Tsukishima Akiteru

Overview

Tsukishima Akiteru is a supporting character in the volleyball manga and anime series Haikyu!!. He is a graduate of Karasuno High School and the older brother of Karasuno player Tsukishima Kei. Playing as a wing spiker, Akiteru currently works as an adult living in Sendai while competing for a local community volleyball team. Cheerful, earnest, and deeply devoted to his younger brother, he plays a crucial role in shaping Kei's attitude toward sports and his personal emotional development.

Appearance

Akiteru is a tall young man standing over 185 cm with short light hair and brown eyes. His everyday clothing consists of casual long-sleeved items such as hoodies and letterman jackets. When attending high school matches incognito to watch his younger brother play, he wears a disguise consisting of a hat and sunglasses.

Personality

Akiteru has a vibrant, active, and diligent demeanor, marked by an earnest work ethic. Exceptionally caring, he cherished and mentored his younger brother throughout his childhood. However, his strong desire to live up to his brother's idealization once drove him to cover up his athletic failures, causing long-lasting guilt. After confronting his past setbacks, he matured into a warm and passionate individual who embraces sports for the sheer joy of playing, while frequently being moved to tears by his brother's progress.

Abilities

Akiteru plays as a wing spiker. During middle school, he demonstrated notable skill and leadership, serving as both captain and offensive ace of his squad. Although intense competition at Karasuno High School prevented him from earning a regular spot or making the bench, he maintains his athletic capabilities in an adult league, utilizing his ongoing sports experience to offer meaningful advice to his brother.

Background

In middle school, Akiteru flourished as a captain and ace, earning the idolization of his brother Kei. He subsequently attended Karasuno High School, aiming to become a regular player, but failed to make the bench throughout his three years. Ashamed to disappoint Kei, he lied about being Karasuno's ace until Kei discovered the truth at a match, creating a deep emotional rift between them. After graduating, Akiteru became a working adult in Sendai and joined a local team to pursue the joy of volleyball without regrets. He later reconciled with Kei, becoming his dedicated supporter.

Relationships

Akiteru is the elder brother of Tsukishima Kei. Though a past falsehood created distance between them for years, they later reconciled, with Akiteru gifting Kei prescription sports glasses prior to a major tournament match. Kei's friend, Yamaguchi Tadashi, affectionately refers to him as Akiteru-kun. During his high school days at Karasuno, Akiteru was one academic year senior to the player known as the Little Giant.

Trivia

His favorite food is wasabi greens pickled in soy sauce. As an adult, one of his personal complaints is his inability to get used to drinking Japanese sake.