Who says goodwill goes unnoticed? A volleyball ace went viral this week simply for his genuine and unfiltered apology style after his serve accidentally hit a woman standing courtside. The Japanese athlete winning hearts all over the Internet is none other than Yuji Nishida, the left-handed captain of Osaka Bluteon at the club level.

Japanese volleyball star Yuji Nishida’s viral apology video

The 26-year-old Japanese volleyball star was participating in a serving challenge when his serve unintentionally strayed off its trajectory and hit a female staffer on her back.

Within a fraction of a second, Nishida paced to apologise to the woman donning the red jacket. As part of his elaborate and exaggerated apology, the Japanese ace launched himself onto the court floor headfirst. He continued to slide towards the staff member with his hands pressed by his side, while his head bowed in an effort to express how much he regretted the move.

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The swift “sweeping” and “sliding” manoeuvre invited instant gratification, as even the woman who had struck in the back couldn’t stop herself from succumbing to overflowing emotions. Noticeably melting at the sight before her, the woman chuckled with her hand folded in front of Nishida, who continued repeatedly bowing while still on his knees.

Even after standing up, he bowed once again, also pressing his palms together. X erupted with excitement and heartwarming reception upon witnessing the footage of the series of events spanning mere seconds.

The hilarious accident took place at the Japanese SV League All-Star Game on February 1. Beyond going viral for his unique apology, Yuji Nishida went on to steer his team to a 3-0 victory on court.

Anime memes explode after viral Yuji Nishida apology video

Comments like “peak anime energy” and “peak comedy” took over X, as users reacted to countless posts of Nishida’s “sincerest… sliding apology

Fans of Japanese anime couldn’t help but draw parallels between Nishida’s actions and the over-the-top and rib-tickling drama of the repeatedly popular manga-based sports series Haikyuu!!

“Holy sh*t Haikyuu reference,” an anime enthusiast wrote on X alongside a clip capturing what had transpired on the real-life volleyball court. “Nishida Yuji accidentally hit someone with the ball so he apologised.. in an interesting way.”

A second user said: “Get you a man that will slide across the court and put his whole body on the ground to apologise (unfortunately there’s only one yuji nishida in the world and he’s already taken).”

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Another post read, “Japanese volleyball player Yuji Nishida apologised with a sliding dogeza after hitting someone with the ball. Adorable moment of the day.”

Here, the term “dogeza” refers to the Japanese etiquette involving kneeling on the ground and bowing while touching one’s forehead to the floor as a sincere expression of one’s apology for grave mistake. It is also seen as a way to express one’s profound respect or pleading for a massive favour. 

Anime scenes often showcase it in attempts to invoke hilarity by involving theatrical exaggerations.