nekoma grows more wary since they are fully aware of how dangerous that quick can be. In the audience, Alisa is shocked by the quick. Akane tries to convince herself that the minus-tempo isn't invincible with its reliance on sheer speed, but she can't help getting excited at seeing the quick. Okuda and Takanashi believe they might have underestimated Nekoma after seeing their skillful receives off of Kageyama's serve and Tanaka's inner cross. However, they still attribute it to a fluke until Kai cleanly receives Kageyama's powerful jump serve for the second time.
Kuroo realizes Karasuno's tactics.
The ball is cleanly returned to Kenma who quickly tosses to Lev. Lev hits the toss above Hinata and Tanaka's blocks, allowing Nekoma to tie Karasuno. In the next rotation, Kuroo enters the front row while Lev prepares to serve. Takinoue notices that Nekoma is no longer using the dedicated shift formation they utilized in their first practice match. The scene then shifts to Nekoma preparing for their match against Karasuno the night before. Kenma realizes that Hinata has changed enough that a dedicated shift is no longer the most effective counter strategy. He reminds the team that Hinata won't always be jumping out right from the beginning, but they still have to be prepared for the minus-tempo quick. Kuroo quickly figures out that Hinata is actually using the existence of the minus-tempo as a decoy while the rest of Nekoma stresses over how much Karasuno has evolved since their last practice match just a few months prior. As he listens to all the discussion, Shibayama is reminded of Coach Nekomata's words about the oddball duo and their potential to change from the "demon and his club" to "demon and demon".
Nekoma wonders how they can defeat Karasuno who has grown strong.
Back to the match, Lev accidentally hits his serve into the net but gets a net-in. Hinata reacts just in time to save the ball. Kageyama follows up with a toss to Daichi who approaches from the left with a long-distanced spike. Lev manages to receive it but ends up returning the ball over the net. As Hinata prepares to push the ball over, Kuroo spikes the ball directly at Kageyama. Kageyama is forced to make the first touch, thus preventing Karasuno from using their varied attacks. However, Nishinoya quickly jumps forward to make a libero toss to Asahi. Asahi hits a powerful spike that sends the ball flying off as it ricochets off the blockers' hands. The coaches and players from Nekoma can't help but be amazed at Karasuno's incredible progress compared to the start of the year. With a personal understanding of Karasuno's current strength, Kuroo ponders over how they can defeat them.