‘Haikyuu!!’ is one of the best sports anime ever. Since the beginning, it has caught the attention of the anime world through its intense match, loses, wins, and friendships. Among all the themes that surround the ‘Haikyuu!!’ world, one prominent name that keeps coming up is the Little Giant, also known as Tiny Giant, or Small Giant.
The protagonist of the story Hinata Shoyo started his volleyball journey after watching an extraordinary play by Karasuno’s No. 10. Inspired by his play, despite his small stature, Hinata decides to join the same team as him, wear the same jersey, and play in the same stadium. His dream to be like the Little Giant urges him to move forward despite all the setbacks he faces because of his height.
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What Is The Identity Of The Little Giant?
The Little Giant often mentioned in the story is one of the most important characters. He does not appear until way later in the series, but his name is frequently mentioned. Not only Hinata but the Karasuno captain Sawamura Daichi also mentions his name while talking about the golden period for Karasuno Volleyball Club.
The Little Giant, a.ka., Tenma Udai, is the central figure of the story, as it was he who kicked off the journey of Hinata into becoming a prominent figure in the volleyball world. Tanaka’s sister Saeko jokes about how Tenma has created a monster in the play. Tenma’s appearance is not until the final arc of the story, where he reveals that he has stopped playing volleyball after high school.
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Does Hinata Ever Meet The Little Giant?
Yup! They do! The fateful encounter between Hinata and Tenma occurs during the match between Karasuno High and Kamomedai High. When Tenma comes to know that Karuson made it to the quarter-finals, he along with the former teammates visits the current team. During this time, Saeko introduces Hinata to Tenma.
As the team gets to know, that Tenma, the ace of Karasuno, has stopped playing volleyball, they get worried. They were tensed that this news will affect Hinata negatively, as his idol lost interest in continuing the sport. Much to their surprise, Hinata shows motivation to play the game in front of him, rather than focus on the negative part.
It’s no doubt, that Hinata’s idol is of a great caliber player, but his retirement doesn’t dampen Hinata’s interest in the sport. Unlike Tenma, he is interested in continuing the sport he loves so much. Hinata’s attitude even impresses Tenma, as the latter has now become detached from volleyball and is working as a manga artist.
Tenma notes, that after his current manga is finished, he’ll do a story based on volleyball named ‘Meteo Attack’. It was even shown that Tenma doesn’t hesitate to answer that the current Karasuno is better than the previous version in terms of team spirit. Though the whole team and the protagonist’s will was tied to Tenma, it doesn’t change the fact of how much they love the game despite their former ace’s absence.
