Haikyu!!: parents' guide
Best for ages 12 and up. Rated TV-14.
An upbeat high school volleyball series that sports-minded kids can enjoy with their parents, built on teamwork, rivalry and sheer effort. Matches are tense and exciting but nothing is scary; the roughest moments are injuries with a little blood and some shoving between hotheaded players. Expect frequent mild swearing such as "damn" and "bastard," plus "bitch" and an f-word. The coach smokes, adults drink, and there is some locker-room shirtlessness and a pair of boys drooling over the team manager. Age 12 reflects the swearing and the TV-14 label; everything else is milder than that rating suggests.
What's in it
Violence
MildVery little. Players take balls to the face and sometimes bleed, injuries sideline players during big matches, and hotheaded arguments occasionally turn into shoving or brief scuffles. A flashback shows bullies picking on a young boy.
Language
ModerateFrequent mild words like "damn," "hell," "ass" and "bastard," plus "bitch" and an f-word noted by one review. Players curse in frustration mid-match; wording varies between the dub and subtitles.
Sex and nudity
MildShirtless players change in locker rooms and bathe together at training camp with nothing explicit shown. Two players gush over the team manager, with one lingering shot of her figure, and someone says they were "turned on."
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateThe team's young coach smokes cigarettes, and adults drink together. No drug use or teen drinking is reported.
Scary or intense scenes
NoneNothing scary. The intensity comes from close matches, painful losses that leave players in tears, and the pressure to perform.
Sensitive topics
- Bullying
Worth talking about
Hinata is short for a volleyball player but refuses to quit. What does the show suggest about natural talent versus hard work?
On our lists
Similar picks around 12+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, ageratingjuju.com, justwatch.com, bbfc.co.uk. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.