Tsukishima’s appearance in Anime.

Tsukishima is notably tall and slim for a volleyball player, standing at 190.1 cm, making him the tallest member of Karasuno’s team despite being a first-year. He has short blond hair, pale skin, thin eyebrows, and golden-brown eyes. He typically wears a frown or a condescending smirk.

In For matches, Tsukishima dons Karasuno’s standard volleyball uniform—black, orange, and white—with the number 11 on his back. He also wears knee pads and white volleyball shoes with green details. He is the only player on the team who wears glasses, and after Chapter 109, he starts wearing prescription sports glasses gifted to him by his older brother, Akiteru.

Outside of volleyball, Tsukishima is seen in Karasuno’s black gakuran, the male school uniform, and is often spotted with white headphones around his neck. The brand of these headphones is humorously labeled as “Somy,” a playful nod to the real-world “Sony” brand. His casual wear often features shirts with crescent moons, referencing his surname—”Tsukishima,” where “tsuki” means “moon.”

In a flashback during Hinata’s time in Brazil, Tsukishima is shown to have grown his hair slightly longer by his third year. Later, during the match between the Adlers and Jackals, he is seen wearing new glasses.

Tsukishima is known for his blunt, often antagonistic nature, which can rile up his teammates, especially Hinata, Kageyama, Nishinoya, and Tanaka, as well as players from rival teams. His casual smugness and sarcastic remarks make him appear arrogant, and he seems to enjoy being seen as a nuisance, as demonstrated in his interactions with players like Tendō and Shirabu from Shiratorizawa. He often snickers at others’ silly or foolish actions, though he tends to back down when reprimanded by his seniors, like Daichi or Ennoshita.

Despite his condescending attitude, Tsukishima harbors low self-esteem and often sees himself as inferior to others. This is first pointed out by Kuroo, who unknowingly provokes him by suggesting that Hinata might surpass him. Tsukishima’s response—admitting that he already feels beneath Hinata—highlights his inner insecurities. Even after being named MVP for his performance in the match against Shiratorizawa, he dismisses his success, calling himself “lame” for blocking Ushijima only once, showing how little he values his own achievements.

Although Tsukishima initially maintains a detached persona, pretending to lack interest in volleyball, it becomes clear that he truly enjoys the sport. His reluctance to fully commit stems from a fear of disappointment, similar to the disillusionment his older brother experienced. However, after a confrontation with Yamaguchi and words of encouragement from Bokuto during the Tokyo training camp, Tsukishima starts to take volleyball more seriously. His passion and motivation truly ignite after successfully blocking Ushijima, a pivotal moment for him.

While Tsukishima generally keeps his composure, he becomes visibly annoyed when underestimated or told what he can or cannot do. These moments often drive him to prove others wrong, even when he claims indifference. For example, despite insisting that it’s “not a competition” with Hinata, he frequently does things to make Hinata envious, such as showcasing his time difference attack during the Shiratorizawa match.

According to his older brother, Akiteru,“Kei is blunt and doesn’t show his emotions often, but he is actually a very hardworking and kind boy.”

Tsukishima was a much more cheerful child in his younger years, particularly close to his older brother, Akiteru. He would often attend Akiteru’s middle school volleyball matches and enjoyed the recognition from locals who knew him as the younger brother of the team’s ace.

During his time in elementary school, Tsukishima witnessed Yamaguchi being bullied by some boys. Instead of stepping in, he simply called them “pathetic,” though it’s unclear whether this comment was directed at the bullies or Yamaguchi himself. Not long after, Tsukishima encountered Yamaguchi again while observing a volleyball class. Although he didn’t immediately recognize him, Yamaguchi soon complimented Tsukishima after learning that his older brother was the ace of Karasuno’s volleyball team. This admiration sparked a quick friendship between the two.

Throughout his childhood, Tsukishima looked up to Akiteru, who often mentioned how hard he was working as Karasuno’s ace. However, Akiteru never allowed Tsukishima to attend his high school games, claiming he would be too nervous if his younger brother watched. One day, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, and another classmate decided to attend a Karasuno match to settle a debate over Akiteru’s role on the team. To Tsukishima’s dismay, he discovered that his brother wasn’t a starting regular as he had claimed, but was instead sitting in the stands with the cheer section.

This revelation left a deep impact on Tsukishima, causing him to become distant from Akiteru and more cynical toward volleyball. He began to believe that no matter how much effort one put in, it would ultimately lead to disappointment—an attitude that would shape much of his initial behavior in high school.

Tsukishima is highly skilled at blocking, utilizing his exceptional height and analytical mindset to great effect. Kenma once remarked that Tsukishima’s calm and thoughtful approach to blocking allows him to carefully assess his opponents’ movements, enabling him to execute split-second feints to disrupt their rhythm and create opportunities for his team.

His ability to read the game and react quickly makes him one of Karasuno’s core defensive players. Over time, particularly after the final training camp before the spring tournament, Tsukishima improved his blocking strength and timing significantly. Before the camp, he struggled to keep up with stronger players, but he developed the ability to match the speed and power of adult-level spikers, becoming a reliable wall at the net.

Height and Reach (as of mid-November)::

• Fingertip Height: 248 cm
• Jumping Reach: 334 cm (spike) / 325 cm (block)

Skills