Without a doubt in the last several years, sports animes have grown in popularity. The focus has been on more obscure sports including swimming, tennis, cycling, and recently table tennis. One of the most anticipated animes to return for the 2016 fall season is Haikyu!!, season 3, which has just started to air. The season focuses on Karasuno facing Shiratorizawa in the finals.
This season is a continuation where season 2 left off, which focuses on Karasuno qualifying for the finals. The season showed the various matches they were involved in as they defeated Ougiminami High, Kakugawa, Jozenji, and Wakutani South and the challenges they faced in each of these matches. The season also shows how Hinata and Kageyama have developed their skills individually and collectively to benefit the Karasuno team. These skills are highlighted all throughout the various games but in particular as they face their rivals Aoba J?sai. In facing Aoba J?sai these skills are not only revealed to their full potential but are needed as Karasuno defeats them to qualify for the finals to face Shiratorizawa.
Season 3 begins right where season 2 left off as Karasuno is about to face Shiratorizawa in the finals and to determine which team will go to nationals. As a result, it can safely be assumed that both Hinata and Kageyama will not develop any new skills while facing Shiratorizawa, but rather be using existing ones. Since the anime is slated to be only 10 to 13 episodes and the final game is a set of 5 it can also be assumed that the only opponents that Karasuno will face will be Shiratorizawa. Being that they are going to be facing them in a set of 5 the anime has made it clear that each team will most likely win 2 games and it will come down to a final game, that will show the skill of every player on Karasuno. The anime from the first episode of season 3 has given the impression that this season will be a long battle between Karasuno and Shiratorizawa that will keep fans engaged as if they were at a sporting event.
Haikyu!!, season 3 looks to be a promising anime for the 2016 Fall anime season. As well as a great addition to the sports anime genre as Karasuno and Shiratorizawa face each other to determine who goes onto nationals, for a possible season 4 of Haikyu!!
