Mao (manga)

Main characters

Mao (摩緒)

Voiced by: Yuki Kaji (PV, anime)^[3][4]

The wielder of a deadly longsword, Hagunsei (破軍星), Mao is a man cursed in many ways. Known as an onmyōji, he searches for the whereabouts of the byōki, a powerful kodoku created from a terrifying ritual. He is also able to lend some of his blood to Nanoka as they share byōki blood. Mao sees himself as sort of a guardian to Nanoka. He is one of the Goko clan manor disciples from 900 years ago and lives as a doctor in the Taishō era.

Nanoka Kiba (黄葉 菜花, Kiba Nanoka)

Voiced by: Natsumi Kawaida (anime)^[4]

A plucky third-year middle school student. She died when she was eight years old, but miraculously still lives on. Now fifteen, she uses an abandoned shopping district passage to travel to the Taishō era and investigate mysterious killings, cults, and disappearances with Mao. Like Mao, she is also cursed by the byōki and can therefore wield the Hagunsei and lend some of her blood to Mao. She currently wields the Akanemaru (地血丸), a sword that sucks blood from its wielder. She eventually develops a crush on Mao.

Otoya (乙弥)

Voiced by: Momoka Terasawa^[5]

A shikigami with the appearance of a young boy who works as Mao's assistant. He has a very rational personality and carries Mao's tools for him. He is also in charge of maintaining the kodoku jar that Mao uses to heal.

Byōki (猫鬼)

Voiced by: Takashi Matsuyama^[5]

A demon with similar appearance to the cat once known as Haimaru (灰丸), who cursed Mao and Nanoka to be its unwilling vessels. Allying itself neither with Mao or the new Goko clan, Byōki has its own mysterious goals.

Heian Era Goko Clan

Master (師匠, Shishō)

The head of the Goko clan (御降家, Gokō-ke) in the Heian period and Sana's father. After Mao became his favorite disciple, he chose to name him as the successor to the clan. In secret, he ordered five other disciples to kill Mao to become the true successor, aiming to draw out the strongest of them. He was killed when the clan fell, supposedly by Mao himself.

Hyakka (百火)

Voiced by: Hiro Shimono (PV, anime)^[3][4]

A fire element user who was on friendly terms with Mao when they lived at the Goko clan Manor in the Heian period. He is technically Mao's superior, having joined the Goko clan ten days before. He was the only person who was summoned to the Five-Sided Shrine that spoke up against killing Mao. However, he was led to believe that Mao had killed Sana when the clan fell and had distrusted him since. He spent much of his time as an immortal working as a carnival performer and ramen cook.

Kamon (華紋)

Voiced by: Toshiyuki Toyonaga (PV, anime)^[3][4]

A wood element user who occasionally joins forces with Mao when it is convenient for him. He was a member of the Goko clan in the Heian period, where he created the Seeds of Haku. Having become immortal, in the Taishō period he is known as Kuchinawa (朽縄). He wishes to investigate the fate of his late lover Masago. He has a shikigami named Beniko (紅子) who serves as his assistant.

Masago (真砂)

A kind and powerful water element user who was a disciple of the Goko clan in the Heian era. Disliking violence, she often felt conflicted about her position in the clan. She was secretly Kamon's lover, but died while trying to run away from the Goko clan. Her body was captured and preserved by Shiranui, who continues to absorb her power.

Shiranui (不知火)

Voiced by: Kazuyuki Okitsu^[5]

A water element user from the Goko clan with an obsessive interest in Mao. He suffered great amounts of abuse from the clan's master due to being less skilled than his peers, coming to resent them. After becoming immortal when the Goko clan fell he continuously attacked the surviving members throughout the centuries. He runs the new Goko clan in the Taishō era with Hakubi and Yurako, where he continues to carry out assassinations for clients.

Hakubi (白眉)

A cunning metal element user and disciple of the Goko clan Manor. He previously fought in the Russo-Japanese War under the name Captain Shirasu (白洲), where he had an encounter with Hyakka. He holds a grudge against Hyakka for slicing off his arm and burning his face. He has an old alliance with Yurako, and they plan to resurrect the Goko clan together.

Daigo (大五)

An orphan and older brother figure to Mao. After leaving the orphanage where they were both raised, he recommends Mao to join the Goko clan as he did. During his time at the manor, he grew to be one of the best earth element users. He was in love with Sana and planned to escape the Goko clan with her but was killed during the succession war.

Natsuno (夏野)

A laid-back earth element user and former disciple of the Goko clan who previously worked with Daigo. At one time terminally ill, she made a pact with a clay golem that saved her life and made her immortal in exchange for finding a collection of dismembered body parts. After proving her loyalty to Mao in the Taishō era, she occasionally helps him while also training Nanoka to use earth energy with Akanemaru. The last body part she needs to find is a right hand.

Sana (紗那)

Voiced by: Risa Shimizu^[5]

The daughter of the Goko clan Master, Sana was betrothed to Mao when he was named the successor. She was secretly in love with Daigo, and planned on escaping the manor together before he was killed. She had a pet cat named Haimaru (灰丸), who would later turn into Byoki. She was killed when the Goko clan fell, with the survivors believing she was murdered by Mao. A woman in the Taishō era named Yurako shares her appearance.

Yurako (幽羅子)

Voiced by: Reina Ueda^[5]

She is originally believed to be Sana in the Taisho era, appearing identical to her. Yurako eventually reveals to Nanoka that she is Sana's twin sister. Unlike Sana who lived in the Goko Clan manor, Yurako was confined to a cave and forced to become a vessel for the curses that were directed at the clan, her body becoming filled with ayakashi. Becoming extremely bitter of her sister, she falls in love with Mao when he showed her kindness after escaping. After becoming immortal, she currently works with Shiranui and Hakubi in order to revive the Goko clan.

Taishō Era Goko Clan

Soma Kagami (加神 双馬, Kagami Sōma)

Soma comes from a family that has passed down a sacred scroll for generations, which gives the eldest son the power to control a powerful beast. Soma obtains the beast after his older brother Ichima (一馬) is killed by it. He is taken in and mentored by Hakubi, who uses the beast's ability to perform assassinations for the new Goko clan. He has two younger brothers named Mitsuma (三馬) and Shizuma (四津馬).

Kagari Hosho (宝生 かがり, Hōshō Kagari)

Kagari is a high school girl from the Taishō era who is able to cast metal curses through needles. Her family runs a business casting curse commissions and is in possession of a Goko clan artifact known as the puppet needle. Hakubi tracks down the puppet needle and recruits her into the new Goko clan, where she carries out curses for him in order to gain his approval. She is jealous of her older sister Ayame, who is more skilled than her.

Renji (蓮次)

Renji, known by the alias Okuribi no Renji (送り火の蓮次), is an assassin from the Taishō era who is able to control lethal fireflies with his yueqin (月琴). Abused by his parents who routinely adopted children and then sold them to human traffickers. He was only shown kindness by his sister Tsuyu, who died protecting him. In vengeance, he burnt down his parents home and began assassinating the people who had trafficked his siblings. Because of his past, he sympathizes with prostitutes and often visits them in order to give money. He works under Shiranui to carry out assassinations for the new Goko clan.

Mei Mitazono (御手園 芽生, Mitazono Mei)

Mei works as a doctor for the new Goko clan and tends to Shiranui's Garden of Longevity (延命の庭). She is skilled in wood magic and is able to heal people with the Seeds of Haku, though they will eventually consume the host with vines. Born to a foreign father and a Japanese mother, Mei's hometown was polluted when a group of yakuza built a factory downstream. Her father was killed after attempting to stand up to them, with Mei escaping but suffering grave injuries. Shiranui saved her by implanting a Seed of Haku, and as such she feels indebted to him. She chooses to spend the remainder of her life serving the Goko clan and getting revenge on her father's murderers.

Sasuga (流石)

Sasuga is a young boy who is able to manipulate water with his conch shell. He uses his powers to cause droughts in villages, then offering his services to summon rain for a price. Supposedly a distant descendant of a Goko clan member, he joins forces with Shiranui after meeting Mei.

Other characters

Funa Uozumi (魚住 フナ, Uozumi Funa)

Voiced by: Motoko Kumai^[5]

A shikigami sent by Mao to look after Nanoka in the modern era. She creates the "disgusting" shakes that suppress Nanoka's byōki energy.

Shiraha (白羽)

Voiced by: Ryuho Nagaoka [ja]^[6]

A classmate of Nanoka in the modern era. He is skilled at researching on Wikipedia and other databases, helping Nanoka learn more about the history that she visits. He harbors an unrequited crush on her.

Tenko (貂子)

Voiced by: Yoko Hikasa^[5]

A friend of Mao's who works at the cafe Milk Hall. Through a network of connections, she is able to provide him with the latest gossip and news of mysterious incidents in the Taishō period. She is secretly an ayakashi.

Ayame Hosho (宝生 綾女, Hōshō Ayame)

Kagari's older sister who is more skilled at curses than her. Ayame would receive more curse commissions for the family business, leading Kagari to become extremely jealous of her. After being blinded in her left eye by one of Kagari's needles, she gains the ability to sense the path a person will take.

Manga

Mao is written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi and was announced in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday in December 2018.^[7][8] The manga started in Weekly Shōnen Sunday on May 8, 2019.^[9][10][11] Shogakukan has collected the manga chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was published on September 18, 2019.^[12] As of April 2026, 28 volumes have been released.^[13]

In February 2021, Viz Media announced that it had licensed the series for English release in North America, and the first volume was published on September 14, 2021.^[14][15] On May 9, 2023, Viz Media launched their Viz Manga digital manga service, with the series' chapters receiving simultaneous English publication in North America as they are released in Japan.^[16]

Anime

In July 2025, it was announced that the manga would be receiving an anime television series adaptation produced by Sunrise. The series is directed by Teruo Satō [ja], with series composition by Yūko Kakihara [ja], character designs and chief animation direction by Yoshihito Hishinuma, and music composed by Shū Kanematsu [ja].^[4] The series premiered on April 4, 2026, on NHK General TV.^[5] The opening theme is "Heartloud", performed by Kis-My-Ft2, while the ending theme is "Juai" (呪愛; 'Cursed Love'), performed by True.^[5][17]

Viz Media licensed the series and is streaming it on Hulu in the United States, and Disney+ in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America.^[18] Medialink licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia.^[19]

Other media

A two-part interview between Takahashi and Satoru Noda, author of Golden Kamuy, was published in Weekly Shōnen Sunday and Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump to celebrate the then upcoming first volume of Mao and the new volume of Golden Kamuy in September 2019.^[23][24] A promotional video for the fifth volume release, narrated by Inuyasha's character Sesshomaru (Ken Narita), was posted in August 2020.^[2] A promotional video for the sixth volume release, narrated by Inuyasha's characters Inuyasha (Kappei Yamaguchi) and Kagome (Satsuki Yukino), was posted in October 2020.^[25] On July 7, 2021, the series reached 100 chapters and a promotional video, featuring Yuki Kaji as Mao (who previously expressed his interest to participate in an eventual anime adaptation of the series),^[26] Hiro Shimono as Hyakka and Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Kamon, was posted.^[3]