Ryōma Kitada's Sakigake no Hanamiko Manga Ends: The War of the Flower Maidens Concludes
The latest work from beloved manga artist Ryōma Kitada, Sakigake no Hanamiko (Leader of the Flower Shrine Maidens), has concluded after a journey of nearly two years. The series, which wrapped up its story with the 78th chapter released on April 6, 2026, was published on Kodansha's Magazine Pocket platform. This fantasy adventure, which began in July 2024, quickly reached a wide fan base with its action-packed battles and romantic comedy elements.
The series follows the story of Arata Kamishiro, a high school teacher who returns to his family's shrine after his father's death. There, he is forced to become the leader of a group of gifted young girls known as Hanamiko (Flower Maidens), who fight against the "Calamity Gods" (Magatsukami) that bring disaster to humanity. Although he initially wants to escape this responsibility, he takes on the daunting task to protect his niece, Hina. In this series, Kitada offered readers a visual feast by blending the modern world with Japanese mythology.
Ryōma Kitada was previously known for Super HxEros (Dokyū Hentai HxEros), which was published in Shueisha's Jump SQ. magazine and gained great popularity with its anime adaptation. As an interesting industry detail, it is known that Kitada originally pitched the Sakigake no Hanamiko project to Shueisha but was rejected. After moving to Kodansha, the series achieved great success, breaking printing records just one week after the release of its first volume. Following the author's previous short-lived work Yumeochi: Dreaming of Falling for You, this series has secured a solid place in Kitada's career.
With the manga coming to an end, all eyes are now on the collected volumes of the series. The 6th volume was released in December 2025, and the 7th volume, which includes the final chapters, is expected to hit shelves on April 9, 2026. Although there has been no official announcement regarding Kitada's next project, fans are excitedly waiting for the master artist to return with a new fantasy series in his unique style. If you haven't given this series a chance yet, this 78-chapter completed story might be a great option for a binge-read.
