Oikawa Tooru

**Tōru Oikawa** (Japanese:  *Oikawa Tōru*), also known as **Tohru Oikawa** in the English translation. For the majority of the series, he was a third year student at Aoba Johsai High, serving as the captain and setter for the school's boys' volleyball team. He is the main antagonist of the Interhigh and Spring High Preliminary Arcs.

## Appearance

Oikawa has dark brown hair that is swept outwards and eyes of the corresponding color. Many people find him attractive, to the point where several girls follow him around. Oikawa frequently smiles or grins, although Iwaizumi notes that these expressions are rarely genuine. He tends to make victory signs or large waving gestures, which are often accompanied by broad smiles or a wink. Another trademark expression of his is sticking out his tongue while smiling and winking.

Oikawa is of decent height for a volleyball player, standing just over six feet. While on the court, Oikawa wears the standard aqua and white Aoba Johsai High uniform emblazoned with the number one. He also wears dark gray athletic shoes with blue details. Due to a sprain, he wears a white knee brace on his right leg, contrasting with the black one worn on his left and by the other players in the series. At other times, Oikawa dresses in the Aoba Johsai uniform, which consists of khakis with dark brown detailing, a cream-colored vest, a dark red tie, a lavender button-down shirt, and a white blazer. During practices, he wears an aqua shirt and white shorts. During the finals match between Karasuno and Shiratorizawa, Oikawa is shown to wear glasses but it's unknown if he truly needs them or not.

Post-timeskip, Oikawa appears mostly the same although his hair is noticeably shorter and he has developed a slightly more muscular build.

## Personality

Despite his flirtatious nature (which makes him famous amongst female students, much to Tanaka and Nishinoya's envy) and childishness, Oikawa is an excellent, well-rounded player and is extremely serious about volleyball. He's known to have a "disgusting personality" amongst both opponents and his own teammates because of his smug and outwardly flippant attitude. Oikawa also frequently makes cheerful remarks but follows up with serious or intimidating afterthoughts. He is extremely intelligent and cunning and easily figures out both his teammates' and opponents' weaknesses.

However, on more than one occasion, Oikawa has been very attentive and caring towards others, but this is mostly seen with his teammates or people like Hinata while in Brazil.

Oikawa is ambitious and one-track-minded, but it's shown that he also has feelings of inferiority towards those he deems as naturally better than him, such as Ushijima and Kageyama. This is one of the main reasons he is known to push himself so hard. Oikawa also holds a grudge against Kageyama, whom he mockingly calls Tobio-chan. This is due to his feelings of inferiority surfacing when compared to Kageyama, who has been hailed as a genius setter since their time spent at Kitagawa Daiichi. Kageyama and Ushijima can also unintentionally bring out the more childish or rash aspects of Oikawa's personality.

To match his ambition, Oikawa works extremely hard and often endures vigorous solo practices after his normal practices with the team. In addition, Oikawa spends time at home watching past games of his rivals in order to observe their movements and patterns ahead of time, and strategizing how to defeat them. Despite that, he still takes time off on Mondays for rest.

It was seen post-timeskip that Oikawa has had thoughts of giving up on volleyball, but whenever that thought occurs, something really fun comes along to remind him why he loves it so much. Showing that while he has seemingly endless ambition, he does occasionally have doubts, though they never overwhelm him.

## Background

Since childhood, Oikawa is shown to have been heavily involved in volleyball. He was occasionally shown watching matches on television or playing the sport with Iwaizumi when they were still kids. When he was a little older, Oikawa and Iwaizumi attended a match between Japan and Argentina where Oikawa would become inspired to become a setter after seeing how the Argentina setter, Jose Blanco, was able to help the ace player get back on his game when he had started struggling during the match.

After this interaction, Oikawa is seen investing himself more into volleyball and appears to have been trying jump serves since he was young. Because of the time he put into his abilities, Oikawa was said to have been a highly skilled player by the time he began attending Kitagawa Daiichi. However, Oikawa began to struggle when his team began playing against Shiratorizawa Junior High and it was in particular playing against Ushijima that caused Oikawa distress and the start of his rivalry with the Shiratorizawa's ace.

This only became worse when Tobio Kageyama began attending Kitagawa Daiichi and almost instantly started to gain more attention than Oikawa thanks to his higher skill set, natural athletic abilities, and being labeled as a prodigy at such a young age. Aware that Kageyama could potentially surpass him, Oikawa began behaving poorly toward the younger setter and constantly refused to teach him any new skills. After nearly striking Kageyama in a blind rage, Oikawa was able to get back on track thanks to help from Iwaizumi. This led to him being able to better focus his plays to bring out the best of each of his teammates and was eventually able to help Kitagawa Daiichi place second in the middle school tournament after Shiratorizawa. At the same time, Oikawa received the Best Setter Award and soon after would join Aoba Johsai.

## Plot

### Karasuno High Team Formation Arc

During the practice match between Aoba Johsai and Karasuno, Oikawa did not appear until the third set. He instantly gained the admiration of the female students that were present which caused Tanaka to instantly hate Oikawa. Before Oikawa joins the game, Kageyama admits to his team that he learned how to serve and block just by watching Oikawa and it is because of this that he is dubbed The Great King by Hinata.

When Karasuno is at match point, Oikawa is subbed into the game and instantly targets his serves to Tsukishima. From having watched during his warm-ups, he was able to tell that Hinata and Tsukishima were not strong when it comes to receiving and would therefore be the weaker players to target. This is the first time that Karasuno witnessed Oikawa's serves and saw that they were not only very powerful but Oikawa also had the ability to control where his serves could go. Oikawa is able to get two service aces in a row from targeting Tsukishima.

Even after Daichi takes on having a bigger receiving area, Oikawa still targets Tsukishima. The first-year was able to receive the serve this time but it would give Seijoh the chance to counter. In the end, Hinata is able to win the match for Karasuno by performing a wide broad attack that flies past a stunned Oikawa. As Karasuno began leaving the school, Oikawa confronted them outside and personally challenged them and Kageyama in particular. Oikawa is later talking with Iwaizumi about how different Kageyama seems since joining Karasuno but the ace player quickly becomes irritated when Oikawa admits that he wouldn't be able to match Kageyama's sets. Despite this, Oikawa feels confident that Seijoh will be able to beat Karasuno in a match and gleefully looks forward to that victory. Unfortunately, this brings on more of Iwaizumi's wrath.

### Interhigh

On the first day of the Interhigh Tournament, Oikawa is with his team when they arrive at the Sendai City Gymnasium but he was pulled away from the group by several fangirl's. As he is about to allow one to take a photo of him when he is suddenly hit with a volleyball. Initially angered, Oikawa quickly becomes fearful when he notices that it was Iwaizumi who had hit him. Not wanting to anger Iwaizumi further, Oikawa follows his friend into the gym.

As Seijoh is preparing to watch Karasuno's first match, Oikawa right away spots Hinata and Kageyama and teases them before Iwaizumi stops him. At this time, he notices that Karasuno has new players when he spots Nishinoya and Asahi. Oikawa doesn't show much interest in many of Karasuno's plays and only seems to become interested once Hinata and Kageyama start using their quick attack.

When watching Karasuno’s match against Date Tech, Oikawa sees Hinata and Kageyama’s quick set and expresses how annoying he finds geniuses. Shortly after, they manage another one, and Iwaizumi remarks that Kageyama’s setting is the key component in their quick set, to which Oikawa brushes away in annoyance.

#### Aoba Johsai vs Oomisaki High School

In the match against Oomisaki High, Oikawa is seen getting numerous service aces. It's in the second set after he has scored his fourth service ace in a row that Ukai points out that it's Oikawa's control of his serve that makes it a force to be reckoned with. He then refers to setters as conductors because they are the ones who control plays and Sugawara adds that Karasuno actually does not know much about Oikawa as a setter. Kageyama also reveals that Oikawa and Iwaizumi have been playing together since grade school which explains how the two are able to work so well together. Ukai surmises that Oikawa is the type of setter who knows his team so well that he is able to bring out one hundred percent of their abilities.

### Aoba Johsai vs Karasuno High School

Oikawa shakes Daichi’s hand before their match begins and Oikawa’s fans cheer for him, which angers Tanaka and Nishinoya. As Aoba Johsai is warming up, Oikawa is seen interacting with his teammates. In the process of doing this, Oikawa asks Iwaizumi about whether he’s trying too hard, but it wouldn’t matter since all the girls would be looking at him. As the match is about to begin, Oikawa tells Kageyama that he’s been looking forward to getting to beat him in public, and before he can answer, Hinata steps in.

Following this, Oikawa tells his teammates that he has faith in them. Upon hearing this, Takinoue notices a sudden change in attitude among Aoba Johsai’s players. An observing Irihata internally explains that Oikawa always tells his teammates this before every game and as he has faith in them, they have complete faith in him as a setter. Directly in the first rally, Kunimi bumps the ball, and Oikawa leaps into the air and slams the ball right in the opposing court, pulling a dump. During the next rally, Oikawa seems to be about to do a setter dump but instead sets to Iwaizumi last minute. Right after, Kageyama attempts to do a dump himself, which he is successful at and tells Oikawa to watch out for an upcoming rally as he will be doing something like this again, which angers him.

Oikawa serves but points at Nishinoya before doing so. The libero does not think he can bump it as it goes too fast but ultimately is able to, ruining Oikawa’s attempt to break Karasuno’s spirit in pulling a serve that their libero couldn’t even save. However, Ukai notices that it would unlikely for Oikawa to send any more serves Nishinoya’s way. Kindaichi apologizes for falling for Kageyama’s trick, but Oikawa tells him to brush it off as they also got many points from Date Tech with that technique. Additionally, he also tells him they’ll figure it out in the end. However, he gets off-topic when he asks Kindaichi that seeing Hinata having stolen his spot as Kageyama’s partner must have hurt him, which confuses Kindaichi, but Oikawa then lightly pushes Kindaichi to have faith and fly.

Later on, Hinata is used as a decoy, and Karasuno wins the rally. Despite this, Oikawa still smiles, since it confirms what he noticed while watching Karasuno’s match against Date Tech. Oikawa is quick to tell Irihata this, which confuses the spectators because of the early time-out. However, he tells his teammates his speculations of the words ‘bring’ and ‘give’ to differentiate between their normal quick attack and their minus tempo one. When Iwaizumi tells Oikawa that a time-out at so early into the game would indicate to Karasuno that they’ve already figured out their strategy, Oikawa tells him that he wants this to happen for Kageyama to be on the edge. Not long after, Oikawa manages a setter dump from a distance. Right in the next rally, it would be Oikawa’s turn to serve and he aims at Tanaka in hopes to kill Karasuno’s spirits as he was the most energetic one. Oikawa continues to aim for Tanaka after this, which successfully pressures him for a few short moments before he would motivate himself and not fall for Oikawa’s plan.

During the next time-out, the spectators notice Oikawa acting differently and not interacting with his teammates, and someone explains that he does this because he still wants to concentrate even though he isn’t playing as not to mess up after the game resumes. Not long after, Iwaizumi tells Oikawa never to say that he could never beat Kageyama in terms of setting ever again. However, Oikawa tells him that he was only being honest, however, what he could do is put the ball up in the easiest way for each of the Aoba Johsai members. Following this, Kindaichi is able to go over Karasuno’s blocks once more, and Oikawa scoffs to himself that this has always been Kindaichi’s strong point.

Not long after, Oikawa admits to himself that Kageyama is a prodigy, but that he could also learn to use his other players and learn about them in order to score more points, and that’s what he believes makes a good setter. Following this, Oikawa and Kageyama are stuck in a joust, but Oikawa easily overpowers his opponent. While observing the players, Irihata acknowledges that Kageyama has natural talent compared to Oikawa, but that Oikawa is clearly the better setter. When Sugawara is subbed in for Kageyama, Oikawa remembers back at what he observed from the warm-ups; that Sugawara was just an average player, but he looked like a serious and careful person. However, he also noticed that he was significantly shorter than Kageyama, which would let Aoba Johsai get through his block easier.

Two girls watching the match notice Oikawa frequently doing some hand signals, and question why he was doing so. Takinoue explains that he does so to indicate which kind of attack he wants them to do during the next rally. Following this, the score is 15-22, and it would leave Aoba Johsai a victory if they could get three more points, which they had high chances of getting because it would be Oikawa’s turn to serve. Trying to stay motivated, Tanaka and Nishinoya are eager for him to serve, and Oikawa does so, but they can’t do anything before the ball surpasses them and wins Aoba Johsai the rally. During his next serve, Oikawa hits Karasuno with a jump floater, which surprises them. This leaves the score to 15-24, and before his third serve, Oikawa tells his teammate that they will win that set, to which Aoba Johsai answers with determination, however Daichi is able to bump his serve.

During the second set, it’s Oikawa's turn to serve, and the audience questions how Karasuno is going to receive it, but ultimately in the end Daichi manages it. Soon after, Oikawa acknowledges that Sugawara isn’t a bad setter but that he just does everything by the book, and then tells his team to pull ahead for good. When Tsukishima is subbed in, Oikawa notices that he’s probably the one Kageyama trusts the least. At Iwaizumi's spike against Karasuno, some spectators notice that Aoba Johsai’s players are really good, but they keep getting forgotten behind Oikawa. Right after, it’s Oikawa’s turn to serve, and both Iwaizumi and Hanamaki in front of him tell him to smash it, to which he answers “I know”. When he serves, Oikawa aims to the back of the court, and Nishinoya is barely able to receive it. He then realizes that Sugawara probably taught him that, and Oikawa gets angry and is eager to play the next set. When Oikawa digs the ball and can’t set, he calls for Watari to do so, and he scores. Not long after, Oikawa sets for Iwaizumi, and Takinoue is awed at how in sync the two are.

When Kageyama and Hinata pull their quick attack, Oikawa starts to get tensed and tries to do everything in his power to stop them. When Hinata is jumping, no one is targeting him, and Watari gets a clear view of where he needs to be to dig, which leaves confusion, letting Oikawa pull a dump. Not long after, Aoba Johsai is one point away from winning the match and attempts to pull a setter dump but Kageyama, right in front of him, manages a one-hand set and goes to Hinata, winning them the rally.

Oikawa serves, and there is tension since if he could win that point, Aoba Johsai would win. However, his serve goes out of bounds, just missing Nishinoya. Soon after, Iwaizumi knows that Oikawa is thinking of Ushijima while Aoba Johsai is just a few points away from winning, but tells him that if he couldn’t focus on his current opponents, he wouldn’t be able to beat Shiratorizawa. Upon seeing Kunimi smile after winning a rally made Kageyama afraid because he didn’t know how he could be able to beat Oikawa, someone who could make full use of all of his players.

After Kindaichi wins Aoba Johsai the match, Oikawa and his teammates all gather around each other, cheering at their victory. After their victory, Iwaizumi asks Oikawa why he didn’t say anything to Kageyama after winning.

### Aoba Johsai vs Shiratorizawa Academy

Oikawa goes into the match hopeful that Aoba Johsai will finally defeat Ushijima and Shiratorizawa. But despite all the work and practice that Aoba Johsai had done, they are ultimately defeated. Unlike other schools, Oikawa and the other third years decide to stay on the team after the Interhigh in hopes of getting revenge on Shiratorizawa during the Spring Interhigh.\

### Tokyo Expedition Arc

When leaving a Lil' Tykes Volleyball class with his nephew, Takeru, Oikawa runs into Kageyama. While the younger setter tried to obtain his help, Oikawa initially tried to ignore him until Kageyama put aside his pride and bowed to Oikawa. Oikawa took the chance to have his nephew take a picture of the encounter before agreeing to listen to Kageyama's situation of Hinata wanting to change the quick attack. Oikawa is supportive of Hinata wanting to change the attack and points out how the middle blocker is actually the one in control of the attack and not Kageyama. He continued to say that if Kageyama continued to be unwilling to change the attack, he would still be the same King of the Court he was during middle school.

Some time later, Oikawa welcomed Kentarō Kyōtani back onto the team after having personally asked him to return.

### Spring High Preliminary Arc

Before the qualifiers begin, Kageyama tells his team of Oikawa’s practices with college students and how he was able to fit in with their team only after a few plays with them. Kageyama then explains that Oikawa could utilize any hitter he’d want in whatever way he needs. That evening, Oikawa seems to be catching a cold and gets offended when Iwaizumi threatens him if he were to actually get one. Not long after, Oikawa stops Yahaba from being aggressive towards Kyōtani and instead welcomes him back into the team. However, Kyōtani is kept in check when Oikawa does not seem to get offended by this and instead intimidates the hitter by giving subtle hints of future practices. When Kyōtani backs off Oikawa, Kunimi compares this to Kyōtani having animal instincts.

As October comes around, the spring qualifier tournament begins. Despite being prepared when entering the man’s bathroom, Hinata still manages to get intimidated when stumbling upon Oikawa and Iwaizumi there. Despite Iwaizumi being polite to Hinata, Oikawa becomes smug and wishes to crush him while outside the court. However, tension soon grows high as Ushijima arrives and unintentionally insults Oikawa and Iwaizumi, which provokes them.

#### Karasuno vs Wakutani Minami

When preparing for Aoba Johsai’s own match to begin, Oikawa and Iwaizumi attend Karasuno’s match again Wakutani Minami. When Iwaizumi wonders what happened to Daichi, Oikawa explains that there was a collision. As Daichi’s conditions are been checked, Oikawa speculates that he might not return for the rest of the game and recalls stories he’s heard when Iwaizumi is afraid Daichi might have gotten a concussion.

When seeing Tanaka blaming himself for Daichi’s injury, Oikawa wonders how he would hold up since, unlike in their match against Aoba Johsai during Interhigh, Tanaka had affected another player’s state, not his. Upon Iwaizumi suggesting that Karasuno might have both of their setters on the court, Oikawa doubts it and wonders if they even have a wing spiker who could hold Daichi’s weight. Seeing Ennoshita get subbed in for Daichi, Oikawa asks Iwaizumi about his performance during the practice game. When Iwaizumi answers that he was simply getting the job done, Oikawa speculates that Karasuno most likely doesn’t have anyone to hold the fort.

As Date Tech’s game against Aoba Johsai is about to begin, Hanamaki wonders how Karasuno is doing without their captain. At this, Oikawa speculates that without their captain and main defensive player, this would make Karasuno realize that Daichi was, in fact, an irreplaceable part of their team

### Aoba Johsai vs Date Tech

As Oikawa shakes Futakuchi’s hand, he attempts to be friendly with the opposing captain and assures him that he would still have the following year to win the tournament once they lose his one. At this, Futakuchi gets on the defensive and tells Oikawa to disregard age and ranks as Date Tech’s only goal is to win.

During the second set, Watari sets to Oikawa. Because of Date Tech’s excellent blocking, he has trouble finding cracks in the enemy block to score. He finds a spot to hit, but seeing Koganegawa barge in and block him, surprises him and expresses how frustrating it was to have to go against such a difficult team to defeat and seems the most concerned of Koganegawa's presence during the game as the first-year setter adds height and strength to Date Tech's famous iron wall despite his inexperience. Following this, Iwaizumi and Hanamaki both insult him and Oikawa reminds them that he could hear them. Not long after, Oikawa serves and ultimately scores a service ace. At this, Karasuno, who is watching the match, finally notices that Aoba Johsai has the upper hand in the match. However, Oikawa shows further concern when Koganegawa rotates back into the front row. Trying to conquer the block, Oikawa sets to Iwaizumi, but he is unable to score. Iwaizumi notices that he deliberately set away from the net for him to get past the blockers and tells Oikawa to let him fight his own battles.

Oikawa is quick to agree to Iwaizumi's statement and returns to setting like normal. This would allow Iwaizumi to take the Iron Wall head on and win the match when he took advantage of Koganegawa's inexperience by spiking through his arms as they were too wide to stop the ball.

### Aoba Johsai vs Karasuno

Before the match beings, Oikawa notices a different atmosphere around Karasuno, and right after he finishes his sentence, a ball Kageyama had left rolls around and they both fight to grab it. As this happens, Oikawa reminds Kageyama of their previous loss and declares he will defeat them once more. He then releases the ball and Kageyama falls to the ground. When shaking hands with Daichi, he remarks a new sense of dignity that the opposing captain has picked up. Right after, they toss a coin to find out who will serve.

After this, he admits to his team that Karasuno would be a troubling team to go up against and before he is about to tell his team that he has faith in them, the third years cut in by stating their own faith in their captain but warn him that he will owe them ramen after the match if he does not land his first serve. As he serves, Daichi is frustrated at how Oikawa’s serve is still as strong as the previous game’s but he is still able to receive it.

Near the end of the set, Oikawa prepares for a hard serve, but Iwaizumi predicts otherwise and it goes out of bounds. However, Daichi notices that he is deliberately going for greater power even though he knows he’s risking more outs. Although he is the one that invited Kyōtani into the team, he is still surprised when he suddenly dives in to interrupt Oikawa’s set to Kindaichi. After this, Oikawa is offended at how Kyōtani is only willing to listen to Iwaizumi. In the next rally, Oikawa fails his serve again, but Daichi notices that he’s only getting adjusted to using so much strength in his serves. However, he would then set to Kyōtani, using a minus tempo attack but also conquer the blockers with an extreme angle. When Oikawa notices Kindaichi worrying in the next rally, he tells him not to be worried when being paired with Kyōtani because he isn’t always a ‘mad dog’.

After Kyōtani manages to score three points in a row, Oikawa fools the blockers by setting to Kindaichi rather than Kyōtani. Oikawa notices that Kyōtani is frustrated because he has just been used as a decoy, but Oikawa plans to himself to ‘sharpen Kyōtani’s fangs’. Not long after, Oikawa makes full use of Kyōtani when setting to him and being able to get past enemy blocks. In the next rally, Oikawa requests Watari to purposely use a botched pass and a decoy to lure Karasuno’s blockers to the left to open up the right side for an attack from Kyōtani. Watari and Kyōtani successfully pull it off, and as this happens, Oikawa thinks to himself that Kyōtani is no doubt a double-edged sword, but that is exactly the reason why he’s trying to use him as much as he can.

Although Hinata and Kageyama attempt to surprise Aoba Johsai with a back-row set, Oikawa still blocks them because he noticed that Hinata hasn’t been attacking much lately so Kageyama figured that now would be the perfect time to do a quick set, Oikawa had figured that as well. Shortly after, Oikawa finally manages to score with his serve, and he scores an ace. This brings Daichi back to reality and realizes that just for this tournament, both teams have trained extremely hard, but he admits that it is also absolutely terrifying to him. During the second rally, Oikawa would set more often to Kyōtani, and Karasuno believes that this is to throw them off with another player later. This is referenced back to when Matsukawa seems to creep behind Kyōtani as to use him as a decoy but ultimately Oikawa sets to Kyōtani.

After Yamaguchi scores a streak of aces, Oikawa tells his team not to be panicked, but this only results in him getting upset because they didn’t need his advice. Soon after, Oikawa is up to serve. He manages to get past Nishinoya, which motivates his entire team. At his second serve, Oikawa aims at Karasuno’s other receiver, Daichi, and he successfully receives it. After the second set ends, Hinata praises Yamaguchi for his serves, but Yamaguchi answers that Oikawa is still better because he was able to go beyond his previous skills, which he admits is terrifying to him. Noticing that Kyōtani is agitated because of Tanaka, Oikawa decides to set to him in order for him to gain a point that he lost back, but ultimately, it goes out of bounds. Once Kyōtani is subbed back in after being subbed out to put himself together, Oikawa sets to him once more. After Kyōtani is able to get past Karasuno’s defenses, Oikawa praises him for that, and Kyōtani quietly thanks him.

Shortly after, after Kindaichi scores thanks to Oikawa, Kageyama notices that he isn’t using Kindaichi the same way as he did during the Interhigh tournament. When the match points reach the 20’s, Oikawa scores a service ace and completely changes the game’s atmosphere. As Aoba Johsai is one point away from winning. Oikawa serves, but Daichi is able to receive it. After Kageyama scores a dump, Aoba Johsai requests a time-out, and Yahaba expresses how he wishes Kageyama could’ve shared his skills as a setter with him. Upon hearing this, Oikawa remembers back at how even though the efforts for his work may not appear right away, his talent could always show up another time if he still keeps practicing, but it never will if he doesn't think he has it, and Oikawa tells this to Yahaba and Watari next to him, which leads the both of them to find that their captain has changed.

During the final rally, Hanamaki has a hard time bumping Asahi's spike but manages to do so. Oikawa, desperate to win, goes as far as to leap out of the court to set to Iwaizumi, who is also on edge to score. As this happens, Oikawa realizes that talent is something that blooms, not something that someone is born with. When Iwaizumi, Kunimi, and Kyōtani’s triple block fails, Oikawa attempts to dig Hinata’s spike but fails, resulting in Aoba Johsai’s loss. Oikawa then confronts Kageyama and quietly tells him not to take this victory to his head. After this, he sees Iwaizumi break into tears and blaming himself for not being able to hit Oikawa’s perfect toss but after a slap in the back from each of the third years, he comes back to his senses.

Oikawa then encounters Ushijima. Ushijima tells him that Oikawa lost because he chose the wrong path and that he should’ve gone to Shiratorizawa instead of Aoba Johsai. Oikawa then laughs when Ushijima boldly claims that whatever team he’s on would make it the best. Additionally, he tells his rival that he still wasn’t over yet and that he will never regret choosing Aoba Johsai over Shiratorizawa but that Karasuno would still beat them.

That evening, at a ramen shop, Oikawa tells his team that they had the potential to get to nationals that year, but gets frustrated when Hanamaki still thinks that they would’ve gotten crushed in the first round. Nevertheless, that evening, Iwaizumi has a competition with Oikawa to determine who had the more right to be upset over their loss. Shortly after, the club’s third years all play together. As they are about to wrap things up, Hanamaki senses that Oikawa is about to end off with a happy message to conclude their volleyball career and they all break into tears.

Iwaizumi and Oikawa would soon walk home together. Iwaizumi tells Oikawa that he doubts Oikawa would ever be happy because he can’t see him be satisfied, even with perfection. However, he and Iwaizumi both fist bump and thank each other for being such great partners.

### Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa

Oikawa and Iwaizumi attend the match between Karasuno and Shiratorizawa though Iwaizumi states that Oikawa had claimed he would not attend the match because he would be angry no matter which team won. They appear after Tsukishima's return to the court during the final set (They appear in the fourth set in the anime). When the match is over and Karasuno has won, the two realize that Karasuno's victory is partly due to Tsukishima's plan of trying to get Ushijima into the habit of hitting straight shots out of muscle memory. Oikawa then ushers himself and Iwaizumi out of the gym before the award ceremony.

### Tokyo Nationals Arc

Oikawa makes a brief appearance when he is seen watching Karasuno's game against Inarizaki. He is seen once more when he is watching Karasuno play against Kamomedai High after Hinata is removed from the game and Karasuno eventually lost.

### Final Arc

#### Beach Volleyball in Brazil

After high school, Oikawa became a professional volleyball player for the Club Atlético San Juan, a professional team in the Argentine Volleyball Federation where he plays as the setter. On a trip to Rio de Janeiro, Oikawa runs into Hinata one night at the beach when the younger player was playing beach volleyball.

After Hinata's game ends, the two head to dinner together where Hinata questions Oikawa why he went to Argentina. Oikawa reveals that he has loved volleyball since he was a child but became fully enamored with the sport when he and Iwaizumi attended a match between Argentina and Japan. The ace player of the Argentina team had been having trouble in the game until the coach switched the setters. The new setter, Jose Blanco, was able to bring the ace back on track through easy to hit sets. It was through his actions and a brief conversation with Blanco that Oikawa decided to become a setter. After having learned that Blanco was acquainted with Coach Irihata, Oikawa would pretend he was unsure of whether or not he wanted to continue with volleyball just to be able to speak with him. Blanco quickly figured out that Oikawa was just pretending to be unsure of where he stood with volleyball but would still give advice on things that Oikawa was truly troubled with; such as comparing his own skills and talent to those of others who appeared to be naturally gifted.

Hinata proposes they play a game of beach volleyball together. Oikawa confidently accepts but finds himself struggling with the sand and wind, much to Hinata's amusement. Despite this, Oikawa listens as Hinata explains how he had been rather down earlier but getting to spend time with his former rival has put him in a much better mood. The two would soon be challenged to a game by the 'Buy me a Beer' brothers. Oikawa would attempt to demonstrate his jump serve but failed horribly due to the wind affecting the ball. He and Hinata are quickly defeated and buy the Brazilian men their beers. However, Oikawa quickly adapts for their following game a week later against Gabriel and Gino. He would even offer Hinata advice on how to observe their opponents and take them by surprise after predicting the next steps. Thanks to playing with Hinata, Oikawa rediscovers the joy of playing volleyball again. The two were able to win their match and are treated to dinner by Gabriel and Gino.

Before leaving Brazil, Oikawa begins addressing Hinata by his first name and promises that he would defeat Hinata if they ever face-off in a match.

### Olympics

By 2021, Oikawa has naturalized as an Argentinean citizen. He would play on the Argentinean National Team, coached by Jose Blanco, at the Olympics where he would face many of his rivals on the Japan team. He and Hinata are seen sharing an embrace before the match. Oikawa is first to serve in the game and his serve is shown to be just as powerful as ever, although Sakusa was seen able to dig the ball.

## skills

* **Jump-Serve**: Oikawa is renowned and feared for his powerful and accurate jump-serve; a technique he had seen on television and thought was amazing, so he worked hard since junior high to master the technique. He serves with pinpoint accuracy, often strategically targeting a member of the opposing team, a gap between two players, or using a different scheme to win a service ace. It is very difficult to return, but several players have managed to get the ball up. Because of the strain the jump-serve has on Oikawa's focus, his coach allows him to take time-outs and breaks alone to regain the concentration necessary to successfully execute them by focusing on the aspects that are easy to fumble. During the Spring High Tournament, it seems Oikawa's jump serve has evolved. According to Daichi, his serves can become so powerful that it can look like a spike. According to Coach Ukai, he seems to be putting more emphasis on power than control. It is shown, like when playing beach volleyball with Hinata in Brazil, that he is able to do a jump floater as well, though how he refined it is unknown.

* **Observant Perception**: Both in-game and in daily life, Oikawa has a good sense of his surroundings and can effortlessly read others' moves and emotions. Because of this, he was able to pick up almost immediately on Kageyama and Hinata's strategy behind their god-like quick when they previously used code words. He is also quick to pick-up if certain players on his team are being targeted.

* **Natural Talent as a Setter**: Oikawa's tosses are made so that they are easiest for his teammates to hit as he knows that each hitter tends to have a different way they need a set in order to hit at their best. After each toss, he immediately asks how they can be improved afterward. Oikawa's abilities as a setter are so great that he is said to draw out the maximum potential of whatever team he is on since he is able to draw out 100% of the potential of any individual player, being fully capable of changing the way he tosses to and uses his spikers according to where those spikers' biggest strengths lie. Even if he has never played with a team or player before, it is said by Kageyama that the way Oikawa sets for and plays with them makes it looks like he has been playing with them for years.

* **Setter Dump**: He is also shown to be talented at performing dumps at the most unexpected times. This is a method that he does not often use and therefore surprises opponents when he does it.

## Relationships

### oba Johsai High

* **Hajime Iwaizumi**: Iwaizumi, often called "Iwa/Iwa-chan" by Oikawa, is the latter's childhood best friend as well as the vice-captain of his current team. The two have been playing volleyball together since childhood and are extremely close and therefore know each other very well. Oikawa often makes small jokes toward Iwaizumi but is always quick to retract many of them when the ace appears like he will hit him; although it's notable that Iwaizumi threatens to hurt Oikawa more than he actually does. While still in middle school, it would be through Iwaizumi's intervention that Oikawa would fully understand that he needed to rely on his team as a whole in order to beat stronger opponents like Ushijima.
* While in a game, Oikawa has full faith in Iwaizumi's position as the ace and will depend on him when the team is in a tough situation. From knowing each other for so long, they work in perfect synchronization and make a powerful duo. After Seijoh's loss to Karasuno during the Spring High Representative Playoffs, Oikawa comforted Iwaizumi by patting his back after the former began to question his abilities as an ace.
* During the Seijoh Extra, Iwaizumi nonchalantly stated that he believed Oikawa would probably not be happy because he's so hard to satisfy, but that Oikawa would keep moving on without hesitation. Iwaizumi states how Oikawa is a partner he can boast about, as well as an amazing setter, but that if they ever face each other, he will not hold back.

* **Takahiro Hanamaki**: Oikawa usually refers to Hanamaki as Maki. Although the setter is usually teased by the wing spiker for things he does or says, Oikawa still relies on Hanamaki during matches and most notably does not hesitate to call on Hanamaki to make a set when needed.

* **Kentarō Kyōtani**: Although Oikawa is shown to not have the same level of control and respect from the second year that Iwaizumi does, Oikawa is still aware of Kyōtani's skills and went so far as to personally ask him to return to the team in time for the Spring High Preliminaries. Even knowing how aggressive and stubborn Kyōtani can be, Oikawa will still entrust him with sets and his, unwilling, effectiveness as a decoy. Most likely because of either Kyōtani's behavior or name, Oikawa has nicknamed him Mad-Dog.

### Karasuno High

* **Tobio Kageyama**: Kageyama is a former underclassman and teammate of Oikawa, both having attended Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High and played on the volleyball team. When Kageyama became part of the volleyball team and his natural talent began to garner attention, Oikawa began to resent Kageyama and seemed to be aware that the younger setter could possibly surpass him. As a result, Oikawa would start treating Kageyama poorly and would refuse to help him learn any new skills; both as a form of resentment and to not help someone he saw as a rival.
* Despite his animosity toward Kageyama, Oikawa still recognizes his abilities as a setter and the changes he has gone through since deciding to attend Karasuno and pairing with Hinata. Oikawa still knows Kageyama very well and is able to agitate Kageyama to throw his state of mind off-balance and be able to correctly predict what he will attempt at different points of a match. While they still view each other as rivals, Oikawa was still at one point able to help Kageyama understand that spikers are the one who have control of attacks and not the setter and to deny the spiker the set they need will only mean he was still trying keep control of things.

* **Shōyō Hinata**: From the moment they first met, Hinata proved to be someone Oikawa would need to be cautious of. Oikawa sees Hinata as a great decoy capable of being a great threat to opposing teams but still sees Hinata's inexperience as a player that he would at times use to his advantage. Years later, Oikawa would run into Hinata in Rio where their relationship would strengthen into a good friendship. Hinata would learn several tips from Oikawa as well as how Oikawa became interested in volleyball when he was young. When Oikawa left Brazil, he addressed Hinata by his first name and promised that he would defeat him if they ever faced each other in an official game. When they met again at the 2021 Olympics, they were seen embracing one another.

### Others

* **Wakatoshi Ushijima**: Oikawa is known to have great disdain towards Ushijima that stems from viewing the ace as a rival since middle school. Since their teams often faced each other, Oikawa had attempted to defeat Ushijima numerous times but was never able to do so and came to see him as one of his greatest rivals. Even into high school, Oikawa would try to find a way to beat Ushijima and the two were known to clash if they ever ran into each other. Even though Oikawa is acknowledged by Ushijima as being a setter who can bring out the best of his team, he is stated by the ace to have allowed his pride to be his downfall and that choosing not to attend Shiratorizawa was a waste since it would have allowed him to be a team whose strength was unmatched. Oikawa, however, states that Ushijima is the one blinded by his own pride and has stated numerous times that he looks forward to the day that Ushijima is defeated.

* **Jose Blanco**: Blanco was Oikawa's source of inspiration to becoming a setter after having seen him play during his childhood. As Oikawa got older, he was able to seek guidance from Blanco by claiming he was not sure if he wanted to continue playing but Blanco was able to figure out that he just wanted to meet with him again. Despite this, Blanco still provided Oikawa with the help he needed to not compare his own talent to that of others while he was still developing his skills. Oikawa now plays on the Argentina Olympic team with Blanco as his coach.

## Quotes

* *"Yoohoo! Long time no see, Tobio-chan. So nice to see you. You still doing the King thing?"* (To Kageyama, Season 1 Episode 7)

* *"I believe in all of you."* (To Aoba Johsai, before their match with Karasuno, Season 1 Episode 19)

* *"Even if I'm no match for his [Kageyama's] talent, I have confidence that I can set the best tosses for everyone. That's why I won't lose as a setter."* (Season 1 Episode 20)

* *"Spikers are all different. Once you're able to bring out 100% of the strengths of each and every one of them, that's when you'll be a true setter!"* (Season 1 Episode 20)

* *"Once we get into high school...that's when we'll [himself and Iwaizumi] show Shiratorizawa who's boss!"* (To Iwaizumi, Season 1 Episode 22)

* *"...And Tobio-chan, I don't know where you'll be headed after this [his last junior high tournament], but I'm gonna crush you, so you better be prepared!"* (To Kageyama, Season 1 Episode 22)

* *"My perfect trust with you, Iwa-chan."* (To Iwaizumi, Season 1 Episode 22)

* *"All of a sudden, I feel invincible."* (To Iwaizumi, Season 1 Episode 22)

* *"Tobio, I might actually lose to you, considering how quickly you evolve, but... that won't be today!"* (To Kageyama, Season 1 Episode 24)

* *"I'm going to crush you today. You'd better be prepared, Ushiwaka-chan."* (To Ushijima, Season 1 Episode 25)

* *"All of our [Aoba Johsai] practices, experience, and strategies are being broken by force. Well, I guess the actual path to victory doesn't matter. The one that lets the ball fall on the court loses. That's everything."* (To himself, during the Inter-high tournament match against Shiratorizawa, Season 1 Episode 25)

* *"If you're going to hit it, hit it until it breaks."* (In an interview with Monthly Volleyball, Season 2 Episode 1)

* *"The one who has leadership in an attack isn't you, it's the shrimp."* (To Kageyama, Season 2 Episode 6)

* *"Just because a super receive is flashy, doesn't mean it's good. If a ball that had always gone up for them suddenly doesn't go up anymore, that will slowly but surely get to them. I think they're feeling that right about now."* (To himself, Season 2 Episode 17)

* *"The chance to let your talent truly blossom, perhaps it's today. Or maybe, it's tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or next year. Or perhaps even when you're 30? In regards to physique, I can't say much. But if you yourself think that you don't have talent, then you'll probably never have it."* (To Aoba Johsai, Season 2 Episode 24)

* *"Six who are strong together, are stronger!"* (To Karasuno, Season 2 Episode 24)

* *"Worthless pride, huh? That's true... Listen up, Ushijima. I never thought my decision was wrong, and my volleyball hasn't ended at all. Don't you ever forget my worthless pride."* (To Ushijima, Season 2 Episode 25)

* *"No matter which side wins, I'm gonna be able to see the other team's faces when they lose."* (To Iwaizumi, Season 3 Episode 5)

* *"Thank you for these three years!!!"* (To Aoba Johsai's third-years, Volume 17, Extra Chapter / Talent and instinct Movie)

## Trivia

* Favorite Food: Milk bread.
* Pre-Timeskip Concern: When he tried to talk to Karasuno's manager, Kiyoko, he was utterly ignored. (But she must just have been shy, and it's not like he's all that bothered by it, not even a little bit, not at all - Oikawa said to himself.)
* Post-Timeskip Concern: Being mistaken as a minor.
* Since Oikawa has a nephew (whose family name is also Oikawa), he most likely has an older brother. Though, there's been recent strips of Furudate hinting he has an older sister instead.
	+ Oikawa's nephew's name is Takeru.
* In his free time, he coaches his nephew and other children at *Lil Tykes Volleyball Classroom*.
* In official English media, Crunchyroll (anime) has his name written as 'Oikawa Toru' and VIZ Media (manga) has his name written as 'Tohru Oikawa'.
* He had a girlfriend who broke up with him.
* Oikawa uses an Android phone.
* Oikawa has been nicknamed the "Great King" and "Oikawa the Great" by Shōyō Hinata and "Assikawa," "Trashykawa," and "Shittykawa" by Iwaizumi.
* In Haikyū's first popularity poll, he was ranked 5th with 5,050 votes. In the second, he still ranked 5th with 7,410 votes.
* Oikawa once made his nephew, Takeru, take a photo of Kageyama bowing to him so that he can have "a picture of Tobio indebted to Oikawa-san!," however Takeru was not amused. The photo Takeru took was blurry, much to Oikawa's dismay.
* According to *Monthly Volleyball,* Oikawa's favorite quote is "If you're going to hit it, hit it until it breaks."
* His star sign is Cancer.
* Oikawa's birthday, July 20, is thought to be a reference to Alexander the Great, who shares the same birthday and is also commonly referred to as "the Great King".
* Oikawa is the second oldest third-year on the team.
* In the Japanese sub Hinata calls Oikawa "大王様."
* When combined, Iwaizumi and Oikawa's first names (Hajime and Tōru respectively) form "一徹" meaning "obstinate" or "dauntless."
* As implied in the Seijoh extra, Iwaizumi and Oikawa do part ways after high school for North and South America respectively. They finally get the chance to fulfill their promise at the 2021 Olympics, with Iwaizumi being the athletic trainer for Japan and Oikawa as the Argentina national team setter.
	+ It is implied in Chapter 395 that they are both still in contact while abroad.
* Oikawa's number on the Argentina Olympic team, 13, is the same number Jose Blanco wore when they first met.
* During a flashback, it's shown that Oikawa has planned to go overseas as early as the Spring Tournament Qualifiers.
* **Nomenclature**
	+ Tōru (徹) - *To Go Through*
	+ Oikawa (及川) - *Reaching the River*