Always a Catch!
Always a Catch!: How I Punched My Way into Marrying a Prince is a Japanese light novel series written by Mayo Momoyo and illustrated by Itsuki Mito. It began publication as a short story on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō in October 2020. A sequel series began serialization in December 2020. It was later acquired by Square Enix who began publishing it under their SQEX Novel imprint in August 2021. A manga adaptation illustrated by Kaki Nagato began serialization on Square Enix's Manga Up! manga service in April 2022. An anime television series adaptation produced by TMS Entertainment and animated by Troyca is set to premiere in April 2026.
Plot
Maria, the fifth daughter of the Duke Annovazzi, was raised to be the heir to her family's dukedom and mastered the family's martial arts. However, she loses her title as heir and travels to the neighboring kingdom of Rubini to find a marriage partner. There, the crown prince ends up taking Maria as his fiancée.Characters
; Maria Annovazzi / Maria di Rubini; Renato di Rubini
; Aida Ametis / Aida di Rubini
; Placido di Rubini
; Raimondo Cigata
; Gabriele Morand
Media
Light novel
Written by Mayo Momoyo, Always a Catch! was initially published as a short story on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō on October 21, 2020. A sequel series began serialization on December 4, 2020. It was later acquired by Square Enix who began publishing the series with illustrations by Itsuki Mito under their SQEX Novel light novel imprint on August 6, 2021. Five volumes have been released as of November 7, 2025.Manga
A manga adaptation illustrated by Kaki Nagato began serialization on Square Enix's Manga Up! manga service on April 24, 2022. The manga's chapters have been compiled into nine volumes as of November 2025.The series is published in English on Square Enix's Manga Up! Global website and app. In February 2025, Square Enix Manga & Books announced that they had licensed the series for English publication, with the first volume being released in November 2024.