Yozakura Quartet

Yozakura Quartet (夜桜四重奏～ヨザクラカルテット～) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Suzuhito Yasuda. It was serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Sirius from January 2006 to July 2025, with its chapters collected in 34 volumes. In North America, the manga was first licensed by Del Rey Manga, and later by Kodansha USA for a digital-only release.

A 12-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Nomad, was broadcast from October to December 2008. A three-episode original video animation (OVA) series was released between October 2010 and November 2011. A second 13-episode anime television series, titled Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta, was broadcast from October 2013 to January 2014. Another three-episode OVA series, titled Yozakura Quartet: Tsuki ni Naku, was released from October 2013 to November 2014.

Story

The story revolves around four teenagers; Hime, Akina, Ao, and Kotoha; each of them having their own unique abilities. They run an office called Hiizumi Life Counseling Office, where their job is to help and protect the townspeople of Sakurashin, a town where humans and youkai co-exist. The town is protected by a barrier created by the spiritual sakura known as The Seven Pillars. The Seven Pillars exist in both the human world and the youkai world and is the only thing that keeps both worlds connected to each other. However, recent bizarre incidents have occurred in their town and someone has threatened its safety.

Characters

Hime Yarizakura (槍桜ヒメ)

Hime is a 16-year-old high school girl and mayor of her city, believed to be the reincarnation of an ancient dragon. She assumed leadership after her grandmother was "tuned" by Akina's grandfather. Her long scarf, made by Akina, conceals a scar that seals most of her power. The townspeople's memories of her true nature were erased at her request but later restored during a political conflict. Trained in her grandmother's methods, Hime patrols daily and fights using improvised weapons like a lacrosse racket. Though stern, she cares deeply for her city. She enjoys eating, particularly Akina's cooking, and was childhood friends with Gin.

Akina Hiizumi (比泉秋名)

Akina, an 18-year-old city employee, directs the Hiizumi Life Counseling Office as its only human staff member. He possesses the hereditary "tuning" ability to sever connections between worlds and return to their realm. Using this power makes his hair grow longer. As the current, he follows the tradition of successors tuning their predecessors, having already performed this duty for his grandfather. Some resent this ability, viewing it as destructive. Akina maintains this cycle to preserve balance between the human and supernatural worlds.

Ao Nanami (七海アオ)

Ao is a 15-year-old Satori who works at the office and serves as the town announcer. Her cat ears function as antennas, typically concealed under hats or headphones. She possesses telepathic abilities, enabling her to read thoughts, communicate with animals, and anticipate opponents' moves. Her enhanced "Satellite" form allows her to read the entire city's thoughts simultaneously, though it exhausts her. Though a glutton like Hime, Ao shows restraint. Her older brother Gin disappeared before the series began and later becomes Enjin's vessel.

Kotoha Isone (五十音ことは)

Kotoha is a 16-year-old hanyō (half-human, half-) who gained her supernatural nature after a possession in childhood. As a rare Kotodama user, she brings words to life, conjuring objects or weapons with single words or elaborate spells. Her abilities extend to animating text from books. A firearms enthusiast, she once traveled to Germany specifically to visit a military museum. While known among friends for her singing talent, Kotoha openly identifies as lesbian. Though she wears non-prescription glasses, her composed demeanor shifts dramatically in anger—once manifesting an artillery piece during a heated moment. Her powers drain her stamina significantly; overuse risks voice loss or unconsciousness. Her surname references the system, reflecting her word-based abilities.

Enjin Hiizumi (比泉円神)

Enjin originates from the Hiizumi branch family that was tuned centuries ago by the main household. Now existing as a non-corporeal entity, he possesses Gin's body to seek vengeance. His goal involves forcing the seven pillars to bloom, merging the human and worlds. While initially limited to Gin's Satori abilities, Enjin wields "Striking"—the inverse of Akina's tuning—to summon objects from the realm. After mastering exorcism techniques, he removes his power's physical constraints. Though capable of limited tuning, his abilities remain inferior to Akina's. Enjin's actions stem from centuries of resentment toward the Hiizumi main family's practices.

Kyōsuke Kishi (岸恭助)

Kyōsuke is an 18-year-old who serves as Hime's assistant. His superhuman strength is restrained by a placebo-effect bracelet seal—it remains effective as long as he remembers his true nature. Removing it reveals his horns and full power. Initially critical of Akina, believing him to have failed as, their relationship evolves after Akina proves otherwise. The two share a contentious friendship, with Akina frequently teasing Kyōsuke about his close relationship with his sister. Their origins differ fundamentally from humans and , as they manifested from centuries of collective belief in legends rather than conventional birth.

Tōka Kishi (岸桃華)

Tōka is Kyōsuke's 16-year-old sister and fellow employee at Hiizumi Life Counseling. Like her brother, she possesses superhuman strength as a . However, unlike Kyōsuke, she cannot fully control her power even with a restraining seal, as she frequently forgets her true nature. She develops romantic feelings for Akina, which displeases her protective older brother.

Rin Azuma (東鈴)

Rin is a 15-year-old jiangshi who relocated to the city after being hunted by humans. Zakuro, a necromancer, became her first friend and protector. Her undead nature requires her to wear special name tags—without them, she reverts to an immobile corpse state. The tags also eliminate her need for sleep, though she continues wearing them each morning out of habit. Having spent years homeless and persecuted, Rin developed a fear of starry skies and initially despised humanity due to childhood bullying. Akina's intervention changed her perspective, and she now works at a delivery service while gradually overcoming her traumatic past.

Zakuro Kurumaki (狂巻ざくろ)

Zakuro, a necromancer, was Rin's first friend and the initial demon hunter to attack Sakurashin. Her abilities allow control over deceased beings and certain yokai, including Rin's movements regardless of whether Rin wears her name tags. After the conflict, Zakuro joined Rin at the delivery store but remained haunted by fears of expulsion from Sakurashin. These anxieties persisted even after gaining official residence status in the city.

Yūhi Shinatsuhiko (士夏彦雄飛)

Yuhi, Sakurashin's District Mayor, appears as a young boy but has overseen the city for over 200 years as a powerful Land God feared by Enjin and his followers. Though his sister holds the official title of Sakurashin's land goddess as the first to take root there, Yuhi serves as Mariabelle's personal protector god, demonstrating that deities can safeguard more than just territory. He maintains his youthful form primarily for Mariabelle's preference, adopting an older appearance only for official duties. Yuhi displays playful tendencies, enjoying Mariabelle's cosplays and showing romantic interest in Rin. His character suggests he may have preceded Yae as Sakurashin's land god.

Mariabelle (マリアベル)

Mariabelle serves as assistant to Yuhi, the District Mayor. Though appearing human, she gained immortality 200 years ago when her father, Victor Frankenstein, resurrected her to develop a cure for her village's plague. When she and her father later sought tuning in Sakurashin to avoid persecution from other half-, Yuhi intervened and became her protector instead. In gratitude, she became his permanent assistant. Known for wearing various cosplay outfits at Yuhi's request—an activity she secretly enjoys—Mariabelle maintains strong preferences about her routine, particularly insisting on Japanese breakfasts. She strongly favors Yuhi's youthful form over his older appearance, often expressing displeasure when he assumes his more mature guise for official duties.

Yae Shinatsuhiko (士夏彦八重)

Yae, the land goddess of Sakurashin, is Yuhi's younger sister whom she addresses as . Typically dressed as a sword-wielding nun, she carries twin and demonstrates formidable skill with her "Spring Wind" (名東風) technique capable of bisecting vehicles. Despite her divine status and combat prowess, she displays an unexpected fondness for bears and plush toys—even wearing a bear costume helmet during a robbery intervention. Originally created centuries ago by Yuhi to serve as Sakurashin's guardian deity, Yae initially resisted taking root in order to accompany her brother. She finally assumed her destined role as land goddess during the Walking Pilgrimage arc, establishing herself as the city's protector.

V Juli F (V・じゅり・F)

A nurse who operates a clinic in Sakurashin while hosting her own television program, the Juli Channel. Though appearing human, she possesses unusual abilities—including the capacity to "re-tune" Akina through physical contact, a feat she claims any human could theoretically perform. Her connection to the supernatural extends through her lineage as both a descendant of Victor Frankenstein and Mariabelle's great-grandniece. Previously serving as young Hime's assistant during the mayor's childhood transition, Juli overcame an early obsession with prematurely asserting her ancestral legacy after a formative encounter with Hime's grandmother. Now maintaining her clinic and media presence, she corresponds with her England-based parents through traditional letters while following her mother's online writings.

V Lila F (V・りら・F)

Juli's younger sister and a skilled magician capable of feigning death by stopping her own heartbeat—a trick she used to fake her demise and secretly become a yokai hunter. She harbored resentment toward Juli during her sister's medical studies, repeatedly attempting (and failing) to divert Juli's attention from textbooks with magic performances. Like Zakuro, Lila ultimately reforms after reconciling with Juli and becomes her assistant at the clinic.

Kohime Sakurano (桜野小姫)

Kohime is Hime's nine-year-old cousin who attempted to run for mayor in a neighboring town despite being underage for the position.

type	tv series
director	Kou Matsuo
writer	Jukki Hanada
music	Akio Dobashi
studio	Nomad
network	BS-i, MBS, TBS
first	October 2, 2008
last	December 18, 2008
episodes	12
episode list	List of Yozakura Quartet episodes

Story

Characters

Media

Manga

Anime

External links

References