Tobio Kageyama

Height: 180.6→181.9cm→188cm (when part of a pro team) / Weight: 66.3kg / Highest jump reach: 335→337cm / Birthday: December 22 / Favorite food: Pork curry with a warm egg on top / Recent concern: Feels like animals dislike him

First-year at Karasuno High School, playing as a setter. Jersey number changes from 9 to 2 in his third year.

Setter for Schweiden Adlers. Jersey number is 20.

Another main character of the series and Hinata's partner. Moved to Karasuno High School upon hearing of Coach Ukai's return, reuniting with Hinata. Respected Hinata's physical abilities since their match at the middle school championships.

A genius setter known for his precise and accurate tosses, which amaze everyone with his overwhelming ball control and observational skills. He is the official setter for the Karasuno High School boys' volleyball team. Known as a "genius" by others for his exceptional sense in setting, he does not consider himself a genius and relentlessly pursues volleyball with high aspirations. Tsukishima describes him as "never complacent with his talent, and ruthlessly stoic." His game-making ability is excellent, and he can disorient the opposing blockers with his calm observational skills and decision-making, delivering crucial two-attacks in decisive moments. Akaashi Keiji from Fukurodani Academy notes his observational skills, saying, "Not only does he have a broad vision, but he also understands how his plays appear to opponents."

At Karasuno, he primarily executes quick minus-tempo attacks, including the "freak quick strike" with Hinata, and aggressive tosses. Tendo describes his form as "a perfectly unruffled setup," making it impossible to predict where he will toss the ball until the last moment. His precise tosses and broad vision, combined with Hinata's athletic abilities, make their attacks a formidable strategy.

Known as one of the best servers in the series, wielding a powerful jump serve dubbed the "murder serve." Besides his setting skills, he is also an excellent all-rounder, excelling in spikes, receives, and blocks. However, he takes great pride in being a setter, the team's playmaker, and often wears a T-shirt with the "Setter Soul" logo.

In moments of confrontation or adversity, he maintains a calm demeanor, described as "the calm before the storm," which contrasts with his intense performance. Hinata refers to this as "Calm Kageyama," noting, "Despite his calm face, his ferocity remains unchanged, so caution is needed."

His personality can be quite blunt, often speaking his mind without reading the room, which can lead to misunderstandings. He particularly has a contentious relationship with the sarcastic Tsukishima, often clashing during games. Although there are few scenes of him conversing with Yamaguchi, he does not blame him when he misses serves and has been seen receiving study help from him in an OVA. He also uniquely never yells at Yamaguchi among the first-years. During the match against Aoba Johsai, he shows a competitive spirit.

During middle school, he played as a setter for the powerhouse Kitagawa Daiichi. His strong desire for victory and improvement often alienated him from his teammates, earning him the ironic nickname "King of the Court." In the prefectural final of the middle school championships, his impatience led him to ignore the spikers' intentions, repeatedly setting quick tosses that led to his teammates' rejection, saying, "There's no one at the spot where he tossed," which traumatized him and influenced his playing style for a long time.

Upon entering Karasuno, his egocentric nature was initially evident, but through Sawamura's tough love (banning him from the gym), he established a combo play with Hinata. After witnessing Sugawara's play during the Interhigh, he gradually learned the importance of communication and cooperation with his teammates.

In the initial "freak quick strike," he matched his precise tosses to Hinata's blind swings. This caught the attention of Oikawa from Aoba Johsai, who called it a "divine move," leading to it being dubbed the "divine quick strike." After their defeat in the Interhigh qualifiers and during a joint training camp, Hinata expressed a desire to fight with his eyes open, leading to a heated argument with Kageyama, who prioritized refining their current techniques over trying new things. However, following advice from Oikawa, he decided to make maximum efforts to match the spikers, perfecting a "hang-time toss" conceived by Tsukishima, which expanded Hinata's options in the air, significantly evolving the freak quick strike.

Selected as a candidate for the All-Japan Youth team due to his performance in the Spring High preliminaries, he participated in a youth training camp. There, Miya Atsumu from Inarizaki, whom he met at the camp, called his setups "smart plays." Struggling between his middle school trauma and the need for teamwork, he faced conflicts with his teammates. Eventually, he realized that his previous playstyle was merely accommodating the spikers out of fear of conflict. Tsukishima's advice that "communication isn't about avoiding conflicts" helped him overcome his trauma. He learned that the most important thing for a setter is to assess the spikers' condition and the match situation. This episode, titled "Restitution" in the manga, depicted Kageyama throwing away his crown to escape his lonely kingship, only to be crowned again as a new "King of the Court."

His realization that a setter's control ends when the ball is passed to the spiker led him to showcase setups that provide spikers with more options than ever before. In front of his former rival Oikawa and Miya Atsumu, hailed as the best high school setter, Kageyama's new awakening was depicted as "the birth of a quiet king." Tanaka mentioned that his setups were "not encouragement but intimidation" (trust).

After graduating from high school, he turned professional, was selected for the Japanese national team, and participated in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He joined the V.League Division 1 team, Schweiden Adlers, along with Ushijima from Shiratorizawa. Upon receiving a photo of Hinata and Oikawa together from Brazil, both he and Ushijima were puzzled. As a setter, his play is now described as luxurious and relaxed, according to Miya, because the spikers from Karasuno, including Hinata, responded to his intimidating settings during high school, allowing him to realize that "it's okay to do as he likes." After a match, he promised Kindaichi and Kunimi to play volleyball together again.

In 2019, he transferred to Ali Roma in Italy. By 2022, he had advanced to the finals of the Men's Volleyball World Club Championship.

Despite his comprehensive understanding of the court and volleyball knowledge, he struggles with academics. When applying for high school, he failed to pass the general entrance exam for Shiratorizawa Academy, a top volleyball school and academic institution in the prefecture. After entering high school, he received tutoring from Yachi but failed his modern literature midterm, leading to supplementary lessons and a late arrival at a joint training camp with Hinata before the summer break.