It is straightforward. Mostly.
Summary:
- Fans want to get into Haikyuu!!, and the watch order is a bit trickier than they initially expect.
- The OVAs for the first two seasons are optional, but the one between S3 and S4 is mandatory.
- The Dumpster Battle movie is currently not available for streaming.
Haikyuu!! is the most popular sports anime out there. With the release of the most recent movie, The Dumpster Battle, it became the topic of online discussion once again.
This also meant that many newer fans are attempting to get into the series. It would seem that it is pretty straightforward — just watch the seasons in order — but it’s actually not that simple.
First two seasons have OVAs you might want to watch
After the first season of the series (25 episodes), you might want to watch The Arrival of Haiba Lev OVA. While it is completely optional — it is not based on a manga chapter — it gives a little more backstory and characterization to Lev Haiba, a first-year player for Nekoma.
Similarly, after the second season (25 episodes), there’s another optional OVA, Haikyuu!! VS “Failing Grades.” It is essentially a filler, but it is also a nice little story about Kageyama and Hinata taking their exams, the schedule of which conflicts with their training.
Don’t skip the OVA between S3 and S4
The third season of the anime only covers the Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa match — which might sound like a boring part of the series. The season is only 10 episodes long, but the nature of the match being an intense back-and-forth battle makes it, according to the fans, one of the best parts of the anime.
Before you proceed to the last season, Haikyuu!! To The Top, don’t forget to watch the Land VS Air OVA. Unlike the previous OVAs, this one is not optional — it covers chapters 191 to 206 of the manga. It focuses on Nekoma rather than Karasuno and prepares you for the next season.
Haikyuu!! To The Top actually consists of two parts, which are 13 and 12 episodes, respectively. The art style is slightly different from that of the previous seasons, being closer to the manga. That said, it’s not something that makes the anime worse.
What about the movies?
After the latest season, Haikyuu!! To The Top, there’s nothing publicly available. The movie, The Dumpster Battle, is only available in Japanese theaters at the moment, and we don’t know anything about its Blu-Ray release or when it comes to legal streaming. After it, we will get another movie — but that’s not happening in the near future.
Curiously enough, the first 3 seasons have been readapted into 4 recap movies. There is no real reason to watch them, though: there’s a couple of new scenes (that you can find online), but otherwise, they just compress the existing content. And if you actually want a more detailed version of the story, you can check out the manga.