Agents of the Four Seasons

Synopsis

In the beginning there was only Winter, who, unable to bear the loneliness, chose to cut off part of his essence and give birth to Spring. By Mother Earth's wish, he cut off part of his essence again to give birth to Summer and Autumn, thus beginning the cycle of the four seasons. The deities decided to entrust their roles to Mother Earth's creatures, but none were able to fulfill the task. Mankind stood before their desperation, willing to perform their duty in exchange for peace, prosperity, and stability in its lands. The Four Seasons then granted their powers to a small group of humans: the Agents of the Four Seasons.

Introduction

Each country has its own version of the origin of the world, though each one agrees on the nature of seasons, day and night.

The seasons are brought by the Agents, humans entrusted with this task by the homonymous deities, while day and night are induced by the arrows shot into the sky by the Archers of Dawn and Twilight.

Their safety is put at risk by the "Insurgents", individuals who detest the seasons or the alternation of day and night. For this reason, Agents and Archers are respectively protected by Guards and Custodians. The management and protection of these figures is carried out by both autonomous and governmental institutions.

The story is set in the present day in the Far East, in the Yamato archipelago, also known as the "Cherry Tree of the East", given the cherry blossom branch arrangement of its islands (Enishi, Teishu, Iyo, Tsukushi and Ryugu), each with its own peculiarities.

The novel series begins on February 10, Year 20 of the Reimei Era, with the return of Hinagiku Kayo, the Agent of Spring, after being kidnapped by the Rebels for almost ten years, during which the corresponding season has not manifested. Along with her Guard, Sakura Himedaka, she heads towards the shrine of Ryugu Peak, where the two secretly want to perform the ritual to bring their season back. Their destination changes after meeting a little girl who was alone on the path to the top, however the ritual is still performed with full success: Spring has returned.

The continuation of the story focuses on the other Agents and their Guards, ranging between their stories and the new developments of events after Hinagiku's return.

Agents of the Four Seasons and Guards

• Hinagiku Kayō (花葉 雛菊)
• The Agent of Spring, possesses the ability of "Life Acceleration". She was kidnapped by the "Rebels", natural enemies of the Agents of the Four Seasons, disappearing for almost ten years, during which the Spring did not appear. She has had feelings for Rousei since she was little.

• Sakura Himedaka (姫鷹 さくら)
• The Agent of Spring's Guard. She is an attendant who has never stopped looking for Hinagiku, a victim of regret for not being able to protect her Lady. The love she felt for Itecho surpassed the adoration of a student towards her master, but due to a certain event she hates him deeply.

• Rōsei Kantsubaki (寒椿 狼星)
• The Agent of Winter, possesses the ability "Vital Energy Freezing". Being the cause of the kidnapping of his first love, Hinagiku, torments him.

• Itechō Kangetsu (寒月 凍蝶)
• The Agent of Winter's Guard. He has been Rosei's servant since he was a child, and was also Sakura's sword master. Like Rosei, he condemns himself for failing to protect the Spring maidens.

• Ruri Hazakura (葉桜 瑠璃)
• The Agent of Summer, possesses the ability of "Vital Energy Manipulation". She has a sunny and kind nature, but she can't be honest with her older twin sister Ayame, because she doesn't want her to give up her role as her Guard.

• Ayame Hazakura (葉桜 あやめ)
• The Agent of Summer's Guard. She is Ruri's older twin sister and her attendant. She plans to leave her post as a Guard on the occasion of her wedding. Despite being a victim of her sister's whims, she wishes for her happiness.

• Nadeshiko Iwaizuki (祝月 撫子)
• The Agent of Autumn, possesses the ability of "Vital Energy Decomposition". She is the youngest and the shortest-serving deity. She has immense trust and affection for Rindou.

• Rindo Azami (阿左美 竜胆)
• The Agent of Autumn's Guard. He treats his job like a "business", without letting his emotions get in the way. Those around him don't see it that way. He doesn't realize it, but he's overprotective of Nadeshiko.

Archers and Custodians of Dawn and Twilight

• Kaya Fugeki (巫覡 花矢)
• The Archer of Dawn, her task is to bring the Day to Yamato. She is a 16 y/o high school student with a masculine way of speech, but no one knows she's the Goddess of the Day, except Yuzuru. She deeply cares for Yuzuru. She tries to force him to abandon his role as Guardian so that he can gain the freedom she lacks.

• Yuzuru Fugeki (巫覡 弓弦)
• The Archer of Dawn's Custodian. He decided to serve Kaya in place of his father. He is proud of his work and is fond of Kaya, but is annoyed that she is trying to force him to abandon his role as her Custodian.

• Kaguya Fugeki (巫覡 輝矢)
• The Archer of Twilight, his task is to bring Night to Yamato. He fell into depression after his wife and his custodian, Eken, suddenly ran away from home. His feelings for Tsukihi are difficult to explain in words.

• Eken Fugeki (巫覡 慧剣)
• The Archer of Twilight's Custodian. He respects Kaguya and they once lived together as father and son, but one day, he ran away.

Towns of the Four Seasons

Birthplaces of the Agents of the Four Seasons. They represent autonomous institutions tasked with procreating, training, and protecting the Agents of the Four Seasons.

Town of Spring

Birthplace of the Agents of Spring, located on the island of Teishu.

• Kobai Yukiyanagi (雪柳 紅梅)
• Former Agent of Spring and Hinagiku's mother. She fell in love with Shungetsu, with whom she had Hinagiku, but this gave rise to a series of disagreements within the village. She died of a serious illness, perhaps.

• Shungetsu Kayo (花葉 春月)
• Head of the Kayo family. He's the father of Hinagiku and Zansetsu. He is as cold as Winter, probably the reason Kobai fell in love with him. His beloved's death has sparked an aversion to Hinagiku, who he ignores even though he officially acknowledged her.

• Zansetsu Kayo (花葉 残雪)
• Spring Village Administrator. He's Hinagiku's half-brother. He's a wealthy boy, and his mother's a prosperous landowner. He knows Sakura and asks her to keep her sister unaware of the financial support he is providing to the two girls.

• Tsubame Aboshi (阿星 燕)
• Zansetsu's servant. She grew up in the same orphanage as Sakura before being taken in by Zansetsu, whom she worships almost religiously. Despite her age, she performs her duties better than most adults in the village.

Town of Winter

Birthplace of the Agents of Winter, located on the island of Enishi.

• Yukimi Todo (藤堂 雪見)
• Member of the Town of Winter's elite security. He's a kind and caring agent who guards Hinagiku and Sakura on Rousei and Itechou's orders. He monitored Rousei and Hinagiku's relationship during the month of the Summoning of the Four Seasons.

• Rintaro Shimotsuki (霜月 倫太郎)
• Member of the Town of Winter's elite security. Along with Todo, he guards the two girls on Rousei and Itechou's orders. He holds Itechou in high regard.

Town of Summer

Birthplace of the Agents of Summer, located on the island of Iyo.

• Raicho Kimikage (君影 雷鳥)
• Agent of Summer's Guard Candidate, Ruri's fiancé. He's a confident, sometimes arrogant man. Most people consider him weird, but he's kind and devoted to those he respects. He's madly in love with Ruri.

• Renri Rouo (老鶯 連理)
• Town of Summer doctor and Ayame's fiancé. He is a doctor affiliated with the town's medical practice. Despite his playboy appearance, he is kind and gentle. He wishes to marry Ayame, but there is a big secret between them.

Town of Autumn

Birthplace of the Agents of Autumn, located on the island of Tsukushi.

• Miyabi Sanekazura (真葛美 夜日)
• Head maid of the Town of Autumn Domestic Affairs Department. She is Nadeshiko's maid and works at the village's main shrine. She is strong-willed, caring, and skilled at her job. She can't help but love Nadeshiko and is happy to have been chosen as her head maid. Her family situation is a bit complicated.

• Koyoi Shirahagi (白萩 今宵)
• Member of the Town of Autumn's security. He is one of Rindo's closest subordinates and associates. He is a quiet, simple, and kind boy who takes care of Nadeshiko, but the little girl's guard dog does not seem to appreciate him and he often ends up being the victim of its pranks.

Institutions of Yamato

Agency of the Four Seasons

It is a NGO that manages the duties of the Agents of the Four Seasons, allocating funds to them and their corresponding towns.

• Reiko Nagatsuki (長月 礼子)
• Member of the Agency Autumn Division's Security Department. She is responsible for the Town of Autumn's security system. She is an intelligent woman with a career that allows her to operate flexibly. She considers Rindo a little brother.

• Ishihara (石原)
• [6]
• An employee of the Agency of the Four Seasons' Security Department. She is assigned to the Agent of Winter's security and also serves as Rousei's psychologist. She is a calm woman with excellent qualities in her duties.

National Security

It's a government national defense organization that protects peace and security in Yamato.

• Tsukihi Aragami (荒神 月燈)
• Special Agent of National Security. She's the captain of Kaguya's security. She was only appointed to this role temporarily, but she has deep respect and affection for him. She grew up in a family devoted to the gods.

Insurgents

Natural enemies of the Agents of the Four Seasons. They are divided into Reformists, whose goal is to threaten the Agents' safety to pressure institutions into changing the laws governing their divine powers, and Defeaters, whose goal is to eliminate the Agents out of hatred for the seasons.

• Misuzu Henderson (観鈴・ヘンダーソン)
• Leader of the "Kasai" Reformist group. She's called "Gozen" and is the woman who organized the attack on the Town of Winter where Hinagiku was kidnapped. She's obsessed with Hinagiku, whom she has begun to recognize as her daughter.

• Mikami (美上)
• Misuzu's right-hand man. He wants to leave the group and start a new life, but he's in love with her.

Other characters

• Nazuna (薺)
• A little girl Hinagiku and Sakura meet while climbing Ryugu Peak. Her dramatic story prompts Hinagiku to perform the ritual of the Spring Manifestation. The little girl thus becomes the first witness of the return of Spring.

Light novel

Written by Kana Akatsuki and illustrated by Suoh, Agents of the Four Seasons began publication under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Bunko light novel imprint on April 9, 2021. Eight volumes have been released as of December 2024.

During their panel at MCM Comic Con London 2023, Yen Press announced that they licensed the series for English publication.[11]

A collection of spin-off novels written by Kana Akatsuki is available for free on the Kakuyomu website (Kadokawa Co. & Hatena Co.).[26] Some spin-offs from the "Dance of Spring" arc have received a manga adaptation in the spin-off Agents of the Four Seasons: One Hundred Songs and One Hundred Pages (春夏秋冬代行者 百歌百葉).

Manga

A manga adaptation of the first part illustrated by Nappa Komatsuda began serialization in Hakusensha's manga magazine LaLa on July 23, 2022.[27] Its chapters have been collected into seven volumes as of April 2026. The manga adaptation is also licensed in English by Yen Press.[28]

A spin-off manga illustrated by Yuriko Asami, titled Agents of the Four Seasons: One Hundred Songs and One Hundred Pages (春夏秋冬代行者 百歌百葉) began serialization in the Dengeki G's Comic section of both ComicWalker and Nico Nico Seiga websites on May 15, 2023.[29][30] Its chapters have been collected into two volumes as of December 2024. The spin-off is published in English on Kadokawa's BookWalker website.[31]

Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring

Agents of the Four Seasons: One Hundred Songs and One Hundred Pages

Anime

An anime television series adaptation of the first part was announced on April 10, 2025. It is produced by Wit Studio and directed by Ken Yamamoto, with Kazuhiro Furuhashi serving as animation adviser, Ayumu Hisao handling series composition, Namiko Torii designing the characters, and Kensuke Ushio composing the music.[46][47] The series premiered on March 29, 2026, on Tokyo MX and other networks, with an advance screening held on March 15 of the same year at Shinjuku Wald 9 in Tokyo.[48] The opening theme song is "Petals" (ペタルズ), while the ending theme song is "Hana Ikada" (花筏), both performed by Orangestar featuring Kase.[49][48] Crunchyroll is streaming the series in simulcast with an English dub.[50] Muse Communication licensed the series in Southeast Asia.[51]

Episodes