you ever think about the fact that some people exist not to become stars but to lead others towards the light? ….

hinata was so moved by the little giant that his life found meaning the moment he came into his life (and the little giant never really ended up becoming a pro volleyball player in the first place despite his drive and talent!)

nekomata sensei’s “all we have to do is to lower the net!” shaped kuroo’s entire existence. it left such an impression on him that kuroo turned it into his goal in life: helping as many people as possible discover volleyball.

kuroo himself never going pro but becoming instead a bridge between people and volleyball (which he loves so dearly he wants to make it everyone’s business).

takeda sensei’s “He Who Would Climb a Ladder Must Begin at the Bottom” (which he says to hinata during his first year) became so meaningful to him that hinata hanged it on the wall of his bedroom in Brazil.

sugawara becoming a teacher and getting emotional when facing hinata (to whom he used to set when kageyama refused to do it) and kageyama (who quite literally took what had been his place up until the moment he came) and their growth.

i love that he’s snarky and provocative and insufferable and everything else, but i also think it’s so fitting that he used to hide behind his father’s legs when he was a kid.

he grew to love volleyball, pursued it with passion and spirit, felt it entirely as the dream it had always been. but he never went pro, and ! it’s just so right !

he was good at it, he was super good at it. but his path had already been shaped.

in this regard, isn’t kenma a fundamental part of the process that leads kuroo to the JVA?

kuroo introduces kenma to volleyball, drags him around (but not really, because kenma only ever does what he wants to do, he willingly follows kuroo) and grows up with him. we saw it in season four, how kuroo felt like he was somehow “guilty” of having forced kenma into that world — and kenma reminds the third years that if he really didn’t want to do it, he would’ve quit.

and obviously hinata becomes an important piece of the puzzle, but kenma sits on the floor at the end of the Battle of the Garbage Dump, and looks at kuroo, and thanks him.

and so kenma becomes the first person kuroo lowers the net for.

i believe this moment was another fundamental step towards his future. he’s really fit for his job, and he’s passionate about it. he really wants everyone to come together, he wants everyone to discover the joy of playing volleyball. he wants to lower the net!

“talent is something you make bloom, instinct is something you polish.”

i don’t think anything will ever stop him from doubting and feeling insecure, and iwaizumi himself once told him he’s probably never going to be satisfied. however, by breaking free from the constant pressure of “the talented ones”, he can polish his hard work, his instinct, his drive.

it will lead him far, yes. in fact, it leads him to another country, dealing with another language and another culture and another world. he momentarily forgets just how fun volleyball can be, until meeting hinata reminds him of it. he grows up to be fierce and motivated and passionate and on the opposite side of the court, representing another country and standing up for his “petty pride”.

he’s a character that drives me insane because i relate to him in ways that scare me. am i talented? or is what i have “just” instinct that i have to polish? am i a sort of imposter between people who are born great? people who have to work hard, just like me, but they seem to be doing it a bit more effortlessly?

hard work is always hard work, no matter the raw material (talent/instinct). but oikawa is so good and relatable because he knows it and he still feels like he needs to do more, more, more. he feels different from the others, and when first confronted with this reality it almost takes control of him. (kageyama is what he will never be, he despises him because of it).

and what’s an even bigger paradox is that nobody ever looks down on him. he does it all by himself. kageyama and ushijima and hinata and everybody else, they all look at him for what he is: a good player, a scary opponent, someone they fear and someone they look up to simultaneously, someone they have fun playing against, someone they want to beat, someone worth their time and efforts, someone who’s crazy good at what he does.

as always, haikyuu is so real for this too. our mind works in very weird ways, sometimes we don’t take into consideration others’ opinions of us unless they’re negative, we’re never satisfied with ourselves, we always want more.

oikawa is a perfectly crafted character. he has flaws and he’s so intensely human people might despise him for it. and the path furudate built for him is so fitting and so hopeful it has me believing there’s a chance i’ll get there too. not to Argentina, not to the Olympics. instead, to a future where my hard work means something (to me!).

and what if i don’t feel like the others? what about it? it will never be “just” instinct. it’s my hard work, my pride and drive. it will lead me places because i demand it. when oikawa breaks off the cycle, he becomes insatiable. “i will defeat everyone, so be ready!”