Love is War?

After a total of 281 chapters published in a period of almost seven and a half years, the manga written and illustrated by Aka Akasaka, Kaguya-sama: Love is Warreached its conclusion with an ending that satisfied the vast majority of fans (although a few were dissatisfied). But putting aside the criticism at the end and looking at it objectively, how did the story end for each of the characters in this popular romantic comedy?

• Miko Iino: The new president of the Shuchiin Academy Student Council. Miko, who started out as the auditor under Miyuki Shirogane’s administration, has come a long way, and it doesn’t look like she’s going to stop in her third year of high school. Although the main characters have graduated, Miko Iino still has one more year of school alongside Yuu Ishigami. Being both president and vice president of the council, surely there are many things to tell regarding both. As shown at the close of their arc, the two inherited the titles of the leads and, surprisingly, their romantic roles as well. So, can the spin-off centered on the two of them develop in the future?

• Yuu Ishigami: Just like Miko Iino, Ishigami is now in his third and last year of high school. He too changed drastically throughout the series and is now the Vice President of the Student Council. The positions inherited from Ishigami and Miko are accompanied by a new “Love is War”, which promises a lot. Ishigami, being a studious and hard-working guy, no longer has time for video games, as he wants to work for Shirogane in the future.

• Ai Hayasaka: Of the entire cast of Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Hayasaka underwent the most remarkable transformation of all. Beginning as Kaguya’s personal servant, Hayasaka grows emotionally to forge her own identity, and eventually, she is forced to relinquish her position by Kaguya herself, becoming best friends with her. In the final chapter of his story, it is noted that friendship is still an important aspect of Hayasaka’s life, as his dream is to be able to drink with everyone in the future. After graduation, she has traveled all over the world and wants to experience many more things before settling back in Japan.

• Chika Fujiwara: The always strange secretary of the Student Council. By the end of the series, although she has grown as a person, Fujiwara has not lost her usual fun and playful attitude, forcing Kaguya to tell her how much he loves her. In the chapter that closes the story, Fujiwara says that she will continue to be the funny heroine that everyone loves. Throughout her final chapter, Fujiwara appears laughing with everyone and asking them to play a game. However, she also appears in the final chapter of Ai Hayasaka, helping in the re-election of her father’s councilors, something that keeps her quite busy and professional.

• Miyuki Shirogane: The Student Council President technically did not graduate from Shuchiin Academy with his peers, as he had left the academy to attend and study at Stanford University (school terms do not coincide between the two countries). However, he was present on graduation day to cheer on his friends and his significant other, before he himself received his own unofficial graduation from everyone. In the closing pages of his final chapter, he and Kaguya up the ante in their relationship: now they seek to make each other the one to propose!

• Kaguya Shinomiya: Closing with the star of the series and the one that gives it its name, we have the vice president of the Student Council. The young woman who spent almost her entire high school life trying to get her crush to confess to her, or hanging out in the Student Council. In the last chapter, she now together with her boyfriend, Kaguya reflects on her school life and how fun it all was. Luckily, she hasn’t finished, since she now continues her college life with Shirogane in the United States. And a battle to make the other propose! Thanks to an extra chapter of Oshi no Ko, we know that Kaguya ended up getting everything she was looking for. In the future, she becomes a professional photographer and goes by the surname Shirogane, indicating that the two eventually ended up getting married.

©Aka Akasaka/Shueisha/Kaguya-sama Wants to Tell You Production Committee