Kyouhaba

Kyouhaba is the slash ship between Kyoutani Kentarou and Yahaba Shigeru from the Haikyu!! fandom.

Canon
These two first appear when Kyoutani is introduced during Season 2 Episode 14. Kyoutani walks in to be immediately yelled at by Yahaba at his long absence. From this scene and from backstory presented by later episodes it is presumed that Kyoutani left the team either in his first year or early second year of high school. It is obvious by Yahaba's hostile reaction that he is not pleased.

The next time they are presented on screen is a couple episodes later (Season 2 Episode 23). Kyoutani had just been subbed out after losing his temper during Aoba Johsai's second official match against Karasuno. Once subbed out for Kunimi Akira, he is confronted by Yahaba. Despite being told not to interfere by Matsukawa, Yahaba still proceeds to lecture Kyoutani over his actions. He slams him against the gymnasium wall and tells him the importance of this match and if they were to lose because of Kyoutani, Yahaba would never forgive him. This exchange helps Kyoutani get over the trouble he was facing trying to fit in with the team, and later proceeds to score his first point feeling welcomed by his fellow teammates.

*Spoiler Alert*

Eventually Aoba Johsai does lose the match to Karasuno and it shows Yahaba and Kyoutani, accompanied by fellow second year Watari Shinji, looking over at the opposing team. Yahaba vows to take revenge next year as they watch the other side in spite. This is the moment the current second years become the foundation of Aoba Johsai with Yahaba as the captain and Kyoutani as his ace.

Fanon
These two are quite a rare pair, but do have a decently sized following. Both fanon versions of the characters do not stray far from the canon universe. Despite their appearances, most of the time Kyoutani is the quiet, innocent one whilst Yahaba is the foul mouthed, sassy one. Kyoutani is also often nicknamed by Yahaba as 'Ken' which is a shortening of his first name, Kentarou, In fanfiction, they are often shown trying to mend their relationship for the sake of the team. This often leads to angst and mutual pining, but despite how dreary it seems, they are regarded as a healthy ship by fans. Once settling their differences they are quite a pair to beat and act as an extremely easy duo to ship.

Despite the small following, there are some common story lines shared between works. One is Yahaba having to deal with the stress of replacing his former captain Oikawa Tooru. This is often resolved by Kyoutani telling him that he does not need to be a new Oikawa and should lead the team in his own way. Another common story is people fearing Kyoutani because of his appearance, which in turn isolates him. This is often resolved with Yahaba inviting him into his friend group with Watari, and just helping him interact with the team in general.

On AO3, Kyouhaba is the most written pairing for both characters. They are often paired with other Aoba Johsai ships such as Iwaoi, Matsuhana, and Kunikin.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

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