Sengoku Youko (Japanese: 戦国妖狐, Hepburn: Sengoku Yōko; lit. 'Warring States Youko') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Satoshi Mizukami. It was serialized in Mag Garden's Monthly Comic Blade magazine from December 2007 to July 2014, and continued on the Comic Blade web manga service from September 2014 to May 2016. An anime television series adaptation produced by White Fox aired from January to December 2024.
Contents
Plot
Set in a war-torn era where humans and katawara, which are supernatural beings, coexist in tension and conflict. The story centers on Tama, a katawara who loves humans and seeks peace between the two races, and her adoptive brother Jinka, a human who harbors deep hatred toward other humans. Together, they travel the countryside confronting katawara hunters and violent warlords whose actions perpetuate suffering and division.
They are joined by the cowardly swordsman Shinsuke Hyoudou, who wishes to learn how to be strong. They become aware of darker forces at work, including monks who conduct cruel experiments on spiritually gifted people in an effort to create human-katawara hybrids. The group rescues Shakugan, a girl subjected to these experiments, and gains additional companions along the way. Together, they continue their travels, confronting powerful enemies while pursuing their individual goals in a world shaped by conflict between humans and katawara.
Characters
Jinka (迅火)
Voiced by: Soma Saito
Tama (たま)
Voiced by: Yūki Takada
Shinsuke (真介)
Voiced by: Ryōhei Kimura
Shakuyaku (灼岩)
Voiced by: Tomoyo Kurosawa
Senya (千夜)
Voiced by: Hiroki Nanami
Tsukiko (月湖)
Voiced by: Maaya Uchida
Jinun (神雲)
Voiced by: Kenji Nomura
Nau (なう)
Voiced by: Aki Toyosaki
Dōren (道錬)
Voiced by: Tetsu Inada
Resshin (烈深)
Voiced by: Kazuki Miyagi
Mountain God (山の神, Yama no Kami)
Voiced by: Ayahi Takagaki
Rinzu (りんず)
Voiced by: Aina Suzuki
Yazen (野禅)
Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda
Raidō Zanzō (雷堂斬蔵)
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Satoshi Mizukami, Sengoku Youko was serialized in Mag Garden's Monthly Comic Blade magazine from December 28, 2007, to July 30, 2014, when the magazine ceased publication. The series continued serialization on the Comic Blade web service from September 16, 2014, to May 20, 2016. Its chapters were collected in 17 tankōbon volumes from August 2008 to June 2016. Mag Garden published a six-volume shinsōban edition from November 9, 2023, to January 10, 2024.
The manga is licensed in English by Tokyopop.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced in August 2023. It is produced by White Fox and directed by Masahiro Aizawa, with series composition by Jukki Hanada, characters designed by Yosuke Okuda, and music composed by Evan Call. The series premiered on Tokyo MX and other networks, and consists of three cours for a "complete" adaptation of the manga's two story arcs: the "Yonaoshi Kyōdai-hen" (世直し姉弟編, Siblings for World Reformation Arc), which aired from January 11 to April 4, 2024, and "Senma Konton-hen" (千魔混沌編, The Chaos of a Thousand Demons Arc), which aired from July 18 to December 26 of the same year.
For the first part, the opening theme song is "Hibana" (Spark), performed by MindaRyn, while the ending theme song is "Yūyami no Uta" (夕闇のうた; lit. 'Song of Twilight') composed by Yuki Kajiura and performed by Keiko. For the second part, the opening theme song is "Katawara", performed by Stereo Dive Foundation, while the ending theme songs are "Yoru no Sui" (夜の隨), performed by Hiroki Nanami for the first cour, and "Banri Ikkū" (万里一空), performed by Rainy for the second cour. Crunchyroll streamed the series. Medialink licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia and is streaming it on the Ani-One Asia YouTube channel.
Stage play
A stage play adaptation of the manga's first part, "Yonaoshi Kyōdai-hen" (世直し姉弟編, Siblings for World Reformation Arc), was announced in June 2024. It ran at Theatre1010 in Adachi, Tokyo from September 24 to October 4, 2024. The play was directed and written by Naohiro Ise, with choreography by Koichi Goseki and Seijiro Nakamura handling the sword fights. The cast included Kōsuke Honda as Jinka Yamato, Momoka Onishi as Tama, Yūya Uno as Shinsuke Hyōdō, and Ui Sakura as Shakugan.