Haikyuu Makes Surprise Cameo During Tokyo Olympics Volleyball Game

Haikyuu! made a surprise cameo during a Tokyo Olympics volleyball game! Haruichi Furudate’s original manga series came to an end in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine last year, and so did the fourth season of the anime. This means that fans of the famous volleyball series have been anxious for more ever since, and many were surprised to see that happen in a much different way than expected. Because while anime music seemed to be missing from the Tokyo Olympics soundtrack thus far, Hailkyuu‘s very first opening theme has surprisingly made its debut at the perfect moment.

During the game between Japan and Venezuela’s Men’s Volleyball teams, in which Japan actually claimed their first victory at the Olympics in 29 years with a straight 3-0 win, one particularly great moment for Japan was accented by SPYAIR’s “Imagination,” which served as the very first opening theme for Haikyuu’s anime. It was a moment straight out of the series, and you can check it out below as spotted by @anjaheyheyhey on Twitter:

Haikyuu’s original manga series has been praised by fans around the world, and that includes professional volleyball athletes as well due to how well it manages to not only emulate the game itself, but sparked interest in the sport for many young readers. The series has a pretty close connection with the Olympics as well, but unfortunately that’s a huge spoiler for fans who have just been keeping up with the manga.

Suffice to say, the Olympics come into play towards the end of the series as the natural end result of Shoyo Hinata and Tobio Kageyama’s desire to play and strive further in the game, and it’s great to see it all come full circle like this as the series bleeds further into real life. Now with this anime theme playing over Japan’s notable Olympics victory, the series has found new life again well before the fifth season of the anime even comes to fruition.

There still has yet to be any news on that fifth season, unfortunately, but what do you think of Haikyuu’s surprise cameo during the Tokyo Olympics? What are some of your favorite games from the series overall? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!