Haikyu!!: Why does Oikawa dislike Kageyama so much? Explained

Haikyu!! stands out among fans for its strong characterization of the main cast. In fact, when it comes to the antagonist as well, Toru Oikawa is a very good example of how compelling the characters are in the series. As someone to be defeated, Oikawa serves as the major motivation for the vast majority of the Karasuno volleyball team.

Oikawa shares a long history with Tobio Kageyama, the deuteragonist of the series, and it is revealed how the former is not very fond of the latter. Oikawa's dislike of Kageyama is one of the most significant plot points in Haikyu!! and it goes back to when they were playing together in junior high.

After a major match where Oikawa struggled to perform for his team, he began to develop a lot of insecurities. His self-doubt only grew when the talented Kageyama arrived on the team, kickstarting their rivalry in the series even before the main story began.

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 reason Toru Oikawa dislikes Tobio Kageyama in Haikyu!!

Toru Oikawa was very passionate about volleyball since he was a small child and eventually rose through the ranks in junior high, becoming one of the most prominent setters at his level before the start of the Haikyu!! series.

However, there was a moment when they faced Shiratorizawa Junior High and the team was defeated heavily, with Oikawa being outmatched and defeated by the opponent, particularly by their star performer, Wakatoshi Ushijima.

Oikawa was affected heavily by this team, and his confidence took a huge hit, which was right when first-year Tobio Kageyama arrived on the team. Kageyama stood out as a prominent setter and a more natural talent than Oikawa. This prompted feelings of jealousy and anger in the latter, which snowballed into an incident where he almost hit the former.

Both Kageyama and Oikawa went their separate ways in high school, with the former joining Karasuno and the latter joining Aoba Johsai. Oikawa was a couple of years older than Kageyama, but he never let go of that grudge and wanted to prove he was the superior setter to Tobio, which is why every time they faced each other, there was an element of vendetta involved.

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The premise of Oikawa as a character in Haikyu!!

Oikawa in the anime (Image via Production I.G.)

Toru Oikawa is, in a way, one of the biggest driving forces in Haikyu!! since every time he shows up in the story, he makes a major difference to the main cast in Karasuno. The best example of this is his already-explained relationship with Tobio Kageyama, with both characters being setters, having played together, and being very competitive with one another.

Furthermore, Oikawa was a huge test for Karasuno every time they played against him, especially considering his talents as a setter. The match in the Inter-High at the beginning of the series was another good example, with several players in Karasuno having to grow and evolve to react to his abilities, which is something that made them quite good throughout the game.

Oikawa is also widely regarded as the finest antagonist in the Haikyu!! series, mainly because of his strong characterization and charisma. He is also arguably one of the most iconic characters in the entire franchise, particularly when it comes to those outside of the Karasuno team.

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Final thoughts

Toru Oikawa dislikes Tobio Kageyama in the Haikyu!! series as they started to play together in junior high when the former was dealing with confidence issues. He was feeling insecure because of the defeat they had, and Oikawa grew jealous of Kageyama because they played in the same position and the latter was more talented.

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