Haikyuu Opening #7 Toppako ('Breakthrough') may well be one of the most underrated Haikyuu openings of all time.
An analysis thread scrutinising the wonderfully hidden themes that are obscure to the eye on the first watch:

#Haikyuu #haikyuutothetop

The first time I saw it, I thought it was slightly underwhelming compared to hype beast ops like Fly High or Hikari Are for match battles. You would expect one such opening for this Krsn vs Inrzk match, that has the most character development & is pay off rich..

However..

We start off with an emotional gut punch which shows Hinata & Kageyama's beginning, where they were at when they came to Karasuno. Hinata being alone & Kageyama also being alone bcoz he was abandoned.

A journey "To the Top" that came from humble & difficult origins.

While we get a clear sense of the character's emotions, it builds anticipation by only giving us a partial view of the characters' faces & expressions

The next shot is of the sun shining brightly behind the arena which transitions into the bright ceiling lights that line the roof of the arena. This is SUCH an important establishing shot.

Almost EVERY Haikyuu opening & ending so far has the motif of the Hinata & the team chasing after the Sun & making a grab at it. An analogy to seeking greater heights with the drive to become better & to grab the light of victory within one's hands.

And now that they are in nationals, the "Light" is represented not by the Sun, but the Stadium lights. It sets the standard, it represents ambitions & aspirations, different to every player.

The spotlight that once shone on the little giant, already hinted at in previous OP.

Then, as the camera pans down, we get a real sense of HOW far above the "Light" is, how HIGH the standards & the level of ambitions & aspirations, & how daunting a task it is to obtain a victory on this stage.

Then we have the main rivalry of the season, that sets the standard of the plays. Miya Atsumu throwing a serve toss into the lights, & Kageyama setting a ball into the light.
The ball dissolving into the light is a motif to indicate "success", as it is the means to attain.

Nishinoya saving a ball & finding his ground.

Then there is again a partial shot of Atsumu's face while there is steam rising off him showing his excitement to run wild & challenge Karasuno, the freak combo & Kageyama, through serves, sets & recieves.

The series of shots we see next are the truly phenomenal ones, that tease every important rivalry we will see in this match -

Yamaguchi's Jump Floater & Tsukishima's Read Blocking vs Suna.

Tanaka vs Inarizaki's Middle Blockers, especially Oomimi & Gijinma

Then there is a shot of Hinata under pressure with steam rising off his body, from struggling to score with the freak quick, with recieves, blocks but finding his rhythm & raising his level of performance

There is a beautiful panning shot of all the players from both Inarizaki & Karasuno in the court, from the POV of the Inarizaki cheer section

Then we see the old rivalries that brought them here..

& newer, tougher opponents they met because of coming here.

As well as old friend-foes who they made it here together with...

And the ones they were currently fighting against

Then we once again see a montage of the main rivalries, in order.

Libero vs Libero, Tanaka vs Ginjima & Oomimi, Pinch Servers vs Pinch Servers & the battle of intelligence between players on the bench on either side

Captain vs Captain, MB vs MB, Ace vs Ace

And finally, Miya Twins vs Freak Combo & Setter vs Setter in Osamu & Atsumu vs Kageyama & Hinata

Then we have the iconic shot of the ball being reflected in Hinata's eyes, showing his obsession to get better, do more & have a greed for victory - an indication of his "HUNGER".

The ball dissolves into the light, which Hinata clasps in his hands, indicating that he will find the something he wants & is looking for.

Then there is a TRULY BREATH TAKING SEQUENCE OF SHOTS showing Hinata & Kageyama performing their quick.

The camera work here is mad, & especially amazing because it truly gives you an idea about how magnificent, awe-inspiring, yet chaotic & frenzied their quick is.

THERE ARE NO WORDS

Breath taking doesn't even begin to cover it.

The two teams gauge each other, & are weary of each other.. except for the Miya Twins & the freak combo, who are excited at the prospect of challenging each other.

And in the end, even though they started off alone & abandoned, now they are a part of Karasuno & together, are journeying "To the Top" of volleyball.