'Haikyu!!': Comic Heroes Fuel Japan Olympic Volleyball Manga Mania

Tokyo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th May, 2024) Men's volleyball is flying high in Japan with the national team ranked fourth globally ahead of the Paris Olympics and the sport's soaring popularity fuelled by a manga blockbuster.

"Haikyu!!," the tale of school teams featuring an inspirational comic-book hero determined to beat the odds and his diminutive stature, has sold 60 million copies since its 2012 inception.

Turned into a hit anime series, now a new film "Haikyu!!: The Dumpster Battle" has taken 10 billion Yen ($65 million) at the Japanese box office and will release in North America this month.

Masahiro Yanagida, who captained the national team from 2018-2021, said he was "immensely grateful" that the exploits of the fictional team have helped trigger a boom in numbers hitting the courts.

"I have all volumes of the manga myself," he told AFP, recalling being "completely hooked" on its "pretty realistic" depictions of the sport.

High-school volleyball club membership for boys jumped from 35,000 in 2012 to more than 50,000 this year, official records show.