Lev Haiba Haikyu!! - Nendoroid

The hit sports manga Haikyu!! accomplished the task of building a large cast of well-developed characters. Each new rival team boasts members with large, dedicated fan bases. Karasuno's destined rival, Nekoma High, produced a new danger for the crows in season two: Lev Haiba. Lev even earned his own figure representation in the Nendoroid line, "Nendoroid Haikyu!! Lev Haiba".

Nendoroid Haikyu!! Lev Haiba

This figure from Good Smile Company captures Nekoma's lanky center ace in chibi form. Lev Haiba wears his red Nekoma uniform, sculpted with realistic creases and folds. The figure includes a special volleyball court base and a posing attachment to recreate action shots. Lev's dangerous whip-like spike takes the form of a long, semi-translucent arm part mimicking its depiction in the anime. Face plates include Lev's standard smile, a wider grin, and a worried expression, complete with a sweatdrop. The additional accessories include a Mikasa volleyball and his favorite food, Inari sushi.

Manufacturer: Orange Rouge
Sculptor: Shichibee
Specifications: Painted, articulated, non-scale ABS & PVC figure with optional parts and stand
Height (Approx.): 100mm | 3.9"

About Lev Haiba

Lev Haiba is a first year student and middle blocker at Nekoma High School. He is half-Russian and half-Japanese. He considers himself the "center ace" of Nekoma. His first name is Russian for "lion," fitting the Nekoma's team theme of cats.

About Lev Haiba: Background

Lev only started playing volleyball when he entered high school. At first, he relied heavily on his natural talents and physique. However, he struggled to connect with the team's setter, Kenma Kozume. As a result, Lev was not present at the first practice match against Karasuno. After a summer of training, Lev earned his place as a regular on the team, though his receiving and teamwork skills needed work.

Lev has a bright and playful personality. However, he often fails to notice when his comments offend others, leading to many conflicts with his team's upperclassmen. Despite his relatively low skill level, he feels very confident in his ability to score and steal the spotlight during matches. He has a friendly rivalry with Shoyo Hinata and his own teammate, So Inuoka. He has an older sister named Alisa who attends his matches when Nekoma reaches Nationals.

About Lev Haiba: Abilities

At 6'4", Lev is one of the tallest characters in the series. This gives him a natural advantage when playing volleyball, particularly as a blocker. However, Lev also has long arms and a high level of flexibility. This allows him to spike volleyballs with great power, using his arm almost like a whip.

As a member of Nekoma, Lev has trained heavily in defensive playstyle and receiving. He lacks talent in these areas compared to the rest of his team, though improves steadily over the course of the series. Nekoma's coach, Yasufumi Nekomata, comments on Lev's innate game sense as one of his greatest assets. If Lev can learn to harness his talents and work on his teamwork issues, he has the potential to be a powerful force on the court.

Other Important Haikyu!! Characters

Most of the influential characters in Lev's storyline are other members of Nekoma's volleyball team. Unintentionally, Lev tends to cause conflict with his teammates, though learns a great deal from them through training.

Morisuke Yaku

Morisuke Yaku is a third year Nekoma student and the team's libero. He is a defensive specialist and mentioned by several characters to be one of the best liberos in the series. As a libero, Yaku isn't very tall, causing him embarrassment, especially around his taller teammates like Lev. Lev doesn't notice or acknowledge Yaku's sensitivities and frequently offends him.

Yaku and Lev have a humorous relationship filled with violent comedic relief moments. Yaku often kicks Lev or subjects him to relentlessly tiring receiving drills as punishment for commenting on his height. However, as blocker and libero, Lev and Yaku have to work together to solidify Nekoma's defensive strategy.

Shoyo Hinata

Shoyo Hinata is a first year student at Karasuno High School and one of the series' protagonists. Despite his short height, Hinata plays as a middle blocker, a position traditionally for the team's tallest players. Shoyo uses his explosive jumping abilities to reach over the net and his quick speed to evade and intercept opponents.

Lev first hears about Shoyo from Kenma when he says he can't match Lev the way the Karasuno's setter matches Shoyo. Kenma also goes on to say Shoyo is more skilled than Lev, sparking Lev's feelings of rivalry. After they meet, Shoyo is jealous of Lev's height and wingspan while Lev is shocked at Shoyo’s jumping ability. The two go on to see each other as rivals on the path to being their team's center ace.