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If I hadn't become a manager, I wouldn't have been able to watch today's matches, wouldn't have been so excited and flustered, or so happy when you won, and my heart wouldn't have felt so warm. It's all because I watched each of you work so hard to do something you couldn't before... If I hadn't been here, I would have never had that experience. So, thank you.
Hitoka Yachi to Karasuno

Hitoka Yachi (Japanese: () () (ひと) () Yachi Hitoka) was a first-year student at Karasuno High. She joined the boys' volleyball club partway through the year as the second manager.

As of 2018, she is a college student and will begin working at an ad design company in Tokyo once she graduates.

Appearance[]

Yachi is a petite, young girl with blonde hair that goes slightly past her chin and light brown eyes. She usually wears colorful star hairclips or hairbands on her left side ponytail. She usually has a cheerful expression. She has been noted by some guys (Yahaba, Kindaichi, Yamamoto, and Yamaguchi) to be cute.

Post-timeskip, Yachi's appearance has changed very little. Her hair now appears to be slightly longer than in high school and she now keeps it tied back in a ponytail.

Personality[]

Yachi is shown to be paranoid with an overactive imagination, causing her to be intimidated by others a lot, and then having to apologize for being judgmental based on appearances and first impressions. She had to apologize to Hinata for thinking he was a manager because he was short, then to Coach Ukai when she thought he was a fanboy of Kiyoko that may be trying to kill her. She is also very timid and flustered easily which is shown when she blushes and covers her eyes when the volleyball team changes into their uniforms in front of her. She later has become better at overcoming it by voicing the fact that she is nervous, something she told Yamaguchi when he became nervous about facing Seijoh again.

She seems to underestimate her own importance and deems herself incapable even though she has a lot of good qualities as Hinata points out later. She is quite clumsy and gets nervous easily but always takes care of others and tries to cheer them up if they are in a bad mood.

She is seen as a very curious and tidy character who jots everything down immediately and has clean, organized notes–also because of her mother being a graphic designer. Due to this, she involuntarily becomes Hinata and Kageyama's tutor when they failed their exams.

Background[]

Her mother is part of a design company, which may leave her at home alone a lot depending on her schedule.

Yachi had been recruited by Kiyoko to become her replacement for when she graduates. Initially, she only agreed because she hadn't joined any other club activities and was flustered that Kiyoko, whom she thought of as a very beautiful and popular girl, asked her to be Karasuno's manager. Despite being intimidated by them at first though, she quickly grew to like the volleyball team.

Plot[]

Tokyo Expedition Arc[]

YachiKiyoko S2E2

Kiyoko tells Yachi about the volleyball club's dream.

After being recruited by Kiyoko, Yachi accompanies her to training and is welcomed quite loudly by the Karasuno High boys volleyball team. She is intimidated at first but warms up to them eventually, especially to Hinata.

Still, she feels like she is not fit to be Karasuno's manager as she states she has no idea what volleyball is about anyway and is uncertain if she would be able to be of any support to the team. Kiyoko explains the club's past as the 'Flightless Crows' and says how they're going to make nationals, to which Yachi remarks how it's completely different from her.

As she's going to leave the school, she happens to overhear Takeda and Ukai discussing how the club lacks money for the bus for the upcoming training camp in Tokyo. She begins to wonder how she could help the club and begins making designs for a poster. Her mother eventually discovered that she had been asked to join the club as a potential manager, but Yachi still wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to join. Her mother warns her not to join if she doesn't want to or will only put in minimal effort as it would seem rude to those on the team who give their best every day.

Yachi feels discouraged but when she joins further training sessions of the team, she becomes more certain that she wants to be their manager. Kiyoko encourages her and tells her of her experience in her years within the club, saying that even if she doesn't have a strong motivation it'll become naturally important.

Townsperson B

Yachi confronts her mother about her wishes to become the volleyball club's manager.

Afterwards, she talks to Hinata about her problem, and he manages to convince her that even if she feels unimportant, she is, no matter how small her role might seem to her. They go to Yachi's mother and Yachi takes all her courage to tell her mother that she is definitely absolutely going to be Karasuno's manager. Her mother seems to be proud of her definite decision as she apparently never decided something for herself so clearly.

To help out, Yachi asks for Hinata and Kageyama's assistance without telling them exactly why since she wanted it to be a surprise. With her mother's help, Yachi is able to produce a poster of Hinata that promotes the Karasuno volleyball club while asking for donations to help them advance. The poster would turn out to be successful and the club would quickly earn the funds they needed to make it to Tokyo. Shortly after producing the poster, Yachi officially joins the volleyball club as a new manager.

Before the trip, she continues to tutor Kageyama and Hinata so they can be ready for the upcoming exams. She does her best to teach them but, to her dismay, they both fail anyway because of their own mistakes and would therefore have to stay behind to take the make-up exams. While the rest of the team went ahead, Yachi's first encounter with another team was when she and Kiyoko were spotted by Yamamoto who instantly became envious of Karasuno having gained another cute manager, but Yachi seemed to think that Yamamoto was intimidating due to his mohawk. When Karasuno later played against Nekoma on the last day, Yachi was one of those who shows concern when Lev was able to block Hinata's quick attack on just his second attempt. She would also right away notice the tension that formed between Hinata and Kageyama when Hinata announced that he no longer wanted to close his eyes during the quick and Kageyama refuse to comply with his request.

When Karasuno returned home, she is asked to help Hinata and Kageyama with a few drills and notices the two struggle to make Hinata's change of the quick happen. Despite her efforts to keep things from escalating, she watches as the two begin fighting and hurried to find someone to stop them. Luckily, she finds Tanaka, and they both stop the two from further injuring each other. She is greatly affected by the fight between Hinata and Kageyama and would soon try to do everything she could to help them make amends and get back to how they were before.

During the weeklong camp at Shinzen High, Yachi is often seen training with Kageyama and is helping out however she can during the camp. She takes notice of how the team is trying their new attacks and the progress they make during the week. At the same time, she continued to help Hinata and Kageyama with their new quick and get them back on better terms. When Hinata again confronted Kageyama during free practice, she comes to realize that when Hinata had called out Kageyama's set during an earlier game against Nekoma it was because Hinata had thought that Kageyama wavered in his belief of his own skills when Hinata never had a doubt that the setter could pull off the new set.[1] As Hinata went to practice with others in the third gym, she continued to toss balls to Kageyama until he was able to figure out his new set.

Group s2 e11 2

During the barbeque party, she becomes incredibly nervous at being around so many tall people. As she tries to find an open grill to get some food, Masaki Gōra tries to offer her some food from the grill he was at but Yachi became fearful and accidentally ate a burnt piece of meat. As she tries to choke it down, Asahi and several other boys try to help her but she is unable to accept their help from being frozen in fear. When Karasuno returned home and began preparing for the tournament, Yachi becomes overwhelmed in knowing that she would be partaking in a real tournament for the first time. Although Kiyoko attempted to comfort her, she accidentally causes the younger girl to tear up when she points out that the tournament will be the last one the third years will get to be part of.

Spring High Preliminary Arc[]

Karasuno vs Kakugawa[]

Shortly before the match begins, Yachi attempts to defend Hinata's height by saying that the height of "Hiya Kitty" is the only thing that differentiates his height from Hyakuzawa's. After some interactions with the other first years, Yachi starts to worry about Hinata's stress as the match begins and wonders if he'll be alright, but Kiyoko assures her that he always leaves those on the sidelines once the match begins. Since there can only be one manager allowed on the court, Yachi had to watch the match from the bleachers but was soon joined by Ikkei Ukai and two of his young students. As the match progresses, Yachi notices more people coming to watch the match to see Hyakuzawa play. When Yū Ogasawara explains the different tempos, Yachi is seen scribbling down notes. Sometime later, Karasuno wins the match, and Yachi hugs Rintarō Hoshi.

Karasuno vs Johzenji[]

KageyamaYachiS2E14

Yachi suggests Kageyama to change his disguise.

As Yachi enters the gymnasium sometime before the qualifiers begin, she becomes startled as she sees Kageyama dressed suspiciously and learns of his plan to sneak to Aoba Johsai High and study their practice. After asking Kageyama if he'll be recording the team he wants to observe, she suggests he changes his disguise to act more as if he goes to that school rather than what he had previously been attempting. A few days later, Yachi observes Hinata and Kageyama's quick set and is impressed with their success percent rate increasing.

When watching the game against Johzenji, Takinoue talks about how Daichi acts the more mature out of the team despite Asahi looking more the part. However, Yachi corrects him when she tells Takinoue about Daichi's mistakes and school rivalries, such as a recent altercation he had with the captain of the boys' basketball team. When Futamata spikes instead of sets, Yachi gets confused and has Takinoue instead explain that because Johzenji has an unnatural amount of sense of freedom, they can pull of whichever play they want.

Karasuno vs Wakutani Minami[]

When the match is about to begin, she notices Shimada and the lack of Takinoue's presence. Shortly after, she meets Saeko and becomes self-conscious about herself. After Karasuno's rookies pull off their quick set, Nakashima's family immediately get confused and Yachi and Shimada both laugh suspiciously. Sometime later, Yachi claims to be getting exhausted after the game's longest rally plays out. When Daichi got injured, she, along with Coach Ukai, was responsible for tending to his injuries.

Karasuno vs Aoba Johsai[]

Right before the Aoba Johsai High match, Yachi notices how nervous or focused several of the boys are. She learns from Kiyoko that Karasuno had previously faced Seijoh and lost despite playing at their best and suspects the team is nervous about the outcome of the match. Yamaguchi approaches Yachi to ask for some stomach medicine. Seeing him rather pale and sickly, she asks if she could offer him any help. When Yamaguchi tells her about the pressure he was under during their last match against Aoba Johsai when he missed a serve and that he is currently under tremendous anxiety, she, out of nowhere, starts to panic also. She even threatens to throw up and claims her heart is about to leap from her chest. This, of course, removes the anxiety from the other players as they become concerned about her well-being.

Kiyoko Yachi 1 s2 e20

Kiyoko saves Yachi from the stray ball.

While the teams are doing their warm-ups, Yahaba and Kindaichi notice her as an addition to the team and become jealous that Karasuno has gained another female manager they find very cute. Yahaba is about to approach her when a stray ball starts heading to her direction. Luckily, Kiyoko stops the ball with her left hand, preventing her from getting injured.

During the actual match, she, along with her regular companions, watches in the balconies. They greatly celebrate Karasuno's early success with their new attacks that catches Seijoh by surprise. Just after Tsukishima was able to block Hanamaki, Yachi and Saeko hear how Hinata was blocked during the last match against Seijoh that ended in Karasuno's defeat and that the memory of that moment must be a heavy burden on Hinata and Kageyama. Luckily, Hinata was able to avenge himself and his team by using his new quick attack to get past Kindaichi. When Kyōtani's spike landed out and won the first set for Karasuno, Yachi and her companions happily celebrated.

However, Yachi begins to see how Karasuno is struggling with having Kyōtani added into Seijoh's starting rotation and begins to rack up points single-handedly using his unpredictable patterns and incredible power. When it began to look like Seijoh would take the second set, Yamaguchi is subbed in to serve when Hinata rotated to the back. When he succeeded in his first float serve and landed a service ace, Yachi is seen with a tearful but proud expression.[2]

When the team won, she joined in the celebration, ecstatic that Karasuno was able to overcome such a huge opponent.

Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa[]

As Yachi watches Shiratorizawa warm-up, she expresses her intimation over how hard the hitters were slamming the ball. During the first few rallies, Saeko notices that Ushijima is left-handed and Yachi explains how it's easier for Ushijima to hit from the left. And because Ushijima is directly opposite to the setter, this is an advantage. Near the end of the second set, Yachi is awed at how her team was able to 'mob' Ushijima by lowering his choices for where to spike and baiting him to hit where Nishinoya was standing. To ease Saeko's confusion, Yachi explains that mobbing is a behavior that animals have. During her explanation, Takinoue and Shimada are awed at the girl's vocabulary. After Tsukishima wins Karasuno the first set, Yachi speculates that he had focused on figuring out how to block out that specific spike from Ushijima. Despite being a constant presence on the balcony she has never recognized Ikkei Ukai until the final against Shiratorizawa when prompted by Saeko Tanaka.

Tokyo Nationals Arc[]

Karasuno vs Tsubakihara[]

Group s4-e10-1

For Karasuno's first match at Nationals, Yachi was the one to be the manager on the court due to Kiyoko having volunteered to retrieve Hinata's missing shoes. Though Yachi had originally volunteered to get the shoes, Kiyoko insisted to be the one to go as she possessed the speed and stamina to make it back before the game. Because Kiyoko would be gone, she entrusted Yachi to be there for the team in her place as it would be a good opportunity for Yachi to become use to the idea of becoming the new manager once the third years would retire. During the game against Tsubakihara, Yachi can mostly be seen taking notes of the match and afterwards meets Kiyoko with a relieved expression.

Karasuno vs Inarizaki[]

During the game against Inarizaki, Yachi mostly supports the team from the sidelines. Like others, she too is intimidated by the power the players possess and is also stunned when the Miya twins perfectly copied the super quick attack on their first attempt. Later, Yachi sees how Nishinoya was struggling with handling Atsumu's float serves. At one point, she is greatly startled when Osamu's serve hit the scoreboard she was standing next to.[3] Yachi later shows concern when Kita was subbed into the game and was able to receive Yamaguchi's float serve with seemingly little difficulty and later appears frustrated when Inarizaki was able to win the second set. Yachi continues to be concerned when Atsumu and Osamu were able to do a reversed version of the super quick in the third set. When Karasuno eventually won, Yachi tearfully celebrates their success.

Karasuno vs Nekoma[]

For the match against Nekoma, Yachi is mostly observed watching the game from the sidelines. Near the end of the first set, Yachi notices how Hinata now appears to no longer struggle with making receives. Like the rest of the team, Yachi is completely shocked by the manner in which Karasuno lost the first set.[4] As the second set starts, Yachi is spotted by Bokuto and Akaashi. When Akaashi notices her serious expression, Yachi admits that she is concerned about Karasuno since this was the first time they have lost the first set of a three round match since the start of the prelims with the one exception being the finals match against Shiratorizawa.[5] She goes on to voice her worry that they may lose the match entirely until Bokuto stops her from being consumed by her worries and tells her to not worry about what comes later but to focus on what is currently taking place and to see how strong they have all become.

As the set continues, Yachi notices how Yaku was able to manipulate things to his advantage which led to Asahi sending his spike out of bonds. She hears from Bokuto that Yaku will be a great threat to Karasuno as he is a player who is able to stop his opponent without ever touching the ball. As Kageyama sends Hinata a high toss for a third tempo open center attack, Yachi watches in amazement as Hinata utilizes his new jumping method to reach a higher spiking point, although he would narrowly manage to tip the ball over. When Teshiro is brought into the game at the end of the set and uses a ceiling serve, Yachi becomes annoyed at seeing this type of serve being used against Karasuno. Upon Karasuno's victory, Yachi is seen bowing in respect.[6]

Karasuno vs Kamomedai[]

As Karasuno's match against Kamomedai is about to start, Ukai and the team have a quick meeting where they discuss their upcoming match against Kamomedai and the players they need to be on guard against the most. Yachi watches in astonishment and concern as they prepare for a game in the quarterfinals after having just finished an exhausting match against Nekoma. Yachi also questions how the players are still able to move so well and wonders if they are consuming an unknown food source that regenerates their bodies when she is not looking. She then observes with Hinata and Kiyoko as Kageyama writes in his volleyball journal and determines this must be one of his methods of self-discipline.

Yachi does not appear until the end of the first set, which Kamomedai wins, and she is seen worrying over it. However, upon remembering Bokuto telling her not to think negatively of what may happen, she is able to calm down. At seeing Asahi perform a sudden feint shot, Yachi is greatly surprised. Like the rest of the team, Yachi became very concerned when Hinata collapsed from having a high fever. She and Shimada would escort him from the game to a hospital for medical care; the entire time she did her best to keep her emotions together and tried not to cry. She and Hinata were able to watch the outcome of the game on Kenma's tablet. After the tournament, the third-years retired from the team and Yachi became the official team manager.

Final Arc[]

In the events following the Spring Tournament, Yachi became the official manager after Kiyoko retired with the other third-years. After graduating High School, Yachi began attending college and would work part-time at her mother's design company. Yachi goes to the Adlers and Jackals game with Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. At the time of the match, she is a college senior and plans to work for an ad design company in Tokyo once she graduates.

When Hinata scores the first point, Yachi joins others in welcoming Hinata home. Later at witnessing Hinata make a set to Atsumu, Yachi comments how well Hinata is playing. Tsukishima points out that Hinata would need to be very skillful since he was able to take the regular starting place of Oriver Barnes. She and Yamaguchi come to the conclusion that Hinata had learned how to perform the tasks of a setter and libero, who would normally make the emergency sets, and how having either Hinata or Barnes on the court would make a great difference to the plays. As the second set continues, Yachi notices that Kageyama hasn't been using many quick attacks. Yamaguchi theorizes that this is due to Kageyama having both Nicollas Romero and Ushijima on the sides and both players are capable of using raw power to break through and score points.

The Jackals eventually won the match in the fourth set. Yachi and Yamaguchi firmly promise that they will attend Tsukishima's next game to support him even though he tries to persuade them from doing so. Shortly after, the three reunited with Hinata and Kageyama. In her final appearance, Yachi is watching the men's Olympic volleyball match while at work.

Statistics[]

High School Statistics
Power
 
1/5
Jumping
 
2/5
Stamina
 
2/5
Game Sense
 
4/5
Technique
 
1/5
Speed
 
2/5

When Yachi first joined the team, she was very unfamiliar to volleyball. As the show continues, Yachi gets progressively better at understanding the complexities of the sport, although she lacks the skill set required to pull off anything she learns. As Yachi was not in any club beforehand, nor does she show any physical prowess, it is safe to assume that she is not an athlete in any sense of the word. Therefore, it is only natural that her statistics are low.

In her ad break segment, Yachi is shown accidentally striking Hinata in the head when she attempts to serve the ball underhand, much to her horror and Kiyoko's amusement.

Relationships[]

Karasuno High[]

  • Kiyoko Shimizu:
    Kiyoko and Yachi s4-e10-1
    Yachi greatly admires and respects Kiyoko. They are shown to have quickly developed a strong friendship when Yachi officially joined the team as a new manager although Yachi still tended to be nervous around Kiyoko for a while as she was initially nervous about being around the beautiful third-year and was scared she had fans who be upset at her for being so close to Kiyoko. Yachi is shown to eagerly accept all of Kiyoko's help in understanding volleyball and the responsibilities that come with being a team manager. Yachi is also shown to be under Kiyoko's watchful eye as the third-year often looks out for her in a protective manner, such as when Yahaba attempted to speak to Yachi. Even after high school, the two girls remained close.
  • Shōyō Hinata:
    Running Like in a Shojo Manga
    Yachi was originally overwhelmed by Hinata's excited nature, but he was the one she was able to befriend in the club after Kiyoko. Through his help, Yachi was able to decide that she wanted to join the club as a second manager and was inspired to be able to stand up to her mother. From how close the two got, Yachi became heavily concerned when Hinata and Kageyama had a falling out after the first Tokyo training camp and did all she could to help them make amends. Yachi also began helping the two when it came to their studies and proved to be an effective tutor. Post-timeskip, Yachi is shown to have kept in close contact with Hinata and showed worry when traveled to Brazil after high school. When he returned, she joins in showing her support of his return and joining the V.League.
  • Tobio Kageyama:
    KageyamaYachiS2E14
    Despite originally being intimidated by Kageyama's taller height and at times frightening expressions, Yachi was soon able to befriend him when she saw that he wasn't as scary. Like Hinata, she began helping him with his studies and later helped him realize that his attempts at disguise to sneak to other schools needed work. After Karasuno's first Tokyo training camp, Yachi witnessed Kageyama's falling out with Hinata over changing their signature quick attack and became greatly affected by it to the point where she tried to help them work things out and began helping the setter master the new set. Like many others, Yachi continues to be surprised by Kageyama's overwhelming talent and how he continued to grow stronger over the years.
  • Kei Tsukishima: Although they do not interact too much, Yachi and Tsukishima are shown to have a mutual respect for each other. Yachi is shown to be one of few people who can tell when Tsukishima is fully engrossed in a match. They remained close friends after high school.

Family[]

  • Madoka Yachi:
    Madoka3
    Yachi is shown to have a loving but somewhat awkward relationship with her mother. As her mother is often away at work, Yachi is left responsible for things at home. While Madoka has stated that she hopes for her daughter to become a strong individual, Yachi is shown to actually be apprehensive and timid from her mother's attitude. However, once Yachi was able to gain more confidence in herself, their relationship is shown to be more supporting and caring with Madoka helping Yachi to create posters to help the volleyball club.

Quotes[]

  • (To herself about Kiyoko) "I ended up standing next to such a beautiful girl for nearly two minutes...! What should I do if her fans try to kill me?!"[7]
  • (To Karasuno about Kiyoko and herself) "I've never tried to do something on my own or had someone need me for anything...So when Shimizu-senpai worked so hard to recruit a Townsperson B, like me, who has no experience or knowledge of volleyball, I was really happy."[8]
  • (To Madoka, her mother) "Townsperson B can fight too!"[8]
  • (To herself) "I feel like I'm in some shōjo manga!"[8]
  • (To herself) "I'm in a jungle of titans!"[9]
  • (To Yamaguchi) "I-I'm pretty confident when it comes to being nervous!"[10]

Trivia[]

  • Current Concern: What she would do if she ended up in a situation where she died or was about to die.
  • Star Sign: Virgo.
  • Best Subject: None in particular, but her English grades are far better than Hinata and Kageyama as she is in an advanced class.
    • As such, she is tasked to help Kageyama and Hinata to get 90 points in their supplementary exams in one go in the second OVA.
  • Yachi shares her English voice actress with Goshiki's grandmother.
  • Yachi did not rank in the first popularity poll. In Haikyuu's second popularity poll, she ranked 15th with 3,987 votes.[11]
  • Furudate gave her this name because: "I gave her the image of earth and plants because Kiyoko-san is 'water' (水)."[12]
  • Nomenclature:
    • Hitoka (仁花) – Compassion Flower
    • Yachi (谷地) – Marshland

References[]

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