Why do some girls like Oikawa?

Question

In the anime, Oikawa is popular with girls despite being arrogant, conceited and haughty, yet his skill is far from Karasuno's setter. Some girls in the show even shout and cry when he appears.

Why do some girls like Oikawa?

Answer 1

It's true that Oikawa sometimes becomes angry and he is also arrogant, but these things exist because he is very serious about volleyball.

But why girls like him?

Well, in short, the real reason behind this is because he is attractive.

• Many others find him attractive — to the point where several girls follow him around just to talk to him. - Wiki
• He is the captain of Aobajosai's volleyball team (which is in top 4 ranking) and is widely regarded as the ace setter, so it's obvious that he is popular among students.
• Oikawa has a good sense of his surroundings and can effortlessly read others.
• Flirtatious nature (he is quite famous amongst female students, much to Tanaka and Nishinoya's envy)

Answer 2

Answer from a male here. I believe it is just that some women are attracted to those types in real life. Then again, this is a trope in anime, a very overused one in my opinion. Then again, you would question the reality of the show even more if the girls were swooning and crying over a member of, say, the Computer Club, or something less traditionally masculine.

I suggest you maybe watch old clips of Elvis appearing on stage in the 1950s, or the Beatles in the 1960s if you want to see examples of real-life mindless fawning and loss of emotional control over the male subspecies.

Answer 3

LONG ANSWER COMING UP + SOME RANTING (BE WARNED):

Personally, I like Oikawa. I really REALLY like him. But it's not because he's cute or attractive.(Not all girls are hormonal teenagers who lust after powerful guys with abs, okay?) In fact, I used to hate Oikawa. I saw him as this arrogant, obnoxious, self-righteous brat who thinks he can have whatever he wanted. That was, of course, until I read this post that opened my eyes to Oikawa's story. To his reasons and motivations. To his struggles and insecurities.

It really changed my entire view of Oikawa Tooru. Now, I'll repeat what she said in my own words:

The first impression people have on Oikawa, as I said, is this arrogant, self-righteous guy who gets all the girls and all the fame. He is mean, pompous, and flamboyant about everything and likes to make the protagonists' lives difficult.

But wait, isn't that just unfair? Is it right to say all those things without knowing his intentions? Don't people like him have their own stories and reasons as to why they are like that? They do. Both in real life and in fiction. Oikawa is no exception.

People say Oikawa is mean because of how he treats Kageyama--which, in truth, is unfair and the reason why I absolutely disliked him in the beginning. But the moment you understand what's going on with him, why he came to be like that, things take a full 360-degree turn. All of a sudden, Oikawa is no longer just this arrogant jerk. No longer is he merely this irritating antagonist. Once you understand HIM, his character is suddenly clear. His goals and intentions become relatable in some cases. He can be seen as a human now--not just this pompous guy that was created for us to hate.

Sure, it doesn't excuse the fact that the way he treated Kageyama was not at all nice, but it does shed light on his side of the story. We got to know what he thought. What he felt. We got to know what it was like to be in Oikawa's shoes.

And here it is:

Imagine you were him. Born without natural talent for volleyball yet loving it to death anyway. You practice hard, even staying late at night in the gym practicing your serves, tosses, and spikes. You work hard. You practice and practice and practice. You give all--and I mean ALL--of your effort into this sport that you love. You dream to be the best. Sometimes, you even imagine that you are.

And yet, you can't beat HIM.

No matter how hard you try, there is always this one person whom you can't beat. Ushijima. A tall, muscular guy who stands in front of you like this unclimbable, unbreachable wall. A guy who--with his natural-born TALENT--beats you in every match. EVERY. SINGLE. MATCH.

All the training, the hard work, the late night practices that you devoted to this sport, THIS sport that you LOVE, is wasted. Gone. A futile effort to become the best. (Is it so wrong to want that?)

Simply because your opponent is a genius--a person born with talent. Unlike you.

But you still practice. You still continue your training. YOU DON'T STOP. Why? Because you refuse to lose to someone who was gifted with talent while you--YOU--had to work SO HARD just to even be a worthy opponent. So you continue. And with your practices develops a strong dislike--hatred, even--for people like Ushijima. Talented, gifted individuals.

Because they make you feel weak and helpless. They remind of your not-so-genius self--remind you of all your futile efforts towards Ushijima. And if ALL people like him could grow as strong or even stronger than him...

You know deep in your heart that you wouldn't be able to beat them.

And then someone else comes along to your school. A kid by the name of Kageyama Tobio.

Quickly, it becomes evident that he is extremely talented. You can see it in the way he tosses, serves, and spikes balls. You can see it in the way he devises plans and strategies that can render his opponent helpless in every way possible. All at once, he reminds you of Ushijima. Of that one guy whom you could never beat. And the same words--words that you have come to dread and despise--repeat in your head:

Genius. Genius. Genius. Genius. Genius. GENIUS.

Why? Why does he have to be a genius? Will your efforts be wasted again? Will you lose again? Will you taste the feeling of helplessness and weakness again? Why can't you defeat HIM? Why can't you be stronger? Why can't you be better? Why can't YOU be a genius?

So you practice. More and more and more--to the point you almost self-destruct. Then your friend, Iwaizumi, helps you realize something:

You are not alone. You have teammates. Ones who fight alongside you to win. You are not alone. The epiphany awakens you--makes you realize that in order to win, ALL of you must fight together. And fight well.

So you strive to become better, not just for yourself--but for your groupmates as well. You try to understand them and how they think, so you could adjust yourself and be the setter that they need. To be the setter that brings out the best in THEM. THEY need to improve because you need spikers to hit your ball. And every spiker is different. Special.

Everyone is SPECIAL. You understand that now and help everyone realize that fact, too. That's why, when girls come to you and offer you their cookies, you stay with them and try them. You tell them it was good.

And when Kageyama, the GENIUS, comes to you for help, what do you do? You GIVE HIM advice. You help him realize what you did--that spikers are diverse, and that the setter must be the one to offer them what the need. Because they are SPECIAL.

Eventually, you improve yourself and become known as "the best setter". You're happy about it, of course, because you worked SO HARD. And even if you are not a genius, you will continue to work hard to reach their level. Because you will never give up. You refuse to.

THAT is what I admire about Oikawa. That is why I like him. He is determined to win and doesn't give up. He is not a genius, yet he became known (in the anime) as "the best setter". He showed me that working hard and not giving up CAN and WILL turn you into the best version of you.

THAT is why I love Oikawa. It's what we girls find attractive about him (most of us, at least). And it's why I wrote this extensively long comment. Because I want you to know this side of him and(maybe) even appreciate him.

Like I do.