Top 5 Haikyuu!! Yaoi/BL Pairings

Sports anime are the ones that can make your adrenaline rise up to the point that you'd want to scream at your computer, cheering for your favorite character or your favorite team. This being said, Haikyuu!! is a real paradise for volleyball lovers, and, as a rule, for sport lovers in general.

Haikyuu!! is an amazing show that revolves around a shorty, whose name is Shouyo Hinata, and his dream to become an ace of volleyball. The stubborn and determined Hinata is surrounded by his teammates, and a big range of other characters belonging to the rival teams. Haikyuu!!'s peculiar trait is that each character is well analyzed, and episode by episode, the viewers learn to love and hate at the same time those boys who are in the middle of teenage and struggle over the tiniest thing.

Having a great range of characters, each of them deeply analyzed, each of them with their own problems and a great amount of teenage angst, Haikyuu!! is a fertile ground for those who love to ship characters and enjoy the way each of the boys interact with the other. This is the purpose of this chart; to list the most shippable couple in the Haikyuu!! universe and enjoy the ride!

5. Tooru Oikawa x Tobio Kageyama (OiKage)

Let's start this ships parade with a subtle yet loved pairing, only for true Haikyuu!! lovers. Here's the classical ship “senpai” x “kouhai”, as Oikawa was Kageyama's senpai during junior high school. This ship is loved right because OiKage has a solid past to be built upon. While attending junior high together, Kageyama was a little boy who admired his senpai Oikawa, to the point that he wanted to become like him one day. Oikawa, on the other hand, treated Kageyama poorly out of jealousy towards Kageyama's obvious talent.

As the two grew up, Kageyama went from feeling admiration towards Oikawa, to considering him a rival. And here's where the savage ship begins! Oikawa calls Kageyama “Tobio-chan”, jokingly. He holds a grudge towards Kageyama, due to the fact that he was considered a genius, so Oikawa grew an inferiority complex toward him. Basically, Kageyama brings out the most childish aspects in Oikawa, while Oikawa, even considered as a rival, is still the only person Kageyama really envies and want to surpass.

From fandom's point of view, they're just the perfect match. They keep on arguing, but what's interesting is how Kageyama is the only person who is able to break Oikawa's everlasting smile, and stir his anger up. They have a past together, and this leaves room to imagination. There's another part of the fandom, instead, that considers their way of interacting as if they were two boys unable to resolve their feelings towards each other, and so as clumsy as they are, instead of saying “I love you”, they prefer to fight. Whatever way you feel like shipping them, however, they'd make a perfect couple, with the maximum amount of rivalry. They wouldn't make a warm and loving pair, that is for sure, but they'd sure keep up the sex appeal!


4. Koutaro Bokuto x Keiji Akaashi (BokuAka)

Here's a pairing that's a joy for the heart and the eyes! Bokuto is a very funny character who gained popularity thanks to his amazing personality; he is friendly, energetic, childish and moody. Basically, Bokuto is like a time-bomb ticking. The entire team is in trouble whenever his mood changes, and almost no one seems to be able to deal with him. There's only one person who proved to be a master at dealing with this force of nature called Bokuto, and that is Keiji Akaashi.

Akaashi is the polar opposite to Bokuto; he is calm, composed, and mature. Bokuto and Akaashi are an amazing spiker/setter duo, and they are good friends as well. In spite being the younger among his teammates, Akaashi is the one who knows Bokuto better than anyone else, and the only one who can put up with Bokuto's tantrums during a match. Where Bokuto is a bit egocentric and full of self-esteem, Akaashi is very humble and able to see his own limits. It's funny to see how, during practices or a match, Bokuto asks Akaashi for praising just to see his requests declined. Or when Bokuto manages to do an amazing smash and asks Akaashi if he saw and if it wasn't an amazing one, just to receive a poker face from him.

Bokuto and Akaashi are a perfect couple not only because they have total opposite personalities, but even because they are visually perfect. They are physically spetacular, too. Bokuto has grey hair with spikes, and golden round eyes, while Akaashi has short black hair with grey eyes. This pairing gained popularity among the fans right because of the funny moments these two boys share, and because their relationship seems to communicate how, in spite Akaashi's emotionless attitude, they care about each other. This is one of the most heart-warming pairing in the Haikyuu!! universe, and we can clearly see the reason why!


3. Tetsurou Kuroo x Kei Tsukishima (KuroTsukki)

Here's the tease pairing that captivated the greater part of the fandom! Kuroo is the hot captain of the Nekoma High team, and Tsukishima is the “tsundere” middle blocker of the Karasuno High. What made these two characters so loved and shipped is easily said; there's a teaser, and one who doesn't want to get teased. Let's explain it better.

Kuroo's personality is intriguing, as he is laid-back and considered to be a great instigator. On the other side, there's Tsukishima who is blunt, and straightforward to the point that he can become poisonous sometimes. Tsukishima, due to something that happened in his past, acted as if he didn't really care about volleyball, and so he assumed a careless attitude. Well, the one who managed to make that facade come down crushing was Kuroo! In fact, Kuroo is the only one who is able to rile Tsukishima up and make him feel embarrassed or even frustrated. This is incredible, as Tsukishima is the one who has that same role – managing to anger Hinata with a single word.

When Tsukishima realized that he actually – probably – liked volley, he went as far as to ask for advice from Coach Ukai, who sent him to Kuroo. So Tsukishima had to eat his pride and ask Kuroo, who is a great middleblocker, for help. Pointless to mention, Kuroo accepted and he and Bokuto practiced together with him throughout the summer. That's how the fandom woke up and started to ship these two characters! Kuroo is so hot it hurts, with his black hair and his bad boy attitude, while Tsukishima has this “megane” “tsundere” vibes that it's impossible to hate him, in spite everything. While Kuroo pushes, and Tsukishima gets angry, together they just arouse the entire fandom's imagination, that sees this couple as one of the hottest!


2. Asahi Azumane x Yuu Nishinoya (AsaNoya)

Let's talk about a popular ship; the drama couple AsaNoya! Fandom was able to fantasize about Azumane and Nishinoya right from the start. Azumane is the ace of the Karasuno High. When the Karasuno was defeated by the Date Tech High, Azumane – who was feeling at fault – left the team right before the first years came. Nishinoya, who knows better than anyone else how much Azumane loves playing volley, refused to remain officially in the team, unless Azumane came back. When Azumane understood how much he loved volley, and joined the team once again, Nishinoya was the happiest person in the world, and followed by getting back in the team as well.

What's so intriguing about this couple is that Azumane is tall and looks way more mature than his actual age; yet his appearence doesn't match with his character. In fact, he is weak-willed, quiet, gentle and lacks self-esteem as an ace. On the other side there's Nishinoya, who is short, and looks like a child; yet his appearance doesn't match with his boisterous personality. Nishinoya is a temperamental character who speaks his mind and is full of energy. Azumane's polar opposite.

As a couple, they'd sure complete each other. It's clear how in the show basically Nishinoya becomes Azumane's strength. When Azumane seems on the verge of giving up, Nishinoya is there for him and cheers him up with all his might, reminding him how much he loves playing volleyball. The contrast is sharp; Azumane is like a gentle giant, while Nishinoya is a little tornado. Another little gem regarding these two is about their names; while Asahi means “morning sun”, Yuu means “evening”. Then again while Azumane means “east peak”, Nishinoya means “west valley”. Isn't it obvious that they were meant to be foils?


1. Tobio Kageyama x Shouyou Hinata (KageHina)

The first position had to be the golden couple formed by Kageyama and Hinata. This couple is the most popular in the Haikyuu!! universe, and we really can understand why. If it's true that opposites attract, it's no wonder how fandom fell in love with the way these two characters interact.

We have Kageyama who showed Hinata his bad attitude from their first meeting, during a tournament in junior high. He is sullen, terribly short-tempered and a perfectionist who didn't even care about his teammates. Consequently, he became a person full of regret and, fearing to be abandoned once again by his own team, he tried his best to improve his personality. Aside from his bad character, Kageyama is a real talent as a setter.

Hinata, in contrast with Kageyama, is exuberant, cheerful, and full of energy. He is often seen joking around with Nishinoya and Tanaka, who seem to have the same attitude as Hinata. Hinata is short and visually opposite to Kageyama, with his orange hair and brown eyes. He is madly in love with volley, and it's made clear how he needs Kageyama to improve his skills as a volleyball player.

Hinata manages to turn Kageyama's world upside down; he managed to befriend the unsocializing Kageyama, who gradually turns into a person his teammates can rely on. Hinata, thanks to Kageyama's help, improves his skills and, step by step, discovers his strong point as a volleyball player. This couple is bound to be loved because these two fight, are rivals, and keep on bickering over trivial things. Yet, when push comes to shove, Kageyama shows how much he treasures his friend Hinata, and the same goes for Hinata. His enthusiasm is able to warm hearts up, even Kageyama's. And that's all it took for KageHina to become the most shipped couple among fans!


Final Thoughts

With KageHina, our ranking comes to an end. There is so much room for imagination in Haikyuu!! universe, that multishippers just have to pick up one couple and go. Since Haikyuu!! has this huge range of characters, there were other couples that really deserved a mention: the sweet UkaTake, that sees coach Ukai in a potential relationship with Takeda; the amazing OiIwa, that highlights the sweet relationship shared by Oikawa and his ace teammate Iwaizumi; the non-conventional KuroKen, born from those who loved the way Kuroo and the laid back Kenma interacted. These were just five out of the many pairing possibilities! We hope you enjoyed reading about them. Well then, what is your favorite OTP in Haikyuu!!? Let us know in the comments below!

Haikyuu-wallpaper-1-636x500 Top 5 Haikyuu!! Yaoi/BL Pairings

Writer

Author: Mari Mari

An italian girl currently living the Japanese Dream. I'm an anime and manga enthusiast (I mean... very enthusiast. XD), and my other hobbies are writing, reading, playing volleyball, listening to good music and thinking about pointless things.

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