The final whistle still echoed like a thunderclap in the packed Miyagi Prefecture arena, the scoreboard screaming 25–10 in blazing LED. Karasuno didn't just win — they detonated. The gym floor looked like a war zone where gravity had politely stepped aside for two sets. The crowd was still standing, buzzing, screaming, laughing, and in some cases, crying from sheer confusion.
The referees were still blinking like they'd just survived a hurricane. The announcer had lost his voice halfway through trying to keep up. And Karasuno… Karasuno looked like they'd just come from a street festival rather than a high-stakes official match.
Akira gave a lazy wave to the audience like an idol finishing a concert, sweat glistening but his grin smug enough to power a small city. Hinata bounced beside him like a pinball, high-fiving anyone who extended a hand, including one startled security guard. Asahi, who had actually played some of the best volleyball of his life, was being used by Noya as an impromptu flagpole for a hastily made "CHAOS MODE ON" banner.
Date Tech… Date Tech walked off in eerie silence, faces carved from stone. Their iron wall had been shattered over and over, and while their dignity was bruised, there was something deeper in their eyes — calculation. This wasn't over for them.
The crowd, however, was not letting Karasuno leave in peace.
"CHAOS! CHAOS! CHAOS!"The chant rolled like an earthquake, hundreds of voices, clapping in sync.
A kid on the railing held a phone up, livestreaming with shaky hands. "YO, THEY'RE RIGHT THERE, THE CHAOS SQUAD! SAY SOMETHING!"
Akira leaned in, still walking backwards toward the exit, and winked. "Stay hydrated and don't challenge me unless you want emotional damage." The crowd roared.
By the time they reached the tunnel, social media had already exploded.
@VolleyballFan99: "BRO THAT WASN'T A SPIKE, THAT WAS AN EXORCISM"@SportsEditsJP: "Karasuno set to Looney Tunes theme song is the only thing I'll watch this year."@ChaosIsLife: "I think I just became a Karasuno fan for life. My cheeks hurt from laughing."@IronWallFaithful: "We'll get them next time. But what the hell was THAT??"
Clips were going viral in real time — Hinata "hovering" midair, Akira blocking like a phantom, Noya diving with the grace of a breakdancer, Tanaka doing a victory lap after losing a point.
Across Japan, reactions poured in.
In Inarizaki's dorm, the Miya twins were on the floor laughing so hard they were kicking the couch.
"OSAMU, DID YOU SEE AKIRA'S FACE WHEN HE BLOCKED THAT?" Atsumu slapped the floor, gasping for breath.Osamu, tears in his eyes: "I ain't playin' next time. I'm bringin' popcorn. This ain't volleyball, this is theatre."They immediately began texting: We HAVE to play them. For science.
In Fukurodani's common room, Bokuto had rewound Akira's last spike at least twelve times.
"LOOK, LOOK! THIS ONE, THIS ONE—HE JUMPS, RIGHT? AND THEN—BAM—THE BALL IS GONE!" Bokuto flailed his arms so hard Akaashi had to dodge.Akaashi calmly sipped his tea, though the faint smile gave him away. "It's… unconventional. But effective.""IT'S BEAUTIFUL." Bokuto's eyes shimmered. "CHAOS BEAUTIFUL."
In Seijoh's training gym, Oikawa was watching the match on his phone, jaw slack."Why is my brother acting like a rockstar?"Izumi, perched on the bench behind him, grinned while posting on her account: Oikawa Tōru: setter, team captain, sibling, and now officially #AkiraFanClub president. Proud of you, onii-chan~Oikawa spun around. "DELETE THAT.""Nope." She hit send. The notification pinged instantly with likes.
Ushijima was in Shiratorizawa's video room, watching in silence. One of his teammates whispered, "Are they… good?"Ushijima: "They are effective."Pause."…and strange."
Back in the arena, as Karasuno loaded their bags onto the team bus, they were mobbed by fans. A group of middle schoolers begged for selfies; Hinata agreed instantly and somehow roped Akira, Noya, and Yamaguchi into a weird group pose where everyone was making "demon faces" for the camera.
By the time the bus started moving, Akira's phone was vibrating non-stop.
#ChaosDerby – 200K tweets#AkiraDemonFace – trending in Japan and climbing globally#LooneyTunesVolleyball – the top meme tag of the day
Hinata leaned over the seat, shoving his phone into Akira's face. "LOOK, SOMEONE MADE AN ANIMATION OF US AS CARTOON CHARACTERS!"It was them, literally drawn as wild cartoon versions, set to slapstick sound effects. Akira's spike had been edited with a nuclear explosion effect.
They watched it on loop until Ukai yelled at them to "stop cackling like hyenas."
Back in Miyagi, the Karasuno campus was already decked out like a championship parade. Students who didn't even follow volleyball were suddenly superfans. The cafeteria buzzed with conversations about "that insane match," and someone had already taped a still image of Akira mid-block on the vending machine with the words DO NOT ANGER HIM.
Reporters cornered Takeda-sensei in the hallway: "Is this… a new Karasuno strategy?"Takeda laughed nervously. "Strategy is… a flexible word."
National sports news scrambled to explain what happened. On a late-night panel, one analyst tried to break down Karasuno's plays frame-by-frame. By the fourth replay of Hinata using a teammate as an unintentional screen, the analyst sighed and admitted: "We've never seen volleyball like this. There… is no category for what they're doing."
In Date Tech's locker room, the air was heavy. The coach paced like a storm cloud."That… was unacceptable. We will not let them do that to us again. You will train harder. You will close those gaps. And next time…"He stopped, almost grudgingly. "…you will make them panic."The players nodded in grim silence.
Meanwhile, Karasuno's chaos only grew. By evening, Akira's block face had been photoshopped onto everything from movie posters to traffic signs. Hinata's jump became a looping GIF in every group chat. Noya's "flying save" was turned into an Olympic dive meme.
Even Miya Atsumu posted: Karasuno… y'all are insane. Don't ever change.Bokuto: CHAOS MODE IS LOVE. CHAOS MODE IS LIFE.Osamu: Feed them after the match next time. They burn energy like ten people.
The next morning, Karasuno walked into the clubroom to find it overflowing with fan gifts — boxes of snacks, hand-drawn posters, plush toys. Yachi blinked. "It's like… you guys are idols."Tanaka: "Correction. Warriors of Chaos."Izumi (who had brought a bag of bakery treats): "I'm here to make sure none of you starve to death in your own fame."Akira, stealing one of her buns: "Best sister."Oikawa, entering dramatically just to glare: "Worst brother."
The noise level spiked immediately, everyone talking over each other — Karasuno didn't just win matches anymore. They won audiences.
And somewhere, in gyms and common rooms across Japan, every top team that watched that match came to the same conclusion.
Karasuno wasn't just an opponent.
They were a storm.
And the next time they stepped onto a court, the whole country would be watching.