The popular
supernatural anime “ Noragami ”
received its twelve-episode first season in 2014, immediately followed by a
thirteen-episode second season in 2015 by Bones studios. Despite its
success, a third season has not been confirmed after more than eight years. This
is what “Noragami” covers in its first two seasons and the likelihood that this
series of supernatural adventures will continue one day.
“Noragami”
stars a high school student named Hiyori Iki who almost dies while trying to
save a stranger from an oncoming bus. The accident turns her into a half-ghost, where her
soul occasionally escapes from her physical body and her spirit form has a tail
that acts as her lifeline. Caught between the living and the dead, she
comes to know the Near Shore, which contains the living, and the Far Shore,
made up of spirits and demons. Frightened and confused by her
paranormal state, Hiyori is visited by the boy she tried to save, who turns out
to be Yato, a God of Calamity and Depression who can cure her illness.
Yato is
considered a dark god that humans have long forgotten about. He aspires to
become a famous and commonly worshiped god, with several shrines and abundant
wealth. However,
humans do not want to associate themselves with a dark and sinister god known
for destroying entire armies single-handedly. Yato's problematic
reputation and behavior creates many enemies for him, especially Bishamon, who
blames him for wiping out all of his Regalia long ago. When Yato needs
a new Regalia, he makes a pact with the soul of a troubled but gifted young man
named Yukine.
Together,
Yato, Hiyori, and Yukine become the main trio of “Noragami” and work together
to achieve common goals by supporting each other. When Yato gets angry about not
having a shrine, Hiyori builds him a miniature one and he cries with happiness.
Soon after, Yato is exploited and blackmailed by his former Nora and her
tainted Regalia, forcing him to abandon Hiyori and Yukine for a long period of
time. This causes Hiyori to forget Yato's existence until Yukine refreshes her
memory and they set out on a mission to save Yato. Hiyori is the only
one able to bring Yato back from the underworld by saying his true name, which
she realizes is Yaboku. Upon his return, Yato frees Nora forever and vows to
become a God of Fortune with Yukine guiding his righteous actions. The
series ends with a big cliffhanger in the second season finale, in which the
boy who kissed Hiyori during Yato's absence is revived.
The two
seasons of “Noragami” were well received and created an army of fans passionate
about its supernatural adventures and romantic elements. The recently completed original
manga goes far beyond the content currently covered by the anime, giving Bones
studios a mountain of content to adapt. However, the original material
was unexpectedly delayed due to a health complication for one of its two
authors.
The manga
went into an unplanned two-year hiatus between 2017 and 2019, eventually
returning and going on hiatus a few more times, until its conclusion in January
2024. Unfortunately,
there was a drop in sales as it went from four volumes a year to only one. The
“Noragami” anime also saw a sharp 60 percent decline in physical disc sales for
the second season compared to the first. This poor performance may have
convinced the Bones studio that the series would no longer be as profitable as
expected, even after laying the groundwork for a third season in its second
season finale.
Even
though the popularity of anime continues to grow thanks to streaming services,
the third season of “Noragami” remains out of reach. Although anything is possible
in the world of anime and the series could have its long-awaited continuation
in the future, Noragami fans will have to refer to the original manga if they
want to experience more of the story in the near future.
