10 Haikyuu Characters Ranked Worst To Best

Besides his roles as the team's substitute setter and pinch server, Kōshi Sugawara is also Karasuno's second-in-command. As vice captain, Sugawara gives team members a helping hand during practices, as well as advice that may improve their skills. He also goes out of his way to come up with different tactics players can apply to their advantage during matches. An example of this comes when he devises hand signals for Kageyama to use on the court, so that he can silently communicate with Hinata for their quick attack combo.

While he doesn't possess Kageyama's genius, Sugawara is still a very formidable setter, as he considers his sets based on each player's preference. This is something Kageyama doesn't initially understand, but thanks to Sugawara's mentorship, he soon learns to be attentive to his teammates. With his great game sense, Sugawara can also effortlessly come up with strategies during matches, based on his close observation of opponents from the sidelines.

As a substitute setter, Sugawara's time on the court is usually rare and limited. However, this is cleverly utilized to change up opponents' strategies, which are centered around Kageyama's plays. Moreover, after the Tokyo Expedition arc, Sugawara leads the team in creating their own synchronized attacks, which they first see during their match against the Shinzen team. His pinch serves are also formidable, as he specializes in using float serves to send the ball to difficult spots of the other team's court.