Haikyū!! “Final Arc” (Chapters 370 through 402) Manga Review
Major Spoilers are included in this manga review. Please read with caution.
Synopsis: The story—written and drawn by Haruichi Furudate—follows Shōyō Hinata, a first-year high school student who wishes to become the best volleyball player ever despite his short height. He attends Karasuno High School, where his idol “The Little Giant” went. After the “The Little Giant” era though, Karasuno lost its fierce volleyball reputation. Together with his first real teammates, Hinata works hard to restore Karasuno High’s reputation by making it to the Nationals.
On August 27, 2020, I started reading Haikyū!!’s “Final Arc” and finished on August 28, 2020. Reading the last 32 chapters in this manga series had been an emotional rollercoaster ride, giving the reader immense payoffs on why we invested in the first place. The characters were given satisfying endings, and the buildup to such conclusions were well-earned and not rushed. Haikyū!! also brought the story full-circle with Shoyo Hinata and Tobio Kageyama.
The “Final Arc” started with a time jump, putting our characters on post-high school paths and how volleyball is the one thing keeping them connected throughout the years. The lessons and challenges they faced as a team—and their opponents too—unified them as they navigated the adult world.
In the “Final Arc”, Hinata is shown traveling the world after graduating high school to learn how to play beach volleyball to improve his skills. After two years playing in Brazil, Hinata finally returns to Japan and joins a V-League team to settle the score with Tobio Kageyama, who went Pro directly after high school.
Hinata’s character growth was incredible throughout the “Final Arc”, bringing everything he learned throughout the series together for his eventual rematch against Tobio Kageyama; a match they promised each other at the beginning of the series back in middle school. Tobio Kageyama’s growth was astounding as well, and there was a huge payoff to him making peace with his past as “King of the Court”.
Reading this arc reminded me that despite all the characters running on the page at one time, the story was ultimately about Hinata and Kageyama and the promise they made each other to stay on the court for as long as possible. They pushed each other to keep improving and to strive for the impossible—one of the best anime rivalries that isn’t built on toxic competition or a desperate need to one-up each other. They also reminded each other—and the audience—that volleyball is ultimately fun and not about winning or losing, but to keep playing the game they love for as long as possible.
I learned so much from reading Haikyū!!—life lessons I will carry with me for as long as I live—but the greatest wisdom that this manga gave me is when Coach Ukai told the Karasuno Team that, “Volleyball is a sport where you’re always looking up!” when they were close to giving into despair.
This quote is quite literal because the ball is flung up in the air, and it’s also metaphorical because it also means one cannot break down after every little thing and must carry onward when the going gets tough. The quote is also the name of the OST I listened to throughout my manga reading. I suggest playing OST music whenever reading manga for a better experience.
If it isn’t obvious at this point, I would seriously—highly—recommend reading this life-changing manga series. It’s only 402 chapters. My 18 days with this manga series wasn’t nearly enough. So, I’m going to hit the anime soon. Thanks for reading this manga review, everyone! Let’s keep it reading!