The word boke is often uttered by Kageyama in Haikyuu!!, meaning it’s a Japanese word that many fans of the series are familiar with. Of course, some fans still want to know what the meaning of boke is in Haikyuu!!
This may be because others prefer watching the English dub and are wondering why many fans throw the word around online.
Meanwhile, others may want a refresher on what exactly it means. After all, many Japanese words have multiple meanings or interpretations, depending on the context.
Spoiler Warning: There are Haikyuu!! spoilers in this article.
The Meaning of ‘Boke’ in Japanese, Explained
The word boke is synonymous with owarai, which is a term used to describe Japanese comedy on television. In turn, owarai is influenced mainly by manzai, a traditional Japanese form of comedy popular in Osaka.
Manzai is typically performed by a comic duo, with one playing the straight man (tsukkomi) and the other playing the funny man (boke).
Tsukkomi refers to how the straight man often “butts in” to correct the boke. Meanwhile, the word boke is taken from the verb bokeru, which means airheadedness.
Aside from being used to refer to one-half of a manzai duo, boke can also be used to call someone an idiot or an airhead.
In a way, you can think of it as similar to the word baka. This word is no doubt a familiar one to many fans as it’s the most common Japanese word for "stupid" in anime.
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Why Does Tobio Kageyama Call Shoyo Hinata ‘Boke’ in Haikyuu?
In Haikyuu!!, the meaning of boke is related to the relationship between Tobio Kageyama and Shoyo Hinata.
Kageyama often calls Hinata boke, essentially calling him an airhead or a moron. This makes sense given their relationship.
Kageyama and Hinata are a formidable duo on the court as their connection as a setter and middle blocker, respectively is a key ingredient in the team’s success.
As good as they are on the court, the two are equally entertaining off it as Kageyama and Hinata have a rivalry of sorts.
The two keep track of their record against each other, not to mention that they often quarrel, with Kageyama usually ending up calling Hinata boke.
What’s even funnier is that, despite Kageyama insulting Hinata this way, both of them have rather poor academic records.
You’ll likely see more of this hilarious duo in the Haikyuu!! Final movie, which will be released in Japanese cinemas this month.
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