Haikyu!!: Are Kozume Kenma and Shoyo Hinata rivals? Their relationship explained

Haikyu!! has recently received a new anime film covering the final match of the series, which has resulted in a very emotional moment for fans of the franchise. Now that the story is reaching its conclusion in the anime adaptation, a lot of fans are reminiscing about several plot points and that includes the relationship between Kozume Kenma and Shoyo Hinata.

Shoyo Hinata is the protagonist of the Haikyu!! series, and his contrast with Kenma is one of the most prominent plot points of the franchise. While a lot of fans already know that, their relationship deserves a lot more exploration since they were designed to be the other's opposite, leading to a very interesting characterization and journey for the two of them.

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

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Explaining the relationship between Kozume Kenma and Shoyo Hinata in the Haikyu!! series

Kozume Kenma is one of the best players at Nekoma High and also their setter, which led to him becoming one of the most prominent characters in the Haikyu!! series. One of his strongest traits is his lack of passion for volleyball as a sport and that works as a contrast to the main character of the series, Shoyo Hinata.

While Kenma is not passionate about volleyball and started playing mainly to help his best friend Tetsuro Kuroo with the team, people soon began to discover that he is actually good at the sport. Hinata is the direct opposite in this regard. He is extremely passionate about volleyball and doesn't allow anything to keep him from playing the sport, which serves as the core of their competition.

Kenma, meanwhile, is a naturally gifted player, while Hinata is constantly dealing with obstacles and challenges because of his height and lack of experience as a player.

Furthermore, Kenma and Hinata develop a strong connection and rivalry at first, which also serves to show how different they are as people, with the former being very introverted and quiet while the latter is very outgoing and happy-go-lucky. All of that adds to their dynamic and constant rivalry.

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What is the Haikyu!! series popular for? Exploring themes that make the anime stand out

Kenma and Hinata in the recent movie (Image via Production I.G.)

Haikyu!! stands out when compared to most sports anime and manga franchises in the industry because of the strong characterization and the different motivations that the players have. Kenma and Hinata are two very prominent examples of that approach, with them showcasing immense personal growth throughout the series and becoming much better players and individuals after several events.

The Karasuno High team is filled with characters who dominate the plot and have very solid roles and arcs throughout the series. For instance, Tobio Kageyama starts the series as someone who struggles with teamwork and wants to do everything on his own. However, he learns to cooperate with others, with Shoyo Hinata being the biggest catalyst for the character's growth.

Furthermore, the series tends to explain a lot of team dynamics through each match, which offers a lot more depth to the vast majority of the people involved in the story. Very few characters are wasted and the viewer and reader can get considerable long-term payoffs, with the dynamics between Kenma and Hinata being one of the best examples of that approach.

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Final thoughts

Kenma and Hinata are both friends and rivals throughout the vast majority of the Haikyu!! series. They have contrasting reasons to get into volleyball, but both develop a huge passion for the game, and also have opposite personalities, with Kenma being very introverted and Hinata is very outgoing.