The popular supernatural anime Noragami received its first 12-episode season in 2014, immediately followed by a 13-episode Season 2 in 2015 by studio Bones. Despite its successful run, there hasn't been a confirmed Season 3 during the anime's six-year hiatus. Here's what Noragami covers in its first two seasons and the likelihood this supernatural adventure series will one day continue.
The Plot of Noragami
Noragami stars a middle schooler named Hiyori Iki who nearly dies when trying to save a stranger from an oncoming bus. The accident turns her into a half-phantom, where her soul occasionally slips out of her physical body and her spirit form has a tail that acts as her lifeline. Caught between the living and the dead, she comes to learn of the Near Shore that contains the living and the Far Shore comprised of spirits and demons. While fearful and confused by her paranormal state, Hiyori is visited by the boy she tried to save -- who turns out to be Yato, a God of Calamity and Depression who can cure her condition.
Yato is considered an obscure god whom humans have long forgotten about. He aspires to become a famous and commonly worshiped god with various shrines and abundant wealth. However, humans don't want to associate themselves with a dark and sinister god known for destroying whole armies by himself. Yato's troublesome reputation and behavior creates many enemies, especially Bishamon, who blames him for annihilating all her Regalia long ago. When Yato needs a new Regalia himself, he makes a pact with the soul of a troubled but gifted young boy named Yukine.
Together Yato, Hiyori and Yukine become the main trio of Noragami and work together to achieve common goals by supporting one another. When Yato is upset over not having a shrine, Hiyori builds him a miniature one herself and he cries tears of happiness. Shortly after, Yato is exploited and blackmailed by his former Nora and tainted Regalia, forcing him to leave Hiyori and Yukine for an extended period of time. This causes Hiyori to forget Yato's existence until Yukine jogs her memory and they go on a mission to save Yato. Hiyori is the only one capable of performing a Soul Call to bring Yato back from the underworld by calling out his true name, which she realized to be Yaboku. After his return, Yato releases Nora for good and swears to become a God of Fortune with Yukine guiding his righteous actions. The series ends on a major cliffhanger in the Season 2 finale, where the boy who kissed Hiyori during Yato's absence is revealed to be Yato's father.
Will There Be a Season 3 of Noragami?
Noragami Seasons 1 and 2 were well received and created an army of dedicated fans passionate about its supernatural adventure and romance elements. The original manga goes far beyond the anime's currently covered content, offering Bones a mountain of content to pull from. However, the source material was unexpectedly delayed due to a health complication with one of its two authors.
The manga went on an unplanned two-year hiatus from 2017-19, but has since resumed and remains ongoing with its latest installment being published in February 2021. Unfortunately, there was a decrease in sales when it went from four releases a year to just one. Noragami's anime also experienced a steep 60-percent decline in Blu-ray sales from Season 2 compared to Season 1. This low performance may have convinced studio Bones that the series would no longer be as profitable as expected, even after setting the stage for a Season 3 in its Season 2 finale.
Despite the anime's popularity continuing to grow due to streaming services, a Noragami Season 3 remains out of reach. While anything is possible in the anime world and the series may get its long-awaited continuation in the future, Noragami fans will have to refer to the original manga if they want to experience more of the story anytime soon.