Is Atsumu Really the Best High School Setter?

It's true, but also not.

Canon says yes... but does it tell the full story?

His title is official, yet there are flaws in how it was determined. That’s where the debate begins.

In Haikyuu!!, we often hear about the "Top 5 Spikers," "The Best Setter," and "The No. 1 Libero" through magazine rankings. However, these titles are always subject to debate. That’s expected because while these rankings are canonically stated, they are not without flaws.

This isn’t about arguing against canon. Instead, it’s an analysis of the canon itself. Furudate-sensei ensures that his story remains as rational as possible, and that’s what we’ll explore.

A Simple Example

Take, for example, Hyakuzawa—a player who only started volleyball in high school. His team never reached Nationals, yet he became a member of Japan’s National Team (JNT). This means he must have developed into one of the best players over time. This suggests that skill progression between the pre-timeskip and post-timeskip periods plays a role in evaluating a player’s true potential.

Hyakuzawa Yudai

This same reasoning applies to why Atsumu’s title as "The Best High School Setter" is debatable. The timeline plays a crucial role.

1. The Role of Nationals in Recognition

If you look at those who received official titles, they all played in the Nationals. This means players like Oikawa—who never led his team to Nationals—would never gain national recognition, even if he were better than Atsumu.

Oikawa Tooru

Takeda-sensei’s statement about Kageyama during Karasuno’s first Nationals match supports this idea. He notes that Kageyama’s skills were hidden until that moment. Additionally, Coach Hibarida, a key figure in player evaluation, only appears at Nationals. This suggests that selectors like Hibarida and his colleagues would base their opinions on players who competed at that level.

JNT Coach, Coach Hibarida

This logic also applies to Yaku’s case. While Komori Motoya is officially recognized as the No. 1 high school libero, we barely see his skills in action, aside from his movements in the U-19 Youth Camp. That said, considering he played alongside "annoying wrist" Sakusa, it’s reasonable to expect that he has excellent digging skills.

In contrast, Yaku’s abilities have been evident since Season 1—his quick adaptability against Asahi, his strategic digs against Hinata, and his ability to stop spikers simply just being on the court. Yet, because Nekoma only reached the Nationals in Yaku’s third year, and because Coach Hibarida wasn’t watching their match, Yaku’s skills remained unknown to the national-level decision-makers.

Morinosuke Yaku

With this example, we understand why Oikawa was overlooked. His lack of national experience meant he couldn’t compete for the title of "Best High School Setter."

You might want to argue with something like, "But Oikawa is really no better than Atsumu," right? Unfortunately, the official poll in the manga didn't agree with it. This means there are factors that make Oikawa better than Atsumu that we missed. I'll uncover it in a special series about setter comparison.

Did Coach Hibarida Intentionally Skip the Karasuno vs. Nekoma Match?

The answer appears to be yes. As with any character analysis, it’s important to examine actions through the lens of their objectives and context.

Coach Hibarida attended the U-19 Youth Camp with a specific purpose: scouting potential players for the World League. By the time he appeared, the camp coaches had already filtered the participants—Hibarida was there to evaluate those who had met the “minimum bar,” as referenced in earlier observations.

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After the camp, he began attending select matches to continue assessing these candidates in real-game scenarios. He was seen at the match featuring Kageyama and Atsumu, later at the one with Sakusa and Motoya, and finally at the Kamomedai match, which included both Kageyama and Hoshiumi.

Notably, Kageyama was the only U-19 candidate participating in the Karasuno vs. Nekoma match. Given that Hibarida had already observed him in the match against Inarizaki, it would have been more efficient for him to focus on matches involving a wider pool of candidates. Match scheduling conflicts may have also influenced his decision, making his absence from the Nekoma game a strategic choice rather than an oversight.

In short, Hibarida’s scouting approach appears deliberate, focused, and aligned with his role as a national team selector.

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2. The Timeline Factor

Another reason Atsumu’s title is debatable is the timeline. When Karasuno reached Nationals, Atsumu was in his second year, meaning he had at least a year to establish himself as the best setter. It’s likely he was already Inarizaki’s starting setter in his first year.

By the time of the Winter Tournament, many third-years had already retired, reducing Atsumu’s competition. Meanwhile, Kageyama had just made his Nationals debut. Since Karasuno had previously failed to qualify, Kageyama’s skills had remained largely unknown on a national scale (prior to his debut). As a result, Atsumu earned the title.

If we truly wanted to determine the best high school setter, the evaluation should have been extended until the end of the pre-time skip. However, Furudate-sensei never provides an explicit post-national ranking, likely out of respect for his characters. Instead, we are given an image of Kageyama being chosen to join JNT in 2016, which should have been enough explanation.

3. The Influence of the Team

Atsumu’s title is also influenced by his team. Different teams provide different synergy and impact a setter’s reputation.

For example, Kenma is not the best setter in a traditional sense, but he is a strategic genius. When Taketora compared him to Kageyama, he strongly opposed the praise. Ukai’s monologue explains why: Kenma played with a team that had strong receivers, so he didn’t need to handle poor passes as often. In contrast, Karasuno struggled with receiving (aside from Daichi and Nishinoya), forcing Kageyama to work harder to connect imperfect passes. Kageyama’s ability to handle bad receives is superior.

Kenma and Taketora

Atsumu, too, benefited from playing for Inarizaki—a team filled with individually strong players. He had Osamu, his twin with near-telepathic coordination, making their attacks more unpredictable. He also had Aran, a top-tier spiker, and strong blockers and liberos. Because of this, any highlight-worthy plays by his teammates also reflected well on Atsumu as a setter.

Inarizaki Team

However, this also reveals his weakness. Unlike Oikawa and Kageyama, Atsumu didn’t have to elevate a weaker team. Oikawa and Kageyama proved they could make weaker teams stronger, making their abilities more versatile. This is why their skills can challenge Atsumu’s title.

The Rationality of Furudate’s Writing

Some might ask, "Why make Atsumu’s title canon if it’s debatable? Isn’t canon supposed to be absolute?"

That’s a fair question. However, as mentioned before, Furudate-sensei is a rational writer. He once stated that he tends to overthink—something reflected in characters like Kageyama and Akaashi, who are highly analytical.

But not all canon is debatable. Some facts are set in stone. For example, it is canonically confirmed that Oikawa has an athletic build, as stated by Iwaizumi in Season 1. This is supported by Oikawa’s high power stats and his serve being on par with Ushiwaka’s. Additionally, we never see workout equipment in his room, implying that he can naturally maintain his physique with lesser effort than those who don't have an athletic build like Kageyama—whose athleticism is also acknowledged by Sugawara but is clearly a result of rigorous training.

The one who confirms it is Iwaizumi—Oikawa's best friend, a wrestling champion, Kageyama's senior (who can definitely compare these two), and a future athletic trainer. Not to mention, the situation of his confirmation doesn’t support him being biased toward Oikawa.

Conclusion

In the end, Atsumu being the best high school setter is both true and debatable. While he is the officially recognized best High School setter, factors like team composition, timing, and exposure at Nationals all played a role in securing his title.