Tobio Kageyama

Appearance

Kageyama is a considerably tall boy (180 cm), thin and with white skin, somewhat pale if he is under the sun for a long time. Being his skin of this color, it is difficult for him to hide any sign of embarrassment or blush that appears on his face. He has a somewhat peculiar gaze, which seems to manifest a deep hatred when he looks at someone he dislikes (as he did with Hinata), and he almost always has a frown (due to his character) so he generally seems to be angry. His hair is short and straight, extended forward, jet black, accompanied by his dark blue eyes, quite captivating.

Personality

If there's one thing that characterizes Kageyama, it's his unique personality, with little tolerance and a certain loneliness. He's clearly very individualistic and seeks to improve himself, doing things his way. He's also quite grumpy and cantankerous. It's difficult to gain his trust, but he respects each person's individual abilities, and that's the only way he can be a team player. He's meticulous about details, so few things go unnoticed. Severe with himself and others, he often demands a lot from himself and sees himself as an ogre, yet he is someone you can trust. He is a perfectionist, as well as conservative, reserved and silent, but he stands up for himself when necessary. He has a hard time being kind; he doesn't know how to be kind or how to respond to affectionate gestures, yet he can be embarrassed by certain things. He can also be somewhat arrogant, but never conceited, as he hasn't boasted about his former title. What's more, after his former team rejected him, he can't stand anyone calling him "King," because it's the nickname his former teammates had given him, describing him as "arrogant and selfish" during games, and also as "oppressor." He is also jealous, and always wants to have a somewhat active sex life.

Relationship with Hinata

Kageyama and Hinata have an enemy-like relationship and often compete with each other over trivial matters, such as getting to the gym before the other; they even keep track of their wins and losses (Kageyama 32 wins, Hinata 30). They often argue and occasionally have full-blown fights, but they see each other as teammates and will help each other with anything, even schoolwork. Whenever someone (usually Tsukishima or Kageyama's teammates Kitagawa Daiichi) brings up Kageyama's past, Hinata defends him and encourages Kageyama to stand up for himself. In return, whenever Hinata feels bad about his height and role as a decoy, Kageyama encourages him and reminds him of his importance to the team. Out of everyone in the club, Kageyama and Hinata seem to understand each other the best and are often called the "monster duo" (Duo Dinamico in the anime) or "Karasuno's Secret Weapon" due to their incredible fast attack. They are usually together when it comes to volleyball-related events, but they don't interact much outside of club activities; Hinata eats lunch with his friends and Kageyama eats alone. They first met at the Junior High Athletics Meet when Hinata's team was paired against Kageyama's team in the first match. They immediately struggled due to Kageyama's condescending attitude towards Hinata. The setter saw him as overly idealistic and weak initially, but was soon amazed by his determination to win and his jumping ability. However, Kitagawa Daiichi ended up annihilating Yukigaoka. Before leaving, Kageyama yelled at Hinata for letting his skills go to waste by joining a meager team like Yukigaoka. This affected Hinata greatly and he ran after Kageyama, announcing that he would one day defeat him. Kageyama seemed to accept his challenge but told Hinata to improve his skills first. However, although he remembered him for his exceptional abilities.

Relationship with Tsukishima

Kageyama and Tsukishima have the least amount of contact with anyone on the team. Tsukishima often insults Kageyama by calling him "King" or using his past against him, leading to arguments between the two; when they first met, Kageyama almost punched Tsukishima in anger. However, after working together, they grew to see each other as teammates and didn't get into arguments or get affected by each other's insults as much. Their relationship began to change dramatically during Interhigh when Kageyama, after much reluctance, offered to change his mind for Tsukishima and even complimented him after a good block. Although Kageyama and Tsukishima don't interact much outside of club activities, during the Tokyo Expedition Arc, Hinata convinced Kageyama to ask Tsukishima for help with upcoming exams. Tsukishima agreed after making Kageyama beg and used his lunch breaks to help the two study.

Relationship with Oikawa

Oikawa was Kageyama's senior in middle school, who often treated Kageyama poorly or with disdain due to Kageyama's advanced skills despite being much younger than Oikawa. On the other hand, Kageyama looked up to Oikawa and often asked him to teach him how to serve; Oikawa refused to do so, but Kageyama eventually learned simply by watching him. There was an incident in Kageyama's first year of middle school when he asked an already stressed Oikawa to teach him. Due to jealousy, frustration, and anger from being defeated by Wakatoshi Ushijima, Oikawa nearly failed the first year, only to be held back by Iwaizumi. Since his middle school years, Kageyama has grown to view Oikawa as more of a rival than a role model, but still retains the respect he had in high school. He also believes that by surpassing Oikawa, he would become the best setter in the prefecture. He often compares himself to Oikawa, especially in his relationships with his teammates and Oikawa's ability to bring out the full potential of any team he's on. Oikawa also goes out of his way to mess with Kageyama and make him lose his cool whenever Karasuno and Aobajōsai play against each other. Despite his flippant attitude towards the first years, Oikawa still feels threatened by Kageyama and acknowledges that he will one day will overcome. However, Oikawa helps Kageyama, albeit in a mocking manner, out of satisfaction knowing that Kageyama respects him. He even tells Ushijima that Kageyama is strong enough to defeat him.

Relationship with Kunimi and Kindaichi

Kindaichi and Kunimi were Kageyama's former teammates at Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High. It is unknown if Kindaichi, Kunimi, and Kageyama were close during their first and second years, but they are often seen together in Kageyama's flashbacks. Kindaichi was mentioned as Kageyama's teammate back then by Oikawa because Kageyama had pushed him around a lot, almost like Hinata and Kageyama's relationship now. During his third year, Kageyama demanded a lot from his teammates, often with unreasonable requests, causing Kindaichi and Kunimi to ask the coach to bench Kageyama. They, along with the rest of the team, also ignored Kageyama's pitch in the middle of a match, making it clear that they wanted nothing to do with him anymore. With this impression of Kageyama, they were surprised to see Kageyama's improved teamwork with Karasuno and were unable to accept it initially. Kindaichi was convinced that Kageyama was only faking politeness and warned Hinata to be careful. However, after Karasuno beat his team in the practice match, Kindaichi finally accepted that Kageyama had changed. When he went to the bathroom to freshen up, Kageyama approached him and attempted to apologize for his past behavior, but Kindaichi refused to accept it as he did not want any reconciliation. Instead, he announced that he would defeat him the next time they play, which he did. Kageyama accepted the challenge and replied "we will win", surprising Kindaichi because Kageyama never used "we" in junior high. In the anime,[51] after Aobajōsai lost to Karasuno at Spring High, Kageyama walked past Kindaichi and Kunimi crying in the hallway. They ignored each other until Kindaichi called out to Kageyama. Kumimi calmly declared that they would get revenge and Kageyama agreed. Kunimi didn't talk much with Kageyama, but he seems to have accepted that Kageyama has changed.

Relationship with his sister Miwa

Miwa is Tobio's older sister. She used to play volleyball with Tobio when they were younger, but eventually quit the team because she didn't want to cut her hair. Currently, Miwa is a hair and makeup artist.