The Ogre's Bride (Japanese: 鬼の花嫁, Hepburn: Oni no Hanayome) is a Japanese light novel series written by Kureha and illustrated by Yū Shiroya. It began serialization as a web novel on the Novema website in 2019. The series was later acquired and published by Starts Publishing under their Starts Shuppan Bunko imprint in October 2020. A manga adaptation illustrated by Jun Togashi began serialization in Starts Publishing's noicomi digital magazine in December 2021. A live-action film adaptation premiered in Japanese theaters in March 2026. An anime television series adaptation produced by Colored Pencil Animation Japan premiered on July 5, 2026.
Contents
Synopsis
Yuzu Shinonome, an ordinary high school student living in a world where Japanese demons and humans coexist, has been treated unfairly by her parents, who dote on her younger sister, Karin, who was chosen as the bride of a fox spirit. Furthermore, her boyfriend breaks up with her because he has fallen in love with Karin, even though she has already been chosen as the bride. After that, Karin demands Yuzu to give her a dress she received as a birthday present from their grandparents, who have always been kind to her. However, when Yuzu refuses, it develops into a sisters' quarrel, and as a result, the dress is torn, and Yuzu, enraged, raises her hand against Karin. Enraged that his bride, Karin, has been hurt, the fox spirit Kozuki Yota pours flames on Yuzu, burning her hands. Thus, Yuzu, who ran away from despair at not being loved or needed by anyone at home, happens to meet Kiryuuin Reiya, the next head of the Kiryuuin clan, the highest-ranking ayakashi. Reiya then tells Yuzu, "I've missed you, my bride."
Characters
Yuzu Shinonome (東雲 柚子, Shinonome Yuzu)
Voiced by: Hina Suguta, Manaka Iwami (reading play), Saori Hayami (anime)
Portrayed by: Ai Yoshikawa
A high school girl who has never been loved by anyone before except by her grandparents, as she has been neglected by her parents and bullied by her sister. She has good relationships with friends and teachers at school, and her grandparents are worried about her. While she is kind and considerate, she also has the personality of silently enduring difficult and painful things.
Reiya Kiryuin (鬼龍院 玲夜, Kiryūin Reiya)
Voiced by: Masaaki Mizunaka, Toshiki Masuda (reading play), Yūichirō Umehara (anime)
Portrayed by: Ren Nagase
A demon spirit who is the next head of the Kiryuin clan. He has jet black hair and red eyes, and an inhumanly beautiful appearance. He is expressionless and ruthless, but has high charisma. He is only kind to his bride Yuzu, whom he falls in love with.
Kooni (子鬼) / Sou (ソウ) and Ao (アオ)
Voiced by: Momoka Terasawa (Sou), Miyu Kobashi (Ao) (anime)
Two beasts that Reiya created with his spiritual power, taking appearance of children. Sou is distinguished by his white hair, while Ao has black hair. Though small in stature, they possess great abilities, hence them serving as Yuzu's bodyguards.
Karin Shinonome (東雲 花梨, Shinonome Karin)
Voiced by: Akari Kageyama, Sayaka Senbongi (reading play), Manaka Iwami (anime)
Production
When the author found out that "Novema! Character Short Story Contest" was being held on the theme of "Ayakashi x Romance" on "Novema!", he was thinking about what to write for his submission when the phrase "I've found my bride" and the scene of the two meeting came to mind. He submitted this story to the contest, won the Excellence Award, and it was later decided that the story would be published as a book.
The author points out that one thing he is careful about is "not to overdo Reiya's expressions of affection". This is due to the author's belief that "no matter how much you love someone, there is a line that you cannot forgive", and citing the scene where Reiya makes Yuzu quit her part-time job without permission, the author said that he was conscious of "showing love in a way that is considerate of the other person, without being pushy".
Media
Manga
A manga adaptation illustrated by Jun Togashi began serialization in Starts Publishing's noicomi digital magazine on December 24, 2021. The manga's chapters have been collected in ten tankōbon volumes as of July 2026.
The manga is published in English on NTT Solmare's MangaPlaza website.
Reading play
A reading play of the series was performed at Hamagin Hall Viamare between November 18 and 19, 2023.
Live-action film
A live-action film adaptation was announced on December 3, 2025. The film is produced by Shochiku and directed by Chihiro Ikeda from a screenplay written by Manato Hamada. It premiered in Japanese theaters on March 27, 2026.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on June 10, 2025. It is produced by Colored Pencil Animation Japan and directed by Kazuhito Ōmiya, with Yumi Kamakura handling series composition, Hikari Tanaka designing the characters, and Masaru Yokoyama composing the music. The series premiered on July 5, 2026, on Tokyo MX and other networks. The opening theme song is "Hitokoto" (ヒトコト; 'A Word'), performed by ClariS, and the ending theme song is "Shinboshi" (心星), performed by Ikusaburo Yamazaki. Crunchyroll is streaming the series. Medialink licensed the series.
Reception
The manga adaptation won the grand prize at NTT Solmare's Digital Comic Awards in 2023. The manga adaptation was also ranked third for the Tsutaya Comic Award in 2023.