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Terushima Yuuji
–– A Character Study
–– A Character Study
(will be tweeted in chunks)
Disclaimer: I recognise that Terushima's pushy advances towards Kiyoko should not be accepted and brushed aside, but I don't think he is inherently a misogynistic asshole. Since I am a supporter of development of characters outside of canon (essentially fanon characterisation), I
think fans should start wondering about potential growth in Yuuji's character in the following years, including but not limited to, apologising to Shimizu. And it's evident he /is/ capable of interacting with girls in a friendly manner, as seen by his relationship with Misaki.
I believe Terushima is a character who tends to go a bit overboard with a lot of things, both in volleyball and his socialisation. I'm not saying his overly enthusiastic nature is bad, definitely not! But I would like everyone to bear in mind this is a 17 year old boy
who loves playing volleyball and goofing around with his teammates (sometimes to the annoyance of people around him), just like 99% of the other characters in haikyuu.
1. His Introduction
I'll be the first to say that it's perfectly understandable that a lot of people felt an immediate dislike for Terushima at first. Here is this new character that comes out of the blue with an air of aloofness, who is seemingly trivialising the game of vb.
I'll be the first to say that it's perfectly understandable that a lot of people felt an immediate dislike for Terushima at first. Here is this new character that comes out of the blue with an air of aloofness, who is seemingly trivialising the game of vb.
One of the reasons why he can rub the audience off in a bad way is because he goes against the established idea that those who are incredibly serious about vb are admirable. The way he reduces it to simply having "fun" coupled with the fact it directly parallels the protagonist's
ideology naturally makes him an antagonist. Hinata, who has always wanted more and more and more in the game and to improve his skills to reach higher heights is confronted by this drastically different worldview.
"Maybe volleyball /is/ just a game, something to play around with" is NOT something anyone wants to think about
especially the audience who is reading a manga about vb, with a protagonist obsessed with vb, with their faves constantly trying to improve at vb, with the major adversaries in the story themselves be about vb (specifically how shoyo can overcome barriers such as physical height,
jumping height, strong blocking, solid receiving etc.)
For 100+ chapters we have observed Karasuno become stronger, for the rest of the series we see characters like Oikawa, Ushijima, Kageyama and most of all, Hinata, put so much time and energy into the game. A new character who says something along the lines of "volleyball is just
a game" would most definitely provoke outrage in the audience who have invested themselves in the stories of these driven characters. I mean, the audience /is/ meant to empathise with the protagonist in most texts; it's a foundation of story-writing.
It should be mentioned that the chapter ends with Kei being offered to practice with Akiteru. I think this was deliberately placed here to juxtapose nicely with the newly introduced idea that volleyball could actually simply a game to some people
"This is just a club."
"This is just a club."
There's a certain sadness and anger one gets when a complete outsider or even worse, a friend, doesn't match your enthusiasm in something you are clearly passionate about. It's simply human nature to dislike people who don't take you or your ambitions seriously.
The way Terushima physically bent down to stare into Hinata's eyes, displaying intense curiosity about how this wildcard's team won, concluding with a headpat, subtly implies that Hinata is being underestimated, yet again. It can be presumed that these actions are meant to
convey how Teru sees Hinata as this amateur-ish little kid, playing just to have a bit of fun like himself. We, the readers, already understand the depth of Hinata's hunger /ambition and are MEANT to be uncomfy with Teru here! He just indirectly said the chapters of development
of every character so far and those upcoming are for naught!
And! I! Am! So! Impressed! It takes guts to introduce such a bold character that is so against the status quo and then to portray them in a way that is respectful of both their ideals AND the protagonist's!
And! I! Am! So! Impressed! It takes guts to introduce such a bold character that is so against the status quo and then to portray them in a way that is respectful of both their ideals AND the protagonist's!
(more on this later)
To end this component of the analysis, I would like to highlight how Yuuji is overall depicted to be this cocky and self assured captain of a team that karasuno must overcome to advance to the next round, so yes, terushima /is/ unlikable at this point. But rereading this made
me realise this is absolutely necessary to contrast the changes in himself after the match in which he develops a biiiiiit more humility
So keep smirking at Daichi (*coughs* the love of your life *coughs*) and being a little prick
You'll be taken down a notch soon :) /pos
So keep smirking at Daichi (*coughs* the love of your life *coughs*) and being a little prick
You'll be taken down a notch soon :) /pos
