Kickoff Event for Haikyuu Season 4 Reveals More News!

The Haikyuu Season 4 kickoff event was held today in Japan, and with it we have a whole host of new information about the upcoming season, which will drop starting in January 2020. With a new visual, new cast members, a PV for the OVAs, and more, let’s look at everything that was revealed.

Seiyuu Ayumu Murase (Hinata), Kaito Ishikawa (Kageyama), Koki Uchiyama (Tsukishima), Soma Saito (Yamaguchi), and Yuki Kaji (Kenma) were on hand for all the fun announcements coming out of the Haikyuu Season 4 kickoff event. Of course, we got a few tidbits several weeks ago when Ishikawa and Murase hosted a livestream, with the January 2020 premiere date being the biggest, though they weren’t specific as to when. Well, now we know! Haikyuu Season 4 – called Haikyuu!! To the Top – will premiere Friday January 25! It will air in the Super Animeism timeslot on MBS.

There still seems to be no information as to how many episodes season 4 will have. Will we return to the standard 25 episodes of seasons 1 and 2, or will To the Top only contain 10 episodes like season 3 did? I hope after such a long hiatus that there will be 25 episodes. There is more than enough material in the manga, and it was hinted earlier that we would at least see the national tournament.

We also have a new PV for the first episode of the new two-part OVA covering the Tokyo qualifier matches featuring Nekoma High School, Fukurōdani Academy, Nohebi Academy, and Itachiyama Academy. (Akaashi! Bokuto! You’re back! I’ve missed you so much.)

The OVAs will drop on Blu-ray and DVD January 22, with a pre-sale at the Toho Animation booth at Jump Festa 2020 (December 21-22). Those who purchase copies from Jump Festa 2020 will receive an A4-size clear file folder and a cotton tote bag (both with the same exclusive illustration of Kuroo and Kenma), as well as a B2-size poster promoting the OVA.

And we have two new cast members that have just been announced! Natsuki Hanae (Diamond no Ace, Shokugeki no Soma) will be playing Kōrai Hoshiumi from Kamomedai High School and Mamoru Miyano (Free!, Bungo Stray Dogs) will be playing Atsumu Miya from Inarizaki High School. (Spoiler warning: That link contains manga spoilers.)  Hoshiumi and Atsumu are two characters that Kageyama meets when he goes to the youth all-Japan training camp. We also see them both later at the national tournament.

It was previously announced that Kazuyuki Okitsu would be joining the cast as Suguru Daishō. He will appear first in the OVAs and then later as a supporting character.

I am super excited for Mamoru to voice Atsumu. In retrospect, that is a spot-on casting decision and I can’t believe I didn’t predict that. Mamoru is known for his over-the-top-characters (IT’S JJ STYLE!), but he also played more conniving roles, and he will be amazing as Atsumu.

Having a set premiere date makes me even more excited for this season than I was! Only four more months until I can see my precious volleyball idiots again. I can’t wait!

What do you think of the news from the Haikyuu Season 4 kickoff event? Let us know in the comments!

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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