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Kageyama Tobio: A Thread
kageyama is a very divisive character i have learned. some people love him, some people hate him. some relate to him, some see him as nothing more than a volleyball obsessed idiot.
i'm not here to convince you to love him, but to discuss his character.
kageyama is a very divisive character i have learned. some people love him, some people hate him. some relate to him, some see him as nothing more than a volleyball obsessed idiot.
i'm not here to convince you to love him, but to discuss his character.
this thread will have manga spoilers and a ton of talking about mental illness/trauma. it also contains a multitude of headcanons. i'm going to try to be unbiased, because no matter how you see kags, you're totally valid.
kageyama is introduced to us as an arrogant, self-centered, short tempered ass. and to be honest? first year kageyama is those things.
he treated his teammates like shit. he thought lesser of hinata because of his lack of training. he felt like no one cared but him.
he treated his teammates like shit. he thought lesser of hinata because of his lack of training. he felt like no one cared but him.
he cannot focus or care about anything other than volleyball. he doesn't care about his studies. he has no motivation except for when it comes to his sport. he has no regard for teamwork or the players as individuals.
this is how he's introduced and showcased.
this is how he's introduced and showcased.
it's a hard thing to swallow, a main character being portrayed so heinously. we're not used to it. it makes us uncomfortable. it's built up to make him a villain despite being a secondary protagonist and on the same side as our main character.
it's a weird dynamic admittedly.
it's a weird dynamic admittedly.
some people love him regardless. maybe because we're always attracted to the villain in one way or another.
some people hate him because he stands for everything we're taught is wrong.
he divides the fandom pretty heavily right from the beginning.
some people hate him because he stands for everything we're taught is wrong.
he divides the fandom pretty heavily right from the beginning.
as we get through the series, we notice him start to change. we see him working with his spikers. we see him being part of a team, encouraging his partners and trying to become friends.
this is not an excuse for his prior actions. this is where the views on him gets messy.
this is not an excuse for his prior actions. this is where the views on him gets messy.
skip to chapter 387. we finally get kageyama's backstory.
we learn he's been obsessed with volleyball since he could hold one. it runs in the family. his grandfather and his sister both have played for years, since they were his age.
maybe he is just obsessed. maybe that's all.
we learn he's been obsessed with volleyball since he could hold one. it runs in the family. his grandfather and his sister both have played for years, since they were his age.
maybe he is just obsessed. maybe that's all.
i would like to propose he is so much more. (disclaimer: he is still a little shit at the beginning. i don't excuse those actions. he is not owed forgiveness.)
what makes kageyama interesting is we never learn his thoughts. he is so reserved and quiet, the opposite of hinata.
what makes kageyama interesting is we never learn his thoughts. he is so reserved and quiet, the opposite of hinata.
the things he experiences, he goes through. it's all speculation. take this as my own analysis of it versus the truth. no matter how you feel, your opinions of him are valid.
kageyama has trauma. kageyama is nuerodivergent. he is a hurt child in the end.
kageyama has trauma. kageyama is nuerodivergent. he is a hurt child in the end.
mental illness and trauma affect the way we think and react. it changes our experiences. the person next to you could take a sentence and respond completely opposite of you, and it would be their own personal truth.
but with characters, we equate our truths with theirs.
but with characters, we equate our truths with theirs.
this isn't always fair to our author so let's dig a little deeper into how his situation may be affected by mental illness and trauma.
lack of motivation, hyperfixation (one could argue his obsession with volleyball is more hf than an obsession), misplaced anger, etc...
lack of motivation, hyperfixation (one could argue his obsession with volleyball is more hf than an obsession), misplaced anger, etc...
these are all results of various mental illnesses. we hear them on commercials for depression, bipolar, anxiety, whatever. but what does this matter?
kageyama's experiences, how he reacts to people and how he thinks are all results of the life he's grown up with.
kageyama's experiences, how he reacts to people and how he thinks are all results of the life he's grown up with.
and the life he's lived with has been tough.
the lack of parental support, the loss of a father figure, the loss of connection with his sister (i.e., when she quit volleyball). these aren't easy things to go through.
they can all result in depression, anxiety or other illnesses
the lack of parental support, the loss of a father figure, the loss of connection with his sister (i.e., when she quit volleyball). these aren't easy things to go through.
they can all result in depression, anxiety or other illnesses
when we see kageyama in middle school, he feels like no one cares as much as he does. this is likely a result of his lack of support at home and the loss of the only people who have ever cared, his sister leaving volleyball included.
he pushed his team too hard.
he pushed his team too hard.
but that's because he wanted someone to care as much as he did. all he wanted was someone to rely on, to trust, again.
sure, he did it in a not so healthy way, but he also did not know how to healthily deal with his problems, something common with mental illness.
sure, he did it in a not so healthy way, but he also did not know how to healthily deal with his problems, something common with mental illness.
he clung to volleyball because it was the only thing that kept him connected to the people he lost. he wanted someone to fill that void.
but when he found that person, he was scared. hinata terrified him.
he treated hinata poorly because of his fear.
but when he found that person, he was scared. hinata terrified him.
he treated hinata poorly because of his fear.
he was afraid of oikawa, of ushijima, of anyone who came close to his level.
he was afraid of the "someone who would come along and beat him."
volleyball is his way of life. it's all he knows. it's all he can know because it's his comfort.
he was afraid of the "someone who would come along and beat him."
volleyball is his way of life. it's all he knows. it's all he can know because it's his comfort.
he sees school as expendable because it's not what he feels at home in. his lack of motivation and caring is a symptom of being nuerodivergent.
he doesn't not care because he hates school. he doesn't care because school never connected him with anyone.
volleyball did.
he doesn't not care because he hates school. he doesn't care because school never connected him with anyone.
volleyball did.
kageyama only knows how to communicate because of and through volleyball.
he couldn't communicate the trauma of losing his grandfather through words, so he did it by pushing his team to the brink. he craved that feeling of being whole again. no one fulfilled it.
he couldn't communicate the trauma of losing his grandfather through words, so he did it by pushing his team to the brink. he craved that feeling of being whole again. no one fulfilled it.
let's not forget his teammate almost hitting him when he reached out.
kageyama tried to learn to be part of a team, but he was shunned by someone he admired. someone he wanted to be friends with. he was treated with contempt.
kageyama does not know how to interact with a team.
kageyama tried to learn to be part of a team, but he was shunned by someone he admired. someone he wanted to be friends with. he was treated with contempt.
kageyama does not know how to interact with a team.
and he was not taught how to correctly. he never learned because no one showed him the right way.
so to him, his pushing probably seemed okay because he was shown anger himself. that's what he was taught.
we cannot excuse his actions.
so to him, his pushing probably seemed okay because he was shown anger himself. that's what he was taught.
we cannot excuse his actions.
but we can begin to understand the results and how he thinks and feels. how he grows and learns. why it's different than hinata or oikawa or ushijima.
kageyama tobio is a child, still growing and learning. he hurts and he feels so much more than we think.
kageyama tobio is a child, still growing and learning. he hurts and he feels so much more than we think.
i think looking at him at face value is not what furudate would want. he wouldn't be so integral to the story if he was just some "volleyball obsessed idiot."
karasuno and hinata would not be the same without him. he was included for a reason. the quick was included for a reason
karasuno and hinata would not be the same without him. he was included for a reason. the quick was included for a reason
in conclusion: i think we need to explore kageyama more as a person, the way he thinks, reacts and experiences things, before we write him off as just a rival.
#HQ
#HQ
