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Haikyuu!! fans worldwide were excited for Jump Festa 2022, expecting an announcement for the much awaited season 5 of the popular volleyball-centric sports anime series on Day 1 of the event.
This being the 10th anniversary of the series only bolstered hopes, but it seems to have been in vain; fans all over Twitter are lamenting the absence of an announcement for the next season featuring Nekoma vs. Karasuno match.
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But while we did not get a new season announcement, Haikyuu!! did prepare some special treats for fans on the occasion of the manga having started serializing a decade ago.
Every highlight of Haikyuu!! Jump Stage RED
Special Edition Karasuno High School Broadcasting Club
Jump Festa 2022 began with Haikyuu!! voice actors Ayumu Murase (voice of Shoyo Hinata) and Kaito Ishikawa (voice of Tobio Kageyama) hosting a discussion with Kenji Nojima (voice of Shinsuke Kita). Nojima appeared as a guest on the show as the three talked about their respective characters, especially the Inarizaki captain, Kita. They also spoke about the various team captains, focusing on the Nekoma vs. Nohebi match where Nojima remarked it would be really cool to pull off combination moves like Kuroo and Kenma.
As they moved on from Kita to Daichi, and then to Kuroo, finally arriving at Tooru Oikawa, Ishikawa jokingly referred to him as “a refreshing prince," and commented on voice actor Daisuke Namikawa’s ability to switch between Oikawa being comedic and becoming an intimidating presence.
They also discussed the character of Bokuto, and his voice actor, Ryohei Kimura. Bokuto’s character was an anomaly for Kimura, who usually plays quieter roles.
Nojima stated that watching Fukurodani feels like watching the Inarizaki team’s future, since Atsumu is similar to Bokuto, and Atsumu would later become the captain of Inarizaki with Osamu as vice-captain.
They ended the broadcast with a display of special Haikyuu!! merchandise for Jump Festa 2022.
Haikyuu!! 10th anniversary projects
Jump Studio RED announced ten new projects in the works on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Haikyuu!! series. Four of the projects have been revealed already, with more to be revealed via Weekly Shonen Jump issues and the official Haikyuu!! twitter account.
Project #1: Haikyuu!! Key visuals (2022 version)
The first project to be revealed is the 10th anniversary special key visuals for 2022 by Haikyuu!! creator, Haruichi Furudate. They feature Kuroo and Kenma, which feels like a lead-up, considering that season 5 will feature both the Nekoma captain and setter heavily as they lock horns against Karasuno.
Both Kenma and Kuroo are also shown sporting post-timeskip hairstyles and outfits.
Project #2: Special Exhibition in 2022
Next we have the Haikyuu!! Exhibition FINAL scheduled to be held from February 16 - March 11, 2022. The poster for it features some major characters who have appeared in the Haikyuu!! anime till now, along with Sakusa and Hoshiumi, both of whom are set to have more significant roles in the future.
Project #3 Radio-drama
A new radio-play/web-drama, written by Furudate himself, about the daily lives of the Haikyuu!! characters, is also in the works, confirmed to be aired in 2022 via the “Karasuno High School Broadcasting Club” web radio.
Project #4 Live volleyball match
For the final project announced, we will get a Haikyuu!! X V League collaboration match in August 2022. The poster for this project features Hinata and Kageyama wearing their Adlers and Black Jackals uniforms, making some wonder if it is meant to be a teaser for future seasons.
Predictions
Six more projects are yet to be announced and the deliberate delay, suspiciously enough, seems like a countdown towards a big reveal. With the second part of Haikyuu!! season 4 and the Nekoma-focused OVA having released in 2020, and fans impatiently waiting for news of the next season, the final of these 10th anniversary projects just might be the announcement for a movie installment in the franchise, if not the season itself.
