The Noragami anime series, first released in 2014, with the second season, Noragami Aragoto coming in the following year, is an interesting and emotional supernatural series with several elements borrowed from the mythology and iconography of the Japanese Shinto religion. These elements, coupled with brilliant characterization and a well-constructed central dynamic between the two main characters, high schooler Hiyori Iki and a forgotten God of Calamity known as Yato, helped make Noragami one of the top-selling manga series in Japan in the first half of 2014.
The series was well-received when it came out, and with two seasons being released in quick succession, Noragami quickly became a highly recommended anime series of the 2010s. However, despite this success, and a manga that continues to this day, Noragami has not come back for its highly-anticipated third season for some reason. Here's why Noragami absolutely needs to come back for a third season, based on events that take place in the original manga written and illustrated by female mangaka duo Adachitoka.
The Anime
Noragami was produced by Studio Bones and released in the Winter season of 2014, running from January 5 to March 23, spanning twelve episodes. Seasoned voice actors Hiroshi Kamiya (Seijūrō Akashi, Kuroko's Basketball) and Maaya Uchida (Angel Devil, CHAINSAW MAN) were cast in the roles of Yato and Hiyori Iki respectively, while the voice of Attack on Titan's protagonist Eren Jaeger, Yūki Kaji, was cast as Yukine. The opening theme song of the first season of Noragami was "Goya no Machiawase" ("Overnight Appointment") by HELLO SLEEPWALKERS, while the ending theme was "Heart Realize" by Tia. The next season of the anime came the following year, and it was also produced by Bones, spanning thirteen episodes that were released from October 3, 2015 to December 26, 2015. The opening theme for Noragami Aragoto was "Kyōran Hey Kids!!" by THE ORAL CIGARETTES, while the ending theme was "Nirvana" by Tia.
A Noragami OVA produced by Bones began release during the first season's run, starting on February 17, 2014, and running until July 17, 2014 and spanning thirteen episodes. Two episodes of a Noragami Aragoto OVA were also produced and released between November 2015 and March 2016. In total, Noragami spans 25 TV anime episodes and 15 OVAs, which is a fair amount of media and shows a lot of time invested in the series; however, that level of enthusiastic investment in the series has not translated into a third season just yet, despite the level of success the Noragami franchise has enjoyed. The anime's two seasons have adapted about forty chapters of material, but since the anime rearranges the order of events as they occur in the manga, a possible third season would not simply adapt the material from the last point that was adapted.
Where We Left Off
One of the most important elements or concepts in Noragami is nomenclature. Names are incredibly important. When a god turns a spirit into their sacred weapon called a Regalia, they assign the spirit a brand-new name. As such, the names of gods are just as important, and when a god's name is forgotten by a people, they cease to exist. It is for this reason that the series' central god, Yato, goes out of his way to grant people's wishes and do odd jobs for them for the meagre amount of 5 yen per assignment because it enables him to maintain some level of control over his fleeting existence in the meantime while he works towards building himself a shrine; which would immortalize him in the minds of humans due to there being a concrete site of worship for the forgotten god. In Noragami Aragoto, we come to see more of Yato's past and the truth about his name.
Hiyori constructs a model shrine for Yato in his name – his true name, and the gesture is so moving for him that he sheds tears. Throughout this second season of Noragami, the relationship between gods, their Regalias and their pasts were made the primary focus. Noragami Aragoto was considerably darker than the first season, and elements such as the exploration into Izanami – Goddess of the Underworld, as well as the Corruption of Bishamon-ten made for a thematically richer, and more fulfilling development than in the first season of Noragami. Because of this, it made sense for fans to eagerly await the adaptation of the next part in the narrative; however, that never happened and nearly eight years down the line, the Noragami anime has become a memory.
What Next
Noragami Aragoto ends at a very significant point in Yato's story, and after seeing Ebisu's bravery and death, Yato makes the decision to no longer be a god of calamity, but one of fortune. The series even has quite the damning post-credits scene in which Kouto Fujisaki, a boy Hiyori went on a date with and revealed to be Yato's father, is seen in possession of Ebisu's brush. This sets up an incredible precedent for a follow-up season, but it goes unexplored.
The manga has progressed over 12 volumes since the adaptation of volume 10, where the anime ends, and aspects like the appearance of Yato's father, Nora's revenge plot, Yato's first divine council and the divine matchmaking that will pair every mortal in Japan. Noragami Aragoto was merely the entry point to what would become the series' most important developments and character arcs, and because of this and the success of the first two seasons, the passage of eight years since Noragami Aragoto is a very strange thing for fans to grapple with. Due to the significance of the arcs that follow, Noragami is well past the point of being overdue a third season, but all fans can do is read the manga, and hope that Bones will be interested in continuing the story.