Hakuoki


Hakuoki is a Japanese otome video game series by Idea Factory, first released for the PlayStation 2 on the 18th September 2008 and ported to many other platforms. It has been adapted into an anime series by Studio Deen; the first series was broadcast from April to June 2010, and the second series was broadcast from October to December 2010. An OVA series, titled Hakuoki: A Memory of Snow Flowers and adapting from Hakuoki: Stories of Shinsengumi was released from August 2011 to July 2012. A third series based on the prequel, Hakuoki Reimeiroku was broadcast from July to September 2012. The series has also been adapted as two different manga series.
Two films were released in 2013 and 2014. The first was released in August 2013 and on DVD in February 2014. The film is a retelling of both seasons in greater detail and with a slightly different ending. The second film was released on March 8, 2014. A short anime television series adaptation of a new instalment of the game, titled Hakuoki: Otogisōshi and produced by DLE, aired from April to June 2016. A new OVA series by Studio Deen was released from November 2021 to January 2022.
The anime television series and films have been licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. Crunchyroll acquired the streaming rights to the series after Sentai Filmworks lost the rights.

Gameplay

Like most otome games, the player takes the role of a female character who can choose from a variety of male characters as her 'love interest'.
Hakuoki's gameplay requires little interaction from the player as most of the game's duration is spent on reading the text that appears, representing either dialogue between the characters, narration, or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. Often, players will come be given the chance to choose from options displayed on the screen that would be crucial to the story. The time between these decision points is variable and during these times, gameplay pauses until a choice is made that furthers the plot in a specific direction. There are six main plot lines that the players will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroes in the story. When interacting with the chosen heroes with the routes, an "affection meter" is created which is raised by giving them an answer that pleases them. The ending the player will get in each route depends on the affection the player has achieved.
It also included all the basic functions such as CG Gallery, Music List, Scene Recollection, and skip options. Once completing a route, player can unlock the ‘Record of Service’ to select exactly which chapter they would like to start the next play through on, as well as adjusting the bachelor's affection level to access the different endings. There's also encyclopaedia in understanding the historical terminology and timeline.
In the updated remake Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms, six more routes are added. In Edo Blossoms, there's also "corruption meter", which tells the players the bachelor's corruption rate after becoming a Fury. Making sure the corruption level is low is crucial to prevent the player from reaching bad ends.

Plot

Taking place during the Edo period, around the 1860s, Chizuru Yukimura heads to Kyoto to search for her father, finding herself attacked by mad men before they are cut down by members of the Shinsengumi who mistake her for a boy and take her into custody for interrogation. Upon learning that she is a girl and the daughter of a doctor who developed the Water of Life elixir that turns those that drink it into invincible blood lusting berserkers called Furies, the Shinsengumi decide to keep her as an aide in their search. In time, as the Shinsengumi aid the shogunate in the Bakufu, Chizuru begins to develop a bond with the Shinsengumi and its aloof member Toshizo Hijikata. However, as time passes, Chizuru and Shinsengumi confront a mysterious faction who claimed to be demons and that Chizuru is also a demon with her father revealed to be experimenting on the Water of Life to create the Furies to conquer the human race.

Characters

Main

Supporting

Antagonists

;Kyo Shiranui
;Kanryusai Takeda
;Saburo Miki
;Shintaro Nakaoka
;Kamo Serizawa

Media

The Hakuoki series of otome visual novels were released for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android by Idea Factory. Two of the games have been published in English by Aksys Games in North America on PlayStation Portable. Rising Star Games renewed partnership with Idea Factory to bring two of their Hakuoki games to PAL territories. The first game is a port of Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom with added story content. Two more ports, Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds and Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms, were released with additional routes and story contents.
  • Hakuoki: Shinsengumi Kitan
  • *PlayStation 2: September 18, 2008
  • *PlayStation Portable: August 27, 2009
  • *Nintendo DS: March 18, 2010
  • *Nintendo 3DS: November 24, 2011
  • Hakuoki: Zuisouroku
  • *PlayStation 2: August 27, 2009
  • *PlayStation Portable: August 26, 2010
  • *Nintendo DS: February 17, 2011
  • *PlayStation Vita: February 19, 2015
  • Hakuoki: Junsouroku
  • *PlayStation 3: June 17, 2010
  • Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom
  • *PlayStation Portable: February 14, 2012
  • Hakuoki: Warriors of the Shinsengumi
  • *PlayStation Portable: February 19, 2013
  • Hakuoki: Memories of the Shinsengumi and Rising Star Games )
  • *Nintendo 3DS: September 19, 2013
  • Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi
  • *PlayStation 3: May 6, 2014
  • Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds
  • *PlayStation Vita: September 25, 2015
  • Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms
  • *PlayStation Vita: June 16, 2016
  • Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom
  • *PlayStation 4: July 13, 2017
  • *Nintendo Switch: September 6, 2018
  • Hakuoki: Shinkai for iOS & Android
  • *iOS/Android: December 12, 2018

    Prequel

Following the success of the original game, a prequel titled Hakuoki: Reimeiroku is released on October 28, 2010, for PlayStation 2. The prequel focuses on a young man named Ryunosuke Ibuki, who is saved by the leader of Roshigumi, Kamo Serizawa, and then forced to join Roshigumi as his page to repay his debt. Similar to the original game, it consists of six routes of the same characters where Ibuki is required to make the right choice to form friendship with each main characters of their respective routes. In all routes, Ibuki always ends up leaving the Shinsengumi to start a new life of his own. Reaching the good ending of the routes would show the continuation of the ending of respective Shinsengumi members with Chizuru from the original game after war ends. Two updated versions of the game, Hakuoki: Reimeiroku Nagorigusa and Hakuoki: Reimeiroku - Omouhase Kara, are released for PlayStation 3 on June 28, 2012, and PlayStation Vita on July 2, 2015, respectively.

Spin-offs

Several spin-off were released not long after the original game, ranging from mini games to action RPG. The first spin-off, Hakuoki: Yuugiroku is released for PlayStation Portable on August 26, 2010. Unlike the original game that requires the player to choose the right options to romance the chosen bachelor, Yuugiroku requires player to play mini games based on traditional Japanese games. A sequel, Hakuoki: Yuugiroku Ni – Matsuri Hayashi to Taishitachi, is released on October 18, 2012, this time with the theme of games found on festival stalls. An updated version of both games, Hakuoki: Yuugiroku Tai-shi-tachi no dai enkai, which includes both games and additional content based on Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms, is released on November 17, 2016, for PlayStation Vita, it was later released for Nintendo Switch on March 28, 2024.
The action RPG games of the series, Hakuoki: Bakumatsu Musouroku and Hakuoki: Kyoukaroku are released on March 22, 2012, for PlayStation Vita and December 19, 2013, for PlayStation Vita, respectively. The game tells the Shinsengumi members in alternate universe.

Urakata Hakuoki is released on June 27, 2013, for PlayStation Portable. The story is set in the same universe and timeline as the original game, but tells a non-canonical alternate story. The game focuses on Kozue Kirishima, who seeks out the Shinsengumi after her older brother was killed by a Shinsengumi member who became a Rasetsu. The game consisted of four different bachelor routes. Unlike the original game that requires little interactions, Urakata Hakuoki is an action RPG, in which the player plays as Kozue, moving her freely on Map Screen, exploring areas where she can get various items, and battling enemies. The game later received an updated version titled Urakata Hakuoki: Akatsuki no Shirabe on August 7, 2014.
Hakuoki SSL: Sweet School Life, released for PlayStation Vita on March 27, 2014, unlike the other games, the story is set in modern times with Chizuru and the other characters from the original game introduced as students or teachers going to the same school. The game was released on the Nintendo Switch on June 23, 2023, an English version was announced for the second half of 2025, but it was later announced that it would be released on February 12, 2026 by Eastasiasoft.
Some characters from the Hakuoki series are featured in the PSP game B's LOG Party, released on May 20, 2010.