I Kinda Like That Salty Middle Blocker: 11 Reasons I ❤ Tsukishima Kei!

So kicking off March Megane Madness is none other than Tsukishima Kei from Haikyuu!! Now, it’s no secret that I am absolutely head over heels for this salty middle blocker, if you’ve been living under a rock, or if you doubt the depths of my obsession, I highly recommend you check out my Twitter and Tumblr accounts… They’re practically digital Tsukki shrines. *cough* So when I decided to do a month long tribute to megane men, I just knew that this bespectacled blonde would be the one to start things off!

After thinking long and hard about how best to showcase the light of my life, my beautiful moonbeam… sorry, I mean, rather than tarnish my beloved Tsukki’s good name with a half-assed character analysis, I decided to write up a list of all the reasons I ❤ Tsukishima Kei. But, because that list would probably go on forever, I decided to narrow the list down to just 11 items… because he’s Karasuno’s number 11…duh! Note, that this is just an excuse for me to fangirl about Tsukki, so expect a lot of exclamation marks and a few fangirl squeals!!!

Number 1: He’s A Megane…

Do I really have to explain this one?! He’s a megane character, he had my attention from the moment he appeared in episode 3 of season 1… I should clarify that whenever a megane character shows up in an anime, manga, or whatever, I immediately take notice. But, with Tsukki, the glasses really do make Tsukki… well, Tsukki. I mean have you seen the guy without his glasses on, it’s just not the same! *shakes head*  It just isn’t right!

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Number 2: Tsukki ain’t got time for your foolishness!

It’s easy to forget that the guy is a first year like Hinata and Kageyama, because Tsukki doesn’t waste his precious screen time with a whole lot of jumping around and shouting. He’s a sophisticated young man, with a levelheadedness that puts even some of the second years to shame (yeah, I’m looking at you Tanaka and Noya)! He possess a keen intellect that allows him to carefully and critically assess most situations without falling prey to things like emotions and feelings… Tsukishima is calm under pressure and even if he does get rattled a bit by an opponent, he rarely lets that effect his performance on the court. But, I guess it makes sense, he is a Libra after all…

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Number 3: RAWR means I love you in Dinosaur!

If you’ve seen any fanart of Tsukishima Kei, you’ll notice that a nice chunk of them feature the high schooler either riding a dinosaur, holding a dinosaur plushie, or wearing a piece of clothing with a dinosaur on it. I assumed it had something to do with his height, since Tsukki towers above most of the characters in Haikyuu!!, so imagine my surprise when I saw the dinosaur figures in his room. Apparently Tsukki might have a thing for dinosaurs and I for one find that absolutely adorable!!!

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Number 4: The Meaning Behind his Name is PERFECTION!

“Furudate picked Tsukishima’s name because “His last name has ‘moon’ (月) to contrast Hinata’s ‘sun’ (日). But I named him ‘firefly’ (蛍) because he can emit light on his own.””

Nomenclature:

• Kei (蛍) – Firefly
• Tsukishima (月島) – Moon Island

–Source

Where do I begin? There are a number of parallels between Tsukishima and the moon, for one his first full onscreen appearance occurs at night. Then there’s the fact that Tsukki isn’t as intense as some of the other characters in the show, so it’s easy to overlook him, especially in the first two seasons. It was just too bright with all those hotblooded characters running around to see just how truly amazing Tsukishima is, but all of that changed… when the lights dimmed and season 3 rolled around… That’s when Tsukki really started to shine!!

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Number 5: He’s Voiced By Kōki Uchiyama

Kōki Uchiyama has voiced his fair share of anime leading men, some of which are the complete opposite of Tsukishima… The biggest surprises being Gin from Hotarubi no Mori E and Yuri Plisetsky from Yuri!!! on Ice! I’m still trying to figure out how I missed the last one, since I was all over the YOI fandom while the show was still airing. Maybe I should hand in my fangirl card…

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Number 6: I love a guy with a good head on his shoulders

Unlike the idiot duo, Kageyama and Hinata, Tsukishima is an excellent student that has no trouble balancing his extracurricular activities with his studies. While Kags and Hina were struggling to pass their exams, smarty pants Tsukishima had no problem showing those tests who was in charge! But, his intelligence doesn’t just apply to the classroom, oh no, that big brain of his makes him an absolute beast on the court. He is able to calmly and efficiently analyze the actions of not just his fellow teammates, but the other team’s players, which allows him to quickly counter his opponent’s offense. He’s been shown to outsmart even the most skilled players without even breaking a sweat!!

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Number 7: He doesn’t back down from a challenge

When compared to his much more enthusiastic teammates, Tsukki can seem a bit impassive about volleyball. In episode three when he meets Kags and Hinata for the first time before their practice match, he even offers to throw the match for them, since he’ll wind up on the team regardless of the outcome. And even after that, he kind of half asses his way through games and practices, much to the frustration of his teammates. I mean, it’s not like Tsukki isn’t a capable player, he just lacks the motivation to reach his full potential…

However, despite his nonchalant attitude, there is one thing that light a fire under him, and that’s a direct challenge. Every single time someone tells Tsukki he can’t do something, he immediately sets out to prove them wrong and so far there hasn’t been a challenge couldn’t handle!!

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Number 8: His Face…

I’m sorry, but I could not in good conscience write a post about Tsukishima Kei without talking about how much I love his smug face!! I don’t know how he does it, but every time see that cheeky smirk of his or that I’m too cool for this look he always wears, my heart skips a beat. ❤ That’s not to say that the rest of him isn’t a feast for the eyes…I just want to take a moment to appreciate just how sassy Tsukki is…

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Number 9: Tsukki is the King of Shade

Throwing shade knows no boundaries, if you have the balls to step to Tsukishima Kei, then you better be prepared for a whole lot of salt! Tsukki doesn’t care who you are, whether you’re a rival from a powehouse school, a teammate, or even family, every body is open to criticism! But, it’s the slick way he slides his insults in that really has me rolling, the guy doesn’t skip a beat!!

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Number 10: He Likes Strawberry Shortcake

Who would have guessed that someone as salty as Tsukishima would love something as sweet and delicious as strawberry shortcake?! How cute is that?! I can just imagine him sitting in a cafe with one of those tiny dessert forks in his hand as he savors every single bite of sweet strawberry goodness. I guess he has to balance out all that saltiness somehow…

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Number 11: His Growth as a Character

I’m not gonna lie, I hated Tsukki in the beginning, I remember thinking, who does this side character think he is steppin’ to Kags and Hinata like that!? Doesn’t this jerk know that they are the stars of the show, not some wanna be middle blocker! I wanted to punch the guy in the face every time he opened his mouth and not even my love of meganes was enough to save him from my ire… That is until seasons 2 and 3 rolled around, and it was like the heavens had opened up! Suddenly he wasn’t “That Asshole” anymore, he was “Tsukki” and I couldn’t take my eyes off of him! So, why the change of heart?

First off, I didn’t start liking Tsukishima over night in fact, I was still on the fence about the guy until they revealed his past in episode 8 of season 2. OH MY GOD!!!! Watching smol Tsukki’s world come crumbling down around him, touched me in a way I never would have imagined. It was like a light switch was flipped in my brain, that boy could do no wrong! It also helped that he was finally starting pulling his own weight on the team! And then BAM! Season 3 came around and he was like a completely different character, he was full of passion and vigor unlike anything we’d seen from him before and I have to say it was hot! He gave it his all in season 3 and… *sniffle* it was beautiful!

He wasn’t just a passive member of the team, Tsukki had finally… FINALLY become one of those volleyball idiots! He didn’t just follow along with the plays, HE EFFING MADE THEM!! I was tearing up when I saw how far our salty little crow baby had come over the course of just three seasons and when he blocked Ushijima’s monster spike… I almost broke my damn computer I was cheering so loud!! Hands down, Karasuno’s victory against Shiratorizawa Academy is largely due to Tsukishima Kei… that boy is the real MVP at Karasuno!!

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Well, those are the 11 reasons I love Tsukishima Kei! What do you think of my beloved Tsukki? Did you think there’s something that wasn’t on the list that should be? Let me know what you think in the comments section. Also be on the look out for more March Megane Madness posts throughout the month!! If you like what you see, like this post or follow Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! As always THANK YOU FOR READING!!