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The Best Episodes of Chihayafuru

Every episode of Chihayafuru ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Chihayafuru!

Binge this in 1d 4h•Peaking at 9.6/10

Chihaya Ayase has spent most of her life supporting her sister’s model career. When she meets a boy named Arata Wataya, he thinks Chihaya has potential to become a great karuta player. As Chihaya dreams

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Chihayafuru Season 3 Episode 23 - Like a boatsman adrift
    9.6/10(87 votes)

    #1 - Like a boatsman adrift

    S3:E23

    The club hosts an unofficial tournament, the Taichi Cup, to celebrate Taichi's birthday! Chihaya planned the event in hopes of cheering up Taichi, and she managed to gather 36 participants. The tournament is held in the style of a Genpei match, with competitors facing off in teams of three. Taichi is reminded of when he, Chihaya, and Arata used to play together in elementary school. Certain things have changed since then, but certain feelings haven't...

    Directors:Chie Yamashiro, Tomoya Kitagawa
    Writer:Yuko Kakihara

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  2. Chihayafuru Season 3 Episode 6 - Tatsuta River Ablaze
    9.5/10(61 votes)

    #2 - Tatsuta River Ablaze

    S3:E6

    The audience at the Yoshino Tournament is taken for a wild ride with so many unexpected twists: Arata, the focus of high expectations, has been defeated, and Taichi, who only just reached Class A, advances to the finals. And now it's time at last for the final round between Chihaya and Taichi, teammates who have been practicing together since they were in elementary school. The odds are in Chihaya's favor, but Taichi isn't playing his usual karuta since he declared that he would defeat her in an official match.

    Director:Toru Takahashi
    Writer:Yuko Kakihara

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  3. Chihayafuru Season 3 Episode 19 - Bring a life of everlasting love
    9.5/10(62 votes)

    #3 - Bring a life of everlasting love

    S3:E19

    Harada leads Suo with two wins and one loss as the Master match enters its fourth round. Harada has studied everything about Suo, including the weakness that Chihaya told him about, and he dominates the match with his trademark offensive karuta. Suo remains calm despite Harada's strong momentum, recalling what his aunt, who raised him, said to him when he was a child. Her words are the reason Suo continues to play karuta.

    Directors:Kotono Watanabe, Kunio Katsuki
    Writer:Misuzu Chiba

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  4. Chihayafuru Season 2 Episode 19 - I do not know where this love will take me
    9.4/10(78 votes)

    #4 - I do not know where this love will take me

    S2:E19

    Three wins for the victory. Taichi's declaration provides encouragement to the remaining players. The Mizusawa karuta club uses all of their experience and practice to fight to the end.

    Director:Yusuke Onoda
    Writer:Akemi Moriyama

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  5. Chihayafuru Season 2 Episode 24 - When I must hide...
    9.4/10(66 votes)

    #5 - When I must hide...

    S2:E24

    With a packed house watching who could be the new King and Queen, Chihaya and Taichi are ushered in by Sakurazawa. The atmosphere is tense; who will win?

    Director:Eiichi Kuboyama
    Writer:Ayako Kato

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  6. Chihayafuru Season 3 Episode 5 - Mount Amanokagu
    9.4/10(62 votes)

    #6 - Mount Amanokagu

    S3:E5

    Inokuma, who won the Queen title four times in a row; Sudo, who can throw an opponent off with his words alone; Murao, the fourth seat in the Nagumo Society; and Arata, who ended the Queen's undefeated record. The Shiranami Society members are faced with four powerful opponents, but Harada's insistence brings the other three back to the mindset of playing offensive karuta. How these four matches will end is anyone's guess!

    Director:Kunio Katsuki
    Writer:Yuko Kakihara

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Chihayafuru

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  7. Chihayafuru Season 2 Episode 6 - To set the Tatsuta River ablaze
    9.3/10(70 votes)

    #7 - To set the Tatsuta River ablaze

    S2:E6

    Individually, Mizusawa players have grown, but Hokuo will try to use Mizusawa's lack of team playing experience to take back the Tokyo regional trophy.

    Director:Tatsuma Minamikawa
    Writer:Akemi Moriyama

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  8. Chihayafuru Season 2 Episode 14 - People would always ask if I was pining for someone
    9.3/10(67 votes)

    #8 - People would always ask if I was pining for someone

    S2:E14

    Mizusawa and Akashi's match has reached the tipping point and each side starts winning games; the pressure between Chihaya and Megumu have captivated the crowd.

    Director:Yukihiko Asaki
    Writer:Akemi Moriyama

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  9. Chihayafuru Season 2 Episode 23 - To see the beautiful cherry blossoms
    9.3/10(68 votes)

    #9 - To see the beautiful cherry blossoms

    S2:E23

    The Class A Finals pit Arata vs Shinobu, Class B is between Taichi and Rion in the same area where Komano is participating in the Class C Final. Chihaya is stuck between supporting Taichi and Komano or experiencing the match between Arata and Shinobu.

    Director:Hideki Hosokawa
    Writer:Atsuo Ishino

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  10. Chihayafuru Season 3 Episode 14 - The emotions experienced
    9.3/10(61 votes)

    #10 - The emotions experienced

    S3:E14

    Arata's playing becomes reminiscent of Eternal Master Wataya Hajime's, allowing him to take control of the match's pace. Harada recalls the one match he played against Hajime when he was young and becomes painfully aware of how much his game sense has faded since then. But he sticks with the offensive play style that he teaches in the Shiranami Society, turning the match around in a way that leaves everyone in the hall holding their breath.

    Directors:Toru Takahashi, Park Jae-ik
    Writer:Yuko Kakihara

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  11. Chihayafuru Season 3 Episode 18 - The storm will soon carry me
    9.3/10(56 votes)

    #11 - The storm will soon carry me

    S3:E18

    Both the Master and Queen matches come down to luck of the draw in an intense first round, ending in wins for Shinobu and Harada. Shinobu is shaken after learning that her grandmother, a politician, sees her as no more than a walking advertisement, as well as the fact that Chihaya chose her class trip over a chance to play in the Queen match, and she begins to break down in the second round.

    Directors:Masaki Matsumura, Kim Min-sun, Kim Sang-yeop
    Writer:Yuko Kakihara

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  12. Chihayafuru Season 3 Episode 20 - May the scarlet kadsuras
    9.3/10(55 votes)

    #12 - May the scarlet kadsuras

    S3:E20

    Suo had been controlling the number of cards taken in the Master match, but with one win and two losses in the fourth round, Harada's momentum stops his plan in its tracks by coming down to luck of the draw. Harada shows his tenacity as someone who has loved karuta and worked to become the Master more than anyone else, but Suo still manages to keep his cool. The Master match finally nears its conclusion.

    Directors:Mitsuhiro Yoneda, Hideki Hosokawa
    Writer:Yuko Kakihara

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  13. Chihayafuru Season 2 Episode 13 - In my dreams, I creep closer to you
    9.2/10(63 votes)

    #13 - In my dreams, I creep closer to you

    S2:E13

    Chihaya appears to have recovered from her bad start, but Megumu will not let her take consecutive cards. As the players spur on their aces, both sides begin to pull together as teams. Which team will prove to be stronger?

    Director:Hideki Hosokawa
    Writer:Sumino Kawashima

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  14. Chihayafuru Season 2 Episode 21 - But its legacy continues to spread
    9.2/10(64 votes)

    #14 - But its legacy continues to spread

    S2:E21

    Chihaya has injured her right hand, so she's forced to play with her left. Her first opponent is Yuube, from Akashi First Girls. Chihaya struggles to take cards with her left hand. Will she be able to make it past the first round?

    Director:Toshikatsu Tokoro
    Writer:Sumino Kawashima

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  15. Chihayafuru Season 2 Episode 22 - Long Last We Meet
    9.2/10(63 votes)

    #15 - Long Last We Meet

    S2:E22

    Chihaya has advanced to the quarterfinals. Her opponent is the Queen, Wakamiya Shinobu. Chihaya decides to go all in and use her injured right hand. How will Shinobu respond? How will Chihaya fare?

    Director:Takeyuki Sadohara
    Writer:Akemi Moriyama

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  16. Chihayafuru Season 3 Episode 12 - So the flower petals are scattered like the snow by the passing storm
    9.2/10(51 votes)

    #16 - So the flower petals are scattered like the snow by the passing storm

    S3:E12

    It's the day of the Master and Queen challenger finals. Dr. Harada and Arata are competing for the chance to challenge the master, while Inokuma and Megumu battle it out to challenge the Queen. Harada confides in Arata that he once played against his grandfather, Eternal Master Wataya Hajime, and expresses his joy at being able to play karuta with Arata. A passionate battle spanning multiple generations begins at last!

    Directors:Kotono Watanabe, Kim Min-sun, Kunio Katsuki
    Writer:Yuko Kakihara

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  17. Chihayafuru Season 3 Episode 13 - Yet it is I who withers and wilts
    9.2/10(56 votes)

    #17 - Yet it is I who withers and wilts

    S3:E13

    The veteran players Dr. Harada and Inokuma were the winners in the first round, but Dr. Harada chose to yield the second round to preserve his strength for the third. Arata starts to feel sucked into Dr. Harada's pace, but after receiving some advice from Chihaya, he remembers how his grandpa, the Eternal Master, used to play. Both of them enter the third round with one win and one loss as the battle to determine who will challenge the Master begins!

    Directors:Chie Yamashiro, Chikayo Nakamura
    Writer:Yuko Kakihara

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  18. Chihayafuru Season 2 Episode 4 - To tell the people in the capital that I make for the islands
    9.1/10(66 votes)

    #18 - To tell the people in the capital that I make for the islands

    S2:E4

    Be it luck or skill, Tai seems to falter under pressure. The team needs three wins to proceed and their upcoming opponents are new and trained by an old friend.

    Director:Jun Shishido
    Writer:Ayako Kato

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  19. Chihayafuru Season 2 Episode 17 - Gust of wind
    9.1/10(65 votes)

    #19 - Gust of wind

    S2:E17

    Fujisaka's training has proven to be a major hurdle to Mizusawa thanks to the training regimen demanded by their coach, Sakurazawa. Rion continues her lead over Chihaya thanks to her familiarity of the reader's voice. Doubts and injury plague Chihaya and her team as they fight to stay in the game.

    Director:Hitomi Ezoe
    Writer:Ayako Kato

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  20. Chihayafuru Season 2 Episode 18 - My fear is that you will forget
    9.1/10(67 votes)

    #20 - My fear is that you will forget

    S2:E18

    A new found passion has brought Misuzawa back into the fight, as Chihaya herself tries to fight through the pain of her injury.

    Director:Eiichi Kuboyama
    Writer:Sumino Kawashima

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  21. Chihayafuru Season 3 Episode 24 - When winds send waves crashing
    9.1/10(54 votes)

    #21 - When winds send waves crashing

    S3:E24

    Taichi has told Chihaya about the feelings he had kept secret for so long. Now he's left the karuta club, and Chihaya's regret over failing to notice how he felt leaves her unable to play. But some new members have joined Mizusawa's karuta club, and among them is Tamaru Midori, a Class A player. She is a promising new member, but also a troublemaker.

    Directors:Kotono Watanabe, Masaki Matsumura, Hideki Hosokawa, Kunio Katsuki
    Writer:Yuko Kakihara

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  22. Chihayafuru Season 1 Episode 11 - The Sky is the Road Home
    9.0/10(86 votes)

    #22 - The Sky is the Road Home

    S1:E11

    The Mizusawa karuta club has advanced to the finals to face a regular fixture at the national tournament, Hokuo Academy. As the match begins, Mizusawa is unable to go on the offensive, and Chihaya is distracted when her opponent, Sudo, begins to taunt her. However, she soon learns to play as a team, that every card she takes is a point for the team...

    Director:Kotono Watanabe
    Writer:Ayako Kato

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  23. Chihayafuru Season 1 Episode 14 - For There Is No One Else Out Here
    9.0/10(79 votes)

    #23 - For There Is No One Else Out Here

    S1:E14

    Chihaya has recovered in time for the individual tournament. Players are grouped by their rank, and the youngest Queen in history, Wakamiya Shinobu, is in the Class A bracket, and Chihaya's second round opponent. Chihaya is overwhelmed by the Queen's ability and unable to take a single card. As she's about to give up, she remembers her first match against Arata back in grade school—

    Director:Hideki Hosokawa
    Writer:Satoshi Suzuki

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  24. Chihayafuru Season 2 Episode 10 - Rain takes longer to dry
    9.0/10(60 votes)

    #24 - Rain takes longer to dry

    S2:E10

    Mizusawa's next opponent is a group of geniuses that has been sweeping the Karuta scene.

    Director:Kotono Watanabe
    Writer:Akemi Moriyama

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  25. Chihayafuru Season 2 Episode 25 - I can look up and see the snowy cap of Mt. Fuji
    9.0/10(65 votes)

    #25 - I can look up and see the snowy cap of Mt. Fuji

    S2:E25

    With winners and losers riding emotional waves, Chihaya is sent a video of the Class A final, and while watching, it stirs of memories of playing Karuta with Arata.

    Director:Kotono Watanabe
    Writer:Sumino Kawashima

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Best Episodes Summary

"Like a boatsman adrift" is the best rated episode of "Chihayafuru". It scored 9.6/10 based on 87 votes. Directed by Chie Yamashiro, Tomoya Kitagawa and written by Yuko Kakihara, it aired on 3/17/2020. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Tatsuta River Ablaze".