Haikyuu! got a reputation for its amazingly well animated and detailed volleyball matches, shonen-style plot, and in-depth characterizations of the protagonists, and rapidly became one of the most beloved sports anime across the globe.
The series began with a small yet energetic middle schooler Shōyō Hinata, who found his passion for volleyball after watching Karasuno High play on T.V. but was disappointed that nobody in his school was interested in the sport.
However, after persuading his friends to form a team and compete in challenging tournaments, Hinata works hard to achieve his dream.
The first three seasons of the series were released on point in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Then, a two-year gap followed until the announcement of the fourth season, which aired split into two parts from January to April 2020, then October to December 2020.
A few months have passed since the final episode of the fourth season aired on Crunchyroll, and it isn’t yet known if a new season will be released by Production I.G.
It is almost certain that a new season is in the works, especially if you take a look at the official English-language Haikyu!! account, particularly a post from after the last episode’s transmission:
A huge thank you to the entire Haikyu!! Anime team for their continued hard work this past year!
Looking forward to the continuation!#ハイキュー #hq_anime pic.twitter.com/KU411mpHQ7
— HAIKYU!! (@Haikyu_EN) December 18, 2020
The “Looking forward to the continuation” part implies that a fifth season will be released.. at some point at least. However, nobody can precisely say when that point will be, especially considering that the new season hasn’t even been announced yet.
It is expected that the delay from a few years ago won’t repeat again, as it was the result of some in-house factors. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that a new season will be released 12-13 months after the last season airs.
Fun fact – the anime’s theme song played during the Tokyo Olympics volleyball event, which is a sign that a new season is nearby.
As for the plot, there is a lot more to cover, as the team members have to compete in the Nekoma vs Karasuno match at the garbage dump, with numerous matches waiting to happen and huge stakes.
If the series will follow the plot of the manga, we may be greeted with two or even three more seasons, as there is so much more story left to cover.
