"The Next Battle" (Japanese:
Overview 
Edit
Coach Ukai, Takeda, and the Neighborhood Association are out for drinks after Karasuno's victory against Shiratorizawa. The next day at Shiratorizawa Academy, Ushijima individually gives a few words of advice and encouragement to each younger member of the club. Meanwhile at Karasuno, Hinata shares the good news to his classmates that the volleyball club will be going to nationals. In the clubroom, the members discuss the Tokyo qualifiers. Nekoma has made it to the best four but before Karasuno can compete against them, Nekoma needs to make it through the finals. It is now mid-November in Tokyo and Nekoma prepares for their next match against Fukurōdani.
Plot Edit
At the Osuwari Bar and Restaurant, Ukai and Takeda celebrate their victory with Takinoue and Shimada. Takeda continuely expresses his joy as Ukai praises the work and effort of the players, ready to face the new challenges that await them in the near future.
At Shiratorizawa Academy, the third year players are retiring from the team. They are prepared to leave when Ushijima steps forward with advise that he gives to the second and first years. He advises Kawanishi of his blocks and serves, and tells Shirabu he should give his best sets to everyone but should also work on his receives. As he goes over other things with the other players, the third years are impressed that Ushijima was paying such close attention to the others and things they need improvement on.
As all this goes on, Goshiki becomes nervous and fearful of what Ushijima will tell him; believing that he did not prove himself worthy to become the next ace as he proclaimed and has a great many things to work on. To his utter surprise, Ushijima simply tells Goshiki that he leaves the team to him. Tearfully, Goshiki and the remaining players bow and thank the third years. With their farewells from the team done, Ushijima reminds the third years of their one hundred serve punishment. Dismayed, Tendō questions if they really need to carry out the punishment but goes along with it. Sitting to one side, Washijō is suddenly informed of a call for him from Coach Anabara of Johzenji High School.
At Karasuno, Hinata is sitting in class while surrounded by his classmates as they excitedly discuss the boys volleyball team advancing to Nationals and become more excited when Hinata tells them the Nationals will be held in the largest stadium on Tokyo. Tsukishima and Tadashi pass by the class and Tsukishima remarks how Hinata is letting the praise and attention get to him. When Hinata is asked if he will be attending the Nationals with the team, two of his classmates say that he will because he is the errand boy. Hinata angrily claims that he is part of the team and will be playing in the matches but his classmates do not believe him. In her own classroom, Yachi is seen working on a new team poster.
In the clubroom, the team discuss how Nekoma is currently attending their own tournament in hopes of earning a place for Nationals. Ennoshita reveals that Tokyo has limited the preliminaries to the top four schools and Tanaka adds that Nekoma and Fukurōdani both made it to the top four. Hinata starts to become excited at the thought of playing against and beating Nekoma until Kageyama reminds him that Nekoma first needs to qualify for Nationals.
In mid-November at the Sumida City Gymnasium, the Tokyo representative games are taking place with Nekoma and Fukurōdani in attenendance along with Itachiyama Academy and Nohebi Academy. Inside the stadium, Shibiyama informs Kuroo that the girls game before them is nearing the end.
Kuroo faces the team and encourages them to do their best to earn their spot as a representative for Tokyo and go to Nationals. They are quickly approached by Suguru Daishō, the captain and third year wing spiker for Nohebi Academy, who taunts Nekoma for always being a team of defence and predictability.
When Yamamoto becomes annoyed with Suguru, Kuroo tries to calm him down until he himself becomes aggrivated with Suguru when he makes fun of Kuroo's hair being the reason he seems so tall. Kuroo turns the teasing around by revealing he knows that Suguru's girlfriend, Mika Yamaka, recently dumped him and says that the Nohebi captian may be too heartbroken to play; all of which Suguru denies and says he was the one who ended the relationship instead of Mika.
At that moment, Lev appears and looms over Suguru while stating that what Nekoma normally does is different this time around. His bold appearance is then shattered when Yaku questions why he takes so long in the bathroom. Kuroo and Suguru vow to face each other in the finals and walk off.
With the current game finished, the Nekoma team enters the gym and Shibiyama is overcome with the realization that they will move on to Nationals if they are able to win their games. Kenma lightly teases Kuroo when he notices his nerves. Kuroo does not deny he is nervous due to who their first opponent will be. At a new round of applause catches their attention and the Fukurōdani team takes the court with Bokuto leading the way.
Appearances Edit
- Ittetsu Takeda
- Keishin Ukai
- Makoto Shimada
- Yūsuke Takinoue
- Jin Soekawa
- Wakatoshi Ushijima
- Taichi Kawanishi
- Satori Tendō
- Kenjirō Shirabu
- Yunohama
- Eita Semi
- Reon Ōhira
- Hayato Yamagata
- Tsutomu Goshiki
- Tanji Washijō
- Shōyō Hinata
- Kei Tsukishima
- Tadashi Yamaguchi
- Hitoka Yachi
- Ryūnosuke Tanaka
- Tobio Kageyama
- Chikara Ennoshita
- Kazuhito Narita
- Tetsurō Kuroo
- Kenma Kozume
- Yūki Shibayama
- Suguru Daishō
- Taketora Yamamoto
- Nobuyuki Kai
- Morisuke Yaku
- Lev Haiba
- Kōtarō Bokuto
- Keiji Akaashi
- Haruki Komi
- Yamato Sarukui
