some thoughts on oikawa’s character development

the point of oikawa’s appearance in Brazil is to show the reader that oikawa has pride in his play style and skill, not just himself.

he likes blanco because blanco is a GOOD setter. blanco isn’t a genius and isn’t flashy. he does what he needs to do for the team’s benefit.

so as the reader we understand that yes, oikawa is prideful (what world class athlete isn’t?) but his pride is not in himself alone, it’s in his skill and how he can use his skill to make the players around him better, if not the best.

further, nearly every character has a “negative” character trait that becomes a positive trait later in their careers.

see; bokuto’s excitability, hinata’s selfish desire to be the best, ushijima’ obsession with winning, kageyama’s genius, atsumu’s incredibly high standards, hoshiumi’s height insecurity, etc.

so oikawa’s pride, which led him to act immaturely toward kageyama, is now a driving force that pushes him to compete and be the best setter he can be.

and what is his metric for what a good setter actually is? Jose Blanco, as established by the Brazil arc

finally, furudate shows us oikawa’s healthy pride at the Olympics. his sarcastic comment about the “family quarrel” isn’t disparaging. he’s friendly toward the competition (hugging hinata), and the competition is friendly back.

hinata, kageyama, ushijima, and iwaizumi (the four characters that have seen his pride at its worst) are eager to play against him. there’s no bitterness, anger, anxiety, fear. it’s mutual respect between athletes.

also, and this is really just my own reading, I think the family comment has a touch of sincerity

he’s being a little cheeky, but I do think he’s fond of the Japanese team. so him referring to kageyama and ushijima as “family” shows growth

in conclusion, oikawa and his pride are inseparable. the Brazil arc is meant to show us what his pride is in and that he’s learned to remember his love for volleyball.

the Olympic match is meant to show us that his pride is still there but the unhealthy insecurity is not.

oikawa totally abandoning his pride or his somewhat immature demeanor would be antithetical to the narrative furudate established with the other characters in adlers/msby match.

while we traditionally view pride as negative, understanding your ability and worth as player is essential, especially when competing at such a high level.

the presence of oikawa’s pride in 402 is a realistic and accurate representation of oikawa’s character and growth

if you don’t like oikawa’s pride and attitude at times it’s ok!!! you don’t have to love every part of every character!!!

but i think it’s important to acknowledge that oikawa’s arc is narratively consistent

tl;dr oikawa is a prideful shit and that’s ok and consistent with the overall hq narrative