Ryūnosuke Tanaka

Ryūnosuke Tanaka is a 2nd year student at Karasuno High school. He is a wing spiker on Karasuno High Boy's Volleyball Club. Tanaka has a shaved head with a widow's peak and sharp blue/grey eyes (golden brown in the manga coloured illustrations) which lead many to mistake him as a delinquent. He is also average in height and has a lean build. He tends to make strange faces to try to scare and intimidate others, which Daichi scolds him for.

Loud, hot-headed, and easily angered, he is no stranger to picking fights. He is also somewhat of a slacker, shown by his less-than-stellar work ethic in school and his usual lateness to practices. Despite all this, he is shown to be caring and supportive towards his teammates, and even protective of his underclassmen. Once he gets fired up, he is usually unstoppable on the court–and also unstoppably loud, as demonstrated by his over-the-top cheering after he scores or pulls off an incredible move. He also has the tendency to take off his shirt and spin it over his head when he scores a point in practices. Tanaka also has a large interest in Kiyoko Shimizu, similar to Yū Nishinoya. He often approaches her and tries to talk to her.

Even though he is usually being ignored by her, it turns him on. And thus, he usually looks out for her alongside Nishinoya, especially during the Tokyo training camp and official matches when the other teams take an interest in her. He is a player that never gives up on the ball. According to Keishin Ukai, Tanaka is the second strongest spiker in Karasuno (Asahi being the first) and most importantly, his ability to perform when he's cornered doesn't deteriorate. This mental strength gives him the qualities of an ace. According to Oikawa, he has incredible mental fortitude during games. After the Summer Training Camp Arc, Tanaka seemed to have improved the ferocity of his cross & straight spikes. By Nationals, Tanaka will have learned to perform a legitimate jump serve that can pressure his opponents.