Volleyball Couple Reaction to Haikyu!! S2E5: "Greed" 

For 2 players who are always in sync, this argument HURTS. On one hand Kageyama is 100% right, and any athlete will agree that Hinata needs to work on the basics. On the other hand, Hinata is ALSO 100% right - that his strength is NOT enough to stay on the court, and without sharpening their quick he'll be all but useless. At this point, he's just a shiny tool for Kageyama to use and he's not independent enough to survive on the court if it fails. I think fundamentally, they've never actually talked about their partnership. It's always been beautifully harmonious. Kageyama "abandonment issues" Tobio who was rejected by his team found someone who would trust him 100% and be grateful for every toss. Hinata "I just want to see the view from the top of the net while spiking" Shoyo found someone who said with me you're invincible, I'll always make sure you score. They were so complementary they never needed to actually work out how to balance each other. Now they do. For the first time, Hinata rejects Kageyama's tosses instead of trusting him 100% . For the first time, Kageyama rejects Hinata's desire to get stronger. That's why this argument hurts so much, because they're rejecting the very core aspect of the partnership. Kageyama thinks Hinata doesn't trust him anymore, and Hinata thinks Kageyama doesn't want him to level up in skill. It's important to note that even during all the yelling they never ONCE actually doubted each other. Hinata says, "your tosses are perfect". Kageyama says "if you work on your fundamentals you will get stronger and I will bring out 100% of your skill". Since they have such high expectations of each other, this betrayal hurts more. On top of that, they EACH think they're to blame for Karasuno's loss against Sejoh. Hinata thinks Kageyama's toss was perfect and if he was a better spiker, he could have made that last ball. Kageyama thinks that the setter is responsible and if his set placement was better, then Hinata could have actually spiked successfully.They believe in each other 100% and feel they have let each other down. This argument in a way is just them trying to figure out how to move forward so they succeed against an opponent like Sejoh and they don't disappoint each other again. I also think Kageyama, who has learnt the hard way about the value of team dynamics (middle school rejection) is afraid that Hinata's selfishness will destroy the partnership and the quick they have so carefully nurtured. So he is desparately trying to control Hinata's destabilising greed. On the other hand, Hinata has learnt the hard way how replaceable he is on the court, because despite all his efforts he only managed to play 1 match in all of middle school. So he is equally desperate about improving the quick, since he knows he can't be complacent because otherwise he'll get benched. Their middle school experiences and the fear they felt then are driving a lot of this argument. But Kageyama and Hinata are determined to stand on the court together. But they now have to reconcile what that partnership means. Hinata is a wildcard, always evolving, always greedy for more and more on the court - and till now Kageyama has matched him, controlled that pace and challenged him to go even further. That is the core of their rivalry and partnership. But now, has Kageyama lost that control? Has Hinata's greed gone too far? They have always been 100% dependent on each other for success - but how far can this dependence go? Can they sustain this growth? Can they regain their trust? Or do they need to finally separate to evolve because they can't do it together anymore? One, last beautiful concept - the word Hinata uses at 33:24 for "partner" ( he wasn't the first friend I'd made. He was a partner.) is the word "aibou". Aibou (相棒) is a very deep word. You can have many friends, many colleagues, but only one aibou. The closest English equivalent is maybe "most trusted partner". Think like Spock-Kirk in Star Trek , or your deep relationship with a pet dog. That's why Yachi starts crying. She understands that Hinata felt that Kageyama was his most trusted ally, someone who can "read his mind on the court" . As a very extroverted person, Hinata has a lot of friends, a lot of teammates. But Kageyama is the only one, the 相棒 that he trusted the most, he depended on the most in volleyball - which is his whole life. Hinata simply does not have a life without volleyball, and Kageyama is the most essential part of that life. That's why this argument cuts so deeply.

Japanese is my first language. The word Coach Nekomata uses that gets translated as "greed" doesn't exactly have the same negative connotation that it does in English. Maybe a better translation would be "yearning" or "assertiveness" or "high aspirations"; something to that effect. I dunno, it's hard to find a word that works grammatically, but you get the point. That being said, I don't think this changes much about your guys' analysis of Hinata and his desire to evolve. His motivation is in the right place, but the way he is going about it leaves a lot to be desired

Just pointing out something during the scene when Suga and Coach Ukai both agreed with Kageyama that Hinata shouldn't work on opening his eyes and hit the Freak Quick toss from Kageyama. Kageyama, Suga and Coach Ukai are all setters. They were only looking from a point of view of a setter. However, Coach Ukai as a coach thought a bit more about Hinata's words.

I think it's not about being dependent on the setter. I think it's about being dependent on Kageyama. He has no issue with being set the ball, he just knows that eventually he won't have Kageyama and then he goes from useful to basically nothing if he doesn't find a way to improve that doesn't rely on that skill.

The thing with Hinata is that no one is telling him "Hey, we'll try that when we are at home or in a few games here." All of them are denying him completely which can be extremely frustrating and very dismissive.

I always appreciate the addition of Yachi in the scenes with Kagayema and Hinata. Because I’m Yachi, we’re all Yachi. 😢

The only thing I disagree with is the average person relating to Hinata more. I don’t think most people have the tenacity, drive, sheer optimism, and communication to so convincingly explain their position to the people on their team. I think most people would probably relate more to like Tsukki or Yamagucchi who deal with their problems on their own without disrupting balance.

Hinata’s “greed” is a trait brought about by circumstances beyond his control and is/has been an essential asset to him up to this point. What the other Karasuno players (and the watchers/readers) especially Kageyama tend to forget is that Hinata wasn’t as FORTUNATE as they were to be given the opportunity to the play the sport they love. Kageyama for example has been playing since elementary school (without spoiling too much ofc), was fortunate enough to go to a middle school that had a great volleyball team and coaches, AND was blessed with the physical prowess and mental aptitude for the sport. Plus, the fact he applied for Shiratorizawa (despite not getting in due to his academics) which means his family had the monetary ability to pay for him to go a PRIVATE school for volleyball. And heck, most of the Karasuno team and other teams we’ve met, had similar stories too. Where they grew up playing volleyball competitively and even had friends and family who played and encouraged them to play. Hinata didn’t have this. His middle school didn’t have a volleyball team or a coach. He didn’t have family or friends who played. His family is clearly portrayed as lower to lower middle class so they couldn’t afford to move or pay for a private school. And plus, he’s too small for his desired role, neither born tall or strong. Sure, his athletic prowess is godly but that won’t help him forever. Which is why, Hinata is so greedy. Hinata has HAD to be selfish, he’s had to be greedy. Because he wouldn’t get an opportunity if he wasn’t. He wasn’t privileged with a childhood that guaranteed him access to volleyball nor was he born with the physical height or intelligence that could’ve made up for his lack of experience. Think about how Hinata rides an HOUR commute on a BIKE up and down a MOUNTAIN on a major HIGHWAY so that he can go to a school to play volleyball. That’s how dedicated he is. That’s how GREEDY he is to play. So while I can see Kageyama’s view in regards to Hinata’s selfishness, to me, I can’t blame Hinata. Just like Kageyama fears ruining the team’s dynamic due to past experiences, Hinata’s fears are just as valid. He’s finally being able to play a game he was cruelly kept from for years. And have a team, something he’s always wanted. So that fear that he might be benched, that he might not be useful to the team IS terrifying. But ultimately, I lean more towards Hinata here. Because he HAS to be selfish. Cause no one else will be that for him. And I think that’s what makes Hinata such a great MC.

The problem with Hinata isn't the fact that middles are more settee dependant, but that he specifically depends on Kageyama to be on the court. He's not a solid enough player to be able to stand on the court without him and perform well enough, so he wants to improve on his skills, and one of them is his ability to adapt his spikes instead of being determined by Kageyama. Btw, I truly loved to hear Adam's experience training with Sarah and their insight on Kageyama, Hinata and Ukai :)

When Adam said "If a player says he wants to be a game changer...", that's kind of the what Nekomata-sensei was talking about people who have this "greed" to be "the hero, the star".

You guys ive never commented before. Just started the video and i got the urge to let you know just how much i value these reactions. Been watching since it was just Sarah, around halfway thru season one. I love invested Adam has become and it feels like if i was showing my brother my favorite show and it fills my heart to see him enjoying it so much. Very insightful reactions from the both of you. Ive never been compelled to comment something like this but you guys deserve all the love. Thank you for everything guys

Have not seen the reaction of Sarah alone to this episode. It's surprising to know that so many people criticize Sarah's remarks about Hinata's hitting the outside ball. Although I like Hinata so much and appreciate his desire to become stronger, it's easy to understand Sarah's mad about his wrong behavior. Understanding the background and "the reason why" doesn't mean thinking "it is right", not to mention from the perspective of a high-level professional player like her. We also can't blame others' thinking in those situations -- it's dangerous to be distracted during a match, and it may destroy the balance when the spring tournament begins next month. Nobody is wrong, evolution is a good thing, but it needs to be considered more carefully, not just saying "That's great! We know you WILL succeed based on your strong desire! Just try! We will support you no matter what!" Everyone needs to think more and decide how to do it, Hinata, Kageyama, and the coach. It's a necessary process for their growth.

One thing I've noticed since watching anime is how much Greed is often subverted or deconstructed as a concept. We, as a Western audience, often attribute Greed as a negative, and indeed Greed can often times lead to corruption. But what is greed? It's the desire to acquire more of something, a desire the growth of something, whether it's more money, or more things or more power. In Hinata's case, his greed is manifesting as a dissatisfaction with his own skills as they are, and wanting more. With Coach Nekomata saying "you must greedily declare your intentions" I think another way it can be worded is that in order to be the best, in order to grow, you can't be satisfied by settling. You need to push for more, reach for more, and push yourself until you find your limits and break through them. The freak quick is potent and powerful, but it could be even better if Hinata improved and had the skillset for it. At the same time, from a practical standpoint, Hinata knows what he knows, but he doesn't know what he doesn't know, and he has a hard time staying grounded. He's trying to rush forward in a direction to his destination without knowing the route to get there, running around until he finds the right path, and you know, it's very a typical teenager thing to do. Hinata's a great character for that reason. His unwavering ambition and desire for improvement, his belief in his own potential, are all some of his best qualities, but they also land him in hot water and can blind him to his surroundings.

Ive seen a couple of ppl being disappointed by Hinata's actions this ep (in which I can understand) but I kinda feel disappointed by Kageyama as well (only a little tho). He constantly reminds Hinata how his "will" is not needed when in fact it needs BOTH of them. Also that "Are you trying to say that my toss was at fault?", in nowhere did Hinata said that nor even thought about that, rather he wants to step up to match Kags level and not waste a perfect toss.

Did anyone notice that Hinata cries a bit when he bikes home? It always makes me teary too. Even when I don’t agree with his tunnel vision or wonder if he’s focusing on the wrong things, I always feel his frustration so deeply. I love this show so much, and this episode brought out such amazing discussions!

One thing I also want to comment on is that I feel y’all are being to hard on Hinata. Yes he messed up but he immediately realized his fuck up and apologized, and he clearly didn’t do it to mess them up. Instead he more so got hyper focused on the ball and trying to make a play that he messed up. He is a FRESHMAN in HIGHSCHOOL. Lastly dude was the only one willing to say what everyone else was afraid to say. That at this rate and without taking some risks they were going to lose. They aren’t good enough to beat Seijoh and would have zero chance to become as good as they need to if he doesn’t say it and they have such a small amount of time to figure it out.

I actually disagree that Hinata is who people relate to the most. He's probably someone who people feel inspired by/aspire to be like (mainly his attitude and his emotional intelligence), but he's too abnormal to really relate to, at least in my opinion. Hinata has a lot of natural talent and some anime skills that most normal people don't have, which makes it hard to sort of see yourself in him. And his biggest weakness is honestly that he started late and didn't have someone before Karasuno to help him improve. However, Haikyuu is actually really good at having a range of characters (Sarah probably can think of a few specifically based on later episodes lol) that people can relate to in some form. If I had to name a character I think the audience as a whole identifies with, all jokes aside (based on the current roster of characters we know), I would say Oikawa, which is why the fandom is kind of defensive of him. Oikawa's philosophy is essentially doing the work to overcome natural talent (whether you agree with his methods to do so or his personality), which a lot of the fandom seems to enjoy as a message and relate to in wanting to be able to work hard enough to overcome natural gaps in talent. I'd also throw in Suga as an honorable mention for the same reason, both were worried about their abilities vs Kageyama and both kind of decided to make their own ways to surpass the natural talent Kageyama has. Later on in the series there are others I'd name, but obviously don't want to spoil those lol

Regarding Nekomata's words about greed - the translation isn't terribly off there or anything, and personally I don't think he's necessarily wrong. He's talking about players yearning to evolve, and probably those with the pro-athlete kind of mentality, about how they cannot just rest on their laurels and need to keep actively proving that they're the best (or "at the top", since being among the best players in terms of overall ability definitely doesn't apply to Hinata yet). First, Nekomata's describing it more from the athletes' point of view. Second, I definitely see why it's not something you would want to apply to this situation, as imo all of your concerns about Hinata being out of line are very legit. Such athletes can be quite a handful since, the way I see it, high school players in this kind of a system can't really allow themselves to be that focused on their own improvement without considering what's best for the team. Some of the way the situation is portrayed could also be due to the fact that the authors would want the audience to sympathize with the main character, at least to an extent. I remember I used to be more 50/50 on this situation and started ~objectively~ leaning more towards Kageyama being in the right as I got older and was able to imagine myself in the managing position. It's cool that you mentioned Ukai along with some other players not being able to connect with what Hinata's trying to describe when he's spiking - an extra layer to this is that Kageyama, Suga, and Ukai are all setters, so that also tracks. Spoilers for Adam below! . . I love this conflict because there's quite a few layers to the situation, and also because it's a consistent and well-written "flaw" of Hinata's personality which, at the same time, enables him to do what he does - a double-edged sword of sorts. But even his powerful greed and drive wouldn't be enough by themselves, and I think that the reason this whole thing ended up working out is largely thanks to Hinata's supportive environment with people willing to both adjust and believe in him, give him the opportunity, even if it could potentially be detrimental to their progress as a team.

I kinda wanted to see Adam reacting to Kageyama's "your selfishness is going to destroy the team's balance" because for me it's such an important moment about his character evolution 🥺

it’s kind of tough for me to be AGAINST Hinata’s thinking. He is the main character and I might be influenced because I’ve seen the show a million times. All I’ll say is I appreciate the creator creating a conflict where the audience can understand multiple viewpoints especially ones that go against the main character.

I love that there’s so many different perspectives on their fight tbh :’) I think if you’re an anime-watcher (or honestly, enjoyer of most types of media) u often get a Hinata-type archetype of a protagonist with so much brute athletic strength or talent to begin with so as long as they try really hard, they’ll win the big fight! but Haikyuu brings a lot of realism to this by showing the audience that the basics are not something you can skip over and you can’t rely on flashiness forever if you want to really excel. I think you’re more inclined to feel the latter perspective if you are an athlete with longterm success. I think it’s what sets Haikyuu apart from most other sports animes and draws in non-anime watchers

I just want to say I really appreciate your perspective as high level athletes! I will always root for our protagonist (and maybe sometimes defend Oikawa and Bokuto in the comments :-D) because I am a fan and I love the players as Sarah said, but your professional pesepctive as coach and player on the court helped me enjoy the storytelling of Haikyu even more. Thank you for your amazing reactions!

I think you two look at "greed" a little too literally. There's no way any athlete can individually get better skillfully and gain mkre knowledge of the game without having some sort of inner greed and pride. Nekomata was saying that Hinata has to put himself out there, use the greed to excel within himself. Not necessarily to make a verbal statement to his team. Ultimately, you gotta take what you want in sports, no one is going to give it to you. Also, Haikyuu is about the urge and need to compete, and the hatred of losing. Hinata and Kageyama despises losing, more than they enjoy winning. Hinata wants to be able to compete, he wants to catch up to the rest since he had a late start. That's what his journey is about. It's not about being the best, it's not about winning, it's about competing. So remember athletes, don't be a loser, it's not supposed to feel good, that's why we train and earn our competition to help our hearts beat.

Adam: Surprised that Hinata didn’t get hurt when slamming into Asahi Sarah: I don’t care. I hope he breaks his big toe where he keeps all his brains. 😂😂😂😂😂😂 Gosh I love y’all! ❤

sarah’s comment abt kageyama in s1 abt how he wants to win so bad. is how ive always felt abt hinata. his love and passion for the game is most genuine to me out of any athlete in the show. in hinata’s mind everyone is doing their job. hes just doing whatever hes told to do. and he cant improve that way, he CANT help his team this way. he wants to improve in the only way he can. that he can see. if that quick is stopped mid to late game. theres genuinely no reason for hinata to be on the court. they have better middles on the team that play the standard middle role. hinata is only there. bcuz of the quick.

I was so waiting for this episode for so long since Coach Adam reacted!!! This is one of the most interesting eps that I wanted a coach vs player opinion on, because balancing an individual player's goals vs the team's goal, then other factors like opportunities for practice against good teams, individual practice time, team dynamics, team techniques, etc... So many things to gain and things to lose depending on which route the coach/the team decides to follow. So complex! 11:12 I think what Coach Nekomata is trying to say is that whether you're the "ace" or not, if you want to improve, change and evolve... you have to be assertive that you WANT it. Tell it to your coach and your teammates, put the work in, ask for guidance. Will it go the player wants it to go? Maybe, maybe not. But assert yourself that you are unsatisfied with your current level, and a player who is aiming to be the best. It would be up to the (experienced) coach to balance your individual goals with the team's goals. We've seen glimpses of it...Coach Nekomata is the coach of a stable, well-oiled defense-leaning team, but he does show his experience by throwing his team into the unknown once in awhile. Like putting Lev in, who only started playing vball in high school to amp up their offense; and asking Kenma to pair up with Lev, because he sees Kenma already stable as official setter and wants Kenma to be uncomfortable and grow. Coach Nekomata lets the new situation simmer, let the players find their roles, let them have arguments, and build that bond, before polishing them. Like Coach Nekomata is aware that these are humans, individuals, and how they play off one another has an organic factor in it. And it's his job as a coach to not stifle their individualism, but guide how they mold into a team. I specifically notice how he manages Kenma to play his best & improve, knowing that Kenma has low energy, passion and ambition for vball. It's pretty cool to notice on rewatch. Maybe your opinion as a coach would also change because of their age/school level? Ukai-kun is thinking of how Karasuno team would win as long as the 3rd years are still around as their main goal. Coach Nekomata's perspective of guiding players aren't as short-sighted, but this might be a slight spoiler haha

I think because greed has a malicious connotation behind it people are quick to push back when you call what Hinata did greedy but you guys are correct its definitely greed but its not malicious he just wants to get better and saw a chance to try something and went for it

Man I have SOOOOOO much to talk about here, this is probably gonna be completely incoherent but I'll try my best to get all my thoughts out. First off, Furudate-sensei deserves a ton of credit for being able to write such an intense, visceral conflict between two people where both sides bring completely valid points. And the fact that it happened completely naturally, so often in stories like this whenever there's a fight between two characters, it seems to come out of nowhere and can easily feel like forced drama. Even the altercation itself is so real, it's just two teenage boys with overflowing frustrations that they need to vent, so they vent it at each other, but they don't actually want to hurt each other, so they just grab each other and shout. And in hindsight, considering how intense and competitive Hinata and Kageyama are, something like this was bound to happen at some point. Kudos to Daichi as well for understanding that this is something that those two need to work out and giving them space to do so. The first time I watched this I was definitely 100% on Hinata's side and didn't understand why Suga and Ukai were taking Kageyama's side, but on subsequent watches I definitely started to see it more from Kageyama's point of view. I think the only statement from any of them that I disagree with is Hinata saying "If this quick doesn't work, there's no point in me being on the court." As Kageyama said, there are plenty of other things he could work on in order to be useful, especially serving and blocking (he is a middle blocker after all). I know I've said this before, but adding in Adam's perspective and insights to these reactions really gives me so much more appreciation for all of the depth in this story. Thank you SO MUCH Sarah for getting him to watch this with you!

Worth remembering that Hinata doesn’t want to be a middle, he wants to be a spiker.

Loved the whole talk about a middle never really being completely free from a setter's influence. But I think that for Hinata and Kageyama that's a bit different. For the freak quick Hinata is already in the air before Kageyama even makes contact with the ball. He can decide where and how to jump without having to chase Kageyama's thinking necessarily because he's the one that'll get the ball to him wherever he is, after all.

It’s also interesting to note that during the little side conversation, kageyama, suga, and ukai are all setters so they are all approaching this from a setter’s perspective

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this question - When is it right to put an individual's growth ahead of the team? Is it fair for Hinata to want to improve even at the short term (and maybe long term) detriment to his team? Is it fair for the team to keep him pigeon-holed in a narrow role never pushing the boundaries because they've found some short-term success? That balance is one of the hardest in coaching/teaching and I don't think there's a concrete answer. Obviously in this case it's a false dichotomy, if Hinata is right then by prioritizing his growth he helps the team but that might not always be - so I know this is an oversimplified case - but imagine you're Yamaguchi and you have 1 hour a day to dedicate to training. You spend 20 minutes passing, 20 minutes blocking, etc. etc. It is highly unlikely you develop the skills through an all-around training regimen to contribute to winning in your first year. But perhaps, if he foregoes a balanced approach and uses the entirety of that hour working on serves, he can make himself genuinely useful in his first year by honing a narrow technique. The downside is he may progress more slowly in the future to the detriment of his own aspirations and even the team's years down the line. Is it worth it?

Adam: "Its interesting to watch players who do things on instinct and it works really well and then as soon as they try to expand upon it and add more information into it, they cant do it anymore" Sarah: "The brain does funny things!" Love the contrast between these 2 haha

38:05 Hinata doesn't want to be a completely independent player, ofc he understands that at the base level he depends on tosses from the setter. What he want's is the skill to be able to supplement the attack after getting the ball from the setter, or thwart a block if the opponents manage to catch up to him, or simply place the ball in a good spot on the opponents side if they use a recieving strategy against the freak quick. He wants to be a good player for the team, instead of a convenient decoy TOOL to be used for the team by Kageyama. I get what you mean, but i feel like a lot of people missunderstand this situation. Im kindof on both sides (Maybe more accurate to say i won't pick a side), so i hope i don't come across as rud eor anything.

I'm so glad to hear the coaches perspective from Adam in combination with a pro player like Sarah, this makes a world of difference in looking at this situation more analytically, ty, love you two

Oh I know this comment section is a treasure full of intelligent and valuable discussion! Time to dig in!

Ive always loved watching the debate about this episode, the first time I watched it I was on Kageyama's side, however, after watching it several times and analyzing it, I understood Hinata much more. In general I have a divided opinion, however it is really interesting to see the perspective of both of you, as a player and coach. That's why I love your reactions keep it up Sarah and Adam! ❤

I think your guys takes are very understandable and logical. To play devil’s advocate, Hinata’s only place on the team is as a point getter/decoy using the freak quick. The freak quick is getting shut down/adjusted to within 1 set. This strength will fade in long games (reason they lost to seijoh) so Hinata is realizing that and trying to make an adjustment. Yes it’s selfish wanting himself to get better but he understands that without him being more of a threat his role as a decoy won’t work. We have seen the team without him they lost 8 games before Saeko dropped them off. He is necessary and he’s completely in the right for what he’s saying, I think his wording is being taken wrong. He’s not selfishly claiming to be more important or anything like that. If anything Kageyama who is telling his teammate “you don’t need to improve ill do everything” is being the selfish teammate. It’s as coach Nekomata said “if you’re afraid of change you’ll never evolve”, everyone is seeing the freak quick as a miracle and are scared to change it EXCEPT Hinata who knows him and Kageyama can be better. It’s reflected in everyone agreeing with Hinata saying “I can’t stay like this” everyone was just too scared to change cus their strength was so new to them and so much higher then before.

Ok so this being about the 100th time I've watched this show, I can't disagree with your opinion Adam and Sarah as its from the perspective of actual high level athletes since I only played up through junior high and only on the B team but my opinion still hasn't changed. I still side with Hinata only because whether he worded it the right way or not as Daichi said " Hinata blurted out what we all already realized" . He basically just said what the team was afraid of, and we also have to realize that Hinata is inexperienced, this is literally the 1st team he's been apart of. I also support him because he wasn't saying I want to get better for only just me, the team winning was always his goal. He even says I want to get better so the team can win. He said that before anything else. Also the incident with Asahi yes was probably predicated by his interactions with Lev but I don't think he was doing it consciously. He even immediately apologized after that he was in his head and only staring at the ball. I do agree with Ukai giving him a break to chill out. I think it's also easier for yje audience to side with Hinata as you said we can relate to him😢 more and he literally had no one on his side this episode so we'll be there for him❤😊. Great episode and conversation as always Adam and Sarah.

So Adam's use of the word "Real" to explain this episode is akin to the way "Greed" was used in this episode🤣 Kageyama, Suga and Ukai were completely correct during the practice games in that they are in a game situation, albeit an exhibition, so it isn't the place to try something new or radical. But I find myself siding with Hinata at the gym in the evening. Kageyama wants to get better by maximizing his hitters. He believes he's brought out 100% of Hinata's potential so he thinks that Hinata should now focus on his other weaknesses like serving and receiving to round out as a better player overall. However, Hinata knows that he can grow even higher because he's seen that "view from the top" but hasn't been able to replicate it. I feel that Hinata's frustration comes mainly from the point that Kageyama fails to recognize that potential for growth. In Kageyama's defense, he comes from a background where the athletes around him have honed and developed their skills to the point where their improvements are slow and incremental. But in Hinata's case, he's still so raw and unconfined that he still has the potential for exponential growth. Finally, I want to point out a super small detail that actually is an amazing symbolism of the current situation for the team. The fact that practice is cancelled due to an inspection on the gym. Karasuno, likewise, needs an inspection so they can continue to grow and get stronger so they can stand a chance in their next tournament. Furudate-san (the creator) could have spun it as a rest day after their training camp or a cancellation because of Hinata and Kageyama's fight, but deliberately chose the gym to be closed right at the time where the team needs some introspection.

It's okay Sarah no matter what these episodes get heated comments. You guys are both doing great though! It's interesting because Sarah's opinions and knowledge are so high level but Adam as a coach has such an understanding that's just another cool perspective! 😁

I dont usually comment in here cuz sometimes I feel that I have nothing to add but I'm commenting before I start to watch the reaction cuz this episode it's a wild one and not only because hinata it's my favorite but I get what he is saying, I understand and I empathize a lot with him specially when you feel that no one it's listening to you 😅

I don't know if anyone said this already but I just love this little writing detail that this show has in regards to the talk between Hinata, Kageyama, Suga, and coach Ukai. Three of the aforementioned were all setters (coach Ukai was a setter back then when he played) so none of them were really grasping things from Hinata's perspective as a spiker. This part of the series is always fun 'cus people get to discuss about who's wrong or right in this scenario and personally, I think both parties were wrong AND right on certain points.

After a few times watching the scene, i came to realize that those who disagreed with Hinata idea were setters (Ukai also a former setter during highschool) 😮

32:06 He didn't forget the split step, not even in that second. A true athlete.

I knew sarah never liked hinata during these few episodes when he had a little hunger, but hearing her say she could care less if hinata got hurt, that he was outta line was a bit much. Hes a kid, 14 or something.

I totally understand Hinata's vision. In every sport I played, I could see the whole court or field, and those one on one battles were in slow motion. Especially when you fought people just like you. Epic... Hinata is desperate to learn, and it's hard when everyone is against you, even at training camp. Remember his history playing alone.

The one thing I disagree with in this episode is the response Hinata gets from everyone when he decides he wants to stop closing his eyes for the freak quick. Even from Suga and Ukai. I mean, it should be pretty clear that the freak quick as is it has very limited potential, it is clear to Hinata by this point. Even if Hinata were to improve on other things, the freak quick would still be very flawed. Even if you think "that is impossible", at this point they should still try something.

But also, regarding HInata and Kageyama's fight, it is clear that the Seijoh defeat is still something that lingers in their head. It is that fear of loosing that might drive you to do the wrong things. I love how they gave this moment more than "a moment".

You guys are great and have amazing insight into this show!

I learned so much about volleyball and team dynamics from you this episode!! Very fascinating. Your experiences really add something new to this series for me. It’s all so very layered!

So looking forward to this episode!!! I wondered how Adam would react to this situation and how to deal with it from coach standpoint!

I wanted to comment on the discussion about an observation when comparing this training camp with the practice match against Nekoma in season 1. Really quickly, in season 1, the problem with the freak quick was identified in real time, on the court, in the presense of the entire team. The transition then to work on Hinata's normal quick seemed more natural, everyone on the team was on the same page and they accommodated Hinata. Now, this training camp is less obvious. At the start of the episode, Karasuno was 1 game up and only won that game when Kageyama and Hinata joined them at the end of episode 4. The team has not be playing at "full strength". From the audience perspective, Hinata has been lead to the conclusion that he needed to change through interactions with Lev and a bunch of his other thoughts. We are privy to this as the audience but the team as a whole is not. Bringing it back to season 1, Karasuno is not really on the same page when Hinata tries something new. They have yet to play against all the teams at "full strength" so it is not necessarily clear what needs to be worked on. Yes they did lose to Seijoh on the freak quick, but keep in mind that the team has been training since then but haven't been able to play at 100% until Kageyama and Hinata arrived. Was Hinata wrong to suggest something new? No, I think its fine. Was Hinata's timing bad? I would think from an individual players POV no. He vocalized his realization asap which is great. But from the team POV, it can be seen as sudden and disruptive. Had coach Ukai allow Hinata to stay on court, I feel that the team would either have to accommodate to Hinata or suffer more collision incidents with Asahi. Overall, 5 out of 6 players on the court wouldn't get to practice at 100% which could be seen as selfish for sure. As for the fight at the end, Kageyama is definitely taking a harder stance towards Hinata and he justifies this by mentioning the short time before the Spring Tournament Prelims which is fair. What I like about the ending (and watching ahead to later episodes) is that Hinata does try his best to get the help he needs to fulfil his vision. He doesn't immediately blame Kageyama for not helping but also isn't willing to back down. Its an endearing quality which can quickly make you love or hate someone because it either shows thier determination or their stubbornness. Conclusion is Hinata is a human character and its probably why he's so well liked by the community

I really love your discussions and the professional insights you give.

I live for this reactions

Wonderful, interesting video as always. Loved hearing your thoughts.

Well, well! Good Friday morning with that new funky intro music!

Ahhhh I love these episodes. They are so well done. Its like eating your favorite meal over and over again ❤

Your insights on the game, the players, and the coaching really gives a new perspective to watching haikyuu even if this probably the 20th time im rewatching the series 😂❤ this the truest and most genuine React channel no cap. Not just reacting to the anime but giving insights as well. Thank you!

I love your guys' reaction to this episode and seeing how Hinata's actions would likely be perceived on a real volleyball team, where each team member would not know where the overarching story is going (or that Hinata is the main character). Your insights as pros in this sport are much appreciated and beloved by this community and I suspect that many of us watch these reactions specifically for them. My takeaway is that while we see later in the story that Hinata's 'greed' ultimately pushes Karasuno to new heights, it does not mean that in the real world his approach was the optimal one or would necessarily lead to such an outcome. Maybe part of the point the author is making with this arc is that while Hinata was the spark necessary for the evolution, the team was only able to evolve constructively because all the other team members were amazing teammates and people who made the absolute best of the situation they were in. Relationships between people and team dynamics are complicated and Hinata's disruption could have easily ended up hurting the team if many things did not happen just right. In the end of the day, Haikyuu is a work of fiction where the author gets to decide how things work out. It is completely ok for Furudate-san to write the story he wants to tell and how he want to tell it. It does not need to be 100% realistic to be a great story (which, as I am sure all the Haikyuu fans would agree, it is!)

"pay attention to your surroundings shoyo!" "i wanna open my eyes for quick serve." "not that much attention!" like i know it's more than that, but that was just funny to me

Love your inputs❤❤❤❤❤

I want to say anything but it's done when i see any comment of more peoples. i just can't wait next episode and curious adam perspective as a coach. great job Adam and Sarah.

Love the new music for the intro!

I am furiously typing on my keyboard!!! to say I love you guys and your reactions! I have been and I still am on Hinata's side on this one. But it's always good to hear from different perspectives. And understand better the feelings of the other characters like Kageyama. Hey, it applies to other aspects of life not just in volleyball.

You should upload this reaction video everyday ....its amazing

We love Adam’s prediction haha

I wonder how Adam would deal with this whole situation if it happens on the team you coach?

Hinata is wrong, no matter how much we love him, and want him to be successful. You guys are right from top to bottom, and people who doesn't has sports as a way of life can't help but to feel him. Love your content, you guys make my Thursday better. Shout out from Brazil

I cant wait for you guys to react to season 3 and 4

I know it’s an anime/manga so some things are going to be a little unrealistic sometimes for the sake of plot or character development but I still agree with Sarah on the first watch through. Realistically Hinata working on serving blocking and passing should be the first priority. Yeah seeing the super fast quick might get the team more points per set but with how many serves hinata hits out or how many passes and serve receives end up going out or off of his face those basic skills should be the number one priority. I feel like the commenters were too knee jerky to defend hinata and I’ve seen the anime like five times through by the time Sarah started reacting.

I kind of wish they swapped greed with the word hunger, feels like the selfish assumption correlated with greed really colors the situation differently.

I think is genuinely stupid for Kags to not even try what Hinata is proposing, we are literally in a practice camp TO PRACTICE

I think one of the big lessons of this arc is that growth can involve pain and discomfort to a certain degree, especially at the beginning of the process.

Most of the people here have already watched this series and already know where Hinata is heading. Haikyuu is Hinata's Hero's Journey thats just the kind of story this series is. Sarah and Adam are literal professional athletes so they're very knowledgeable and experienced so they know what Hinata was doing wasn't good. So it's wild to me that people say that Sarah and Adam are in the wrong when talking about matters about volleyball.

HAIKYUU MOVIE WILL BE RELEASED TO THE REST OF THE WORLD ON MAY 30TH-31ST

I'm a big Adam fan, I was so hearty eyes, when he talks about your first times 😍

I think hinata is exactly like kageyama when it comes to their attitude towards volleyball. He's just way too focused when he figures something out to a fault to be even be thinking of being greedy about being the ace. He forgets everything else when he's in the zone resulting to the collision with asahi.

Omg yes alive for 30 minutes yet again

Uuuu new intro music i like it💃💃💃

I started playing volleyball because of Haikyuu and it took me more time I would have liked to unlearn my timing and approach into spiking from the habits I thought was right from the anime.

I'm not frantically typing my thoughts this episode, but my cat certainly was.

episodes like this, that spark so much discussion, are what diffrentiates haikyu from being a good anime to a great one(best sports anime all time)

To highlight the soundtracks used in Haikyuu, The title of this episode "Greed" is the same as one of the best soundtracks used in this anime, I personally love most of Haikyuu soundtracks which help us relate to the motivation, struggle, drive, and game-on modes that we offen experience in Haikyuu and would recommend to anyone who watches Haikyuu!!

I'm this fcking early wtf? ready to watch with my lunch!!!

This is probably the hardest episode of the series to watch, at least IMO. The conflict feels very different from the ones in the first few episodes.

I have much to share, but it will become clear on its own. So I'll hold it to avoid spoilers.

Adam's long-term foresight on where the story/characters may go in the future is pretty amazing (hopefully that's not a spoiler 😏)

Does copyright hit harder this season? Just wondering because of the background change and much less audio. I love the reactions and will obviously continue to watch them I’m just curious, keep up the great work!

I am 100 % on Hinatas side here. They say they have to concentrate on the things he can do now because they train for the tournament but after the tournament is before the next tournament, so when is he supposed to learn new things if not in a trainingscamp?

To be fair about the whole situation, Hinata messed up on the set to Asahi. He apologized but the damage was done and it wasn’t right so he can hopefully learn from that. He then immediately went to Kageyama and thought of a way to improve. It is definitely the right way to improve himself, however it happened on the back of the Asahi set and in the middle of an important training camp meant to help the TEAM. Kageyama made the right decision to drop the subject then, and we see them reconvene and discuss it in their own time. I think this is the right decision, to hear everyone out and ultimately Kageyama, Suga, and Ukai decide it’s best to focus on the team today. Hinata doesn’t seem to put up much of a fuss after both the conversation outside and the one where Ukai tells him to cool down on the sideline. So although it seems very chaotic looking at Hinata, and in the beginning it is, he listened to Kageyama in the match and dropped it until they could talk about it, and listened further afterwards when they wanted to focus on the team. So although Hinata is in the wrong, he does listen and is trying his best while also trying to seek the best course of action for himself.

Hi Guys 😍😍😍

I always think its very interesting if you really think about the 3 people who are talking to hinata outside. They are all similar in a way and all end up seeing eachothers(or Kageyama's) view but not so much hinata's. And you can see the frustration on his face.

I think Adam pointed something out as well that I didn't even notice on my first watch through in how Furudate (the author) is setting Hinata up to be an outside through slowly developing the skills needed to transition to that position. First, the ability to see the blocks and adjust your hits accordingly (which Adam pointed out) and then the skills he developed in season 4 (because he wouldn't have been able to be an outside without developing those skills). Side note: I am not a manga reader and don't really know what happens past season 4 so please no spoilers (I wouldn't consider this a spoiler because I didn't really say how he develops in season 4, just that it kind of supports his theory).

I’m very surprised you guys, and especially Adam, didn’t even mention anything about their big fight that they had. I know you stopped Adam from prematurely pausing the video before the scene could finished, but after it was done you guys [he] never paused to have that discussion about everything that just went down. I remember Adam didn’t like that Oikawa was going to hit Kageyama and commented heavily about it, so I was looking forward to what he had to say about Kageyama grabbing Hinata and throwing him to the ground.

This is the most controversial episode until this day ..

The idea is for Hinata to not be dependant only on Kageyama as a setter but to be able to work with any setter in the future by being more in control.

For me Nekomata's line about greed is more a dig at Asahi, not Hinata. Like, you've always been the ace, but if you won't be the best anymore, then you're not. It's just fun to think about it from Asahi's perspective, even though It's Hinata-centered episode. And if you pay attention to how he will react to the situation, it makes sense. And I think "proclaim" in this actually means "show that you have the skills"

I wish a part that this episode had touched would be Ukai and his new experience of coaching. You can tell Nekomata Sensei coupd tell something like this could and does happen hence why he get his little jabs at Ukai. I've only ever coached martial arts so it doesn't have the team dynamic but when a beginner's (hinata) move doesn't work they will often try something new and sometimes at the worst time. So definitely sit hinata out the rest of match because what he did was dangerous but I do there was an opportunity for Ukai to mayhe have more of a 1 on 1 moment with him to say "Hey i know you're mad the quick didn't work but we're gonna work on xyz so you have even more tools"

Kageyama: “I’ll give you tosses that won’t be stopped by blockers” Then what was that toss that got blocked and gave seijoh match point in the end of s1? 😂 mans said “perfect angle, perfect timing” and it still got blocked. The quick is not unstoppable, hinata realizes that they need to evolve if they wanna go up against seijoh again and more formidable opponents. 100% on hinatas side here