As you’ve seen in the title, in this article we’ll be ranking all Haikyuu!! seasons and movie along with its official movie, Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle. We’ll rank them based on their impact on the story, excitement level, animation quality, character development, and more. We’ll also include a summary for each season, Watch order, and episode lists.
So let’s not waste any more time and jump right into it!
In This Article
- Introduction
- Ranking Of seasons and movie
- Haikyuu!! Anime watch order and additional information
- conclusion
01. Introduction
Haikyuu!! is a sports genre anime that focuses on the high school volleyball team from Karasuno. In this anime, you will see and learn all the techniques and the point system. One thing that makes this anime very good and likable is that it doesn’t just focus on the sport, but it also teaches the techniques, point system, tactics, strategy, rules, and regulations. And that’s why Haikyuu!! is considered one of the best sports anime, and I also agree with this.
Summary: Haikyuu!! is an anime that follows the story of Shoyo Hinata and Tobio Kageyama. Shoyo Hinata is shorter than most volleyball players, but he has incredible stamina, energy, and jumping ability. One day, he saw the “Little Giant” — a player just like him from Karasuno High — on TV. Inspired by him, Hinata decided to become a volleyball player and follow in the Little Giant’s footsteps.
Tobio Kageyama is a prodigy setter. However, due to his rude and demanding behavior, he was benched by his coach in middle school. Hoping for a fresh start, he joined Karasuno High — a school once known for its short-tempered but highly skilled coach, who had previously led Karasuno to the prestigious Spring Nationals. Hinata and Kageyama first faced each other in a middle school tournament.
But things took a surprising turn when Hinata found out that Kageyama, the rival he wanted to defeat, would now be his teammate at Karasuno. And so, their journey together begins — one filled with rivalry, teamwork, and growth.
Total no of Seasons and Movies
- Total of 5 seasons till now
- Season 1
- Season 2
- Season 3
- Season 4 part 1
- Season 4 Part 2
- One official movie is released
Now let’s see how we are going to ranked all this seasons and movie of the Haikyuu!! anime.
How we are going to ranked them
Animation Quality
Story and Plot
story Impact on Watchers
character development
Now let’s rank this season and the anime movie based on their overall quality.
02. Ranking Of the Seasons And Movies
06. Season 4 Part 2 Karasuno Vs Inarizaki
Animation Quality: Animation quality improved if you compare it to the previous seasons, and it is equally as good as the fourth season’s part 1. In season 4 parts 1 and 2, the animation style was changed. I am one of the anime fans who didn’t mind the new anime style, but many fans didn’t like the new animation style of the anime. I see a little bit more improvement from season 4 part 1 to season 4 part 2’s animation style. After the third season, the animation of the anime became smoother compared to seasons 1, 2, and 3.
Story and Plot: This season, the story revolves around Karasuno High School vs. Inarizaki High School, one of the most anticipated matches of the spring tournament to win the nation. While Karasuno is still the underdog and not that many people know this team that well, Inarizaki is very famous and has a huge crowd cheering for them. This season is about the underdog Karasuno vs. the fan favorite Inarizaki, but the real battle is about two monsters of Karasuno High School (Tobio Kageyama, Shoyo Hinata) vs. the monster twins of Inarizaki High School (Osamu Miya, Atsumu Miya).
Story Impact on Watchers: Haikyuu!! season 4 part 2 was very good, but it’s because in this season you will watch the new Hinata, and there were very motivated moments to see the hard work pay off when you don’t give up. Otherwise, this season was good, but it hasn’t had that much impact on the story or the viewers. This season was just like those arcs of the anime when the main character returns strong and beats his opponent while facing some challenges.
character development: The character development in this season was very good, because every player on both teams achieved and learned something new. While side characters like Ryūnosuke Tanaka and Yū Nishinoya faced their fears. Tanaka’s fear of not being able to score for the team and getting stuck because of the blockers, and Nishinoya’s fear of not being able to receive the jump float like he receives other serves.
Why at this position: We have ranked season 4 part 2 at the sixth position because in this season there weren’t that many big opponents compared to other times. While if any team meets someone for the first time, they might struggle, and we also think that was the case here. Based on our analysis, that’s why we have placed this season at the sixth place.
Season Trailer Is Here:
05. Season 2
Animation Quality: As we talked about before, the animation of seasons 1 to 3 are the same, and it was good. But now, after watching the new animation, I liked the new one. However, it’s also good that we have seen two types of animation styles, and I liked both styles.
Story and Plot: Season 2 is all about learning new things, going to a training camp, and after learning and mastering new things, the real challenge starts: the prefecture qualifiers. It’s not an easy task; they are going to use those skills they have learned and face some tough teams that are hard to beat.
story Impact on Watchers: Story Impact on Watchers: It gave a deep impact to the watchers, and this season also taught that you can’t win if you are not evolving and mastering what you have learned. It’s important to learn new things, but it is also important to master what you have learned before. Very good matches, some were very good on defense, some were masters of manipulation.
character development: Other than season 1, this was the season where most of the players from Karasuno developed the most, but this learning was basic, something they had never learned before.
Why at this position: Although based on the character development, the second season is one of the main seasons, when it comes to entertainment and making watchers watch till the end, these things were a bit lacking because first starts the training camp, and after that, they covered 3 to 4 team matches in just 24 episodes. So, I was kind of disappointed; they should have added more episodes and more details to these matches of the Prefectural Qualifiers. So that’s why we have put season 2 in the fifth position.
Season Trailer Is Here:
04. Season 1
Animation Quality: From the first season, the production house responsible for Haikyuu!!, Production I.G, established a high standard from the outset. They are known for delivering detailed and dynamic animation. This season is one of the main reasons why Haikyuu!! is this successful, and the animation quality is one of the factors behind Haikyuu’s success.
Story and Plot: In this season, they introduced us to the main characters, how things changed for them from enemies to rivals, and how difficult it was for them to learn coordination because Hinata had never played with a genius setter, and Kageyama had also not met someone who has this much energy and can jump wildly in any direction. This is also the season they learn one of the biggest and hardest parts of life: if you lose once, you have to start over again, but this time with experience and more focus.
story Impact on Watchers : The impact of this season on the watchers was very good. Anyone who watched it for the first time, like me, also enjoyed this amazing anime. Before watching Haikyuu!!, I had never seen a single volleyball match, and this anime has taught me many things. This season also laid the groundwork for the future success of this series.
character development : This season focused on the fundamentals and foundation of the Karasuno team, and more on Hinata and Kageyama, showcasing their rivalry transforming into a powerful partnership. This season also focused on other characters like Asahi Azumane and Nishinoya, their libero’s friendship.
Why at this position: This season was the foundation for the future of this anime, and this season was very good if you were watching this anime for the first time. It hooked the watchers to the story, and the animation was good considering that this season was released in 2014. The soundtrack and character development are very good. But still, this season was a little bit boring because of the drama this season had.
Season Trailer Is Here:
03. Season 3 Karasuno Vs Shiratorizawa
Animation Quality:Just like we discussed above, I liked both animation styles of the Haikyuu!! anime, and just like this, the animation quality is good, and it has improved after this season with the new animation style.
Story and Plot: One of the most amazing stories and plots. If any season other than the new movie gives me this type of goosebumps and excitement, that is only season 3. In this season, the final for the Prefectural Qualifiers doesn’t look like team vs. team; it looks like the team vs. Wakatoshi Ushijima. In the final match, he scored 35 points in total, and 30 were from attacks (spikes), and 5 were aces from his serves.
Story Impact on Watchers :As a long-time anime watcher, I can tell you that this season was the peak of sports anime. There were very few sports anime that would trigger you and motivate you all at the same time. After the new movie, this is one of my favorite seasons from the Haikyuu!! anime.
character development : In this season, the character development wasn’t that much, but after many matches, you will see improvement in teamwork and support for each other. The only character from this season who will amaze you is the character with low to no presence in the first two seasons. It’s not like he wasn’t there, but he hadn’t done anything noteworthy, but in this season, you will also like him. Comment with the character’s name if you know which one we are talking about.
Why at this position: We have given this season the third position because in this season, you will just see Karasuno vs. Shiratorizawa, in which Wakatoshi Ushijima is overwhelming the other team just like he does to any other team, and the other team is giving their all, and they win. We give this season this position just because it gives the entertainment we all want, the adrenaline rush to the body while watching this season.
Season Trailer Is Here:
02. Haikyuu!! Dumpster Battle
Animation Quality: Just like after season 3, the anime has changed, this movie also has the animation of the new style, and it is very good.
Story and Plot: This movie has one of the most entertaining stories. I was waiting 6 years just to watch this match. When in the second season, Hinata made a promise to Kenma that he would make him win the game because the Nekoma team is strong, and there was no fun for Kenma, so he didn’t care if their team won or lost after they tried their hardest. The whole movie is amazing; just like season 3, I didn’t know when the whole movie finished.
story Impact on Watchers: The watchers who have watched all the seasons know how big this match is—the Dumpster Battle, the past, present, and future. In every aspect, this movie is complete. This movie has entertainment, drama, fun, and most importantly, learning. As an anime watcher, I watch sports anime to get entertainment with learning.
character development: Character development was good; both teams grew while playing. This match had friend vs. friend, teacher vs. student, rival vs. rival.
Why at this position: There is no question why this place; it’s one of the best sports anime movies, and the battle is worth watching. After hard work and dedication, they are finally meeting in the national tournament, and both teams are giving their best.
Season Trailer Is Here:
01. Season 4 part 1
Animation Quality: This is the start of the new animation style in the Haikyuu!! anime, and fans found this new animation style closer to the manga. While other fans didn’t like this, they are now feeling a disconnection from the new animation style.
Story and Plot: This season, Tobio Kageyama is invited to the All-Japan Youth Training Camp; the U-20 coach will personally train them, while Tsukishima was invited to Shiratorizawa for special training by Shiratorizawa’s coach, Tanji Washijō. Hinata didn’t get the invitation and goes there uninvited. He thinks this is his chance to learn. After the camp finishes, they have to play the first match of the Spring National Tournament.
story Impact on Watchers :It’s true that the animation style changed, and I was also not comfortable with the first few episodes, but after that, it looked good. This season captured the fans by showing the growth and dedication of the players. This is the season that changes the future for the Karasuno team.
character development :Season 4 Part 1 focuses more on the improvement of Hinata, Tsukishima, and Kageyama. While you will see for a little time that other players of Karasuno are also working hard because the spring tournament is near.
Why at this position: Because in this season, all the players are not learning from someone else but themselves. They are learning things by observing others and themselves, why they think they are doing the same thing but not getting results. But when they observe, they learn that if there are minor changes in things, they will not get the desired result. In short, this season focuses more on the inner self; if we don’t master ourselves, we won’t win anything.
Season Trailer Is Here:
03. Haikyuu!! Anime watch order and additional information
Recommended Watch Order for New Viewers:
Haikyuu!! Season 1
Haikyuu!!: Arrival of Lev (OVA)
Haikyuu!! Season 2
Haikyuu!!: VS Failing Grades (OVA)
Haikyuu!! Season 3
Haikyuu!!: Land vs. Sky & The Path of the Ball (OVA)
Haikyuu!! Season 4 Part 1
Haikyuu!! Season 4 Part 2
Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle (Movie)
Haikyuu!!: The Place Where Monsters Go (OVA) – can be watched after the movie as well.
Where to Watch:
- Crunchyroll: Generally has the most comprehensive streaming availability for all seasons, OVAs, and the latest movie with both sub and dub options
- Amazon Prime Video: May have some seasons available for streaming or purchase, with varying sub/dub options depending on the region.
- Netflix: Has had some seasons in the past, but the availability can be limited and vary by region. Currently, it might have the “Dumpster Battle” movie in some regions.
Additional information
Main Seasons:
- Haikyuu!! Season 1: 25 episodes
- Haikyuu!! Season 2: 25 episodes
- Haikyuu!! Season 3: Karasuno High School vs. Shiratorizawa Academy: 10 episodes
- Haikyuu!! To The Top – Season 4 Part 1: 13 episodes
- Haikyuu!! To The Top – Season 4 Part 2: 12 episodes
OVAs (Original Video Animations – generally watched between seasons):
- Haikyuu!!: Arrival of Lev (Lev Genzan!): 1 episode (Watch after Season 1)
- Haikyuu!!: VS Failing Grades: 1 episode (Watch after Season 2)
- Haikyuu!!: Betting on the Spring High Volleyball / Special Feature! The Spring Tournament of Their Youth: 1 episode (Watch after Season 3)
- Haikyuu!!: Land vs. Sky & The Path of the Ball: 2 episodes (Watch after Season 3, before Season 4)
- Haikyuu!!: The Place Where Monsters Go: 1 episode (Set during the Nationals, exact placement can vary, some suggest after Season 4)
Movies (Note: Some are recaps, the last one is new content):
- Haikyuu!! The Movie: The End and the Beginning: Recap of Season 1 Part 1
- Haikyuu!! The Movie: Winners and Losers: Recap of Season 1 Part 2
- Haikyuu!! The Movie: Talent and Sense: Recap of Season 3 with some extra scenes
- Haikyuu!! The Movie: Battle of Concepts: Recap of Season 3 focusing on the Shiratorizawa match
- Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle: New content, directly continues after Season 4.
04. Conclusion
If you like this anime, then we say that this is one of the best sports anime that I have watched. One main reason that we think this anime is one of the best sports anime is that they have shown the original volleyball, not with superpowers or a person who just wants to win. This anime has shown that in any team sport event, if you want to win, you have to play with the whole team; “a team is stronger than a person.”
Comment on which season you liked the most. If you think our ranking is right, then comment “right,” or else you can also rank them according to you and what is your view on Haikyuu!! as a sports anime.
