Haikyu!!: Why does Tadashi Yamaguchi become captain over Hinata or Kageyama? His character, explained

Haikyu!! is a series that has been celebrated for its strong characterization and how most of the main cast goes through several arcs to grow and learn as players and people, with protagonists Shoyo Hinata and Tobio Kageyama being prime examples of the same. However, it is fair to say that Tadashi Yamaguchi had the most notorious character arc when it came to the Karasuno High team.

Yamaguchi started as a sub in Karasuno High, and it seemed he was going to stay that way for the vast majority of the Haikyu!! Interestingly, that was when the story took a turn and began to show him growing and evolving massively. That is part of the reason he went on to become the team's captain in his third year, although there are also other elements to consider.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Haikyu!! series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.

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Explaining why Tadashi Yamaguchi became captain of Karasuno High at the end of the Haikyu!! series

The manga never gives a direct answer as to why Yamaguchi became captain of Karasuno in his third year over the likes of Shoyo Hinata and Tobio Kageyama, especially considering how capable and talented these two players are. However, it could be understood when analyzing Yamaguchi's growth throughout the series and his personality.

Yamaguchi was the only one among the first-year players of the series that didn't become a starter from the get-go and most people can tell that he was a few steps below the rest of his teammates, but it was through his own hard work and determination that he managed to improve. That is a running theme that is shown throughout the story, as he is constantly training on his own during his free time to master other aspects of his game.

That determination, along with his calm demeanor and empathy, were probably the reasons why he was chosen as captain. Yamaguchi is a lot more active when it comes to helping his teammates, with Tsukishima being the key example of this aspect of his personality, which is essential in every captain, as exemplified by Daichi Sawamura during his tenure.

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The character arc of Yamaguchi

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi in the anime (Image via Production I.G.)

As mentioned earlier, Yamaguchi probably has the most notorious character in Haikyu!! and it is due to how he started and where he ended up at the end of the series. He was initially a reserve of the team and barely played at all but managed to secure himself a place in the starting lineup through sheer hard work and determination, which is one of the main themes of the story.

Furthermore, Yamaguchi always struggled with his confidence issues and had to rely on Tsukishima to get by during most of his early days in the story. It wasn't until the events of the second season of the anime that audiences began to see his growth and development, slowly becoming the player and person who would end up being Karasuno High's captain in his third year.

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Final thoughts

The Haikyu!! anime never explains how Tadashi Yamaguchi became the captain of Karasuno High in his third year on the team. However, it could be theorized that his empathy and determination, along with constant growth, made him a better choice for the role of captain than Hinata or Kageyama.

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