These two babes, who I love, asked for Tendou… so HERE IT IS. MY BABY, ONE AND ONLY, TENDO SATORI ANALYSIS !!!
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Tendou Satori Analysis.
Tendou isn’t much of a complex character, but he is one of the most tridimensional characters in the Haikyuu universe.
What is a tridimensional character?
A tridimensional character is one who displays his vices and virtues, pros and cons, equally making him more humane than a caricature.
At first, Tendou is presented as a cheerful character and kind of a jokester. He might be a normal character but from the very start thanks to the way he talks and they he looks, you can tell there’s something odd with the character, something different from the other ones. This cheerful attitude I call it “The First Layer.”
Tendou has an “alter ego” that I would like to refer to it as “The Second Layer.”
Then, inside those two layers is the center of Tendou, who he really is.
I’ll break down each of them. And a small disclaimer: Just because I’m naming his personality traits layers doesn’t mean they are facades he puts on. I’m trying to explain the character from its most basic traits and getting deeper into the character, and this seemed the best way to lead the analysis.
FIRST LAYER,
His good side and I think one of the most important parts of this character.
He’s cheerful and teases his friends often. You can see that he unwraps perfectly among his peers, which is a surprising layer given the backstory he has. Tendou was insulted, if not bullied, when he was only a child. In middle school he wasn’t much bullied, but he still was told his ways were wrong.He wasn’t doing things like he was supposed to, and he didn’t look like he supposed to. People still rejected him.
This type of constant reminder can damage someone mentally and emotional in many ways, that’s when the second layers comes in but we’ll talk about it later in this post.
Still, at the same time this is why Tendo is able to open up in Shiratorizawa. In many instances in the anime we can see how opposite are the opinions of the people of his past against the ones Shiratorizawa has of him.
For instance:
In episode 7, season 3, one of the flashbacks we see, he is in middle school and the coach tells him to stop block-guessing. Tendou argues saying that his guess-block does work, why would he stop doing it?
The coach answers the same way everyone has answered him so far: “YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE RIGHT ALL THE TIME” aka “YOU’RE WRONG.”
Later in the match vs Karasuno, in episode 8 Coach Washijou yells at him. “SATORI, STICK YOUR HANDS UP. I DON’T CARE IF YOUR GUESS ENDS UP WRONG, I PUT YOU IN THERE KNOWING DAMN WELL THAT MIGHT BE A POSSIBILITY.”
He’s practically telling Tendou. “You might be wrong but as long as you try to score, it’s okay.”
That’s why Tendou, even with his past, is so trusting and friendly with his team. It’s the first time in his life where he feels accepted.
Between those same episodes Semi says that only Tendou can talk so cheerfully to Ushiwaka. It is because he feels like he belongs. He feels comfortable with who he is and in its own skin for the very first time.
And specially, his alter ego, his second layer, is also well received.
SECOND LAYER
When we see Tendo’s childhood flashback, we see that he found out satisfaction in having power over the people who used to bully him. Volleyball gave him some confidence in himself, made him feel he had the upper hand in something.
For Tendo volleyball became the place where he could have the upper hand and he wasn’t afraid to retaliate. It became his safe heaven, and when his general “sadistic” persona was accepted, it was like a dream come true for him.
And even when he grows up and he has somehow managed to get over those past traumas, he’s still on edge when it comes to new people. He created that alter ego when he was young, and it would be too difficult for him to just stop being like that. He was too young and that small twinge of rejection will look back at him every time he sees his reflection, so he won’t stop.
This attitude is what makes Tendo so human to me. This ego was created cause of his fear, of his, probably, self-hatred. This is a mechanism he uses to protect himself. Being called the “guess monster” It’s both a blessing and a curse. In high school he became someone important for his school. He isn’t just a freak. He is Tendo The Guess Monster Satori. He is someone people recognize and respect. And he likes that power. But that power doesn’t define him… that power is the why volleyball started being his paradise as he stated.
When Karasuno wins, Satori says “Goodbye my paradise.” And then he tells Wakatoshi he will quit volleyball.
Here comes THE CENTER of Tendo Satori, who he really is:
When Tendo said “Goodbye my paradise” after they lost… was because he knew deep inside he wouldn’t find any place like Shiratorizawa again. He knows how the world outside of this paradise is, and he knows it isn’t pretty.
He dind’t play volleyball for the glory… He first played volleyball for power, because people finally respected him, at the end of high school Tendou kept playing because he felt like he belonged in that court with Ushiwaka, with Semi, with Reon… Shiratorizawa’s volleyball team was his safe heaven, not only volleyball. Volleyball granted him that home, but it stopped being all about volleyball and power. It was about the people who accepted him.
At the end you can see that Tendou is an insightful guy. He knows that now that he will graduate high school, he won’t be in that home anymore, and so volleyball isn’t worth it anymore. He tells Ushiwaka he will say how they were best friends because Tendo will always cherish that time of his life because it showed him how to openly be himself…
He’s someone who cares for other people. Not only a monster who you need to be afraid of, as he was in both primary and middle school. Tendo encourages his teammates and feels proud of them when they overcome their problems. When Shirabu got scolded by Washijo because he messed up the toss (the one when Tsukishima blocked Ushiwaka) he slapped himself, and after being surprised, Tendou smiles with a small chuckle…
Tendo is a soft, insightful boy who not only sees but to truly observes the world around him. He had gone to nationals at least once, he has seen what’s out there. And he knows there will be nothing like Shiratorizawa again, and he doesn’t want another Shiratorizawa.
He liked power because he didn’t like to be abused.
He’s human and he did what he had to do to protect himself.
But on the inside, Tendo is caring. Tendo only wanted to belong. Shiratorizawa thought him he wasn’t nearly as bad as he believed, because he isn’t. He is kind to others outside of the court. He knows volleyball is only a game. To lose wasn’t painful for him, what was truly painful was to know he was going to leave the team. There wasn’t going to be another time, but either way, his time was already coming to an end.
And by accepting that, it means he has come to terms with who he is, and he knows he will probably be fine out there.
He’s flawed, he has his ups and downs, and that makes him a complete character for me.
Very solid analysis Bunny! I think you hit every nail on the head.
I haven’t written a lot for Tendo but your post definitely makes me want to try again because he is so multilateral (that’s what makes him a challenge to write at least for me because there is so much to who he is).
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