Noragami is a popular shounen fantasy manga that was animated by Bones. The first season had 12 episodes that aired in 2014, and the second season, named Noragami Aragoto, had 13 episodes and aired one year later in 2015.
The anime's titular character Yato became immensely popular as soon as the series hit the airwaves. He's courteous, a little naive, and has a mysterious past he does not like to look back on. He went out of his way to atone for his sins, and fans lap up such shounen heroes frequently. Here are some facts you may not know about the mysterious God.
10 He Can Be Coldblooded
Yato kills low-level demons so he can earn 5 Yen, which does not even equate to 1 USD. He is willing to do any and every job that comes his way so he can make enough money to build a shrine, but he can be very steadfast in his beliefs.
He holds disdain towards weak-willed people and spirits and has no patience or empathy for them. In his words, he stated: "if they didn't value their lives, neither should we."
9 His Past Is Mysterious
The anime adaption of Noragami only shows his past behavior via brief flashbacks and small amounts of info dumps by Yato and other characters. It is not explained how he met Nora, why they grew up together as kids, why they have the same father, or why he refuses to tell others his real name.
While his relationship with his father caused him to have abandonment issues, this is not fully explained in the anime.
8 Sakura Made Him A Better God
Sakura is a manga only character, and writing anything about her would be spoiling the manga. She was an essential and meaningful person in Yato's life and the one who encouraged him to become a better person by showing him the beauty in humanity.
Because of Sakura, he stopped murdering innocent people and improved his attitude towards life. She also enabled him to cut his ties with his father.
7 His Special Abilities
Zetsu is Yato's ability to sever the ties of God and humans alike. It is explained that through his Shinki (who is currently Yukine), he can sever specific memories of people.
The manga hints this happens to be one of his rare specialties. Another ability of his is Zan, which helps him to exorcise and kill Spirits.
6 The Reason Behind His Name "Yato"
This fact was mentioned in the anime, but those who watched it many years ago might have forgotten this detail. Yabuko is Yato's real name. The reason he calls himself Yato is because Sakura misreads one of the letters in his true name.
When Rabou and Yato were fighting one another, he called him his real name, Yabuko.
5 No One Except Yato Knows His Real Age
Neither the anime or manga have revealed Yato's age, but minor references to his age have been made throughout the series. For example, he once jokes in the manga that he and Tenjin are the same age.
In another instance, flashbacks about his life show he existed even in the Heian era, which would make him at least 1000 years old.
4 He Can Draw And Sew
In the anime, Yato is a skilled illustrator when he's helping Yukine with his classes. However, the manga explains he's a good enough artist to be able to sell self-made manga, and more proof of his creative talent can be seen in chapter 53, where he draws Hiyori.
He is also a skilled tailor, as the manga depicts him making a dress for Hiyori, a sweater for Yukine, and formal attire for Yukine and himself.
3 His One True Desire
This fact is not stated explicitly in the anime, but it is made clear in the manga. Yato consistently jokes about being remembered as a God by his followers, but that is not his sincere wish.
Yato said in the manga that despite his father's wishes, he wants nothing but to be beside Hiyori and Yukine, as they are as precious as a real family.
2 His Motivations For Becoming A Better God
Since Yato wants to be by Hiyori's and Yukine's sides forever, it stands to reason they want of Yato's wish to come true. Yukine wants Yato never to kill another innocent soul, while Hiyori wants him to be the God of Happiness.
Only these two people (and perhaps some of his other celestial friends) motivate him to be the best version of himself.
1 His Relationship With His Father
Although fans only see a glimpse of who Yato's father is, the manga explains a lot about him. His father is an outspoken evil character who wants Yato to do only his bidding - at his (Yato's) mental and emotional well-being.
The relationship he had with his son was toxic because he used to abuse Yato emotionally, which was harsh on the young God. Although the anime shows a glimpse of him in Noragami Aragoto near the end, it does not delve into the twisted relationship the two harbored.