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Sakusa visionary shift from being perfect to having no regrets, a thread
We’ve got a whooping of new Sakusa’s content just now and I’m too thrilled to keep my mouth shut about this. So here goes nothing.
There are quite a few details that I consider noteworthy when it comes to Sakusa’s development throughout his volleyball career. His perception of luck, his cognizance on “pity” and the sheer change in his tone with the last spread.
Sakusa was at the peak of self-care since he was small. He’d even go out of his way to respect players that can do the same, like Ushiwaka and Tsukasa, and expresses dislike for players that can’t take care of themselves.
It’s pretty uncommon for a guy like that, who was also persistent, hard-working, and dedicated all his time to perfect each and everything to be appreciative of the “luck” concept. Safe to say that he’s somewhat a perfectionist too.
That he was born with abnormal flexibility wasn’t taken into account either when playing volleyball. It was not until Komori point it out did Sakusa realize he’s been gifted with a lucky skill. Yet he didn’t cared much for it, since he was still a kid.
Sakusa was not that familiar with the theme until he saw Iizuna’s injury during the Inubushi vs Itachiyama game.
He questioned, and thought “even after working/practicing so hard”. It’s not that Sakusa wasn’t able to fathom the fact that unluckiness could break in so easily. He had always taken it as a possibility, yet surprised when seeing it happened to one of the teammates he respected.
After that he asked for what was Iizuna so upset about when his injury wasn’t for under-preparation nor out-of-practice. Iizuna straight away said that that’s exactly why. It’s because of bad fortune, something he cannot control. No practice or training can compensate for that.
So that was when the “luck” concept resurfaced. His earlier being his chat with Ushijima, asking for why is he so good. Ushijima was not much different from Sakusa himself, being absolutely diligent, determined, and dedicated when it comes to volleyball and his well-being.
Yet Ushijima was aware that if it wasn’t for his “good” luck, he may haven’t gotten to where he is now. A powerful and strong volleyball player.
It could be that Sakusa wasn’t able to grasp the full implication behind that. Because up until then, he has only thought of it as a result of hard work and dedication. Luck or bad luck wasn’t a thing. Losing only served as a way to fire him up and practice even more.
Prior to Iizuna convo with Sakusa, we have the meteor speech that was given to the bystanders. Sakusa was speaking up his mind about Iizuna’s and Hinata’s injury. In an elaborated way, he was deeming that pitying someone over their bad luck isn’t going to make things better.
Luck is not something you get control over, but pity is something you can refrain yourself from saying so recklessly about people. Unfamiliar as he was with the concept, Sakusa was sensible enough to know when sympathy draws the line.
Back to luck, Sakusa now has finally completely understood how he is able to meet the right person, play volleyball, and make it this far. It’s with the help of “luck”.
He vowed to be as careful as he could, and to use all of his strength and “luck” to able to think “it’s alright if it all ends now”. He wanted to enjoy playing volleyball, not perfecting it. He understood what Tsukasa was trying to say about ending his last match with a smile.
It also acts as a declaration to his old self: he’s not tied to being a perfectionist anymore. Ideals don’t matter. What matters is just being able to play without any regrets.
