Pinned
I was outlining a new fic idea over FaceTime with my best friend and the ao3 tag she comes up with to describe it was “iwaoi gain self actualization through helping kagehina” and god, what a line!! this is deeply incoherent but the complexities and nuance contained in kagehina and iwaoi as parallels and foils (as individual characters and relationships) really are the driving force of my brain rot.
we have the setter spiker connection, of course, and the two seijoh karasuno matches really drive it home. Oikawa and Tobio comment on the similarities themselves (when backed into a corner they’ll always set to their partner!! that’s why they can read each other so well! also iwaoi’s reaction to “as long as I’m here, you’re invincible is peak, ok) and then later we have the time skip with Oikawa and Hinata both going abroad to Argentina and Brazil to further develop their skills. we have Oikawa and Hinata being drawn together through their hunger for volleyball, the struggles of being alone in a foreign country, and their connection to Tobio as forces that challenge and better him (they are his two biggest influences after all!!). they forge their own independent relationship on that beach and it’s equal parts and hilarious.
Iwa’s role in this is so fascinating as well because there’s so much there that’s hinted at. I could write volumes on iwaoi but I love love love the little glimpses we see about his relationship with Tobio—aka I make fanon mountains out of canon molehills. He’s a good senpai!!! We all know about That Scene™️ and how he defends Tobio; Tobio, hilariously, seems to only remember Iwa’s declaration of “the best team of six wins” and not much before that. Tobio respects him so much and thinks he’s cool! Iwa shakes his hand, ever gracious in defeat when they play for the second time. They lovingly insult and throw their best friends across the room in the same way (am I saying that Iwaoi greatly informed how Tobio views volleyball and relationships? Yes. Come on now, they must have spent a lot of time in the kitagawa gym together before and after practice. He chases after them and there’s that one panel of iwaoi graduating from kitagawa that I’m pretty sure is included in tobio’s flashbacks/backstory in the blackadler match). Who else can relate to Tobio’s mixed feelings about Brazil arc but Iwa? There’s also the fun bonus of Iwa being solely in Tobio’s corner at this point; tobio and shoyou share most of the same friends which could lead to a potential conflict of interest (God help yacchan, tadashi, tsukki, and suga when these morons argue) but tobio can reliably confide in Iwa without it getting back to Shoyou. the possibilities of iwakage friendship/mentorship are endless and I’m here to scream about it, whether it on the Japan national team, middle school, or during the time skip. I also think the dynamic between Iwa, Tobio, and Oikawa is so interesting (jealousy, affection, respect, resentment, oh my) and when you throw Hinata in the mix it’s even more fun.
I have some more vague thoughts on Hinata and Iwa as parallels that go into more angsty territory, particularly about self-worth and how the seijoh karasuno matches mirror each other in the last point. my boys are sad!! they couldn’t make the last point count!! their volleyball careers are different yet similar as they take unconventional paths to fulfill this promises to their respective setter soulmate. in a way, we have kagehina achieving what iwaoi was unable to, which is part of the reason I think kagehina getting together first is an excellent catalyst for iwaoi self reflection time. we have kagehina getting to nationals together and standing on the world stage side by side at the Olympics. Iwaoi are on opposite ends of the court, separated but still connected nonetheless.
I’ll probably add more to this as I write more of my fic/reread the manga and rewatch the anime, but TLDR; kagehina and iwaoi are my favorite relationships in haikyuu and they’re constantly rattling around in my noggin in the worst game of pinball ever.
