Haikyuu!!'s deuteragonist Tobio Kageyama started off as a selfish and arrogant player during his middle school days. Now, he is part of Karasuno High's volleyball team as the all-important Setter. Playing for Karasuno has taught him a lot about people and the game of volleyball.
While he is still an incredibly talented player, Kageyama is no longer the controlling person he used to be on the court. With Karasuno on their upward winning trajectory, Kageyama has metamorphosized into a person who understands the value of teamwork and adjusting his playing to his fellow teammates. Considering how pompous Kageyama used to be, his journey throughout the anime is quite astonishing.
"King of the Court"
Kageyama was on the Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High volleyball team as a Setter. Even in middle school, his volleyball prowess was evident. Hinata's middle school volleyball team at Yukigaoka Junior High School knew Kageyama's reputation as a fantastic Setter, and his "King of the Court" nickname. To Hinata and his teammates, he was scary and intimidating.
By nature, Kageyama is a controlling and a relentless perfectionist. He yells at his Kitagawa teammates when they make a mistake or play in a way he does not deem good enough. His aggressive nature and extreme competetiveness are major reasons for his teams fear and diminishing patience with him.
Eventually, Kageyama's team refused to play with him in the middle of a game. He set the ball, but no one received it out of protest. The team could no longer tolerate Kageyama's constant berating and dictating. Even when the team would try to reason with him about the way he sets, Kageyama never saw himself as wrong. To him, he is always right. It is his way or no way at all, and that is exactly how the team reacted - by simply not playing with him. This was noticed by the Kitagawa coach, who subsequently, and to Kageyama's horror, benched him.
Kageyama as a Setter
Kageyama at this point was (and still is) passionate about his role as the Setter, although it is definitely an indicator of his need to control the game as much as possible. The Setter is known as the team's Control Tower. He loves setting because it's the position that has the most control with the ball. Kageyama sets the ball up for the other players to hit it. In middle school, Kageyama witnessed his upperclassmen Oikawa win an award for his skilled setting. Kageyama was jealous of this and vowed to become the best setter in the Miyagi prefecture.
In high school, Kageyama reunites on the court with Oikawa, except he is playing for the opposite team at Aoba Johsai High School as their Captain and Setter. During this game, Oikawa notes that Kageyama still has not broken his habit of trying to play the game by himself. Kageyama is an incredibly controlling as he is talented, and Oikawa can see that it will hold him back in his playing.
The Value of Trust
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Since his team rebelled against him in middle school, Kageyama has been terrified of setting balls that won't be received. He resents the "King of the Court" nickname and wishes to never return to that space in time again. In the match against new first years Tsukishima and Tadashi, Hinata points out that all that is in the past. He notes that Kageyama sets to him just fine, and that he is always there to receive it. A turning point for Kageyama was when he set the ball, fearing that no one would receive it, and suddenly Hinata is already in the air ready to spike it with all his might.
When Hinata shouts "I'm here!!!", Kageyama sees that he does not have a team that hates him anymore. Hinata stresses to him that he does not care about his middle school days. All he wants to do is play volleyball, and so he will always be ready to jump, run and hit any ball that comes his way. His last words in Chapter 6 are "Keep on tossing it my way!!!". Kageyama realizes that he is not the only passionate player on the team, everyone wants to win as badly as he does. He is also reassured that no one will abandon him, all his sets will be received.
As the anime continues, Kageyama learns to trust his teammates. He manages to adjust his sets to the strengths of the other players and no longer seems concerned about handling the games himself. The even spread of teamwork is what enables Karasuno to get as far as they currently have in Nationals.
Reaping Rewards
At the end of the third season, Karasuno overcame a major hurdle on the road to Nationals: their win over Shiratorizawa Academy, an incredibly strong team. As the team measure their highest jumps for Nationals brochure back at Karasuno High, Takeda the faculty advisor to the team, received a phone call. He announces to the boys that Kageyama was invited to the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp, an elite course for the best of Japan's most promising young volleyball players.
It is no secret that Kageyama is a kid with raw talent. Throughout his time at Karasuno thus far, he has abandoned his old dictatorship ways. Now he has flourished into a well-rounded and throughtful player. He is able to identify what the team needs and adapt his sets to advance Karasuno's play. His potential is being reached and consequently recognized.
His time spent training at the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp has polished Kageyama even further. The experience was worthwhile in the long run for Karasuno at Nationals. Many of the players at the Camp are competing at Nationals, which gives Kageyama the inside as to how they play. Season 4 ends with a win against the Inarizaki team. Kageyama knew Atsumu Miya from this school, as he also attended the Camp. When the anime ultimately resumes, Kageyama will perhaps face more opponents like these. With his developed skill and talent, he will most definitely be ready.