For a thousand years, the exorcists of the Kyogane clan have dedicated their lives to eradicating the gruesome demons that haunt Japan. Kuro Kyogane, the current clan head, has no interest in getting married and producing an heir. But after his family arranges a suitable bride in the brave and optimistic Fuyu, he agrees to fulfill his obligations. What Kuro doesn't know yet is that his wedding ceremony conceals a dark secret—and once Fuyu is declared his wife, she may never be safe from harm again…

Betrothed to a Fox Demon has story and art by Anju Hino. English translation is done by Ko Ransom and lettering by Ayoub Bensidi. Published by Square Enix (April 14, 2026). Rated T.

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

Would you care for a dollop of absurdity with your yokai romance manga? Betrothed to a Fox Demon is ready to give it to you. What starts as a relatively straightforward story about an exorcist named Kuro whose grandfather wants him to take a bride takes a sharp turn at the end of chapter one, as it turns out that his reasoning is less “I want great-grandkids” and more “our family owes the nine-tailed fox we imprisoned a thousand years ago a blood tithe.” Each generation of Kuro's family is meant to give a bride to the monster (Kuro's own mother was sacrificed after his birth), and apparently, telling the young man whose wife will become food just isn't done. So Kuro goes and falls in love with Fuyu, the woman he's to marry, only to discover that she's not even going to make it to the wedding night.

It would be a short series if that was all there was to it, of course, plus the title needs to fit the plot somehow. This is nicely fixed by Kuro killing the nine-tailed fox to save Fuyu…only for Fuyu to wind up possessed instead. She doesn't seem to suffer any ill effects, but if they want to live a long life together, they're going to have to get the fox demon out of Fuyu, which is where the story really begins – and begins to get silly.

There's a major tonal shift from chapter one to the rest of the book. While chapter two also has some seriously disturbing imagery – nothing like a carnivorous plant yokai that looks like a giant baby to give you nightmares – the further on their journey Fuyu and Kuro venture, the stranger the people they meet. The other exorcists are what might politely be called quirky (although the one who wanted to marry Kuro, knowing she'd be sacrificed, probably deserves a different label), and the yakuza who try to help the demon-possessed feel like they walked in from another book.

Despite this, there's something deeply entertaining about this volume. The horror elements are very effective, yes, but Fuyu and Kuro's dynamic is really nice – you can see how much they like each other and how Fuyu is breaking through Kuro's defenses. It's hard to pinpoint an actual time period this is meant to take place in because the historical markers are all over the place, and I'll admit that that annoyed me. But this is overall a fast-paced, fun story that doesn't worry too much about making total sense. I'm definitely interested in reading more.

Erica Friedman
Rating:

After a lot of romance manga and light novels written for people with an acutely weird understanding of romance, I was ready to grab onto something actiony. Betrothed to a Fox Demon, Volume 1 felt like the right book at the right time. Kuro is a shounen-style action hero, trained to bring down evil and yucky-looking yokai. His power and dedication are admirable. I wasn't sure how that would dovetail with a wedding story, but when Fuyu and Kuro face their fate together, the whole thing really worked. Sure, that gives badass Kuro a cute, fluffy-eared fox wife, but the story took the time to set that up in a way that actually made sense.

And then, after having set the premise up in a way that did not cause eye-rolling, the story goes on to do two solid things. It creates a reason why Kuro and Fuyu are on the road and on the run…and makes more time for them to address their relationship. What, you say? A fantasy action-y story in which the protagonists had a single conversation that meant they would not be awkward around each other for volumes? Yes, can you believe it? I'd like that to become a common manga trope, please.

And…even crazier, the story continues. That single conversation doesn't bring the story crashing down in a tortured series of misunderstandings or unwavering guilt. Instead, standing shoulder to shoulder, Kuro and Fuyu head out on their adventure as a team. Friends, I cheered. I'm sure the story will take them deeper into the politics of the exorcists' world, and Kuro and Fuyu will confront bigger, more powerful, and even yuckier-looking yokai, but they will do it together as a couple who like each other. This volume is a strong opener for a series I'd like to follow.