After more than four years, the question remains of whether Haikyuu Season 5 will ever be released.
Based on the beloved manga of the same name, the Haikyuu anime introduced audiences worldwide to the Karasuno High volleyball team, a group of young teens who bonded over their love of sets, serves, and spikes.
Season 4 of the series aired from October to December 2020, mere months after the manga ended its final run in Shōnen Jump.
Will Haikyuu Season 5 Ever Be Released?
Haikyuu Season 5 remains an object of fascination among fans, as there have been no promises that the anime will return.
As of writing, a fifth season of the endearing volleyball anime has not been confirmed.
However, two Haikyuu movies have been greenlit, with the first coming in 2024 (per Anime News Network).
First announced in 2022, the pair of Haikyuu Final movies have been described as a sequel and finale to the series, wrapping up the rest of the manga not covered in the anime.
The first film, Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, debuted in Japan on February 16, 2024. It was acquired for release in North America by anime streaming platform Crunchyroll and hit the service on May 31.
It remains unclear when the second of this Haikyuu Final duology will be released, but it is expected to be the last the animated series is heard from.
Both films are set to cover the remaining narrative beats covered in the manga that the anime could not by the time Season 4 ended in late 2020.
Seeing as the manga has completed its run, and these movies are tackling what remains of the Haikyuu story, a Season 5 feels highly unlikely given the lack of source material to adapt.
What Would Happen in Haikyuu Season 5?
If the Haikyuu anime were to proceed with Season 5 and tell a wholly original story outside of the now-completed manga, there are a few directions the series could take.
The manga's ending revealed a time skip for the series, following its characters as they graduate from high school and leave the volleyball team behind.
Some have gone on to live their lives as salary men working in modern-day Japan; however, the manga's main character, Hinata, is still chasing the high of a full-powered spike over the net.
The manga ends by showing Hinata trying out for a professional volleyball team known as the MBSY Black Jackals.
The last chapter follows the main character in his first match for the professional club, as he faces long-time rival Kageyama.
With plenty of his high school volleyball team in attendance for the match, Hinata finally overpowers Kageyama, perfectly book-ending his loss to the Kageyama seen at the beginning of the story.
As the story ends, it shows Kageyama and Hinata making the Japanese national volleyball team as they are headed to the 2021 Tokyo, Japan Olympics.
Should the creative team behind Haikyuu pursue a fifth season of the anime, one can assume it will pick up from here.
Perhaps it could follow Hinata (and Kageyama) being forced to return to Karasuno High and coach the high school volleyball team after his professional volleyball career.
What a perfect full-circle moment it would be for the series' central hitter to return to where his love of the sport started and mold the next generation of volleyball superstars.
Bringing Kageyama into the action as a rival coach could continue the drama between the two, as even after their days of taking the court themselves, they are still pushing each other to be the best in their field.
Haikyuu is streaming now on Crunchyroll.
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