Acclaimed Series’ Beloved Character Gets a New Look Before Anime’s Return

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Kusanagi Mizuho’s popular historical fantasy manga, Yona of the Dawn, finished its run in December 2025 after 16 years. It first appeared in Hakusensha’s Hana to Yume magazine in 2009, with new chapters released monthly. The series quickly gained a dedicated following thanks to its interesting story and beautiful artwork, and its popularity surged even further when the anime adaptation premiered in 2014. While the first season of the anime, produced by Studio Pierrot, had 24 episodes and finished in 2015, a second season wasn’t announced. However, due to continued fan demand, a sequel season was finally confirmed in December of last year.

I was so excited to hear about a sequel announced right after finishing the latest chapter! It’s amazing to have something new to look forward to even after the story ended. While we’re all waiting for more details, the author, Mizuho, shared a gorgeous new illustration of Soo-Won on her X account – it was to celebrate his birthday on February 2nd! She mentioned it was a quick sketch because she’s super busy, but honestly, it’s still beautiful! It really captures Soo-Won with his warm smile and bright eyes, and he’s wearing his classic robe. It’s such a lovely little gift for fans!

Soo-Won Remains One of The Most Complex Characters in Yona of the Dawn

Soo-Won is a key and complicated character in the story, known for betraying those he grew up with in pursuit of a larger goal. Though he fondly remembered playing with Hak and Yona during their time at Hiryuu Castle, he believed drastic measures were necessary to improve the troubled Kingdom of Kouka. On Yona’s sixteenth birthday, as she was expected to marry him, Soo-Won killed her father, King Il.

When Yona saw her father murdered, Soo-Won tried to stop her from revealing what happened, but Hak arrived and saved her. Following their escape from the castle, Soo-Won claimed the throne that rightfully belonged to Yona. Surprisingly, he proved to be a very effective ruler, working to fix the problems people faced during the previous king’s reign. While Yona and Hak were traveling throughout the kingdom and even beyond its borders, Soo-Won was also actively making moves of his own.

While the character appears briefly in the first season of the anime, the manga delves deeper into his story and a touching reunion with his friends. You can currently watch the first season on Crunchyroll, and episodes are available for purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video. The official Viz Media website offers all 45 published volumes of the manga in both physical and digital formats. Release dates for volumes after number 45 haven’t been announced yet, but we expect to hear more information soon.

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2026-02-03 22:42