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Karasuno High (Japanese: 烏野 (からすの) 高校 (こうこう) Karasuno Kōkō) is a high school located in Miyagi Prefecture.

Uniform[]

Karasuno Uniform

Male Uniforms as worn by the volleyball team.

Karasuno, like most Japanese schools, has a dress code which includes wearing a uniform. The male uniform consists of the classic black gakuran, white collared shirt, cream sweater and black pants. The women have a different uniform, which consists of a white blouse, red ribbon, cream sweater, black blazer, and a grey skirt[1]. However, since many students are often seen without the cream sweater and wearing t-shirts instead of the collared shirt, it is assumed that the dress code isn't strictly enforced.

The boys' volleyball club's uniform consists of a black tracksuit with white details. The members wear white t-shirts and black shorts during practice matches and often don a yellow sports bib on top. During official matches, the majority of players don a black jersey and shorts with orange details. The libero has a contrasting jersey in orange with black details.

The girls' volleyball club uniform consists of a black jersey and shorts with white details. The shoulder area and lining is white as is the team name boldly depicted at the front. The body and side-stripes of the uniform are black, and their backs have small white triangles highlighting the shape of the shoulders. The libero has a contrasting jersey in white with black details.

Academics[]

Each grade has five classes with classes 4 and 5 being college-preparatory classes. Periods are 50 minutes long with a 10-minute break in between. Subjects taught include English, modern Japanese literature, math, and physical education. After graduation, students generally either continue on to higher education or work.

The passing grade for exams is 40 points. Students who fail their final exams must take weekend supplementary classes and a supplementary exam for each failed subject. These may sometimes be held during summer vacation. The passing grade for supplementary exams is 80 points, and students must take them until they pass.

Faculty[]

Volleyball Club[]

Karasuno banner s4-e10-1

The school's Boys' Volleyball Club was founded many years ago and has often been associated with crows due to the school's name. Its banner, in fact, reads "Fly" which alludes to crows. It was said that Coach Ikkei Ukai had a ferocious pack of crows during Karasuno's glory days.

As a former powerhouse of Miyagi, Karasuno has represented the prefecture at the Spring High National Tournament nine times. One of those occasions was under the guidance of Coach Ikkei Ukai and Tenma Udai, also known as the "Small Giant" ("Little/Tiny Giant" in the anime English dubbing), and was famous throughout Miyagi. However, after the initial success, Karasuno failed to pass its prefecture's preliminaries in future tournaments and therefore received the derogatory nicknames "The Fallen Champions" and "The Flightless/Wingless Crows". It wasn't until five years later did the team finally return to Nationals.

For a while, Karasuno did not have a coach due to Ikkei's hospitalization after a few months of coaching the previous year. Daichi Sawamura then took on both the captain and the coach's duties until Ikkei's grandson, Keishin Ukai, became the new coach. The managers of the team consist of Kiyoko Shimizu, a third-year and the original manager, and Hitoka Yachi, a first-year recruited by Kiyoko after the first tournament.

Karasuno1

A team photo with the official banner in the back.

The main starting lineup is composed of Daichi Sawamura, Asahi Azumane, Ryūnosuke Tanaka, Yū Nishinoya, Shōyō Hinata, Tobio Kageyama, and Kei Tsukishima. Karasuno is currently famous for its quick attack performed by Kageyama and Hinata and its unique members: Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High's "King of the Court," Kageyama; Chidoriyama's champion libero, Nishinoya; and the 164cm-tall middle blocker, Hinata.

Karasuno's main rivals within the Miyagi Prefecture are Aoba Johsai High, Date Tech High, and Shiratorizawa Academy. The club's "destined" rival is Nekoma High, which Karasuno has always lost to. Because their animal representatives (cat and crow) are usually found by the dumpster, their matches are called the "Battle at the Garbage Dump". In the English dub, it is referred to as 'The Trashcan Showdown'.

Karasuno's strongest attribute is its offensive power, with a heavy focus on attacks such as the quick strike, pipeline, and synchronized attacks using tempo. It also utilizes uncommon techniques like the Calculated One-Point Two-Setter, the jump float serve, and a libero toss to throw off opponents.

They won the 2012 Miyagi Qualifiers Tournament against Shiratorizawa and advanced to the Spring Nationals. When they got there, they managed to rank in the top 8 of all of Japan after losing to Kamomedai.

They earned two consecutive participations at the Tournament for the next two years. In 2014, they placed in the Top 16 after losing in the third round to Inarizaki. In 2015, they played on center court against Itachiyama in the semifinals, and lost, ranking third nationally.

Members[]

2012-2013 Team

Name Position Year Status
Ikkei Ukai Coach Graduate Retired
Keishin Ukai Coach Graduate Active
Ittetsu Takeda Faculty Advisor / Head Coach Teacher Active
Kiyoko Shimizu Manager 3rd Year Active
Hitoka Yachi Manager 1st Year Active

Name Number Position Year Status
Daichi Sawamura #1 Captain / Wing Spiker / Opposite Hitter 3rd Year Active
Kōshi Sugawara #2 Vice-Captain / Setter / Pinch Server 3rd Year Active
Asahi Azumane #3 Wing Spiker / Outside Hitter / Ace 3rd Year Active
Yū Nishinoya #4 Libero 2nd Year Active
Ryūnosuke Tanaka #5 Wing Spiker / Outside Hitter 2nd Year Active
Chikara Ennoshita #6 Wing Spiker / Outside Hitter 2nd Year Active
Hisashi Kinoshita #7 Wing Spiker / Pinch Server 2nd Year Active
Kazuhito Narita #8 Middle Blocker 2nd Year Active
Tobio Kageyama #9 Setter 1st Year Active
Shōyō Hinata #10 Middle Blocker / Decoy 1st Year Active
Kei Tsukishima #11 Middle Blocker 1st Year Active
Tadashi Yamaguchi #12 Middle Blocker / Pinch Server 1st Year Active

Former Players

Name Number Position Age
Ikkei Ukai #5 ? 69
Yūsuke Takinoue #9 Middle Blocker 26
Makoto Shimada #11 Wing Spiker / Pinch Server 26
? #1 ? ?
? #4 Libero ?
Keishin Ukai #2 Setter 26
Akiteru Tsukishima #5 Wing Spiker 22
Kawada ? Wing Spiker 22-23
? ? ? 22-23
? #1 ? ?
? #3 Setter ?
? #4 Libero ?
? #5 ? ?
? #6 ? ?
? #7 ? ?
? #8 ? ?
? #9 ? ?
Tenma Udai #10 Wing Spiker / Ace 21
? #2 Libero 20-22
? #11 ? ?
? #12 ? ?
Hidemi Tashiro #1 Captain 19-20
? #2 ? 19-20
? #9 ? ?
Hiroki Kurokawa #2 Wing Spiker / Captain 18-19
? #? ? 16-17
? #? ? 16-17

Later Players

These players joined the Karasuno High School Boys' Volleyball team in school year 2013-2014.

Name Number Position Age
Tokita ? ? 15-16
Shoji ? ? 15-16
Yaotome 4 Libero 15-16

Girls Club[]

2012-2013 Team

Name Number Position Year Status
Yui Michimiya #1 Wing Spiker / Captain 3rd Year Retired
Mao Aihara #2 Vice-captain / Wing Spiker / Ace 3rd Year Retired
Rinko Sudō #3 Captain 2nd Year Active
Moe Kikuchi #4 ? 2nd Year Active
Manami Aoki #5 Setter ? Active
Nozomi Watabe #7 Libero ? Active
Chizuru Sasaki #11 Wing Spiker 3rd Year Retired

Practice Matches[]

  • Karasuno High School vs Yugama High (Past) (1:2 / ??, ??, 19-25)
  • Karasuno High School vs Ogi Nishi High School (Past) (0:2 / ??, 19-25)
  • Karasuno High School vs Nekoma High School (0:2 / 22-25, 24-26)
  • Karasuno High School vs Nekoma High School (0:2 / 25-27, 30-32)
  • Red vs White (??:?? / ??-??, ??-??, ??-??, 23-25, ??-??, 25-19)
  • Karasuno High School vs Nekoma High School (0:2 / ??, 24-26)
  • Karasuno High School vs Date Tech High School (4:4 / 19-25, 23-25, ??-??, 25-23, ??-??, ??-??, ??-??, 25-21)

Summer Training Camp[]

Karasuno92-11

Karasuno's lineup during the summer camp matches.

Karasuno played several sets against Nekoma, Fukurōdani, Shinzen, and Ubugawa (3 wins, 63 losses).

  • Karasuno High School vs Fukurōdani Academy (16-25)
  • Karasuno High School vs Nekoma High School (17-25)
  • Karasuno High School vs Nekoma High School (19-25)
  • Karasuno High School vs Ubugawa High School (20-25)
  • Karasuno High School vs Nekoma High School (18-25)
  • Karasuno High School vs Fukurōdani Academy (??-??)
  • Karasuno High School vs Fukurōdani Academy (12-25)
  • Karasuno High School vs Nekoma High School (15-25)
  • Karasuno High School vs Fukurōdani Academy (14-25)
  • Karasuno High School vs Ubugawa High School (16-25)
  • Karasuno High School vs Nekoma High School (16-25)
  • Karasuno High School vs Ubugawa High School (22-25)
  • Karasuno High School vs Shinzen High School (23-25)
  • Karasuno High School vs Ubugawa High School (23-25)

Spring High Nationals Tournament (???)[]

First Round

  • Karasuno High School vs Hisagi Tech High School (Gunma) (0:2)

Interhigh Prelims (2007)[]

  • Karasuno High School vs Tokonami High School (2:? / ??-??, ??-??)

Spring-High Nationals Tournament (2008)[]

According to Takeda, Karasuno made it as far as the third round[2].

Third Round

  • Karasuno High School vs ???

Interhigh Prelims (2010)[]

Second Round

  • Karasuno High School vs Niikawa High School (0:2 / ??-25, 17-25)

68th Annual Prefectural Athletic Volleyball Tournament[]

  • Karasuno High School vs Date Tech High School (0:2 / ??-25, 15-25)

Interhigh-Preliminaries (2012)[]

For Interhigh's Miyagi Preliminaries, Karasuno was registered as team 5, Block A. Their venue was the Sendai City Gymnasium, along with Block B. They played over the span of two days (two games on the first day, one on the second) before losing in the third round to Aoba Johsai. Overall, they placed within the top 16.

First Round

Second Round

Third Round

Spring High-Miyagi Prefecture Representative Playoffs (2012)[]

For the first preliminary, Karasuno was registered as team 19, Group 4. Their venue was Kaji High School Gymnasium along with Group 5. Because they placed within the top 16 during the Interhigh Preliminaries, they were exempt from the first round of games and played only two matches. After winning their matches against Ohgiminami and Kakugawa, they were allowed to move on to the representative playoffs held in October.

For the representative playoffs, Karasuno was registered as team 10. They played at the Sendai City Gymnasium over a span of three days (one game on the first day, two on the second, one on the third). After winning all their matches, they became Miyagi Prefecture's Representative for the Spring High National Tournament.

First Preliminary[]

Main Preliminary[]

First Round

Quarterfinal

Semifinal

Final

Spring High National Tournament (2013)[]

For Nationals, Karasuno was not exempt from the first round.

First Round

  • The match was played on Court C as the third match on the court.

Second Round

  • Their match was the second match of the day on Court B[3].

Third Round

Quarterfinal

Interhigh Preliminaries (2013)[]

Karasuno lost in the finals of the Interhigh Preliminaries to Date Tech, who went on to place Top 16 at Nationals[4].

Final

Spring High National Tournament (2014)[]

Karasuno encountered Inarizaki once more in the Third Round and lost, thus placing in the Top 16[4].

Third Round

Spring High National Tournament (2015)[]

Karasuno played on Center Court for the first time. They lost to Itachiyama and finished 3rd in the nation[4].

Semifinal

Trivia[]

  • One of the team's strategic teamwork moves is known as mobbing which is when they attack as a group to drive an opponent off. In the wild, this is a type of behavior that birds use against a larger predator on the prowl. This is another reference to Karasuno's nickname as crows. Karasuno has the kanji "crow" (烏 karasu) in its name.
  • KarasunoGirlsTeam

    The girls warm up before their match in the Interhigh Preliminaries.

    Karasuno High also has a girls' volleyball club, with Yui Michimiya as the captain during the Interhigh Preliminaries and Rinko Sudō replacing Michimiya after her retirement for the Spring High. However, they didn't do very well in their matches due to lack of practice[5].
  • There is a girls' tennis club, boys' soccer club, boys' basketball club, boys' tennis club, boy's track club, and boys' baseball clubs as well.
  • Karasuno High has two gyms and a track field. The girls' volleyball club and boys' basketball club practice in First Gymnasium; the boys' volleyball club practices in Second Gymnasium[6].
  • The fictional brand for their uniforms and warm-up sweats is shown to be a foot with the letters "ics" underneath. The word for foot in Japanese is "ashi", so the full name would be "ashi-ics". This is a play on the name for the real-life sports brand "Asics", which in Japanese would be pronounced the same way. Asics is a Japanese sports company and is recognized worldwide for their volleyball athletic wear.
  • Like many of the other teams featured in the series, all of Karasuno seems to wear "Asics" volleyball shoes, based on their shoe design.
  • Other schools often misread Karasuno (烏野) for Torino (鳥野) because they have very similar kanji. Karasu (烏) refers to crows, whereas tori (鳥) refers to birds in general.
  • While most schools usually reserve the number 4 for the team ace, Karasuno does not seem to have certain numbers reserved for the ace as both Asahi Azumane and Tenma Udai were aces but wore different numbers. Karasuno instead seems to be a school that gives the number 4 to the libero. However, in the opening scene of Hinata watching Karasuno at nationals, the libero can be seen wearing the number 2.
  • Like most Japanese high schools, Karasuno also holds an annual sports festival. One of its events is a four-member relay race between the school's sports clubs. The winning club receives 20 boxes of sports drink mix.
  • Karasuno in season 3 of the anime now has its own cheering squad, consisting of students from the school itself and staff members such as the Vice Principal. However, their cheer is less coordinated when compared to powerhouse schools as they only had a chance to practice a little after school during the day of the finals. While in the manga, this did not happen.
  • Karasuno has participated in the Spring High tournament nine times and this time is their first appearance in five years.
    • One of the times Karasuno went to nationals was when Tenma Udai was on the team.
  • Karasuno High is based on Karumai High School in Iwate prefecture.
  • Karasuno is seen mainly using the volleyball brand "Molten" for their volleyballs.
  • After Karasuno's former coach, Ikkei Ukai, retired due to health concerns, the boys' volleyball team wasn't doing as well. As a result, they earned the nickname "Wingless crows/Fallen Champions" and were at the point to where other schools would not schedule practice matches with them anymore.
  • During Tsukishima's flashbacks where he discovered his brother was not on the volleyball team, it was shown that Karasuno had previously played against Tokonami High when Tenma Udai was on the team.

Gallery[]

References[]

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