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 , 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
The main female protagonist. Chizuru comes to Kyoto from her hometown of Edo in search of her missing father, , a practitioner of Western medicine. Unknown to Chizuru, her father under orders from the Shogunate develops the , an elixir that increases the drinker's healing abilities, speed, and strength yet could turn the drinker into a mindless killing monster called Fury. At the beginning of the story, she-(while disguised and mistaken for a young boy) is seen being chased by two men, who were suddenly attacked and killed by two Furies. She witnesses Saito and Okita kill off the Furies and is then taken to the Shinsengumi headquarters by Hijikata, where they allow her to stay, because they too were in search of her father. In the anime series, she eventually falls in love with Hijikata. Chizuru has a secret: she is fact descended from a vast and powerful Demon clan from the East of Japan, along with her estranged twin brother Kaoru. Chizuru being the sole survivor of the clan by the end of the story. Because demons have scattered and declined in numbers over the centuries, especially the female ones, Chikage Kazama seeks her out as to preserve their race by marrying her. She is the wielder of a kodachi called Shotsuren, which is a mate to Kaoru's katana, Daitsuren. They are part of the Yukimura Family's heirloom.
The titular character of the series, Hijikata is the vice-commander of the Shinsengumi and makes most of the Shinsengumi's decisions. He is called Demon Vice-Commander and is both feared and respected by his men. He is also often referred to as "Toshi" by Kondo and Iba. Hijikata is the one who brought Chizuru back to the Shinsengumi headquarters the night she witnessed a Rasetsu on the loose that attacked two men chasing her. He is responsible for her welfare, and even though he acts as if this were to his dismay, he cares for Chizuru's safety, and is often shown protecting her during battles. Hijikata drinks the Water of Life and becomes a Fury in order to defeat Kazama, fueled by rage after seeing fellow Shinsengumi warrior Genzaburo Inoue dead at his hand. Near the end of his route, in recognition to his conviction and strength, Kazama acknowledges Hijikata as a true demon and gives him his demon name, "Hakuoki", from the fact that Hijikata's determination to live despite his limited life-span due to Water of Life is like cherry blossom. In the anime and manga series, he is Chizuru's love interest. He is based on the historical Hijikata Toshizō.
Okita is the First Division Captain and one of Shinsengumi's best swordsmen. He is fiercely loyal to Kondo, and despite his cheerful disposition, he is willing to kill anyone that he thinks would threaten Shinsengumi. He suffers from tuberculosis, and is later visited by Kaoru Nagumo who gives him a bottle of the Water of Life to cure his tuberculosis. Driven by guilt at being incapacitated by his illness and frustrated by his inability to fight for Kondo, Okita drinks the elixir. Although he becomes a Fury, the Shinsengumi discover that he does not benefit from accelerated healing when wounded by silver weapons, thus discovering the weakness of Fury. Also, the elixir doesn't cure illness, only lessening the symptoms. Souji was sent away to Osaka because his illness got worse. He is based on the historical Okita Sōji.
Saito is the leader of the Third Division who is a master of the left hand sword technique and is a skilled swordsman who evens Okita's skills. He is taciturn but also very loyal, polite, and wise. He often analyzes the situation before attacking to figure out which actions are necessary to complete the mission. However, while usually calm, once something caught his full attention, Saito hardly pay attention to his surrounding, even sometimes to the point of going into his own world. Saito left the Shinsengumi apparently to join Itou's group, but later it turns out that he was commanded by Hijikata to infiltrate Itou's group for information concerning Itou's plans. He is based on the historical Saitō Hajime.
Heisuke is the Eighth Division captain of the Shinsengumi. He is around the same age as Chizuru and is very protective of her, being one of the first people to treat her nicely since her arrival at Shinsengumi. He is close friends with Harada and Shinpachi, mostly seen together with them. Later on, he became conflicted between his friendship with his Shinsengumi friends and his political belief. Hoping to find his answer from different perspective, Heisuke leaves the Shinsengumi, following Itou along with Saito to become members of Guardians of the Imperial Tomb. However, Heisuke eventually decide to return to protect Chizuru. After being severely injured, Heisuke drank Water of Life to recover, which causes him to struggle between his morality and his vampiric impulse. He is based on the historical Tōdō Heisuke.
Harada is the Tenth Division Captain and prefers the spear to the sword, but he is seen carrying both. He is widely popular amongst women due to his handsome feature and gentleman attitude. He is a close friend of Heisuke and Shinpachi, often hanging out together with them during their free times and together with Shinpachi likes to tease Heisuke. He has a fierce rivalry with Kyō Shiranui, pitting his spear against Shiranui's pistol. He is the only person amongst the human love interests who doesn't become a Fury in his route. He is based on the historical Harada Sanosuke.
Shinpachi is the Second Division captain of the Shinsengumi. He is usually very cheerful, especially when he is with his comrades. Shinpachi is especially close to Harada and Heisuke, with him and Harada together often pick on the youngest captain. He is very skilled with the sword, but he is also a borderline alcoholic and womanizer, as he is seen breaking the curfew one night to be out drinking at Shimbara while enjoying the company of women. He resents Furies and refuses to even think of accepting the Water of Life, preferring to die as a warrior in battle. In the original game, he serves as a supporting character, but in Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms, he has his own route. In his route, he became a Fury after the dying Inoue made him drink Water of Life to protect Chizuru when being surrounded by enemies. He is based on the historical Nagakura Shinpachi.
He is the soft-spoken vice-commander of the Shinsengumi, along with Hijikata. Both a scholar and a ruthless tactician, he is kind and caring, albeit a bit reserved. After an injury which resulted in him being unable to use his left arm and thus wield a katana, he becomes cold and distant; he proceeds to research and improve on the Water of Life in secret in order to overcome its side effects, eventually drinking it and becoming one of the first few Fury with self control, creating the Shinsengumi's Fury Corps. He serves as supporting character or even an antagonist depending on the route taken in the original game, but has his own route in Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms. He is based on the historical Yamanami Keisuke, the name "Sanan" is based on the alternative reading of the kanji on his name.