Being called King of the Court actually has something honorable about it. As an outsider, one interprets at least only benevolent into this designation. Unaware of why Kageyama has received this nickname. Already during his time in junior high it was obvious that he would become a great player one day. He learns extremely quickly, is very intelligent as a setter, and can make a pass in a matter of seconds by analyzing opponents and teammates. The problem is that he plays very stubbornly. He plays the way he thinks is right. The others have to adapt to his way of playing, have to dance to his tune and are served a pass that is ideal in his opinion. Of course, frustration quickly arises because his teammates don’t feel they can cooperate with him. The hatred for his nickname stems from the fact that he was given it because he is nothing but an egocentric king for whom cooperating is a foreign word.
It is therefore only understandable that he cannot assert himself with such a style of play. The whole thing culminated for him in the painful memory that he has carried with him ever since. One day his teammates refused to accept his passes, which eventually led to him having to be substituted. The whole thing had a symbolic character. Normally, a substitution does not necessarily mean something negative, but in that case the substitution contained the meaning that he was no longer needed.
However, he is incredibly difficult to deal with. For this reason, he couldn’t go to the high school he wanted to go to. In the end, he had to choose Karasuno High, which, however, tempts him to develop slowly. His self-centered side is not accepted there either, so he has to learn to cooperate quickly. Because otherwise, he has no chance of even being placed on this team. For a player who loves playing volleyball so much, however, this is something that cannot be forfeited. So he wants to be set up and play. Slowly, but gradually he realizes that he can rely on the others. His game develops accordingly. Even though he can be called a genius when it comes to his talent, he is somewhat blinded at first due to his character. He does not pay attention to which pass would be best for his teammates. Thus, at first, he does not manage to really exploit the high potential of his team. Especially through his rival Shouyou, who together form an incredibly powerful combination, the process of his development is significantly accelerated. So much so that his old teammates don’t even recognize him, as he learns to cooperate quite quickly.
Although he makes an effort to understand the others better and be kinder to them, he exudes something frightening at all times. Even laughing is difficult for him, as he looks more frightening than happy with his forced smile. Something he can’t really work on either, as he can’t seem to shake this serious and stern side of himself.