Japan's Olympic Men's Volleyball Rookie Goes Viral on Twitter for His Anime-Styl...

• Fans noticed Olympic rookie Ran Takahashi, 19, during a match with Canada on July 26. 
• To anime fans' delight, Takahashi pulled off a move seen in "Haikyuu!!," a popular sports anime.
• The move turned him into a celebrity on Twitter overnight. 

A rookie on Japan's men's volleyball team has become an unlikely breakout star. 

Fans took notice of collegiate athlete Ran Takahashi, 19, during Japan's match against Canada on July 26. During the match, Takahashi ran up to the net, feigned a spike, then turned it into a quick set to his team captain, Yuki Ishikawa. 

—yam🦭 (@hahaparangtanga) July 28, 2021

Anime fans were quick to realize that the move was also used by anime characters Atsumu and Osamu Miya in the fourth season of the wildly popular anime, "Haikyuu!!"

The move spawned fan pages on Twitter and turned Takahashi into a celebrity overnight, despite being an Olympic rookie relatively unknown in Japan prior to his national team debut. 

Unfortunately, Takahashi's newfound fans won't be seeing much more of him this Olympics. The Japanese volleyball team was eliminated at the Ariake Arena on August 3 after losing 3-0 to volleyball powerhouse Brazil in 25-20, 25-22, 25-20 sets.

But enthusiasts can continue to look out for other elements of Japanese anime that made their way into the Games.

Music from animated series "Final Fantasy," and video games "Kingdom Hearts" and "Nier" made it to the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony.

Sharp-eared anime fans also noticed that the"Haikyuu!!" soundtrack played in the background during game breaks on the volleyball court, and that "Attack on Titan" theme song "Guren no Yumiya" also played during an archery match.