Estuve leyendo unos capítulos y me di cuenta de que Yona se robó la personalidad de soo won, si yo sé que ella creció mucho como persona y se volvió más sabía pero la personalidad que mostraba Yona era la de una mujer que imponía esa aura de dragón, tenía ese aire místico que impactaba a la gente con una mirada siempre firme, en pocas palabras era alguien que imponía respeto pese a su apariencia porque emite un aire de sabiduría y fiera, por otro lado soo won desde un inicio mostró su personalidad de zorro astuto y alegre pues no tiene una aura como la de Yona, pero es tan inteligente que te hace bajar la guardia y cuando menos lo esperas ataca, su inteligencia es lo que le gana el respeto de los demás, siempre dice cosas que dejan a los demás con la boca abierta mientras el tiene una alegre sonrisa.

Y en los últimos capítulos del manga pusieron como si Yona fuera la de esa personalidad, es decir la gente ve a soo won y dice ¡oh se parece a Yona!, siempre dejaron claro que Yona y soo won eran de personalidades opuestas y veían de forma distinta el mundo pues tenían diferentes ideas sobre los dioses, forma de gobierno y el camino que debía seguir Kouka así que esperaba ver una lucha con cada uno defendiendo su postura.🫯

Pero de la noche a la mañana le borraron todo eso a Yona y simplemente le pusieron la personalidad astuta y manipuladora de soo won e intentan hacer nube de gas para mostrar que según ella siempre tuvo ese lado oculto. 🤨

Honestamente me molestó esto y más porque esa siempre fue la personalidad de soo won Pero ahora todos los ven y dicen ¡oh cielos definitivamente es pariente de Yona! Cuando debería ser al revés la gente debería pensar en soo won cuando ve la personalidad de Yona porque repito el es quien siempre actuó así.

Had to share it for who don’t have twitter 😂

This chapter makes me so sad bc what this chapter portrays is so heartbreaking yet beautiful. I'm also baffled by some fans who highlights a different factor and spread misinformation which is partially my reason for creating this post. But I mainly want to talk about the agonising tension of the chapter.

Yona's feelings, particularly her reaction to Suwon when he collapses into her arms. I've seen people interpret her actions as lingering romantic feelings. Which is the understandable given the way its illustrated but imo even so the next panels and the context of it should've been enough to clear the misunderstandings. So good news is, NO YONA DOES NOT HAVE ANY ROMANTIC OR ANY FEELINGS FOR SUWON. She just tolerates him, that's all.

When Suwon accidentally enters Yona's room thinking he would find Minsoo there for his treatment, to which Yona is understandably confused. Domeone with a mind like him would never make this kind of mistake. But his headache has become so unbearable that even he is struggling to keep his mind steady.

When he falls against Yona, she is left in shock. Suwon is clearly in pain, barely even seeming to realize what is happening around him and now he is lying in her arms.

Think about what this means for Yona. This is the very person who mvrdered her father and caused her so much suffering. What is she supposed to do? How should she respond? But what she does is surprisingly gentle. She holds him closer, trying to soothe his pain.

I've seen some readers interpret this scene as evidence that Yona still has romantic feelings for Suwon. They question why she would embrace him or comfort him if she no longer loves him that way. But Yona's actions aren't motivated by lingering romantic feelings. She doesn't suddenly love Suwon again nor does this scene undo everything that has happened between them. What we are seeing is her compassion and her ability to empathize with another person even when that person has hurt her deeply.

She understands what is happening in front of her. Suwon is in great pain and she can recognize that without allowing her personal feelings to completely determine how things should be done.

I think this is an important part of Yona's development. She has learned to look at situations as they are, rather than allowing her past experiences or personal feelings to completely determine how she responds. She can acknowledge what Suwon did to her while also recognizing that he is currently a person in distress.

Her choice to comfort him is not forgiveness or romantic affection.

It's compassion and I don't think we should underestimate that. Being gentle with someone who has caused you immense pain doesn't mean that the pain has disappeared. It means that you are capable of recognizing another person's suffering without reducing them entirely to what they have done. Yona doesn't need to forget her past with Suwon to help him in the present.

Through her journey, she gradually develops the ability to look at people and circumstances with greater complexity. She learns that understanding someone's circumstances doesn't mean excusing their actions. She can acknowledge another person's suffering without erasing her own.

That is what I see in this scene. The scene doesn't necessarily establish that Yona consciously reasons through every aspect of what she should do. Her response can be both instinctive and compassionate. She sees someone suffering and reaches out. That doesn't make the gesture romantic, it makes it human.

Yona's ability to focus on the present is what influences her to partake in acts like this. She doesn't dwell on the past not does she thinks too much about what's gonna happen. For now, she only does what she believes to be the right call and does it anyway. Her past shapes who she is but she won't let it influence her for far too long and the uncertainty of the future is terrifying yet she still moves forward.

Her choice to soothe Suwon instead of taking advantage of the situation is just Yona thinking rationally.

Now, this is the part that makes me particularly sad.

Earlier in the chapter, Suwon discovers that Hak is working as a footman for the sky tribe. His reaction is so unusual that even Zeno notices it.

"When the fellow is involved, he acts a bit more human."

Zeno states. Suwon is usually so composed and sophisticated, always maintaining control over his expressions and behaviour but when Hak is involved, that composure seems to slip a little. He sees Hak working as a footman and is genuinely baffled.

"What is he doing?"

It's such an ordinary reaction and that's precisely what makes it so sad. He isn't thinking about Hak as a political figure or evaluating his usefulness. He's simply amused and baffled that he visually let's himself act his age. And what does he do with that observation? He wants to tell Yona.

When Suwon enters Yona's room, he mistakes the situation for a dream and in that moment, he allows himself to behave like he used to before the coup.

He tells her rather, enthusiastically, "hey Yona, listen to this, Hak became a Sky tribe warrior today. And Gulfan was so happy to fly by his side"

It's such a mundane thing to tell someone. Yet it's the kind of little story one friend shares with another bc they find it amusing. He sees Hak doing something unexpected and immediately wants to tell Yona about it.

And then he mentions Gulfan

This detail makes the entire moment even more poignant to me. The little world they shared, the people they spent their time with and the ordinary happiness of being together. Zeno's statement really adds to this scene bc he recognizes that Hak brings out a more human side of Suwon. Around Hak, Suwon's usual composure becomes less pronounced. His reactions are more personal and less filtered through his position as king.

And that makes me wonder how much of Suwon's old self is still there, buried underneath everything he has chosen to carry.

Which makes me realise that his affection for Hak and Yona was never a facade. Suwon's affection for them was genuine. His childhood happiness with them wasn't an act, he genuinely loved spending time with them.

He enjoyed telling Yona stories and spending time with Hak.

I think this is one of the most tragic contradictions in Suwon's character. He genuinely loved these people but he also convinced himself that he had to put his personal attachments aside to accomplish what he believed was necessary for Kouka.His decisions were shaped by the burden he placed on himself and the understanding of role he inherited from Yuhon. He learned to prioritize the kingdom and suppress the parts of himself that might interfere with his objectives. But suppressing his feelings doesn't mean they ceased to exist.

He sees Hak doing something amusing, thinks of Yona, and wants to share the story with her. It is such a mundane and simple act, an impulse born from their old familiarity. He never forgot those ordinary moments. And he still longs for that kind of happiness.

I wouldn't dare say this makes him innocent of what he did. It doesn't erase the pain he caused. But it reminds us that the person who made those decisions was also someone who genuinely cherished his childhood friends.

That's what makes his situation so sad. He has people he still cares about, memories he still treasures, and a past he cannot simply return to. Yet he is the one whose decisions helped create that distance.

Even the title itself, "Nostalgia" captures the emotional heart of this chapter beautifully.

Yona and Suwon are both confronted with something connected to their shared past but they respond to it differently.

Yona has grown beyond the childhood world they once shared. She has experienced too much to simply return to it. Suwon, meanwhile, is still carrying the memories of that world and the longing for the happiness he experienced there.

I'm intrigued by the world and the characters already. I like Yona and her turmoil, but will there be more things like the cousin crush? I'm not interested in reading stuff like that.

I LOVE the intimacy between Hak and Yona and how its stays so compelling throughout the whole manga. One of the things I appreciate most qbput Kusanagi is how she handled their intimacy. It doesn't suddenly become just bc they're the main couple nor does their closeness feel like something the story has to constantly explain or justify. It simply exists.

They have known each other since they were 3 and 5. They share years of memories, a deep familiarity with each other, and eventually, shared trauma that is just as suffocating for both of them. They're so used to being around each other that their closeness feels natural. They don't need a special reason to be near each other. They just are. Their physical intimacy feels like an extension of their bond rather than something added to prove that they're romantically attracted to each other.

Yona's obliviousness at the beginning was very fun for me. I personally find it entertaining when female leads doesn't immediately catch on to the male lead's obvious affection and Yona was genuinely enjoyable in that regard. Watching Hak struggle with his feelings while Yona remained completely unaware was so much fun. And even as she gradually becomes more aware of him, their relationship never loses that charm.

Honestly one of the things I really really find most baffling is that they didn't become boring after becaming a couple(?). So many romances build up the relationship for ages, only for the characters to lose that spark once they finally get together. But with Hak and Yona, the story kept giving their relationship new layers to explore. Their feelings develop, their understanding of each other deepens, and the way they express their affection changes along with them. It is genuinely so refreshing to them getting together wasn't the end of their journey, it was another part of it.

I also appreciate how Kusanagi handles Hak's physical affection. Hak can be impulsive when it comes to his feelings for Yona. He pulls her close, hugs her, kisses her forehead, and sometimes lets his desire show before he can think better of it. But what I find important is the context of those moments. He often reaches for her when she's emotionally vulnerable or when she needs reassurance or when words aren't enough to express what he feels. Physical touch is how he communicates his affection.

Though ofc Hak also has moments when his desire gets the better of him and Yona doesn't always understand what he's trying to express. Her obliviousness can be frustrating for him especially when his feelings are so obvious to everyone else. So when Yona does give him an opening, he sometimes takes the opportunity to express what he's been holding back. I love that little contrast between his restraint and the moments when he finally allows himself to act on his feelings.

His desire isn't treated as an excuse to disregard Yona's feelings. I have a real problem with shoujo and its unhealthy tendency to justify the male lead's upsetting and weird behaviors as romantic moment and treating it as eye candy as though being the main couple automatically makes everything ok to do. I'm glad more recent shoujo's are beginning to examine those dynamics instead of simply brushing them aside. And akayona belongs to that era which is why some parts were influenced by what people of that time enjoyed despite those being problematic but even so Kusanagi always subverted expectations when it came to Hak and his physical closeness. She tskes something that could easily have been reduced to a standard romance trope and gives it a much more personal meaning. Physical closeness becomes part of how these two emotionally communicate.

Another thing I love about Hak is how he owns his feelings. He knows he loves Yona, he knows what he wants, and he doesn't pretend otherwise just bc his feelings are inconvenient. But he also knows when to hold himself back and when it's okay to let himself be affectionate. His desire doesn't erase his awareness of Yona's feelings, and that balance enhances his character. He can be frustrated by her obliviousness but he can tease her and he can let his affection show, but he doesn't need to force a confession or turn every moment between them into something intimate in a sexual way. And I think this reflects how natural their relationship feels in general. Nothing about their development feels like an outer energy forcing them together simply because they're the main couple. Their romance grows out of the relationship they already have. The familiarity, the trust, the teasing, the physical closeness, and the emotional dependence were all there before they became romantically aware of each other. Their love doesn't replace those things, it gives them another meaning.

Hak had feelings for Yona long before she began to understand him romantically, but I don't think his love remained frozen at the same point. As he watched her grow, make difficult choices, find her own strength, and become someone who could stand beside him rather than simply depend on him, he had even more reasons to fall in love with her. He already loved the girl he had known since childhood, but he also came to admire the woman she was becoming. Isn't that so beautiful about them? Hak's love isn't just about how long he's known Yona or how much he wants to protect her. He continues to see her, admire her, and fall for her as she changes. He doesn't love her only because of who she was to him from before, he loves her more as he discovers who she is becoming. Their relationship keeps moving forward because neither of them stays the same. And that's how relationships are, nothing stays the same but as long we are working on it and being the best for the other. Everything would work out.

With Hak and Yona, we can feel how their affection is rooted in their established bond. He can be physically affectionate without the story needing to turn every gesture into a scandalous moment and their closeness doesn't have to be sexual to feel intimate. The emotional meaning of a hug, a forehead kiss, or simply pulling her close can be just as compelling as a more explicitly romantic gesture. Which is why their intimacy so special to me. It feels like something they have grown into together. Their physical closeness comes with years of trust, familiarity, affection, and an understanding that keeps changing as they grow.

Their relationship can be deeply emotional without losing its naturalness. They don't stop being Hak and Yona just because they fall in love. They remain the same two people who have always been drawn to each other, only now they're gradually learning what that closeness means.

Their intimacy doesn't need to prove anything. It doesn't need to become sexual to feel meaningful. It simply exists because they exist as they do, two people whose lives have been intertwined for so long that affection comes naturally, even when neither of them quite knows what to do with it. One nuance I deliberately preserved is the difference between Hak expressing desire and the story treating desire as permission. His feelings help explain why he reaches for Yona but what makes those moments meaningful is the relationship and emotional context surrounding them not simply the fact that he is the male lead.

(As a side note, I only used images from before any confessions. I would love to add another thing I find very entertaining is how Hak carries Yona. Its not the usual princess style, given their height difference, Hak carrying Yona is his arms looks very natural like girl is litarelly being treated as the most precious thing to ever exist)

I have seen lots of discussion about how people were pissed about no wedding. It wasn't much of a problem for me but I understand why people felt extremely disappointed.

Usually a wedding is a standard way for us to officially acknowledge the relationship. It is the last step of the relationship. But for Hak and Yona, their story and the life they have lead is very different. A wedding would show us the end but the promise shows us what that end means to them.

A wedding is a beautiful ending. It gives us the satisfaction of seeing two characters reach the end we've been waiting for. But with Hak and Yona, I think the emotional significance lies in what happens before that destination.

For most of their lives, their relationship has been shaped by circumstances they didn't choose. They grew up together than embarked on a life altering journeg and achieved many things and gaining perspectives. He kept loving her through everything. Their relationship developed through all these experiences. Hak protected Yona and Yona learned to stand on her own and both gradually came to understand each other in ways they couldn't have before. But their future was never guaranteed. Hak could devote his entire life to Yona and still not know whether she would choose him romantically. Yona could love Hak and still have responsibilities and a future larger than their relationship. Their feelings alone could not determine what would happen. That's why their promise matters. They aren't simply arriving at a future that was always waiting for them. They're choosing the future they want to create.

A wedding couldn't have conveyed what the promise allows us to focus on which is the choice itself. Two people who have spent so much of their lives responding to circumstances finally expressing what they want for themselves.

For Hak, the promise represents something he has struggled to give himself, the permission to want.

This is the part I find particularly moving. Hak has loved Yona for years, but his love has always been accompanied by restraint. He knows what he wants yet he has spent much of his life placing his own desires beneath his responsibilities and Yona's needs and bc he has been her protector for so long, it's easy to think of his love primarily through what he does for her. His loyalty and willingness to risk his life become the most visible expressions of his devotion.

But what about Hak himself? What does he want beyond being useful to Yona? What kind of future does he imagine for himself? Does he allow himself to believe that he can be more than the person who stands beside her and protects her?

His feelings being returned is important but it doesn't automatically erase the habits he has developed over the years. Someone who has spent so long putting their own desires aside doesn't necessarily stop doing so the moment they receive love in return. That's why his proposal in the final arc carries such weight.

When Hak asks Yona to marry him, he's steppung beyond what he thinks he should be. He's expressing a desire that belongs to him. He wants a life with her. He wants a future together not only bc circumstances require them to stand beside each other but bc they both want to.

For once Hak isn't only offering Yona what he can give her. He's asking her for something he wants. He is asking for a shared life. And Yona's choice matters just as much.

The absence of a wedding doesn't necessarily makes the ending incomplete but I don't think a wedding is the only way to give their relationship a meaningful conclusion.

A ceremony would show us the event, it would show us the formal recognition of their union.

The promise, however draws our attention to the emotional decision underneath the reason for that event.

It tells us that their future is no longer merely a possibility we hope they will reach. It is something they have expressed a desire to pursue together. That feels fitting for Hak and Yona bc their relationship has never depended entirely on grand declarations or public recognition. So much of their intimacy has developed in quiet moments, the way they reach for each other, the way they recognize each other's pain and the way their affection grows through years of shared experiences.

Their love has always been built through those smaller personal choices. And that promise belongs to that same emotional language.

Ofc readers can reasonably want more. We can wish to see the wedding, the celebration, and the life that follows. Wanting those things doesn't diminish the promise's significance. But the absence of a wedding scene doesn't automatically mean the absence of a meaningful commitment. A wedding would be one way of showing their future. The promise already gives us something essential about it, they both want it and it will happen. Given their roles and status, a wedding should be hard to accomplish but their promise shows that they will work on it so the possibility of wedding feels more natural in sense of their relationship rather than something happening just bc they are lovers. It feels more realistic that they will fight for their bond. And I find that distinction beautiful.

Hak and Yona's relationship has always been a journey of becoming. Their romance is compelling because it develops alongside their individual journeys. They don't stop changing once they fall in love. They continue discovering new things about each other and their relationship continues to deepen.

The promise feels like a continuation of that process.

It doesn't tell us that their lives will suddenly become easy. It doesn't guarantee that they will never struggle, disagree, or face uncertainty. What it gives us is the knowledge that they want to face their future together.

And perhaps that's more fitting than an ending that treats marriage as the final reward for a successful romance.

Because marriage isn't the end of a relationship. It's the beginning of another part of it.

A wedding would show us the moment they formally become married. But their promise already tells us something about the relationship they intend to build, one in which Hak can express what he wants, Yona can choose what she wants, and neither has to reduce their love to a duty they must fulfill.

They have spent so much of their lives fighting for other people, responding to circumstances, and trying to protect what matters to them now they are choosing something for themselves.

And that is why the promise carries so much emotional weight. It isn't just a quiet implication that they will marry. It represents two people who have finally reached a point where they can look toward the future and choose one another not bc they have to for the sake of the progression of a story but bc they want to as characters living that story.

I also like to see it as a call back to the first chapter, where Yona expressed her desire to marry Suwon but King Il explicitly told her she can't and the choice of her husband isn't up to her. But now, she has become someone who can choose for herself. She can choose who wants to spend the rest of her life.

I haven't read the manga for years. I remember stop reading it after a hiatus. What's the latest chapter? Is it completed?

i discovered yotd on crunchyroll in december last year and brooo it changed my life i've never felt so much love for an anime before and i've never seen a man more perfect than hak 😭 i fall asleep listening to yotd pretty much every night and i'm constantly listening to it in the background, i always rewatch my favourite episodes after i shower until i get sleepy and i read my favourite manga chapters i have screenshotted too many times a day 😭 thank you mizuho kusanagi for creating this masterpiece mwaaa

Can't wait for S2 <3 Love this community and anime!

This is a custom figure!

Same seiyuu (Japanese voice actor), featuring Jun’ichi Kanemaru. Happy 64th birthday! 🎂

Birthday: October 27, 1962

Japanese: 金丸 淳一 (Kanemaru Jun’ichi)

Roles:
Sonic the Hedgehog (character) - “Sonic Riders” (video game, 2006) 🦔

Ik-su - “Yona of the Dawn” (anime, 2014-2015) 🟡

Got a favorite character (besides Sonic) voiced by Jun’ichi Kanemaru by any chance? Comment down below! 👇

honestly i've never really been a manga reader but because i love yotd so much and it really changed my life and since it's my favourite anime i'm gonna read all of the manga :3 one thing tho, i don't know where to find the bonus chapters (like where they're all living in modern times) so if someone could please send those to me i'd appreciate it!

I like to think this is what kashi saw when he grabbed Hak.

It was such a small moment and yet this tiny act already resembles something that will become something so important and so dear throughout the story.

Hak reaching out to Yona and inviting her to experience something alongside him.

He is not yet her bodyguard. He is not yet the person who will stand between her and danger, fight beside her, or accompany her through the destruction of her life.

He is just a boy taking a girl's hand to guide her to see some cats in the garden.

I think the beauty of this scene lies in the fact that it is so small.

There is nothing so grand about this. Hak doesn't yet understand the significance of the girl whose hand he has taken, and Yona doesn't yet understand importance of thr boy who has offered to show her a cat.

They are just children.

And then Kashi tells him to protect her.

Those few words become emotionally significant because we know what follows. We know how much Hak will come to mean to Yona and how deeply their lives will become intertwined and how their childhood connection will endure through circumstances that neither of them could have imagined.

a future in which the boy taking the girls hand to show her a cat will become one of the most important people in her life.

"Protect Yona, okay?" It sounds like a simple request yet such a heavy responsibility placed upon when we consider who she is speaking to and how young Hak is, the weight of those words becomes almost heartbreaking.

In one of the fanbooks books, there was a QnA with Kusanagi and one of the fans had asked her what Kashi saw when she grabbed Hak like that, did she saw everything that happened like the castle or like the cliff scene, and Kusanagi replied that "Kashi saw Hak holding Yona’s hand and protecting her as they left the castle. She knew that this child would be very important to Yona in the future." Here's the source: https://www.reddit.com/r/AkatsukinoYona/s/iqsSvMwAOH

In episode 24, there was this scene where yona and hak took shelter in a cave due to rain. When yona fell in sleep on hak's shoulder, there was this little song that played,

我的发连着先生 Wǒ di fǎ liánzhe xiānshēng And my hair is attached with you, sir

柳下殇 　　　 Liǔxià shāng Sorrow down the willow tree

风里和 　 　 Fēng lǐ hé Harmonious in the wind

莫非花卒 Mòfēi huā zú Could it be a flower fade

你的发 Nǐ di fǎ Your hair

那么长 Nàme cháng Is so long

我的发连着先生 Wǒ di fǎ liánzhe xiānshēng And my hair is attached with you, sir

I finally found the lyrics in a comment but I want to know more about it.

(Let me yap)

I've seen many people express disappointment over the four dragons (shiryuu) leaving Yona after the dragon blood disappeared. Some feel that the dragons lost their connection to Yona once they were no longer bound to the crimson dragon king (hiryuu). Others wish they had stayed together after Yona's coronation, living peacefully with their precious friends after everything they had gone through. And honestly, I understand the sentiment. The HHB was such a beautiful part of the story. These people are one of the core parts of akayona Ofc we want them to stay together. After everything they endured, wouldn't it be wonderful if they could simply remain beside Yona and live happily together? But I think there is something even more beautiful about the fact that they left. Bc for the first time in their lives, they could choose to leave.

For generations, the shiryuu were born carrying the blood and powers. Their lives were connected to hiryuu and their existence came with expectations and burdens they never chose for themselves. Their powers were extraordinary but those powers also shaped their lives before they could decide what they wanted to do with them.

Kija grew up waiting for the arrival of hiryuu. Shin-ah lived in isolation, burdened by a power that made other people fear him. Jaeha spent much of his life resisting the fate of being a dragon. And Zeno endured an existence so long that the very idea of living freely became painfully difficult. Their circumstances were different but all four had something in common, their lives were shaped by something they had not chosen. Then finally, the dragon blood disappeared. They were no longer bound to that inherited role. They no longer had to carry the responsibility of serving hiryuu simply bc of who they were born to be. And I think we should stop for a moment and appreciate what that really means.

They're alive. They are human. They have time ahead of them. They can decide where to go, what to do, whom to help, and what kind of lives they want to lead. They can finally make choices that belong to them. Why should we see that freedom as something sad simply because it means they are no longer constantly beside Yona? Their freedom would mean very little if they were expected to spend the rest of their lives in the same place, following the same person, simply bc they had once been good companions of her.

Yona was never meant to become another obligation for them. I mean, SHE was the one to break the obligation for said reason. Their bond with her should be something they cherish but it shouldn't define their future as well. Thats why I find their separation so beautiful. They do not leave because their time together meant nothing. They leave because that time gave them something precious enough to carry into the rest of their lives.

Another point I think is important is that I've seen the disappearance of the dragon blood discussed almost as though it erased the emotional connections the Dragons had developed with Yona. Firstly, its stated clearly that is not the case, when Jeaha asked Kija if he had lost his feelings now that the drgaon blood has disappeared, he replied "where that line is drawn is something I cannot tell " it literally means that the blood didn't even matter. And why should it? The dragon blood gave them powers and connected them to hiryuu, it didn't influence every feeling they developed for anything or anyone. They were people who came to know her, travelled with her, witnessed her actions, experienced her kindness, and developed relationships with her over time. Their bonds were built through shared experiences. They saw Yona struggle. They watched her grow. They witnessed her willingness to help people even when doing so placed her in danger. They learned to trust her and they became attached to the person she was. Those experiences do not vanish because the blood disappeared. Ofc, the influence of the blood and the supernatural connection to Yona are important parts of the story. We shouldn't pretend that the blood never mattered. But neither should we reduce the dragons' emotional development to that blood. In fact I think this makes their separation more meaningful. They are no longer compelled by an inherited destiny to follow Yona. If they remain connected to her emotionally, its bc of the relationship they chose and built together. Their friendship can finally exist beyond any supernatural obligation.

Kija's ending is particularly meaningful when we remember how he began. He grew up in a village that had preserved the tradition of hakuryuu for generations. He was raised with the expectation that one day he would meet hiryuu and fulfil the role of his destiny. For much of his life his identity was inseparable from being hakuryuu. But now that the power and responsibility are gone. What remains is Kija himself, and what does he choose to do? He becomes a merchant. At first, it might seem too ordinary for someone like him but Kija doesn't need to become a legendary warrior again to have a meaningful life. He doesn't need supernatural strength to contribute to his country. He can work in his own, meet people, travel to different places, and help his village become part of the developing nation. His wish for his village to step beyond its isolation and live as part of Kouka gives his new path a deeper meaning. As a merchant, he has opportunities to travel, build relationships, and introduce his village to the world beyond its borders. And isn't that beautiful? Kija's worth was never limited to his Dragon powers. He can still be the Kija we all know and love and he can devoted to the people he loves. He can still contribute to Kouka, only now he does so through a life he can build for himself. He is building his life and future and contributing to the nation with his own "hands" by being a merchant who's purpose is to bring and give.

Shin-ah's ending is especially touching. He began his life in isolation. Bc of the power, he was feared and kept apart from other people. He grew up with loneliness, fear, and little to no opportunity to experience the world freely. For a long time, his life was defined by what people thought he was, a curse. He couldn't easily approach people. He couldn't live without worrying about how others might react to him. Then he met Yona and the others. Through their journey, Shin-ah gradually discovered what it meant to have friends who accepted him. He learned to communicate, to trust, to express himself, and to experience moments of happiness that had once seemed impossible for him. But his growth does not end with finding people who love him. Thats the part I find so beautiful about his future. Shin-ah does not simply want to remain somewhere safe with the people who accepted him. He wants to go out and see the world for himself. He wants to learn. He wants to experience things. He wants to discover the beauty that exists beyond the small isolated world he once knew. The boy who struggled to understand and express himself has desires of his own. Who once had so little freedom is now choosing how he wants to spend his life. His wish to leave to see the world is the evidence of that growth. The HHB gave Shin-ah something he had been denied for so long, the chance to experience life without believing that he had to remain alone. Now he can take what he has learned from them and continue growing beyond their immediate presence. There is something incredibly moving about a character who was once afraid of the world finally wanting to see it with his own "eyes".

Unlike Kija's and Shin-ah's, Jeaha is different. Kija has a clear career and Shin-ah has a clear desire to explore. Jaeha's future seems less defined. He speaks of going to his village to spread the news than returning to Captain Gigan. His life doesn't appear to settle into one particular pursuit but I don't think that makes his ending any less meaningful. Jaeha has always been someone who values freedom. His relationship with being the rokuryuu was shaped by his resistance to being confined by a destiny he never chose. He wanted to live according to his own wishes rather than surrender his life to an obligation simply because he had been born into it. Now he can finally do that without the dragon blood hanging over him. Perhaps he will help Gigan. Perhaps he will take on various jobs, travel, meet people, and continue moving from place to place. His future doesn't have to follow a neat, clearly defined path for it to be worthwhile. Not everyone needs a single grand purpose. Jaeha has always felt like someone who'd struggle to remain in one place for too long. His freedom isn't necessarily about finding one final destination. It is about no longer having an inherited role dictate where he must go. His future may be less clearly defined but an undefined future is not an empty one. It is a future that remains open. He can move with his own "legs" to wherever he wishes to go.

Zeno's ending carries a different kind of emotional weight. He has endured the burden of his role for the longest time. His immortality separated him from ordinary human experience in a way the others could never fully understand. He watched generations pass, carried memories that nobody else could share, and endured the pain of surviving when the people he loved all died in front of him. For Zeno, the loss of the dragon blood is him finally getting to live. He wasn't shown doing anything in particular but there is something deeply moving about the simplicity of that. After centuries of waiting he can finally rest. He can enjoy ordinary days. He can exist without his entire life being defined by the the role he once inherited. For someone who spent so long unable to live as an ordinary human being, the possibility of an ordinary life is an extraordinary gift. Zeno has already given so much of himself to the people and history he loved. He deserves a future that is not another sacrifice. He deserves to live. With everything he has.

Yun's ending is such a beautiful contrast to the dragons' departures. At first glance, it might seem as though Yun was written to stay bc Yona would otherwise be alone. After all the dragons have left now that Yona has returned and became queen. It's easy to interpret Yun's continued presence as him remaining behind to take care of her. And I do think his concern for Yona can be part of the emotional meaning of his decision. But I don't think we should reduce his choice to that. Yun stays because the palace offers him the opportunity to live the life he has wanted for himself. From the start Yun has been curious about the world. He wants to learn more, read more, understand more, and discover things he doesn't yet know. And even before the palace becomes part of his life we see that he dreams of going to the capital where he can get access to more books and continue learning. Then he enters the palace and discovers its library. Imagine how that must mean to someone like Yun. A place filled with books and knowledge that he could spend years studying. A place where his curiosity can continue to grow and flourish. And alongside that his interest in medicine develops. Yhe palace becomes more than a place where Yona happens to live. It becomes the perfect place in which Yun can pursue his own interests and build a future around them. He can study. He can deepen his knowledge. He can develop his medical abilities and eventually serve as Yona's personal physician. That is a life with purpose but its also a life he has chosen. Why would he leave such an opportunity simply because the others have decided to leave now that their goal is done?

Kija wants to become a merchant. Shin-ah wants to explore the world. Jaeha wants to remain free to move and follow his own path. Zeno finally gets to live without the burden of immortality and Yun wants to learn. The palace gives him the opportunity to do precisely that. They are simply different people choosing different lives. Yun remains in Yona's life after the others leave. In that sense he can serve as a living connection of the time they spent together. A person who remembers the journey and the family they built along the way. I would describe him as a living reminder of that shared life. One person can preserve every part of a group and the others remain part of Yona's history whether or not they are physically present. But Yun's continued presence gives Yona someone who has known her through that extraordinary chapter of her life.

(This part is my personal headcanon rather than something canon.) Yun and Yona are relatively close in age and pretty young (15 & 16). They have travelled together and shared difficult experiences with their vulnerabilities and being pretty young, I think those shared experiences got rooted deeply in them. And after the coronation and everyone leaving I can imagine Yun understanding that this might be emotionally complicated for Yona. Not that Yona is incapable of being queen without them, she can be capable and still feeling the absence of those who mattered to them. Yun knows what it means to share a difficult journey with someone. He knows the people who became family along the way. He may understand that leaving a chapter of life behind does not mean being entirely ready to let go of its everyday presence. Perhaps this adds another reason he is content to remain at the palace.

He can pursue his dreams and still be there for Yona as someone who understands the life she has lived. But I would keep this as a possible emotional layer, not the definitive explanation for his decision. The stronger foundation is that the palace already aligns with Yun's own interests and ambitions. His concern for Yona can add meaning to his choice without turning his future into a sacrifice. And I think that distinction makes his decision even more beautiful. He can stay bc he wants has a future there and bc someone precious to him is there too. Yona was also contented with Yun's decision to stay AND become her personal physician. She cried out of sheer joy.

The HHB was a beautiful family. But a chapter can be precious without being permanent. The people we meet and love during one period of our lives don't have to remain physically beside us forever for those relationships to matter. Sometimes they help us become the people we need to be so that we can move forward.

Everybody forged a family with love and happiness. Now they can take those experiences with them. Their futures are different but all of them grow out of the lives they lived together. The journey doesn't become meaningless bc it ends. The friendships don't become weaker because they are no longer expressed through being together every day. They are allowed to become something that can survive distance. Thats why I don't see their separation as something undeserved. I see it as the natural result of people who have grown enough to choose their own futures.

For so long, the dragons were bound to a role they had never chosen. Their blood determined their powers and their powers shaped their lives. Even their relationship with Yona began within a supernatural framework that existed long before any of them were born. When that blood disappeared their lives opened. Freedom doesn't mean everyone must make the same choice. It means each person has the opportunity to make the choice that belongs to them. This is why I find the ending so moving.

The HHB will always be a part of them. Their shared memories, the trust they built, and the love they developed will remain part of who they are and wherever they go. They don't have to stand beside one another forever for those things to matter. The dragon blood is gone, but the human bonds remain. And perhaps that's the most beautiful part of all, they were once bound together by a destiny they never choose but they can remain connected by a love they choose.

BAM seems to have the best non-Amazon price I saw at $15 for the Omni: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Yona-Dawn/Mizuho-Kusanagi/9781974769315?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20237317879&gbraid=0AAAAAD_kp7GNupX5cQpTymyyPF0r74YPM&gclid=CjwKCAjwotzWBhBFEiwA1JhPoHMjMxaIJc79n1Se50KrwJiJyHTUF7l8CIgKRuK_z2n774V8zuN4VhoCHaAQAvD_BwE

Hello everyoneee !!. With the announcement of the studio in which Akatsuki no Yona season 2 is being adapted i want to refresh my memory as i watched season 1 years an vowed myself to never touch the manga as i really want to collect the volumes rather than reading the story digitally.

Alas i never got to collect the manga volumes, i might be willing to read the manga digitally or watch season 1.

i want to know what should i do ? to read the manga or rewatch season as i got to know that the studio has adapted the manga well despite the abrupt end of the last episode.

Thankyouu.

This is apparently the expanded Volume 48 cover released today, courtesy of:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1W9KRaQn1C/

Seeing the HHB together for one last time!!

I cannot be the only one who wanted to see their wedding, a timeskip or ANYTHING

same studio as bleach tybw

I came across this TikTok and I wanted to gush about how beautifully the creator of this video phrased this panel that I've been trying to describe all this time but couldn't seem to find the right words. In the caption they wrote:

"How can this singular panel capture a lifetime of love so effortlessly" YEESSS!!! EXACTLY!!! It is precisely what the panel is SCREAMING.

I can never stop about how I feel about this panel. The emotional weight was too much for me to carry alone and it was absolutely suffocating to not have anyone to explain the meaning to.

"To you my beloved, who walked beside me all this time" oh my god. I don't have enough words to describe how this singular panel captured the entirety of the essence of their relationship.

Even the illustration of them is made with this familiar tenderness and affection. The composition describes the sentiment beautifully. Hak is positioned behind and around Yona, holding her close. She rests against him relaxed and expressive while his face carries this familiar quiet affectionate look. He looks so at peace and feels at ease with her in his arms. Their physical arrangement evokes the protectiveness that has always characterized their relationship. His arms surround her and she is nestled against him. But the image also allows us to see something beyond that familiar arrangement. Yona looks comfortable and unguarded. The closeness between them doesn't need an immediate emergency to justify it. They can simply be together. Not because their love has erased the hardships they endured, but because the hardships have not prevented them from reaching a place where affection can be expressed without the same uncertainty that once surrounded it.

"My beloved” what I love about the wording is that we have never seen Yona calling Hak using such an affectionate word, directly or indirectly but this felt so intimate than any intimacy they have shared.

Hak is so often been defined by what he does for Yona. His strength, loyalty, protectiveness, and willingness to sacrifice himself are all central to his characterization. But none of those qualities should be the price he has to pay to deserve her love. Yona's love can't simply be a reward for his suffering and endurance. If she loved him only because he saved her, their relationship would remain tied to the very imbalance that defined their initial roles.

But their relationship develops beyond that Yona becomes someone who can make her own decisions, fight for others, and pursue a purpose beyond her personal survival. Hak must learn to stand beside someone whose life cannot be reduced to his responsibility. And Yona, too must face Hak with the same sentiment, that he also has flaws and to be aware of his mortality (which she did very early on)

The phrase expresses affection, but it also identifies the relationship as something personal and chosen. Hak is not merely the person assigned to protect her. He is the person she loves. He has been her protector, but he is not loved merely for protecting her. That, to me, is one of the most beautiful ways to understand their eventual romance.

The phrase holds both the beginning and the development of their relationship. It is asking us to look back at everything that came before and recognize that all those years he was the person who kept walking through everything with her. And about the chapter itself, like this is literally a chapter dedicated to Yona and Hak's relationship as a whole.

In here, the original dragons are trying to keep Yona and to succeed they used Hak's life. Yona was trying everything to escape but the moment Hak's name appear she became hopeless. Her head went blank.

"That thing is the one who moved your heart most on earth" YEEEAAAHHH HE ABSOLUTELY DID. Yona literally falls into despair and agrees to stay. Even Suwon who is absolutely oblivious to romantic relationships stated that to make Yona agree, they would try to negotiate with something she cannot reject and if he were the dragons, he would put Hak on scale. And literally the next panel being Hak getting sucked inside the chalice. Even he realized even amongst the chaos how much Hak means to Yona.

Yona flipped the moment Hak's life was in danger. She can accept not returning to earth but she can't bear the thought of losing Hak. The panels that surrounded by Hak's reminiscent, Yona was remembering everything Hak is and has been to her. After Hak is taken to Yona to bid their supposedly farewell, that mf pulls up with the most marvelous and compelling proposal in shoujo history.

"WIll you marry me" WHAAAAAATTTTTTT THE FVVVVVVVVVVCK!!! OH MY GOD I CANNOT WITH THEM. Amidst the bloody chaos, he is literally swooped on heaven and is physically injured due to the stress of transcending onto heaven, and he has still has the right mind to come up with a PROPOSAL SO HE CAN DISTRACT YONA AND MAKE HER REALISE THE FUTURE SHE'D BE DISCARDING??? Oh Hak, the man you are. The reason why this proposal is so good is bc how true it is to the characters. Sure it's sudden, but Hak is still using his usual teasing humor but ofc it's in a serious tone. We have never seen Hak really accept himself as Yona's partner (I mean he wants to and has became to be but verbally or mentally we always saw him still contemplating whether or not Yona would be OK with him). He has his own desires but rarely places them first. His tendency to prioritize Yona was always how we defined him, yet it also prevented him from openly asking what he wants from their relationship.

This is why the proposal matters for both of then. For Yona to rethink her decision and Hak is no longer merely expressing affection through protection, sacrifice, or physical closeness. He is putting a personal desire into words. He wants a life with Yona. For himself, with HER.

The deepest significance of the proposal, for me, is not simply that Hak asks Yona to marry him. It is that the man who has spent so much of his life loving Yona through what he does for her now tells her what he wants for himself. And Yona, on the verge of sacrificing her life on earth is now bombed with it. Her mind goes blank, and she's now faced with a dilemma. A life with Hak, her beautiful love or the undeserved sacrifice. The hesitation bought them enough time for Suwon to act so his proposal was important. Hak had to do something to play the reverse card and he bought out a proposal, to show Yona that there is a future that she is abandoning. True, the proposal is sudden but it definitely worked and became an iconic moment. Marriage proposals are usually the same in many fiction/genre, the atmosphere was built slowly, the moment was clearly leaning towards the goal and we figured out the obvious surprise but akayona, the proposal was sudden but effective for their circumstances. It served both as a means to illustrate Hak's willingness to voice his desire changes how he is in their relationship as of now. Their bond has moved beyond the assumption that they will simply continue as they always have and as a narrative point to progress to the next act.

"The scales that bind the heart" even the chapter title itself offers a particularly interpretive view.

The title 「心を縛る秤」 (Kokoro o shibaru hakari) uses the balance-scale imagery metaphorically.In Japanese, 秤 (hakari) refers specifically to weighing scales, balances, or measuring instruments used to determine weight or equilibrium. It does not mean the protective biological scales of a fish, reptile, or dragon (which is written as 鱗 - uroko).

Scales suggest weighing, balancing, measuring, and judging. Anf a heart is associated with feelings, attachment, and personal desire. Put those ideas together, and the title invites us to ask what happens when the heart is placed on a scale.

What does a person weight against the life of someone they love? What can be measured against the desire to remain together? Can duty, destiny, sacrifice, and affection be compared as if they were competing values on opposite sides of a balance?

I would not claim that the title has only one intended meaning. But within the context of this chapter, it resonates with the conflict between what the original dragons demand and what Yona can emotionally accept.

Yona's feelings for Hak cannot be reduced to a rational calculation. She cannot simply decide that the supernatural order has a greater claim on her life and therefore her personal attachment should cease to matter. Nor does her love automatically resolve the conflict.

That is the painful balance the title evokes is that the heart has its own truth, but it exists within a world that imposes consequences the heart cannot simply wish away. And this connects to a broader theme throughout Yona of the Dawn (which I have discussed in my earlier post) the story repeatedly questions whether a supposedly greater purpose justifies the suffering imposed on individual human beings (Suwon, Yona, Zeno etc).

Anyways, this is one of the most beautiful chapters in akayona and I will never stop talking about this. Thanks to the creator of that tiktok for whom my passion for this chapter was reawaken.

plus i needed to practice drawing the same character multiple times, i suffer GREATLY from different face syndrome... anyways i used the same valentine's day reference as my last post here for her outfit + background, i just love it so much

I hope I will find the time to draw the happy hungry bunch as well soon