Nobuyuki Kai's Nightmare

Special One-Shot: Nobuyuki Kai's Nightmare is a special one-shot chapter of the Haikyū!! manga that was released on February 5, 2024, in Weekly Shōnen Jump #10 (2024)^[1] to celebrate the upcoming release of Haikyū!! The Movie: Decisive Battle at the Garbage Dump in cinemas.

The chapter was also included in Haikyū!! Volume 33.5.

Overview[]

The chapter retells the last moments of the Karasuno vs. Nekoma match at the Spring Tournament from Nobuyuki Kai's perspective.

Plot[]

Kai watches in an almost trance like state as the volleyball slips from Kenma's hands. As he goes to try to save the ball, Kai can tell that the match is already over. As things seem to be moving in slow motion, Kai wonders if his volleyball career will flash before his eyes since he is not playing after high school.

He wonders if he will see the toughest practices or their best victories but is somewhat surprised when he recalls all of the restful breaks with others during the training camps. Kai finds this to be perfect and has no regrets as to how things have come to an end as he feels he had the best teammates, best rivals, and played in the best game. As he realizes he doesn't want it to end, the ball hits the floor and the match ends in Karasuno's victory.

In the bleachers, Mika asks if the game would have continued had Kai managed to get the ball. Suguru explains that the match would have ended regardless since it would have been a double contact penalty and Karasuno would have been given the point. He figures Kai was most likely acting out of pure reflex.

As the team changes, Kai thinks back to the moment he realized the game was over. While he has no regrets, he figures that he will re-live the moment in his dreams for a while. As they leave the stadium, Kai suddenly hears Lev ask how Kenma would have set the ball if he'd been able to.

Kenma recalls the positions of the players during the rally as he thinks things over. He starts by saying how Kai's receive would have revived the weary players and that Lev or Yamamoto would have been the best chances to score but surprises them when he says he most likely would have sent a pipe set to Fukunaga. However, Kenma gets caught in a rant as he starts going through how Karasuno would have countered and how Nekoma would retaliate. As he goes back and forth of how the teams would continue to counter, Kenma becomes more and more frustrated as he pictures the rally going on for longer than he expected. Kenma's frustration causes Kai to start laughing which gets everyone else laughing as well.

In 2024, several former members of the Nekoma team have gathered at a bar where Kuroo reveals he still gets the occasional nightmare about the match but is barely able to jump to block. Lev playfully comments how this must be a reality since Kuroo doesn't play anymore but the former captain corrects Lev by saying he still exercises and can still jump like he used to.

Kai voices how he too still gets an occasional nightmare about the last rally against Karasuno but that it continues to play for so long that he'll wake up feeling exhausted. The thought of such a rally against their fated rivals gets all three laughing.

Debut[]

Appearances[]

• Nobuyuki Kai
• Kenma Kozume
• Keiji Akaashi (cameo)
• Daichi Sawamura (cameo)
• Masaki Gōra (cameo)
• Daiki Ogano (cameo)
• Sō Inuoka
• Yūki Shibayama
• Tetsurō Kuroo
• Shōyō Hinata (cameo)
• Tobio Kageyama (cameo)
• Alisa Haiba (cameo)
• Akane Yamamoto (cameo)
• Suguru Daishō
• Mika Yamaka
• Morisuke Yaku
• Lev Haiba
• Taketora Yamamoto
• Shōhei Fukunaga
• Yū Nishinoya (cameo)
• Tamahiko Teshiro

Chapter notes[]

Character revelations[]

Trivia[]

• The chapter was released simultaneously in Japan (via Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine^[1]) and internationally (online via Shueisha's Manga Plus platform^[2] and Viz Media's Shonen Jump service^[3]).

References[]