On their journey to restore their school's reputation and qualify for the Japanese national tournament, the players from Karasuno High interact with other teams and form long-lasting relationships along the way.
After an unsuccessful stint in middle school, Hinata joins the Karasuno team, where he butts heads with fellow first-year setter Tobio Kageyama.
Though lacking in technique and general game knowledge, Hinata's speed and vertical jump allow him to act as a decoy to mislead opposing teams, earning him a position on the starting lineup as a middle blocker.
Though an exceptionally diligent and strategic setter, his ruthless desire to win and his authoritarian leadership style had put him at odds with his volleyball teammates in middle school, earning him the pejorative nickname "King of the Court".
Regarded by others as a "volleyball genius", Kageyama is famous for his pinpoint accuracy when setting, as well as his ability to utilize his spikers to their maximum potential.
His condescending attitude and tendency to make snide remarks puts him at odds with both his own teammates (particularly Kageyama and Hinata) as well as members of opposing teams.
Despite being a key member of Karasuno's defense, Tsukishima struggles due to his lack of devotion to the sport and inability to understand why others are so invested.
Though mild-mannered and timid, his stature, strength, and long hair make him appear older and more intimidating than he is, leading players from other teams to speculate that he is in fact a grown man who has been held back.
Her physical attractiveness results in unwanted advances from members of opposing teams and makes her the target of Nishinoya and Tanaka's unyielding affection.
In recent years, Aoba Johsai has been consistently qualifying for the finals of both the Interhigh and Spring High tournaments, but are always defeated by Shiratorizawa.
He is the only person on the team who scolds Kyotani to his face for being a risky, selfish player and for jeopardizing the third-years' final chance of making it to the Nationals.
In contrast, Tōru Oikawa permits and even praises him for his style of play, which allows him to conserve his energy for the latter half of the game when everyone else is exhausted, giving him greater chances of scoring and making him a reliable player.
He is aggressive and rarely speaks with his teammates, often barging into them and spiking sets that were not meant for him, and getting angry when he is used as a decoy, even when the ploy is successful.
Their pre-game ritual is a speech by their captain, Kuroo, who uses a metaphor to remind the team that they are like "blood", and must connect and continue flowing to circulate oxygen and keep their minds working.
He is nicknamed the "scheming captain" because he is a clever strategist; he is also considered a "provocation expert" because he enjoys teasing people lightheartedly.
During a training camp, he gives advice to Kei Tsukishima about blocking after inviting him to practice with him after hours, as he wants Karasuno to qualify for Nationals in order to fulfill Coach Nekomata's dreams.
However, Kenma is vital to Nekoma's playmaking and is considered the "backbone", "brain", and "heart" of the team, which Kuroo alludes to in his pre-game speech.
Lev reminds Kenma of Hinata due to their excitability, persistence, and poor skill in the essentials of receiving and serving.
Date Tech High School (伊達工業高校, Datekōgyō Kōkō), or Dateko for short, is located in Miyagi Prefecture.
Despite the trouble he causes, the team, particularly Akaashi, is very patient with him, and they work together to boost his morale (usually with some form of praise) in order to bring him back to his best.
He is very polite and calm, often seen with an unexpressive or slightly stressed face, usually due to one of Kōtarō Bokuto's impending mood swings.
The first two characters of its school name 白鳥 mean 'swan' in Japanese, but because its direct translation is 'white bird', they are often represented by white eagles.
Ushijima is completely unaware of social cues and customs; he interprets everything at face value and is genuinely oblivious to his teammates' jokes or his opponent's challenges.
Because Shiratorizawa's style of play focuses on getting the ball, he is represented as a sole white eagle, contrasting Karasuno's multiple black crows.
He is highly intuitive and is consistently able to read his opponent's next move correctly, often basing the direction of his blocks on minimal hints or gut feeling.
After being bullied as a child, he has developed a slightly sadistic streak, as he relishes in and enjoys watching opposing teams struggle when he blocks them.
Their uniforms are black and white, and their school banner says "we don't need the memories", alluding to their highly competitive nature.
Kita has been raised since childhood by his grandma in the belief that "the gods are always watching" and as a result is calm, collected, and polite, to the point that his teammates feel he is more robot than human.
Having met Ikkei Ukai in his youth, he began a friendly rivalry with the other and, upon becoming coaches, both men sought to have their teams compete against one another in an official match.
In the series, Nekomata has recently returned as Nekoma's coach and is in contact with Ittetsu Takeda; as a result, he orchestrates practice matches with the Karasuno team and invites them to the summer training camp.