George Wada Talks About “Haikyu!! Final” at I.G ×Wit Studio Panel

Production I.G x Wit Studio panel was one of the most awaited panels for Anime Expo, 2023. This panel has the largest room at the venue, and even the sections in the back were populated with fans.

There were three-panel guests on stage. Starting from the left was Maki Terashima-Furuta, president of Production I.G. USA. Right next to her was George Wada, president and CEO of Production I.G. (Japan), Wit Studio, and vice president of Production I.G. USA. To the right was Yōko Ueda, associate producer at Production I.G.

Yōko Ueda was the one who led the discussion and also handled the interpreting. Wada talked about how he went from being an employee at Cisco to becoming the CEO of Wit Studio and I.G Production.

While many things were discussed, we will keep our attention on Haikyu. When a slide for “Haikyu!! Final” was displayed, Wada mentioned the following:

Wada said that “Haikyu!! Final” is a complicated property to produce but didn’t elaborate on the reason for the same. However, producer Keiko Matsushita wanted to see the anime through to the end, so she pushed hard to make a final movie.

They also asked the fans to “Please stay tuned because you’ll get to see the conclusion.”

After the finale of the Karasuno vs. Inarizaki arc was concluded at the end of the fourth season, news of the fifth installment became one of the most anticipated phenomena within the community.

When the news about the final movie was revealed, it had mixed reactions.

While some fans were very excited about the finale, others were skeptical. They believe the pacing would be messed up if they tried to cram the entire manga’s ending, about 110 chapters, into a two-part movie.

However, it’s too early to jump to conclusions about the movie. It may be a disaster due to the pacing issues, or it may be successful due to the highly successful staff working on the movie.

About Haikyuu!!

Haikyu!! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate. Its publication in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump began in February 2012 with 42 collected tankōbon volumes released.

Hinata Shoyo is a highly passionate boy who wishes to follow the steps of his idol, ‘The Little Giant’ in the field of volleyball. Hinata’s resolve is unbreakable as he faces gruesome defeat at the hands of the ‘King of the Court,’ a genius prodigy setter Kageyama Tobio in middle school. Hinata’s dreams take fruit as he enters high school.

He joins the declining volleyball team of Karasuno High and is appalled to find the very same Kageyama as his teammate. The story follows the revival of Karasuno High and the unity they maintain to pave their way for nationals.