About

(High School Era↓) Vice-captain of Aoba Johsai High School's volleyball team. A powerful spiker and the team's ace. Always comes through with crucial spikes when it matters most, keeping team morale high. His cool, no-nonsense attitude earned him a reputation as a total badass among his teammates, and the underclassmen looked up to him big time. His middle school buddy Oikawa (Aoba Johsai High School 3rd year, Class 6, Position: Setter — a pretty boy who's constantly surrounded by flocks of girls and has entire cheering sections of female fans) would brag, 'I don't lose at anything except tossing,' which would make Iwaizumi chuck a volleyball at him while yelling, 'Say you don't lose at tossing either, you damn Oikawa!' He also served as the straight man to captain Oikawa, reeling him back in whenever he got distracted flirting with girls from other schools — usually by hurling balls at the back of his head and dragging him away by the chin. (Even their coach would tell him to 'go get him back,' making this pretty much officially sanctioned within the Aoba Johsai volleyball team.) He and Oikawa have been childhood friends, playing volleyball together since their elementary school club team. Oikawa calls him 'Iwa-chan.' After spending so much time together, he's gotten used to handling Oikawa's antics. While Oikawa's teasing and cocky behavior constantly gets on his nerves, he's always the first to notice when Oikawa's struggling or pushing himself too hard, and despite everything, he's got his back. (After High School Graduation↓) After graduating high school, he went to university to become an Athletic Trainer (AT). (Present Day↓) Currently works as an AT for the national team and also at an American university. AT is a tough certification to get, and Iwaizumi earned his in America (NATA-ATC). In the US, AT is a state-recognized national certification (classified as an allied health professional). Only about 170 Japanese people have obtained this certification. To get certified, you need to spend 4 years at an American university, then attend graduate school where you can take the certification exam. Considering this timeline and his age, he must have joined the national team AT staff shortly after getting certified. Typically, national team ATs are veterans in their 40s, so this shows just how skilled and capable Iwaizumi really is.