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They say to write what you know, but we doubt that many manga creators have first-hand experience battling galactic real estate speculators or declaring war on the world government. However, Haruichi Furudate, the mangaka behind Haikyuu!!, has been able to bring a bit of himself into his most famous work, answering exactly why he chose to make Haikyuu!! about volleyball.

If you were hoping for some far-fetched or elaborate story, you might be disappointed here. Furudate explained in an interview that he “was a member of the volleyball club in junior high and high school” and has “always had strong memories of those days.” He explains that he wanted to draw volleyball at the same time as he was building his career as a manga artist, so the core concept of Haikyuu!! wasn’t much of a stretch.

In fact, his love of volleyball might have been a bit more than his teachers would have liked. “When I was in high school, I really liked volleyball and I went to school just to do club activities, but I didn’t get good grades… I started drawing because I wanted to play volleyball.” Which sounds like a lot of characters in sports anime over the years.

It turns out that Furudate was pining for his carefree days in high school sports clubs, which is why Haikyuu!! is about volleyball rather than another sport like soccer or basketball. His experience with the sport is part of what makes it so grounded. As stylized and over-the-top as the matches are, they’re all based on real techniques that high-level volleyball players use.

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