KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — A match between Japan’s and Argentina’s men’s team in the Olympics this evening has become an unlikely “must watch” for anime fans.

In a rare occasion when reality mimics fiction, fans of Haikyu!! will get to experience a match similar to a pivotal moment that occurred in the sports manga series.

So why did this match get Haikyu!! fans excited?

The series centres around a high-school volleyball team from Karasuno High, located in a fictional small town in Japan, as its main character, Hinata Shoyo, attempts to defy all odds to become one of the greatest middle blockers despite his short stature.

One of the biggest antagonists in the anime is a setter from another school named Oikawa Toru, whose ambitions were scuppered when his team was defeated by Karasuno in a regional tournament.

Following a time-skip in the manga series where all the characters were now adults, Oikawa ended up playing for Argentina at the Olympics.

Why do fans love Oikawa?

Oikawa has a strong rivalry with the protagonist team Karasuno, particularly the latter’s setter Kageyama Tobio who was touted as a genius in the show, and had outshone him when they were on the same team back in middle school.

A mix of his hard-working personality and the rivalry with Kageyama fuelled the fandom’s mixed feelings about him.

In a poll by X user @NORBOLOGY last year, Oikawa was voted as the best Japanese anime villain by getting over 4 million votes, making up 59.24 per cent of the total votes.

Some users have also made fan arts of the match this evening:

Written by Haruichi Furudate, the Haikyu!! manga started publishing in 2012 and was adapted as an anime series by popular studio Production I.G about two years later.

After ten years since the first episode of Haikyu!! aired, it has attracted vast audiences miles from Japan due to its masterful storytelling, character building and dynamics, and the lessons it gives along the way. It also explains the intricacies and rules of volleyball through its characters.

It’s most recent movie, Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle which premiered on February 16 in Japan and May 16 in Malaysia, has grossed over US$93 million worldwide.

Both Japan and Argentina currently sit at the bottom of the Pool C in the preliminary round after losing against Germany (2-3) and United States (0-3) respectively in their first matches.

The volleyball match between Japan and Argentina’s men's teams is scheduled for 6.50pm Malaysian time.