Yoshiki Towada (Japanese:
Appearance[]
Towada has a medium build and slick back, black hair. He's usually seen with a scowl or a smirk on his face which gives him an intimidating appearance.
Personality[]
Towada usually portrays himself as a tough individual but in reality is quite the opposite. He is quick to give up when in a seemingly difficult situation and will resign when faced with an overwhelmingly strong opponent. As such, he would not put in extra effort to fight for the win. However, he has proven to be capable of change. He was frustrated after seeing the former captain, Noboru Akimiya, desperately chasing after the last ball and later crying alone in the club room.[1] When further prompted by Akimiya, Towada decides to stop running away, a behavior he labeled as weak, and inspires his team to give it their all.
Off-court, Towada is a delinquent who likes to get into fights. He is seen fighting someone and later acting untroubled while Akimiya apologizes to the teacher.[1] It is implied that he has a softer side, as shown when he acts kinder and more affectionate toward Hinata after mistaking the latter for a middle schooler coming to support his older brother in a match.[2]
Background[]
Not much is known about Towada's background. It can be inferred that he has been playing volleyball long enough for him to be the ace and deemed the biggest threat on the team.[2] He later admits to regretting the times he skipped practices, implying that he was not always dedicated to the sport.
Towada currently attends Ohgiminami High. He mentions that he has a younger brother who is in middle school.
Plot[]
Interhigh Arc[]
Ohgiminami suffers a crushing defeat to Shiratorizawa in the second round of the Interhigh tournament. Their loss is reported on the news after the first day of the Interhigh.[3]
Spring High Preliminary Arc[]
On day one of the Miyagi Prefecture Preliminary rounds, Ohgiminami defeats their first opponent, Debaichi, in straight sets. They move on to play Karasuno for round two.
Ahead of their match, Towada bumps into Hinata while exiting the men's restroom. He mistakes Hinata for a middle schooler and is shocked when the latter announces himself as a member of Karasuno. However, Towada soon grows dismissive once Hinata claims that Karasuno will defeat everybody and go to nationals. He informs Hinata that Shiratorizawa will undoubtedly be victorious and suggests that they don't take things too seriously for nothing will come out of it.[2]
Once their match begins and Karasuno quickly gets the upper hand in the match, Towada is seemingly annoyed that he and the team would be faced with such a strong team so early in the tournament. When Kageyama put the score at 16-24, Towada recalls how Ohgiminami previous played against Shiratorizawa Academy during the Interhigh. Faced with what he believed was certain defeat, Towada was ready to accept that they would lose. Even as the previous captain, Akimiya, tried to encourage Towada and the team to keep trying, Towada decided to chase after an off-receive. Only when Akimiya failed to receive the ball and soon retired from the team did Towada start to become frustrated that he did not put in more effort.
As Hinata gets the final point for Karasuno to win the first set, Towada now sees that the middle blocker was not lying when he claimed that Karasuno would win every match and make it to nationals. After losing the first set, Towada and the rest of Ohgiminami are ready to accept their inevitable defeat until Akimiya rallies the team from the upper balcony. Finally, Towada decides to stop pretending to be cool and fight for the win. He loudly declares that Ohgiminami will take down Karasuno and Shiratorizawa, earning his teammates' support in the process.
Despite Towada's bold proclamation, Ohgiminami is unable to compete with Karasuno as the crows reach match point with a huge lead. In the last rally, Towada is once again put into a position where he watches as ball flies pass him. He begins to think that it wouldn't matter if he let the ball go since he could still play again next year but ultimately decides that this attitude can no longer be tolerated and dives to keep the ball in play. He ends up crashing into the water station nearby and immediately calls out to his teammates to follow up. Although Ohgiminami still lost, Towada and the rest manage to put up a great fight and were praised by their former captain for the effort they put in.
Later, Towada leads the team to bow and thank Akimiya for his support and guidance.[4]
Towada, along with his teammates, stays to watch part of Karasuno's match against Kakugawa High. When he sees Hinata scoring the last point against the 2-meter tall Hyakuzawa, Towada admits to being a fool for underestimating Hinata earlier.[5]
Statistics[]
High School Statistics | |||
---|---|---|---|
Power | 4/5 | ||
Jumping | 3/5 | ||
Stamina | 3/5 | ||
Game Sense | 2/5 | ||
Technique | 2/5 | ||
Speed | 3/5 |
Overall, Towada is portrayed to be a fairly decent volleyball player. He has a good amount of power in his serves and spikes and is able to make a fair amount of receives. However, because he did not put full effort into his plays prior to playing against Karasuno, his peak condition is unknown.
Jumping Reach: 320 cm.
Relationships[]
Ohgiminami High[]
- Noboru Akimiya: In the past, Towada can be seen causing trouble and letting Akimiya clean up the mess with the school authority. Akimiya also appears to be easily intimidated by Towada and the others' belligerent nature. Although it might not always be apparent, Towada respects and cares for Akimiya. He is quite affected by witnessing Akimiya crying over their loss and his own inaction during the last rally of the match. Later, Towada heeds Akimiya's advice and puts in his full effort. He is also the first one among his team to bow to Akimiya in gratitude.
Quotes[]
- (To Coach Ninomiya) "You know, since we came here to fight each other on the opposite sides of the net, I don't think we have any other option than to win and continue on. Trying to act tough and worrying more about how we look is pretty lame."[6]
Trivia[]
- Favorite Food: Korokke Sandwiches (Japanese:
コロッケパン Korokkepan).
- Current Concern: He feels as though his younger brother is growing independent of him.[7]
- Star Sign: Virgo.
- He wore the #4 jersey during the Interhigh and later switched to #1 after Akimiya retired from the club.
- Towada shared his English voice actor with Sachirō Hirugami, Kentarō Kyōtani, and Tarō Ōmi.