Noragami Season 3, why the delay?
There are always a few animes that, albeit finished airing years ago, still have a core fanbase wanting to see their return.
One such series was released in Winter of 2014 as the anime adaption of Adachitoka s manga series, Noragami, hit the small screens.
The story follows a normal middle schooler Hiyori Iki who, while protecting a stranger, lets her soul slip out of her body.
Hiyori meets the stranger named Yato, a minor deity with no shrine who self-proclaims to be the Delivery God and dreams of having millions of worshippers.
Yato spends his days doing odd errands for little money until his weapon partner becomes fed up with her useless master and abandons him.
She learns about the existence of parallel worlds wherein the Near Shore, where regular humans and creatures reside, and the Far Shore, where phantoms (demonic beasts) and human souls linger.
Hiyori demands Yato return her to normal but with no one to partner him, he decides to rope her in and even accepts any wish for 5 yen.
Along with the new recruit, Yato also has a weapon forged from the spirit of a deceased human’s soul called Regalia.
Can Yato s’ fortune change with Hiyori by his side as they go on multiple adventures while struggling with their identity and past is the central plot of the show.
Noragami was an extremely popular supernatural series back in 2014 and hence received a sequel in 2015.
However, fast forward eight years, and fans are still wondering if there will ever be a third installment or not.
To find the answer, keep scrolling as we bring you all the latest news and updates on Noragami Season 3.
Noragami is rated 7.9/10 and ranked #651 with 2 million members on MyAnimeList
WHAT IS THE NORAGAMI SEASON 3 RELEASE DATE?
Noragami Season One aired from 5th January 2014 to 23rd March 2014 for 12 episodes. The series was renewed for a second season titled Noragami: Aragoto, which ran from 2nd October 2015 to 17th November 2016 for 13 episodes.
As of writing, there is no update from Studio Bones on the renewal of Noragami Season 3.
| SEASON | RELEASE DATE |
| Noragami Season 1 | 5th January 2014 |
| Noragami Season 2 | 2nd October 2015 |
| Noragami Season 3 | Yet to be Announced |
Production studios consider various financial and commercial metrics before announcing a renewal.
Financially, the anime sold 5000 copies on Blu-ray/DVD for the season, which decreased to 2000 for season two.
However, Blu-ray/DVD sales aren’t a definite indication of monetary success since streaming platforms have taken over.
But the primary reason for lack of renewal is the decline in manga sales coupled with the two-year (2017-2019) hiatus.
Unless you are Yoshihiro Togashi (Hunter x Hunter), the lack of new manga volumes will eventually lead to fans losing interest in the series.
Consequently, studios won’t see any financial motivation to produce a new season and will move on toward much more lucrative projects, which is what Studio Bones has done.
Since releasing the sequel of Noragami, studio Bones have produced hit animes like Mob Psycho 100, My Hero Academia, Bungo Stray Dogs, Sk8 Infinity and The Case Study of Vanitas.
Currently, studio Bones have four new projects scheduled for 2023 and 2024, which include the mainstream Shonen series My Hero Academia Season 7.Hence, we can assume the chances of Noragami Season 3 happening are next to none.
Thus, expecting any updates on Noragami Season 3 trailer and Noragami Season 3 release date will just be a pointless wait.
NORAGAMI MANGA CATCHUP
Noragami manga is written and illustrated by Adachitoka. It began serialization in Monthly Shonen Magazine in January 2011 issue was released on 6th December 2011.
The manga has been collected into 26 volumes, with the latest issue released on 16th December 2023.
As of August 2018, the manga series has 6.8 million copies in circulation.
Noragami manga is rated 8.4/10 and ranked #205 with 173k members on MyAnimeList
NORAGAMI SEASON 2 PLOT
In the finale of Noragami season 2, “The God of Fortune ‘s Message,” the placation ring kills Ebisu, resurrecting him back to a kid, not mindful of who he was in his previous existence.
His demise and rebirth extraordinarily influence Yato, who tells the youngster Ebisu that he was a courageous and sacrificial man in his previous existence. Yato needs to be more like Ebisu, accomplishing something useful for mankind instead of killing.
He relinquishes his past as a Lord of Disaster and deliveries Nora, promising to have another reason as a Divine force of Fortune with Yukine as his aide.
An after-credits scene shows that Kouto Fujisaki, the kid who went as Hiyori’s date at Capypa Land and kissed her, is really Yato’s dad and has ownership of Ebisu’s Locution Brush.
Noragami Season 2 covered volumes 5 to 10, which means Noragami Season 2 will begin by adapting Volume 11.
Now that Yato has finally figured out what he wants out of life, he and Yukine are back in action, making the world a better place. Meanwhile, Hiyori is having troubles of her own. What can Yato do to help the one person he truly wants to make happy?
While there will be many interesting Noragami Season 3 characters, one to keep an eye on is Yato s’ father who kissed Hiyoru. It is evident that the third season will showcase the relationship between Yato and his father.
Speaking of Yato, what is his dark past and real identity? We will have to wait for Noragami Season 3 to find out.
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NORAGAMI CAST, CHARACTERS, AND CREW
Noragami is directed by Kotaro Tamura with a series composition by Deko Akao.
Characters are designed by Toshiro Kawamoto, and the music is composed by Taku Iwasaki. Animation is produced by studio Bones with CGI from Yota Ando.
You can find the list of Noragami characters and voice cast below:
| CHARACTERS | VOICED BY |
| Yato | Hiroshi Kamiya |
| Hiyori Iki | Maaya Uchida |
| Yukine | Yuuki Kaji |
| Kofuku | Aki Toyosaki |
| Tsuguha | Ari Ozawa |
| Mayu | Asami Imai |
| Daikoku | Daisuke Ono |
| Aiha | Hisako Tōjō |
| Kazuma | Jun Fukuyama |
| Kōto Fujisaki | Kaito Ishikawa |
| Kinuha | Kanami Satou |
| Kunimi | Kanehira Yamamoto |
| Kuraha | Kazuhiko Inoue |
| Suzuha | Kōtarō Nishiyama |
| Yugiha | Mariko Higashiuchi |
| Hinaha | Misaki Kuno |
| Bishamon | Miyuki Sawashiro |
| Nora | Rie Kugimiya |
| Ebisu | Ryotaro Okiayu |
| Karuha | Satomi Akesaka |
| Akiha | Shinya Takahashi |
| Ōkuninushi | Shunsuke Sakuya |
| Utami | Taishi Murata |
| Kugaha | Takanori Hoshino |
| Iwami | Takehiro Hasu |
| Tenjin | Toru Ohkawa |
| Tatsumi | Yoshitaka Yamaya |
| Mineha | Yuki Takao |
CONCLUSION
Poor manga sales and the emergence of new series for studio Bones have ultimately sealed the fate of Noragami Season 3.