Shoyo Hinata

Shoyo Hinata
Haikyu!! character
Shoyo Hinata as drawn by Haruichi Furudate
First appearance"Endings and Beginnings" (2012)
Last appearance"Challengers" (2020)
Created byHaruichi Furudate
Voiced by
In-universe information
OccupationHigh School student (formerly)
Professional volleyball player
NationalityJapanese

Shoyo Hinata (Japanese: 日向翔陽, Hepburn: Hinata Shōyō) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the manga series Haikyu!! created by Haruichi Furudate. Shoyo is a high school student who wishes to become like the "Little Giant," a former Karasuno High School student and volleyball club member. To achieve his dream, he decides to join Karasuno, but to join the volleyball team he and Tobio Kageyama, a previous volleyball match opponent, must overcome their rivalry and work together.

In the Haikyu!! anime adaptation, he is voiced by Ayumu Murase in Japanese and Bryson Baugus in English.

Concept and creation

In the one shot of Haikyu!!!, Kageyama was the protagonist and Hinata was his teammate.[1] However, in the manga, Furudate chose Hinata as the main character in order to draw a shōnen manga.[1] In an interview with Yomiuri Shimbun, Furudate stated that the development of Hinata dropping out of a major game due to his fever was decided early on to show that Hinata could not survive only with his impulses to compete in the nationals. The author believed that this could convince the reader.[1] In addition, on the podcast Haikyu!! Karasuno High School Broadcasting Club! podcast, Furudate revealed that Hinata was originally more impetuous than Ryunosuke Tanaka, and also commented that he preferred to give Tanaka that personality.[2]

His voice actor, Ayumu Murase, commented to Kageyama's actor, Kaito Ishikawa, that when he took on the role of Hinata, he did not have as many job opportunities as he does now, and he worked hard to play it.[3] Murase also said that the response after the broadcast of the anime was excellent. He was then recognized not only by viewers but also by the people involved in the production, where his number of job proposals increased.

Appearances

Haikyu!!

Aspiring to be a volleyball player, Hinata longs to be like the "little Giant", a short Karasuno student who was a volleyball player.[4] Hinata started playing volleyball in middle school. However, the club failed to have enough members, preventing Hinata from practicing properly. The first official match of the school he attended was his last, where he played against Kitagawa Daiichi, where Kageyama attended. The match resulted in a total defeat to Hinata's team. Even so, this loss became the main character's primary source of motivation that eventually honed his overall character.

To win a match, he eventually attends Karasuno High School, where the "Little Giant" studied. There, he discovers that Kageyama studies at the same high school. Such resulted in a fight, almost prohibiting them from joining the club. When the two manage to make peace, they join the club along with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima.

After graduating from high school, he decided to go to Brazil alone to play beach volleyball. After a three-year stint in the country, he returns to Japan and participates in a match as a player for MSBY Black Jackal in the top division of the V League.

Video games

In the video game, Puyopuyo!! Quest, two collaborations were made with Haikyu!!, Hinata appeared as a guest in both. In the first release, his own card was implemented.[5] In addition, in the second collaboration with the game, a scenario based on Haikyu!! To the Top was developed.[6]

Theater

In the theatrical version of Haikyu!!, Kenta Suga played the role of Hinata from 2015 to 2018, and Kotaro Daigo has been playing it since November 2019. Daigo cites the original Hinata as his rival, "because he is a person who respects and wants to surpass his positive personality, his unwavering attitude and his ability to grow hard."[7]

Reception

Ryoko Fukuda, of Real Sound, commented that "the positive attitude and physical strength in Hinata, not everyone can have it. That's what a shōnen hero has," and added "the reason of becoming stronger for what he likes and striving fervently arouses the reader's desire to support him."[2] In an Anime! Anime! popularity poll, Hinata was voted as the first-most-popular character in Haikyu!!.[8]

The volleyball player Yuji Nishida revealed in an interview with sports magazine Sportiva that foreign players had told him "You are Hinata." As a volleyball player, he talks about Hinata's small physique and great jumping ability. However, Nishida himself expresses that it is a combination of all the characters.[9]

At the 5th Crunchyroll Anime Awards, Shoyo was nominated in the award for Best Protagonist and won the award for Best Boy.[10][11]

Japanese manufacturer Good Smile Company released figures of Hinata in their Nendoroid and Figma lines.[12][13] Plushies were also released by some manufacturers.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c "「わかりやすい言葉がめちゃくちゃ感動するセリフになる」…「ハイキュー！！」作者が語る制作秘話" (in Japanese). Yomiuri. 2020-12-24. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  2. ^ a b "『ハイキュー!!』作者・古舘春一先生のお気に入りキャラクターは？ 「烏野高校放送部」スペシャル生放送をレポート". Real Sound｜リアルサウンド ブック (in Japanese). 21 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  3. ^ "アニメ『ハイキュー!! TO THE TOP』村瀬歩さん×石川界人さんインタビュー". Animate Times (in Japanese). 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  4. ^ "ハイキュー!!". マンガペディア (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  5. ^ "「ぷよぷよ!!クエスト」と「ハイキュー!!」コラボがついにスタート コラボ限定ストーリーやイベントが登場". GAME Watch (in Japanese). 2020-01-17. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  6. ^ "日向たちは「ぷよクエ」の世界でもバレー尽くし？ 「ハイキュー!!」原作ファンから見た、コラボの注目ポイント5つ【プレイレポート】". アニメ！アニメ！. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  7. ^ "ハイパープロジェクション演劇「ハイキュー!!」"飛翔" 醍醐虎汰朗×須賀健太 対談". Natalie (in Japanese). 2019-10-24. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  8. ^ "村瀬歩さんお誕生日記念！一番好きなキャラは？ 「ハイキュー!!」日向翔陽、3年連続トップなるか!?". Anime! Anime! (in Japanese). 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  9. ^ "西田有志が『ハイキュー!!』愛を語る。「とにかくリアルすぎます」（2ページ目）". Sportiva (in Japanese). 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  10. ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (January 16, 2021). "Crunchyroll Announces Nominees for 5th Annual Anime Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  11. ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (February 20, 2021). "Crunchyroll Awards Crown Jujutsu Kaisen as Anime of the Year". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  12. ^ "Nendoroid Shoyo Hinata｜Good Smile Company". Good Smile Company Online Store (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  13. ^ "POP UP PARADE Shoyo Hinata｜Good Smile Company". Good Smile Company Online Store (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  14. ^ "Plushie Shoyo Hinata/Tobio Kageyama｜Good Smile Company". Good Smile Company Online Store (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-19.