🦭

Yamato

Aggron: The oldest pokemon on Yamato's team, this aggron was raised by Hanzo, and is very protective of both him and Mikako. It's strong in battle of course, but has helped them out with demolition and construction over the years. Its horn is capable of piercing iron sheets, digging tunnels, and it likes to eat their scrap metal.

Staraptor: I imagine Yamato found it crying noisily alone as a Staravia. Now, it's one of the strongest members of his team, and helps him travel using fly. I was mostly drawn to Staraptor for the sake of making his team a bit more well rounded, because it gives off Jotaro vibes, and because the shiny color palette was really perfect. It's a pretty indpendent-seeming pokemon that secretly is very attached to Yamato and the rest of the team. This one knows close combat, swift, maybe brave bird, aerial ace, or final gambit. It also Yamato of his friend, Kinjo.

Metagross: I wanted another steel type and for Yamato's team to seem fairly strong, so Metagross seemed like a good pick. It's superintelligent and is said to be like a supercomputer, capable of doing calculations in a flash, which fits Yamato's intelligence. It's also known to be rather brutal at times, but I think Yamato would empathize even with the scariest of pokemon. That being said, this one would rarely act that way, and is only violent in the most dire of circumstances, or if Yamato ordered it to be. Yamato sometimes wraps its legs with string lights to see which ones it likes the best, and was fascinated by the way it evolved (merging with others of its' species until it became a Metagross with four brains). Like Aggron, it has abilities that help with production like magnetism and the ability to cut metal and break other tough materials.

Rotom: This one is probably Yamato's partner pokemon basically. Rotom is perfect for him imo, it possesses machines, it can help him with repairs and testing, and he could even create machines specifically for it to inhabit. I wanted Yamato to have some ghost types to reference Mikako, and I imagine though its mischievous, having an outlet basically keeps Rotom from being destructive or hurting anyone.

Golurk: Another ghost type thrown in to nod towards Mikako, but this one felt very fitting. It's an automaton which might run on an infinite power source, and an artificially created pokemon ordered to protect people and pokemon. I imagine Mikako and Yamato exploring some ruins and finding a Golett, which Yamato immediately becomes fascinated with thanks to the ancient science involved, and quickly bonds with and cares for. He's trying to figure out how it works not just for scientific purposes or replicating it, but also so he can help to keep it going even if whatever its' ancient creators used to power it runs out someday.

Pachirisu: As a protagonist-type guy, I thought he needed a pika clone. Pachirusu is fairly calm, produces electric hairballs, and charges and stores electricity like the others, but I mainly chose it out of the pikas for its demeanor and appearance. It was either this one or Togedemaru, but the matching colors won me over haha.

Jolteon: I think it'd be nice to give a bunch of eeveelutions... He has a Jolteon because electricity again and because it's described as being sensitive and having its electricity surge with emotions like anger or sadness. It also apparently has electric cells and sheds electrified fur, which could probably be used for power in a pinch?

Shinx: This pokemon now belongs to Kinjo, but was raised by Yamato.

Mekaru

Espeon: An incredibly intelligent psychic-type pokemon that matches up with Kinjo's Umbreon and Teruya's Sylveon. It's said to be loyal to trainers it deems worthy, and is skilled at prediction. There's also an entry stating that it originally had no powers at all, and its precognitive faculties were awakened by its need to protect itself. All of these things suit Mekaru well I think.

Ninetales: It's a very beautiful and intelligent pokemon, is a fire type, and Vulpix grows tails slowly over time only with time and effort. Though the kitsune aspects might fit other characters better, it's an elegant fire type, and I also think Vulpix looks a bit like Mekaru.

Empoleon: A pokemon that rounds out her team a bit. I thought a proud, highly skilled pokemon like Empoleon suited her. Prinplup is also said to be too proud to form groups with its own kind, and Piplup is said to not like being taken care of, won't easily accept help, and is difficult to bond with.

Talonflame: I wanted to make sure Mekaru had some fire types, and it felt right for her to have an orange bird of prey associated with embers. This one helps her travel around and is the team member that likes battling the most.

Noctowl: Another intelligent pokemon for Mekaru. Owls have an association with wisdom and knowledge, which suits the professor, and it's said that Noctowl never fails to catch its prey, seeing easily through the night. I feel like this is another little parallel with Kinjo via Luxray. It will turn its head 180 degrees when concentrating on something complex, and apparently will peck you if you break its concentration. I imagine it would do the same for anyone interrupting Mekaru's concentration while brainstorming or studying, and it would be very good at finding lost items or bringing objects Mekaru needs like books or supplies.

Teddiursa: It's here because she loves teddy bears. Mekaru is very endeared with it and thinks its really cute, but would never admit that in public.

Kinjo

Zangoose: The eternal rival of Seviper; I chose Zangoose for him to go in a set with the snake pokemon associated with Akane and Utsuro, and because it has red eyes, scar-like markings, and is a mongoose/cat type creature.

Absol: Another sharp, red-eyed pokemon, but this one isn't part of his team. It seems to follow him sometimes, occasionally warning him before serious trouble occurs.

Umbreon: Another pokemon influnced by sets/relationships. It matches with the other eeveelutions in the KF, particularly Mekaru's Espeon, which is kind of a foil to Umbreon. This pokemon is also associated with the moon and is seen as intimdating or scary, has red eyes, and bides its time waiting for prey which it can easily pick out even in the darkness. It glows when excited and is very affectionate towards Tsurugi, but doesn't like almost anyone else, even on his team...

Luxray: Originally raised by Yamato when it was a Shinx, Luxray adores both of them and watches Kinjo's back. When I was thinking about Kinjo's team, Luxray was the pokemon that came to mind first; It's an excellent scout for danger and perfect for investigation or pursuit as it can see through objects/walls. It can also glow if needed, and is strong in battle. Luxray appears very stoic and feirce (it also has Intimidate) like its trainer, but can also be very affectionate and protective of him, their team, and the other KF members.

Lucario: It's a fighting and steel type, and very strong, especially under mega evolution; which makes it a 'merciless' fighter with great strength. Its ability to read auras helps it predict and track foes, perfect for police work, and possibly helping its trainer understand the people around him a bit better; and lastly, it has lots of sharp edges and is said to have a strong since of pride and justice, and doesn't let its guard down even when sleeping. It supposedly only trusts those with righteous hearts, which probably reassures Kinjo that he's not an evil person. I wonder if it would leave him if he did lose his path?

Arcanine: This pokemon has always been associated with the police in the series since Officer Jenny (Jennies?) have them, so it was one I considered right away. It's also super loyal and brave, and very soft. This one belonged to Kouhei, and after his death, Tsurugi took it in, naturally having a strong attachment to the little Growlithe. It seems to protect and care for Kinjo in their dead friend's stead. It may sit on top of him if he needs to rest or is getting too worked up. As Arcanine is large and strong enough to carry riders, and runs very fast, it also helps Kinjo get around.

Honedge: Tsurugi is named after a type of sword, it's a sword, so there's that, but I also found the whole 'departed spirit inhabiting a sword that when wielded absorbs the user's life force' thing to fit very well narratively for him... I think he probably uses it as a sword only as a last resort... It also might evolve later, and Doublade seems to have less life-force stealing going on... the last one, Aegislash, could be seen as a reflection of character growth since it also has a shield form, and represents and supports leaders, but it also apparently controls people and an aegislash once drained the life of a king until he perished and his kingdom fell, so uh... mileage may vary. Anyways, a haunted sword suits him I think.

Yuki

Glaceon: Another eeeveelution for Yuki, too. I almost went for Flareon, Vaporeon, or Leafeon, but eventually settled on Glaceon because it's the fresh snow pokemon and Yuki can mean snow. This one is shiny, too. Sometimes it snows around Yuki because of Glaceon using its abilities.

Masquerain: To be honest, I just wanted him to have another bug type... Surskit walks on the waters surface, and Masquerain is mask and fake-intimidating-eye themed... I also felt the description of its eyes looking sad then indicating rain was coming felt right somehow, especially with it not being able to fly when its wings are wet, so it hides out in the rain and dries out with the sun. They are also a small line but still predators. I imagine Yuki found it hiding somewhere and took it in to be warm and dry, but then it didn't want to go back, so he let it stay.

Mimikyu: I think this one is probably self explanatory, right? Perhaps it's a bit on the nose, haha. It's described as being sad when revealed or when its disguise breaks. I think Yuki would be able to relate to a pokemon that can't or won't show its true self, and might make other costumes and disguises for it.

Zweilous: Both heads have their own personalities and fight with each other, to the point of growing stronger on their own and leaving it with scars. I think Yuki would be able to get close with and bond with a scary and seemingly violent pokemon like this line, even if as Deino, it tried to bite him A Lot. When it evolved into Zweilous, he was at first a bit uncertain about the two heads and their own personalities, esepcially when they would get jealous over his attention, but he soon grew to understand them and helped them find equilibrium. Eventually, they stopped fighting with each other for the most part. Yuki knows all their little quirks and differences from each other even if most people can't tell the difference. He's given them an everstone because he's afraid if it evolves into Hydreigon, one of them will cease to exist in the process. Thankfully, this Zweilous doesn't seem to want to evolve either, and has stopped continually competing with itself until one prevails like most of its kind do.

Decidueye: This one might not make the most sense to pick, but I wanted Yuki to have some grass and bug types, and out of the starters, this one along with Bayleef stood out. I think a bow (or shield) suits Yuki well, and this pokemon's accuracy could be seen as a reference to his luck. I also think the design (esp the colors, but the hoodie and mask and spots too) fit well, and I also kinda feel like owls, associated with the dead and omens, but also the appearance of ones like burrowing owls or barn owls, fit Yuki well... I was also influenced by it being a ghost type based on the Aumakua, and the fact that Dartrix's feathers have an asymmetrical bang-type cut. I think as a Rowlet, it liked to ride in his sweater, bag, or hoodie, and as a Decidueye, it sometimes protectively (or sleepily) wraps its' wings around him like a big warm blanket of a hug.

Bayleef: Another grass type, I've always liked bayleef, and I couldn't settle on just one grass starter. Bayleef stood out for the sharp, blade-like leaf it has, and its ability to rejuvenate others with the spicy-smelling leaves around its neck. Chikorita also has the ability to create a cozy atmosphere and calm people down. I think these abilities would come in handy when Yuki is acting as someone's confidant. Meganium can also do this, and has the ability to revive dead plants and flowers... I think his bayleef would have a lot of status-giving moves like paralysis and sleep. I associate Yuki with plants too and being a plant lover, I don't have much of a solid reason for this headcanon, but it's part of why he has grass types. I decided to give him the shiny, autumn one, but changed the colors a bit to make it look more like how the shiny sprites looked in previous games and more orange.

Zorua: It's a shapeshifting pokemon, and he needed one of those too. It's said in one of its entries that it protects itself from danger by hiding its true form. Zorua is occasionally described as cowardly, and its hisuian form has associations with the dead and spite, so I thought maybe that would fit better, but regular Zoroark seemed to fit better so I settled for regular Zorua. It is also said that Hisuian Zoroark died and was reborn... it was hard to pick. Zorua changes forms to fit in as well, and Zoroark is said to be very protective of its pack, using illusions to keep threats away. It will even show illusions to lonely trainers to ease their solitude...

Volcarona: I wanted some fire and bug rep, but I mainly picked Volcarona because it's a pokemon associated with the sun. Ancient civilizations thought of it as a deity and, fearing the flaming scales it sometimes scatters, called it "the rage of the sun," while Larvesta is known as the sun's emissary. It takes a very long time to evolve, and remains pretty weak as Larvesta, but once it evolves it's a force to be reckoned with. It's feared for starting fires when it scatters its scales; and some accounts say its motivated to save people and pokemon from freezing, while others say it's just trying to start fires. A bug pokemon that's said to replace the sun, and stays in an unassuming larval form for a long time seemed to fit. Despite all the flaming scales, it's never burned Yuki. I think when he's cold, Yuki can stay near it or hug it and feel warmer right away.

Absol: It watches over him, and others...

Victini: A pokemon bonded with Utsuro. Yuki doesn't know why it sometimes appears, inspecting him or perhaps checking on him?

Shaymin: A matching set with Giratina, Shaymin does represent spring, which kind doesn't fit with Yuki's snow, but I liked the idea of Shaymin taking a liking to him while Giratina takes a liking to Utsuro. It can also restore dying plants and cause barren fields to blossom with life. When given love and affection, such as with a hug, it blooms with gratitude. Some of this is based on Clover Shores in EDP haha. It even gains the ability of flight when gracidea flowers bloom and can absorb toxins. This one isn't part of his team, but he's brought it flowers and plants before.

Shedinja: A peculiar pokemon that seems to be entirely hollow... It does not appear to breathe and floats without moving. As a reference to cicadas and shed cicada skins, it's basically a discarded bug shell that came to life. For some reason, it appears to Yuki sometimes, and he finds himself endeared with it even though everyone else is pretty freaked out by it. Yuki seems to see a personality and care beneath Shedinja's existence as a hollow shell, and it almost seems playful around him sometimes.

Utsuro

Kingdra: A pokemon that sleeps on the ocean floor, living at a deeper depth than any other pokemon. It is said to create whirlpools by yawning and hides in caves.

Absol: Absol is considered a harbinger of doom, but in actuality, the pokemon foretells disaster and tries to warn others. After being driven deep into the mountains, this absol met Utsuro. It watches over certain others in his absence.

Murkrow: This pokemon is considered a sign of misfortune, and most avoid it. However, bad luck charms don't repel Utsuro; in fact it's much the opposite. Murkrow didn't bring bad luck, which was a little disappointing, but not unexpected. They occasionally gift Utsuro things they found, usually shiny items.

Hydreigon: Though this pokemon is known to be incredibly destructive, Utsuro shows no fear towards it. Apparently, only one head has a brain, compared to the two competitive heads it had before evolution. It isn't the same one as Yuki's Zweilous.

Shedinja: Shedinja is more representative of Yuki than Utsuro almost, but I'm describing it here more with him too because it spends more time with him. Once, he peered into the crack in its back, but nothing happened... This one probably appeared after SDRA2 Yuki Maeda's Nincada evolved into Ninjask...

Mismagius: Though Mismagius is feared for bringing curses that bring hallucinations, headaches, it's also known to rarely ward against fortune or grant happiness, and some people would try to invite it into their homes or seek it out in order to receive love spells. i think this pokemon could also be associated with Mikako or Akane.

Volcarona & Seviper: These pokemon are actually Yuki and Akane's respectively, but can be seen with Utsuro too.

Victini: Victini, the victory pokemon, brings luck in battle; it is said that anyone with this pokemon on their team is guaranteed to win. When Utsuro encountered it, he couldn't help but relate to the pokemon's disappointment after seeing it win against other pokemon over and over again. Though having it on his team means he can't lose anymore, and resulted in him getting the title of champion despite not wanting it, he shows no dislike towards the little mythical pokemon, which has become pretty attached to him. It occasionally appears to Yuki, curiously wondering about its 'absent' friend.

Jirachi: Utsuro once encountered it before the mysterious mythical pokemon before it returned to its long sleep. Did he make a wish before it did?

for starters, let's talk about her direct contributions. the first thing yachi does after being recruited is design a poster for the club after overhearing that they're struggling to gain transport funds. while it may seem simple, this alone helps them receive enough donations to afford a bus for their away games and also leads to people having hope in karasuno's resurgence due to her strategically referencing the little giant, which was a morale booster they definitely benefitted from since this was when they were still trying to regain their former glory as a team. this shows her directly utilizing her strengths the moment she joins the club because she knows that even though volleyball isn't her strong suit, graphic design is

(the glowup is insane but i also lowkey love that kiyoko canonically cannot draw for shit bless her heart LMFAOAO)

after that we see her working hard to learn from kiyoko during matches. she's taking notes, setting up practice games, refilling water bottles and also learning about volleyball terminology in her own time which of course are all things that are expected from a manager. but focusing on the last one, considering she was someone with absolutely no interest or prior experience in sports, the fact that she was pouring so much dedication into learning the technicalities of it shows that her mother's words ("joining passionate people when you aren't going to give it your all is the rudest thing you could do.") definitely influenced her

now to be fair, her mom is far from the worst anime mom out there, but it can't be denied that she does contribute to alot of the self esteem issues yachi has from her remarks, even if it comes from a good place

so the fact that yachi was able to see past the surface level of her mom's words after hinata's encouragement and actually put it into practice shows her desire to grow and become better. which also probably put kiyoko (and by extent the rest of karasuno) at ease due to them having a promising successor for a manager since there seems to be a recurring struggle in recruiting club managers for some reason lol

on the topic of kiyoko, i also think that yachi's existence directly links to us knowing more about her. both times when kiyoko opens up about her past or expresses personal feelings yachi is there, and (as a few other haikyuu fans have brought up) it's when they are in states of undress

we already see kiyoko act as a mentor figure and express a wider range of emotions when yachi is around (concern, amusement, protectiveness etc) but it's a fact that both times she chooses to open up, yachi is present (whether you ship kiyoyachi or not) which alludes to her feeling more comfortable in divulging about her hardships to another girl. since she's normally only around guys, kiyoko really appreciated having another girl in the volleyball club that she could connect with on a more personal level

to add to that, everytime these moments happen it's always when the two of them are ALONE. NO BOYS. these scenes are also never used as fanservice or conveniently angled for the viewers to ogle at the girls' bodies. its just a private moment between two girls sharing and learning about each other. furthermore, the lack of clothing could LITERALLY symbolize kiyoko revealing more about herself, and yachi being open to receiving that information since they're BOTH in vulnerable states

(sidetracking for a bit: i also do think that it's a very intentional narrative choice that we only learn more about kiyoko quite late into the series. we see furudate do this with tsukki and later kageyama too, because considering her more closed off personality, furudate made it so we have to LITERALLY SPEND ENOUGH TIME WITH HER to get to know more about her, and i think that it's neat)

and obviously, it would be remiss of me if i didnt mention her contributions to kagehina during the training camp arc. she already went out of her way to tutor them after school hours AND for their retake as seen in the ova

(this is me promoting the failing marks ova bcs it's just 23 mins of pure slice of life shenanigans. if ur like me and love seeing them interact outside vb this is gonna be a treat for you too)

but even more importantly, she also relentlessly helped them practice the new freak quick night after night even after their fight, showing just how much she cared about them and wanted them to succeed. which is why it makes me so happy that right after hinata and kageyama perfect the new freak quick the moment she notices it she's ECSTATIC, since she saw firsthand all the ups and downs it took to get there. and in turn the FIRST person THEY acknowledge is HER, showing that this victory is just as much hers as it is theirs, directly telling the audience that this would not have been possible without her.

i think this moment really solidified yachi as an integral part of the team, which is further proven in the timeskip

(OKAAYY GIRLBOSS look at her training 2 managers im so proud)

anyway, her contributions aside, i'm also very pleased that furudate didn't take the easy way out by slowly making her fade out of existence after 2 eps or making her a potential love interest for one of the boys, which is an unfortunate fate many female characters in male dominated media are subjected to. i think initially most people expected her be hinata's love interest since they have some moments together in the first few eps she's in. but as the series progresses most of their interactions consist of her occasionally cheering for him at games or him thanking her for helping out, which (shipping preferences aside) honestly leans more platonic than romantic. i'm glad that furudate subverted the expectations of a female character NEEDING to fall in love since she's constantly surrounded by male characters because that's simply not how it is irl lmao. healthy platonic male and female friendships exist and should definitely be represented more in media, and yachi being allowed to exist as her own independent character instead of an accessory for one of the guys is SUCH a breath of fresh air

NOW THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN WHERE MY ANALYSIS ENDED, however right as i was debating whether or not to post this on tumblr, i stumbled across this video by artist Airi Pan who talked about bringing back great (not just good) design. the entire video has great points and i highly recommend watching it, but the one that really struck a chord with me was the last one where she says: "great art always gives back." which essentially means that the difference between "good" and "great" art is that great art will inspire others and in turn lead to the birth of even more art in the world

which then got me thinking, isn't that kinda what i'm doing now?

obviously in the video she's talking about character design, but i think this can be applied to just about any form of media out there. furudate didn't HAVE to make yachi such a great and well thought out character, but they DID, and in turn even though she's a minor character, someone out there got inspired by her character and growth and decided to write a tumblr post (which is another form of media) and share it to the internet

am i saying that my singular post is gonna reach millions and change our nation into one that is ruled by hitoka yachi? OF COURSE NOT LMFAO. but my hope is that at least the few people who DO see it find something new to appreciate about her and/or haikyuu and create something else to feed into the endless haikyuu fandom hole, proving the point being made in the video. the most successful character designs are ones that garner the most fanart, cosplays, merch etc etc and the same can be said with the writing for the characters in haikyuu because EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM SERVE A PURPOSE. it makes the world feel so lived in and complete, which attributes to why SO MANY people have fallen in love with it and have been inspired by furudate's work regardless if they even like/play volleyball because the lessons and messages being presented can be applied to just about anything in life

and the best part is that it DOESN'T EVEN NEED TO BE COMPLEX. as much as i am a sucker for deeply layered characters filled with intricate lore and complicated pasts that shape their morally gray actions, you also can't beat something that is simple and done well, which in this case arguably benefits to haikyuu more since it's a story that's grounded in reality. while yachi isn't a standout ace on the girl's volleyball team that shoots lasers out of her eyes to avenge her dead parents, NEITHER DOES THE AVERAGE READER OF HAIKYUU.

but i'm sure everyone out there has experienced moments of self doubt, awkwardness, hesitation, excitement, (illogical) fear and more which are all traits that can be found in yachi

yachi refers to herself as "townsperson b" which is a role that is so insignificant it doesn't even have an actual name. showing how feels like she's just someone in the background compared to the "main characters" - something i'm sure lots of people have felt before. which is what makes her more relatable to the viewer and shows that even if you have these traits or feel these feelings, it doesn't mean you can't make a difference or that you should let them stop you from stepping out of your comfort zone. once again showing that (even though it isn't easy) there is merit in putting so much care and love into what you create that even the smallest of characters can be inspiring to others (like how yachi was to me)

SO TLDR: yachi's seemingly small contributions ended up playing a major role in the over arching plot of karasuno's growth which ultimately proves furudate's philosophy of "you don't win alone" because if yachi wasn't here karasuno would still be struggling to gain funds for their away games, without her karsuno wouldn't have another manager, without her we would have never learnt anything about kiyoko, without her kagehina would have failed their midterms and never reached their full potential. without her, karsauno would not be what it is today.

Here the 'separated by the net' is quite literally lol.

Again, it is visual representation of them bouncing the ball and keeping it from touching the floor, but the next page honestly makes me tear up..

Again, 'connect' is emphasised, but this time more beautifully, but with Hinata and Kageyama's teammates and the people who supported them, connected with them...

And it ends with their signature freak quick attack. Now Kageyama always took Hinata seriously, which is one of the things I love about him, and acknowledged his passion and dedication to volleyball when he refused to stop until the ball dropped with a set.

But they connected during that 3 on 3 with their quick, bringing their strengths together... I will never get tired of connection in Haikyuu ugh.

Also!!! Hinata can see past that 'tall, tall wall'!!! You can see the top of the net reflected in his eyes!!!

And then the thing that drives everyone crazy

Gosh I love circular endings. Inspiring people just like he himself was so inspired.

And before this panel came this:

It is the only piece of dialogue since the volleyball exposition piece, and it's the voice of the announcers reminding people once again that Hinata and Kageyama went to school together.

The bicycle kid would have heard this, and how amazing would it feel for him to hear that the two monsters on stage went to school in the same town that he lives in? That those people walked the same roads that he did? (Takinoue Electronics was on the Karasuno Shopping District iirc.)

This was supposed to be about the first chapter of haikyuu but it somehow ended with the last.