5 things you should know before Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle

Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle brings the iconic volleyball anime to cinemas, but if you’ve never seen the franchise before, you might feel a little lost.

Haikyuu!! covers a lot of standard bases when it comes to sports anime — underdog protagonist, small but personal goals, lots and lots of montages — but that doesn’t mean the new movie will be newbie friendly. In fact, it’s the opposite in some ways, with a wealth of characters and the culmination of multiple different storylines.

We loved the anime movie, and you can read why in our Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle review. But if this is your first exposure to competitive volleyball, let us get you up to speed. There are definitely some important facts that’ll help your journey.

Mercifully, none of them involve cardio or learning how to do a good spike.

The schools in The Dumpster Battle have never faced each other

©2024”HAIKYU!!”Project ©H.Furudate / Shueisha

The match that forms The Haikyuu!! movie is one that has never happened in official competition. Due to the way the tournaments are structured, there are limited opportunities for them to find themselves on opposite sides of the same net, and luck has always prevented a proper face-off. Until now, that is.

Shoyo Hinata is the main character, but it’s about the team

It’s Shoyo Hinata’s journey that’s brought us to this point, as a short player who consistently proved himself through pure dedication. But now that Karasuno High School has reached national competition, the emphasis is more on his teammates.

Each of them has put the time in, just like Shoyo, and Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle acknowledges that. Before now, Tobio Kageyama got some of the spotlight too, as Shoyo’s rival and one of his closest friends. Tobio gets more attention in the movie, alongside the other members of their team.

The Dumpster Battle comes from the team names

©2024”HAIKYU!!”Project ©H.Furudate / Shueisha

Karasuno High are known as the Crows, while Nekoma High School are the Wildcats. Ergo, their prospective match is known as the Dumpster Battle because that’s where crows and cats battle for supremacy.

It’s a showdown both teams have wanted for some time, and when the draw came up, they were excited. What better opportunity for something feature-length, too?

They are in the Spring Nationals

©2024”HAIKYU!!”Project ©H.Furudate / Shueisha

The Dumpster Battle happens in the Spring Tournament, the biggest national-level volleyball competition of the school year. The Haikyuu!! anime actually follows Karasuno’s most successful campaign to reach the knockout stage in years since the school was once the champion some years prior to the start of the story.

This isn’t the last Haikyuu!! movie

©2024”HAIKYU!!”Project ©H.Furudate / Shueisha

Not to spoil anything, but Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle is only the first part of the finale. Karasuno and Nekoma aren’t in the finals, and the winner gets to move forward. Whoever that is, you can be sure another action-packed film awaits.

Don’t forget, you also have four seasons of the anime to watch before the sequel arrives as well. Hiaikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle is in cinemas Friday, May 31, 2024. Check out our guide on how to watch the new Haikyuu!! movie and the ending explainer.