Why I Love Oikawa Tooru – A Longass, Worthless Thread That Is Not Worth Reading and Will Absolutely Cause Me to Lose Followers

I want to start by saying that Oikawa was my least favorite character for a very, very long time. I abhorred him, and it’s because my perception of him was very surface-level. I only saw the side of him that he shows everyone else, and I didn’t like that person.

I think some people still dismiss Oikawa (as I used to) because they don't realize that most of what we see of him is just an act on his part. Very, very rarely do we get to see the real him, especially prior to the Brazil arc.

It's a lot easier for him to act like a frivolous, petty, self-absorbed jerk than it is to acknowledge his jealousy, extreme self-doubt and fear. I don’t think he likes himself very much and this extends beyond simply an inferiority complex into something akin to pure self-hatred

Putting on a front that is relatively charming and charismatic allows him to keep everyone at arm’s length and thus protect himself. Because if people criticize him or dislike him, it’s not really *him * that they are criticizing and disliking.

His inability to ever beat Ushijima and the way he felt so threatened by Kageyama caused him to spiral out of control and become a person so filled with self-loathing and so incapable of seeing any light at the end of his very, very dark tunnel.

Thankfully, Iwaizumi was there to help shine some light on his darkness, but that Oikawa is fundamentally flawed and very much the opposite of the confident person he pretends to be cannot be ignored. His outward behavior and “personality” are completely at odds with his inner

psyche and true self, and very few of the other characters know who he really is. But I don't think he's trying to be fake for any malicious or manipulative reasons; he just doesn't want people to see the side of him that is afraid and vulnerable.

Oikawa is, perhaps, one of the most deeply flawed (and therefore one of the most deeply human) characters in this series. The very traits that represent the worst of who he is (his insecurity, jealousy, bitterness, self-hatred) have also allowed him to blossom into the best

version of himself, because they have driven him to push harder and never, ever give up no matter the odds and no matter how much he thinks the world is working against him. Despite how he appears to most people, his tenacity, passion and dedication are hard to rival.

Underneath the frivolity, childishness, and arrogance lies someone very different. Someone jealous and fearful and self-loathing yes. But also someone fiercely dedicated, tremendously passionate, ambitious, serious, and hungry in a way that would impress even Miya Osamu himself.

Beyond his complexity and humanity, I also greatly appreciate his personal philosophy when it comes to setting; ie. the fact that he believes in the importance of bringing out the best in his team. In truth, I think this extends beyond the court as well.

I believe that he genuinely seeks to bring out the best in those around him, both as players and on a more personal level, and I think this can very much be seen during the Brazil arc and his interactions with Hinata therein.

On a semi-related note, I think that Oikawa cares about people a lot more than the fandom gives him credit for. Ostensibly, his initial reason for not going to Shiratorizawa was because Ushijima was his rival, and he felt that he could grow and improve more as a player if he-

stood on the opposite side of the court from him. For many, many years, he had wanted to defeat Ushijima, and he didn’t feel that he could do that if they were on the same team. But by the time he finished his last match of high school and reaffirmed his faith in this decision

his lack of regret over not attending Shiratorizawa had transformed into something much more than simply wanting the chance to beat his rival. He grew to love Seijoh so much that he would rather lose with them than win on a team without them.

When Kageyama said this at the end of nationals, I couldn’t help but think of Oikawa. Tooru would hate me for saying this, but he and Kageyama are not so dissimilar after all.

I have also seen him left out of a lot of discussions (but not all) relating to the monster generation, perhaps because he isn’t a part of the Adlers or Jackals, or perhaps because some people genuinely don’t consider him such (though I don’t understand why)

If there’s anyone in this series worthy of the title “monster”, it is most certainly him. He was even referred to as a monster long before Kita’s speech. (Shirabu, you are the best member of Shiratorizawa, thank you, I love you, you’re perfect and always right)

I don’t believe that you need luck or “genius” or innate, unrivaled skill to be a monster, but you do need drive and passion, and these are things Oikawa possesses in abundance. He is absolutely the type of person to keep running even if he starts coughing up blood (unfortunately

Another element of being a “monster” that gets overlooked is curiosity, which is something Oikawa also possesses. Oikawa’s words in Brazil paralleled Kita’s words beautifully.

I got completely sidetracked just now, whoops.

Me Suna
Trying to insert Kita into every conversation

What I love most about Oikawa is the fact that his entire arc is about overcoming one’s own demons, conquering one’s self-doubts, and moving forward no matter what. He could have given up at any point, but he didn’t. Jose Blanco warned him that the road he was following would be

“far longer and far tougher”, but Oikawa never wavered from that path, because that isn’t who he is. He is the type of person who will fall down 7 times, and get up 8, because Oikawa Tooru loves volleyball just that damn much.

It doesn’t matter to him anymore that others are more skilled than him, that others are “geniuses” or “lucky” and he isn’t. It doesn’t matter that he has to work twice as hard to get half as far and that a lot of the time he is struggling and suffering. There’s a quote I think

about a lot in relation to Oikawa, that is as follows: “Loving what you do doesn’t mean you are never going to be faced with trials. It rather means that you persist, persevere and endure because you are enthusiastic about seeing the joyous end.”

It doesn’t matter that, a lot of the time, the hard times outweigh the fun…because the fun is still there and his love for this sport trumps any and all struggles he has in pursuit of it.

In short, Oikawa Tooru is my favorite character because he has taught me the meaning of love.