From Viz:Rikuo grew up in a house full of yokai, so he always thought they were cool. But the kids in his class talk about yokai like they're bad! When his grandfather announces Rikuo as his chosen heir to run the Nura clan, Rikuo is torn between his human nature and his duties as a yokai. The rest of the clan's not so crazy about a wimpy part-human as their ruler, particularly Gagoze, a high-ranking yokai who would rather eat a human than be ruled by one. 581c62
25 Volumes (Tankobon)
12 Volumes (Bunkoban)

The protagonist is also boring. But the focus is on him 90% of the time, oh boy. There's also a lot of cop-out. It was considered decent for its time. But if we are more stringent with our standards, it falls short in some aspects.
You see, I don't mind series that are straightforward as my headline intends. However, they need something more than just that...
Basically, this series can be reduced to 3 qualities:
- YOUKAI vs YOUKAI
- YOUKAI conspiracy
- double life/secret identity/double personality protagonist <- the school life segments are frustrating to read because of the protagonist's not well defined personality -> like why does he has a double personality? Not well elaborated just hand waved just because, feels dumb
- goes to YOUKAI world <- the most interesting part of this series
- romance(?) very cringe to read; vibe-wise it reminds me of SASUKE X SAKURA (from Naruto); it's just one-way crushing. Like I feel like the author has never been in love LOVE? Then please don't put any romantic-ish elements because it was very subpar to read... (it's not the worse, but like not good)
Why's am I giving it low in score? Because here's some similar series that do some of what it does, but better:
- Iruma (classmate characters/roster are just more fleshed out in of attention given---has the DOUBLE PERSONALITY gimmick done better and more convincingly to enhance the character---in this series it feels like a CHEAT CODE shit)
- Tatari (YOUKAI vs YOUKAI better fights and more fun characters)
- Kekkaishi (has a YOUKAI-ish conspiracy but more grouded)
- goes to Youkai world (there's so many of them I can think of; but this series ain't that bad for this trait) maybe Toilet-Bound Hanako Kun (vibes wise is very close to this)
- any modern YOUKAI or EXORCIST series that came after 2020 is better in the romance department
The main problem why I don't have much fun with the series is well, if you compare to the other series, is that the character's goals and determination does not feel defined. Feels like the author puts 99% of the energy to put the YAMI YUUGI form of the protagonist, overshadowing him. There's not a lot of comedy (maybe there is; but it's so weak that I can't any funny moments). The romance attempt is awkward and cringe (not even the cute type; but more like YAMI YUUGI YOU'RE SO KAKKOIII SHOUJO FEMCEL BLUSH AND SHOUJO FEMCEL SIMP... Yeah, it's cringe and doesn't add any value to the stories because the romance feels very one-way. The protagonist literally doesn't try to engage. Awkward. (In short, the stories try to do a lot of things, but kinda fall flat).
For the overwhelming praise this series gets... I ed when it aired as an anime... and everywhere I go, everyone simps for Tsurara, I guess she's the charm that binds people for this series for waifu-watchers. Well, while she's interesting, compared to modern heroines... she's so-so I guess? She IS cute, but the protagonist is like OK Tsurara you exist HI. It just feels like missed opportunity. (Author can't pull my heart strings when it comes to the pathetic attempt of "romance" they did... IN FACT I WOULD SAY THAT ONE PIECE'S ROMANCE IS BETTER THAN THIS SERIES...)
Should you read it? If you enjoy youkai aesthetics and can't get enough of it. It's alright to kill time. But it's not a mind-blowing series that will revolutionize your world.
... Last updated 1 year ago
The art is really great, the characters are quite interesting and majority of them get a lot of time, the ending was not so bad either.
Overall I'd say it's a must read for underrated battle shounen
... Last updated 5 years ago
I love the atmosphere of this series. The protagonist has some rooms to improve, but he's accompanied by quite a lot of great ing characters. The later part of the manga feels very rushed. It really need another 30+ chapters to really explore the last arc.
Reading nurarihyon until chapter 130 is actually a good experience, it's not a great, amazing shounen, but has a promise that keeps me interested. The problem here is after the Kyoto arc (and the end of it), the author had lose himself, the final is rushed, Abe no seimei don't is interesting (author fault, because the idea of him as a villain is great), and some powerups without explanation or sense. So, after finish nurarihyon, i had a feeling of disappointed, because was a "good" manga, and it's just a generic shounen after all
Honestly one of my favorite series. Interesting premise and abundance of lore. An interesting deviation on Abe no Seimei and the ninetails. The MC grows and learns to accept himself and then somehow needs to relearn this(the powercreep is real). After this, the series hits a head where it should have expanded into a new arc, possible the next to last but instead we get a rushed and botched up job including many random Deus ex machinas and power ups without and type of exposition. Whether this was done as an attempt to wrap up because there was fore knowledge of the series getting axed or he was just tired of the series, who knows.
It really is a great and fun series to read but do so at your own risk because you will be utterly disappointed at the ending.
It baffle me how this manga can be serialized this long and not get axed.
Let start with the character while it was diverse, but the personality was really bland and not unique or remotely interesting, that include all the character. Instead of focusing on the growth or building the personality, the author keep introducing side character that just end up suck. It makes this manga have so many half-assess character. To make thing worse the MC have so many drastic personality change, sometimes so weak sometimes act high and mighty, I'm talking about both human and ayakashi side. Also that hair it looks cool at the start but when it reach chap 80 or so it just look stupid and silly, wtf that hair.
The battle, its sooo boring, there's no clear strength you can't even predict anything sometimes the weak grow strength suddenly without any reason sometimes the strong one feel so weak. There's also sneak attack but that never work, whenever someone able to get behind the enemy they never be able to deliver blow or even a small cut, either they miss or got counter attacked seriously after a while I just know it wont work without turning the page. Of course I finally realize the author just can't draw any cool thing anymore so he just copy paste all old pose, which is why there's so many scene where someone suddenly appear behind, it looks cool at 1st repeat it many times without different outcome just make it silly.
The story, actually the story is quite good, too bad it doesn't have interesting character or battle to accompanied it making the story just barely feel okay.
... Last updated 9 years ago
It wasn't bad. Typical shounen from the start, not a bad build up with semi-interesting characters... And then something goes horribly, horribly wrong after chapter ~130. Plot goes bonkers, and there are so many things that are plain illogical considering the story is supposed to take place in "normal" world. Ending feels rushed as well.
It's a great read to Hagoromo(?) gitsine / Nue ark...
but, after it's ends and hundred tells clan starts...
and you starts to lack interest...
and after 150 it's feels like...it not worth reading...
Though Rihan was a funny one... ^_~
The last 50 chapters is crap leading to an ending in what I'll call the katekyo hitman reborn syndrome. In which you were left wondering what was the point of all this. A lot of questions and plot devices are left unanswered and unsolved. Other symptoms of this syndrome include but are not limited to;
-Somehow making alliances with enemies that hate you with no apparent effort.
-People who should be dead coming back to life.
-Characters who lost power gaining it back through plot hacks
- Random power ups to beat an impossibly strong enemy through the power of friendship aka "friendship punch"
Enjoyable up to the end though
My friends keep bringing up the yokai element, but to me it's just monster of the week? It takes more than lip service and art style to incorporate a theme.
It's also funny how I like the female characters in Nurarihyon, but I don't like how it treats them, because Tsurara is serious badass but she's characterized by her crush on Nura, and the Hagoromo Gitsune is similarly devoted to her son?
Well beside that the story's got nothing interesting going on, like I guess some characters are interesting but their interactions are so utterly flat. I keep buying this manga because seriously look at the pretty. Like, I don't even read the word balloons anymore, I just give in the look at the pretty.