The Weight You Carry in Silence: Learning from Akaashi
There’s something about Akaashi that doesn’t really stood up. He’s calm, composed, always looks like he has things under control. But if you watch him closely, you realize that he’s carrying a lot. Quietly. Without complaining. Without asking anyone to notice.
And somehow, that feels very familiar.
While watching Fukurodani vs Mujinazaka match, I noticed something something about Akaashi. It felt like finally seeing a side of him I hadn’t really noticed before.
Ah… so that’s how you’ve been carrying everything all this time.
The way he thinks.
The way he carries things quietly.
The preassure to hold things together.
During that match, Mujinazaka uses an anti-Bokuto tactic. They force Bokuto to take the first touch so he can’t attack. And when that happens again and again, the pressure gets him so he blames himself. Because if the ace can’t attack, then it must be the setter’s fault.
At least, that’s what Akaashi tells himself.
You can see His mind gets crowded. Too many thoughts at once. Strategy. Responsibility. Expectations. He’s trying to fix everything at the same time. On the outside, he still looks calm, collected as usual. But inside, his mind is in chaos.
And that’s what makes Akaashi feel painfully relatable. He also understands what it’s like to carry weight in silence.
Akaashi tursn out to be that person who doesn’t get panic loudly. doesn’t complain. He thinks a lot, analyze, and take the burden upon himself, even it’s not fully his. He puts preassure on himself because he belives it’s his job to hold everything together. He is that kind of person.
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And maybe that’s when everything starts to feel too heavy.
In the middle of the game, Akaashi is pulled to the bench to calm down. And that’s when Bokuto breaks the silence.
“When have we ever played a game we could afford to lose?”
What Bokuto says to him may doesn’t sound like an advice. It doesn’t sound comforting either. It just states a fact. And somehow, that’s exactly what Akaashi needs to hear. Because they never play to lose in the first place, So why act like losing is a burden only one person has to carry? It’s not just his responsibility.
That’s when Akaashi shifts his focus.
Not on winning.
Not on results.
Not on the opponent’s strategy.
Just on what he can handle, right now.
What can I do next?
How’s the play in front of me?
And somehow, that’s enough to bring him back.
In life, so much of our stress comes from focusing on things outside our control. Other people. Outcomes. Results. Expectations. Meanwhile, the only things we truly control are our thoughts and our actions in the present moment.
Maybe that’s why this match stays with me. Because it feels like a quiet reminder — for me — that it’s okay to think deeply. But it’s also okay to pause for a moment and come back to the present.
To what’s in front of you.
To what you can do next.
