Summary

• In Haikyuu!!,characters' intelligence and academic prowess are mostly reflected by their class rankings.
• Some characters' focus on volleyball leads to lower academic performance, such as Tanaka and Bokuto.
• Other characters, like Yachi and Akaashi, excel in academics and apply their intelligence to volleyball strategy.

The Japanese education system is comprised of six years of elementary school, three years of middle school, three years of high school, and four years of college. While this system still holds true in Haikyuu!!, the show added another element by ranking students by academic prowess or intelligence.

Their designated title of "first-year" or "second-year" indicates what year they are in at school, but their class number, as in "class 5" or "class 1," tells fans whether or not that character is prepping for college or learning the basics in the classroom. Haikyuu!! even featured an arc where Hinata, Kageyama, and a few other Karasuno players had to study harder to be granted permission to practice and play volleyball.

15 Shoyo Hinata is Sweet But Not Particularly Bright

Year 1, Class 1

When Hinata received his test marks, he became discouraged because his teacher immediately mentioned she would be happy to help in his make-up class. He didn't think he was going to need to catch up. The sweetest and most determined character is not always the most intelligent. Social studies wasn't Hinata's best subject and he had to pick up study habits from Yachi to his exam before being allowed to go to the Summer Training Camp.

14 Ryunosuke Tanaka is a Hardworker on the Court, Not in the Classroom

Year 2, Class 1

Despite Tanaka's drive to be better in volleyball and always encourage his teammates, he isn't the most diligent when it comes to his classwork. As a second-year in class 1, Tanaka is a few levels below his best friend, Nishinoya. This is evident before the Training Camp Arc, when the second year needed some tutoring from Ennoshita. Despite his academic shortcomings though, Tanaka's solid work ethic means he could be much smarter one day if he put the same effort into his studies as he does into volleyball.

13 Kotarou Bokuto's Dramatic Air Does Him No Favors in Intelligence

Year 3, Class 1

One of the least intelligent characters among all the players in Haikyuu!!. Bokuto is often viewed as the competitive, fun-loving, and sometimes dramatically emotional captain of Fukurodani. He isn't the brightest, and even though fans don't get to see his school life outside of volleyball, when Nekoma captain, Kuroo, picks on him about his intelligence, Bokuto stands up for himself saying he got a 47 on his trigonometry test. Kuroo said what all the fans were thinking, "Uh ... congratulations?"

12 Tobio Kageyama Has High Game Intelligence But Struggles With Language

Year 1, Class 1

Kageyama is not quite as lost as Hinata when it comes to education, but his shortcomings are around learning English. His game intelligence is very high and he even recites different plays to Daichi from memory, and he realizes that if he can do that, he can English class.

When Hinata and Kageyama finally convinced Tsukishima and Yamaguchi to help them study, Kageyama even denies that he would need to use English.

11 Wakatoshi Ushijima Falls Short Despite His Prodigy Status

Year 3, Class 3

While he may be a prodigy on the court, Ushijima does fall a bit on the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to academics and intelligence. Shiratorizawa's entrance test is known to be notoriously hard, but Ushijima like most of Shiratorizawa's volleyball team was itted based on a scholarship.

That said, Ushijima was the number one ace in the entire country while in high school, and though his game sense and technique are just as impressive, his sheer overwhelming power is the most eye-catching thing about him as a player.

10 Yu Nishinoya is Smarter Than Hinata & Kageyama (But Not By A Lot)

Year 2, Class 3

Not one of the most intelligent characters in the Karasuno team, but still able to help, Nishinoya assists Yamaguchi, Tsuki, and Yachi when they help Hinata and Kageyama study. He is ranked as a class 3 second-year, but despite his ability to help his teammates, he also still ran the possibility of not being able to go to Tokyo. Nishinoya studies with his fellow second-years and Ennoshita and thus is able to go to Tokyo on time, unlike Hinata and Kageyama.

9 Kiyoomi Sakusa is Middle of the Pack in of Intelligence

Year 2, Class 3

Even though he may be one of the top three aces in Japan, Itachiyama's Kiyoomi Sakusa is among the moderately intelligent players in Haikyuu!! Sakusa is known to be incredibly blunt and honest, especially when it comes to cleanliness, and while his obsession with the latter does pin him as a bit of a germaphobe, his class and stats indicate he is quite smart. That said, Sakusa is undeniably one of the most talented players in the series and even wins the MVP title while in high school, which only makes it more of a shame that he does not get enough chances to shine until after the time skip.

8 Tsukishima & Yamaguchi Both Grow Fairly High Game Intelligence Over Time

Year 1, Class 4

Kei Tsukishima and Tadashi Yamaguchi are both first-years in class 4. Tsukishima is blunt and can come across as arrogant, but he uses it to hide his insecurities. The only thing he doesn't seem to be insecure about is his intelligence. His game intelligence was already pretty high, but it increased after every training opportunity.

Yamaguchi is Tsukishima's best friend, but he is pretty timid. Yamaguchi's intelligence is evident in how hard-working he is in and out of volleyball. His game intelligence was pretty low in the beginning, but over time, he grew to understand how his serves actually worked, increasing his understanding of the game.

7 Toru Oikawa is a Master Strategist

Year 3, Class 6

Known as the "Great King," Oikawa is without a doubt one of the best setters in the series, second only to Kageyama at best. Despite his so-called horrible personality and childish behavior, Oikawa has proven to be quite the strategist and is excellent at observing his opponents and deducing exactly how to deceive and defeat them.

Besides his excellent game sense, Oikawa also appears to be academically intelligent, as indicated by his being in class 6. He is among the few players in the series to be placed in such a high class, and it is possible that he works just as hard at academics as he does at volleyball.

6 Hitoka Yachi is a Capable Tutor For Good Reason

Year 1, Class 5

As a first-year in class 5, Yachi's grades were exceptional and her notes were specific to her learning style. She liked to doodle in her notebook to help her understand or her lessons.

When Hinata asked for her help, she doodled a bit in his notebook as she was tutoring him, and was able to help him with his misunderstandings. Yachi is normally nervous and on edge, and while she was at first when he asked for her help, they soon fell into a routine and she was more confident in her teaching ability. Her game intelligence was zero until she started to focus on Hinata and Kageyama's quick attack and listen to Kiyoko's commentary.