Does Haikyuu need a separate movie for post time-skip matches? Explored

Haikyuu is one of the most successful sports anime franchises of all time, and the recent movie, Haikyu!! the Movie: Decisive Battle at the Garbage Dump, came out on February 16 to much fanfare. Celebrating one of the final matches of the series, the movie concluded Shoyo Hinata and the rest of Karasuno's team's journey, which has left people wondering about the aftermath of the story.

The final Haikyuu arc focuses on what the characters are involved in doing after the main story ends, which has not been covered in recent movies. Therefore, many fans are wondering if it is the right choice to make a new movie to cover that arc, which will serve as an epilogue for this Production I.G. anime, giving Hinata and the team a proper send-off.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Haikyuu series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.

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Exploring if the final Haikyuu arc should get its own separate movie adaptation

The most recent Haikyuu movie came out on February 16, which covers the final match of the series, with another film due to adapt the remainder of the confrontation. While most fans all over the world are yet to see the film in theaters, the general reception thus far has been very positive, which has led to a lot of questions about the post-time skip arc.

For those who don't know, the final arc of the series covers what has happened to the protagonist, Shoyo Hinata, and the remaining players of Karasuno High after the final match. It shows a timeskip and what the cast has been doing ever since, thereby concluding their journey. Meanwhile, author Haruichi Furudate presents fans with several moments of fanservice regarding their favorite characters.

In that regard, it is difficult to gauge whether this arc could warrant an entire movie since it serves as more of an epilogue to the series as a whole. However, there is also the possibility of adapting the arc in an OVA, which wouldn't have to be an hour long, at least, like it would be in a movie. Additionally, it would be a nice way to give the series a conclusion in anime format as well.

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The legacy of the series

Kageyama and Hinata in the anime (Image via Production I.G.).

Part of Haikyuu's legacy as one of the most successful sports anime of all time is the strong characterization and the dynamics between the Karasuno players. A very good example of that is Kageyama and Hinata's relationship, going from rivals to friends, while also trying to push one another, and that is one of the biggest driving forces in the entire series.

However, Furudate spends a large portion of the series developing different characters, such as Sugawara's confidence issues or Asahi trying to recover his passion for the game. The Karasuno team has been labeled as a sleeping giant in the series and the inclusion of Kageyama and Hinata as the first-year upstarts injects new life into the side, which is something that kick starts a lot of different plot points in the story.

Above all else, Haikyuu serves as a celebration of friendship and competition, with Hinata's love for the game propelling his growth. He constantly has to deal with insecurity and not having the same foundation as the rest of his teammates but begins to adapt and overcome different challenges associated with the sport. This theme is explored time and time again in the series, emphasizing the franchise's focus on characterization.

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Final thoughts

The recent Haikyuu movie has been very well-received so far, and a lot of people have begun to believe that the final post-timeskip arc could be adapted into a film.

While that may seem like a good idea at first, that arc is perhaps not long enough to be a movie, so maybe an OVA would be the best choice.