Agents of the Four Seasons
Agents of the Four Seasons is a Japanese light novel series written by Kana Akatsuki and illustrated by Suoh. It began publication under ASCII Media Works light novel imprint Dengeki Bunko in April 2021. A manga adaptation of the first part illustrated by Nappa Komatsuka began serialization in Hakusensha's manga magazine LaLa in July 2022. An anime television series adaptation of the first part produced by Wit Studio is set to premiere in Q2 2026.
Plot
Synopsis
In the beginning there was only Winter, who, unable to bear the loneliness, chose to cut off part of his essence and give birth to Spring. By Mother Earth's wish, he cut off part of his essence again to give birth to Summer and Autumn, thus beginning the cycle of the four seasons. The deities decided to entrust their roles to Mother Earth's creatures, but none were able to fulfill the task. Mankind stood before their desperation, willing to perform their duty in exchange for peace, prosperity, and stability in its lands. The Four Seasons then granted their powers to a small group of humans: the Agents of the Four Seasons.General description
Each country has its own version of the origin of the world, however each one agrees on the nature of seasons, day and night.The seasons are brought by the Agents, humans entrusted with this task by the homonymous deities, while day and night are induced by the arrows shot into the sky by the Archers of Dawn and Twilight.
Their safety is put at risk by the "Rebels", individuals who detest the seasons or the alternation of day and night. For this reason, Agents and Archers are respectively protected by Guards and Guardians.
The management and protection of these figures is carried out by both autonomous and governmental institutions.
The story is set in the present day in the Far East, in the Yamato archipelago, also known as the "Cherry Tree of the East", as the country is a chain of islands that with their arrangement resemble a branch of a cherry tree in bloom, made up of the major islands of Enishi, Teishuu, Iyo, Tsukushi and Ryuuguu, each with its own peculiarities.
The novel series begins on February 10, Year 20 of the Reimei Era, with the return of Hinagiku, the Agent of Spring, after being kidnapped by the Rebels for almost ten years, during which the corresponding season has not manifested. Together with her Guard, Sakura Himedaka, she heads towards the shrine of Ryuuguu Peak, where the two secretly want to perform the ritual to bring their season back. Their destination changes after meeting a little girl who was alone on the path to the top, however the ritual is still performed with full success: Spring has returned.
The continuation of the story focuses on the other Agents and their Guards, ranging between their stories and the new developments of events after Hinagiku's return.
Characters
There is no fixed character that corresponds to a protagonist. In each arc the figures of an "Agent" and its "Guard" or an "Archer" and its "Guardian" alternate.Agents of Seasons and Guards
;Hinagiku Kayō;Sakura Himedaka
;Rōsei Kantsubaki
;Itechō Kangetsu
;Ruri Hazakura
;Ayame Hazakura
;Nadeshiko Iwaizuki
;Rindou Azami
Archers and Guardians
;Kaya Fugeki;Yuzuru Fugeki
;Kaguya Fugeki
;Eken Fugeki
Production
Kana Akatuski reported that Agents of the Four Seasons was born while she was in charge of the scenario for the Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris DLC. Initially intended to be a self-contained volume, due to the large number of scenes to be represented, at the publisher's suggestion, it was intended to be released in two volumes, however this led the author to integrate many battle developments with frequent scene changes, which brought the work to its current state.Akatsuki had always found some phenomena mysterious, leading her to ask "Why does the moon chase me?" and "Why do the seasons change?", but instead of seeking a scientific basis, she took pleasure in imagining them in a fantasy world. The work was created using the sensitivity of her childhood. Furthermore, she stated that she has always wanted to do something similar to the God who governs the Four Seasons, a deity that has existed in Japan since ancient times.
Media
Light novel
Written by Kana Akatsuki and illustrated by Suoh, Agents of the Four Seasons began publication under ASCII Media Works Dengeki Bunko light novel imprint on April 9, 2021. Eight volumes have been released as of December 2024.During their panel at MCM Comic Con London 2023, Yen Press announced that they licensed the series for English publication.
Manga
A manga adaptation of the first part illustrated by Nappa Komatsuka began serialization in Hakusensha's manga magazine LaLa on July 23, 2022. Its chapters have been collected into six volumes as of August 2025. The manga adaptation is also licensed in English by Yen Press.A spin-off manga illustrated by Yuriko Asami, titled Agents of the Four Seasons: One Hundred Songs and One Hundred Pages began serialization in the Dengeki G's Comic section of both ComicWalker and Nico Nico Seiga websites on May 15, 2023. Its chapters have been collected into two volumes as of December 2024. The spin-off is published in English on Kadokawa's BookWalker website.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation of the first part was announced on April 10, 2025. The series will be produced by Wit Studio and directed by Ken Yamamoto, with Kazuhiro Furuhashi serving as animation adviser, Ayumu Hisao handling series composition, Namiko Torii designing the characters, and Kensuke Ushio composing the music. It is set to premiere in Q2 2026. The opening and ending theme songs will be both performed by Orangestar.Reception
The series topped the New Title category of the 2022 edition of Takarajimasha's Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! guidebook.By December 2024, the series had over 750,000 copies in circulation.