Kuroo Tetsuro

appearance

Kuroo is noted to be tall and lean with broad shoulders, well-built arms, and a muscular frame. He has narrow, hazel-colored (grey in the manga) eyes with cat-like pupils that make him appear sly and intimidating. His black hair is naturally messy and spikes upwards due to his bed head. He also has a fringe on his right side that partially covers his eye. As a result of his peculiar hairstyle, he is occasionally called "Rooster Head". Kuroo is often seen wearing a black shirt, red sweatpants, and the Nekoma High jacket. During official matches, he wears the Nekoma uniform numbered with the number 1. Post-timeskip, Kuroo's hair is now slightly shorter in length, and he now wears suits to reflect his position as a sports promoter.

personality

Kuroo has a laid-back yet scheming personality and is considered a "provocation expert" by many.[2] He would actively provoke others and is unrelenting when dishing out snide remarks. This is demonstrated in the way he angers Tsukishima when the first-year blocker maintained a nonchalant attitude toward volleyball during the summer training camp. However, Kuroo is kinder and more genuine than what his exterior image conveys. After realizing he has overstepped a line, Kuroo seeks out and apologizes to Daichi about the provocation. Later on, proving that while he is a "provocation expert," sportsmanship is still important to him.[2] He also cares and respects his elder coach, Yasufumi Nekomata, immensely, enough to help Karasuno improve to fulfill Nekomata's dream of competing against each other at nationals. According to Kenma, Kuroo was a shy and withdrawn kid who first moved into his neighborhood when he was eight years old.[3] He was quiet in front of strangers and awkward around Kenma at first, despite the two being close in age. Both of them bonded over video games and eventually practiced volleyball together. Slowly, Kuroo began to come out of his shell as the two got increasingly involved in the sport. He became a much louder and energetic person, made new friends at school, and started going out to play soccer with the other kids.

personality

Kuroo is also shown to be a highly observant and intuitive person when it comes to both volleyball and other people. Even as a kid, he was incredibly mindful of Kenma's quiet, withdrawn personality, and had the sense to not drag him out to do something the boy didn't have any fun in doing.[3] In matches, his attentive nature as a middle blocker proves to be extremely lethal for Nekoma's opponents. He quickly tracks down and analyzes every move of the spikers, allowing him to put up a successful block and destroy the momentum of the opposing team. Around his teammates, Kuroo is a reliable, strong captain, often responsible for lifting the spirits of the team when they are feeling down using sly quips. He seems to derive enjoyment from facing strong opponents and hides his frustration with sharp smirks and boisterous remarks, all the while scheming strategies to break down the opposing team. Despite seeming sly and cool on the outside, Kuroo possesses a silly side that is on display when he belts out in loud obnoxious laughter and engages in frivolous conversation with Bokuto.[4] Kuroo also seems to either see himself as more of an old man or people only a year or two younger than him as children, as shown when he proclaims "Ah, youth" after seeing Inuoka and Hinata interact together and talking with Tsukishima.

Background

When Kuroo was around eight years old, his family moved next door to Kenma Kozume. During times when his father and grandparent's were out, Kuroo would go to Kenma's house. He was noted to be shyer and more withdrawn than Kenma at the time, so the two had a difficult time getting to know each other at first.[3] Initially, Kenma and Kuroo just played video games until one day when Kenma asked him if there's anything he would like to play. Kuroo took this opportunity and introduced volleyball to Kenma. The two ended up playing volleyball outside and grew familiar with each other. Kuroo used to be part of a volleyball club and had friends where he previously lived and had trouble adjusting to a new place. So while heading home, Kuroo, not wanting to go to an unfamiliar place alone, invited Kenma to attend a volleyball training camp one weekend. There, they encountered Coach Nekomata for the first time, who told the two that it's important to experience the joy of playing. Kuroo was inspired by Nekomata's words and became more proactive in volleyball and his life in general.