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Let's all just sit here and think about how Atsumu kicked the door down and told Kags and Hinata that they don't have to be chained to the things that made them feel lacking before (Hinata's height & inexperience, Kags "king of the court" rep).
Obviously many other people played a role in this (because HQ!! is about the many diff relationships you build in life), but it's when they see Atsumu that they have That Moment where it all crystallizes.
The bottom panel of Kags' expression is one of my favorite in this entire series. He realizes what's about to happen, but he can't quite believe it. Until this moment, he was the only person capable of doing the freak quick--because he's a genius, everyone said.
The freak quick is amazing for Hinata's agility & jump ability, but mostly what it's known for is Kags' incredible accuracy in setting to him at exactly the moment he's at the highest point of his jump. Oikawa says he himself can't do it because he's not a genius.
Here's the important thing: Atsumu is not a genius. It's his dedication that makes him so good. Are other people dedicated? Yeah, and there's no discounting differences in inherent talent. But that's not what allows Atsumu to do the freak quick.
He does it because he's just that crazy and greedy about volleyball. If he sees something cool, he won't let anything stop him from trying it, including a lack of genius. He doesn't need that. He doesn't think about it. All he wants is to play vb to his utmost.
Guess who else wants to do that? Kags. But up until then he's kept losing people he thought would stick with him as he went further & further in the sport. Oikawa? Rejects him LOL. Suga? Loves him, but just isn't on the same level & therefore can't match him.
Both of them are hyper aware of his genius. Even if Suga loves & encourages him, he knows Kags is more talented and therefore he can't be the peer Kags wants & needs. Kags' genius, until he meets Atsumu, is something that makes him really lonely.
It's why he hates "king of the court." He doesn't want to feel singled out, positively or negatively. When people call him a genius, they're saying, "You're different & separate from us. We can never match you." Atsumu is the first person who never says that to him.
Atsumu more or less tells him he's more boring than he'd thought he'd be LOL. He also recognizes that Kags is unhappy with the way he's been accommodating his hitters no matter what, whereas everyone has just been like "Whoa it's so cool how you can do that!"
Instead of being intimidated or in awe of the freak quick, he's just like, "Holy shit I want to do that too!" No questions of whether he's enough of a genius. Nah, he just thinks Kags is SO COOL, he's gonna try it. He's gonna chase after him.
The youth training camp is important to Kags bc for the first time he meets ppl on his level, but he's always had a special relationship w/other setters. Atsumu's the first setter who treats him like just another rival instead of a special king apart from everyone.
It's why he's "the greatest contender." Someone who won't be put off by Kags' genius, who doesn't need or want it in order to keep pushing him to be better and better so that Kags can keep challenging him and vice versa.
I mentioned Hinata & then only talked about Kags LOL. I think for Hinata, he doesn't recognize what Atsumu means when they meet at the Spring Interhigh. He hasn't thought far enough ahead to realize that Atsumu doing the freak quick means he isn't dependent on Kags forever.
In that match, he just wants to beat Atsumu. Atsumu's the greatest contender for him too, because he's just as crazy and willing to do anything. Doing the freak quick is probably the craziest thing an opponent has ever done to counter Karasuno.
I think he realizes later though. He tells Tsukki he has to get strong enough so the strongest setters will want to toss to him, and which team does he join when he goes back to JPN? The one w/the setter who was crazy enough to do the freak quick on the fly in an official match.
The thing abt Kags & Hinata is that they don't have the same approach to vb. It's why they're natural opponents. I wouldn't call Kags conservative at all, but he's not as risk-taking, I guess I'd say, as Hinata. Atsumu on the other hand?
His strengths are "AGGRESSIVE serving and AGGRESSIVE setting." He'll do anything to win, just like Hinata. It's why they're jackals, whereas Kags is a fucking eagle. In Atsumu, Hinata finds a setter whose drive matches his and will actually pull him higher.
Listen...there's a reason Atsumu's POV chapters come right after Hinata's and Kags', and why he gets two unlike everyone after him. He's really important to BOTH of HQ's protagonists.
Do I think Furudate intended that from the beginning? Probably not, but clearly once they recognized that narrative thread they made sure to emphasize it, and I won't rest until more people understand this!!
