The Best Episodes Written By Aya Yoshinaga

#1 - Our One Shot at Victory

Season 4 Episode 21 - Aired 8/28/2022

Zheng refutes his chancellor's notion of ideal government and articulates his reasons for a united Middle Kingdom. Xin gets turned around in Xianyang.

Director: Natsumi Yasue

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#2 - Mischievous Rain

Season 5 Episode 2 - Aired 10/11/2016

On a rainy day, Natsume meets a young girl youkai. Her name isn't in the Book of Friends, but she wants his help anyway: she wants him to find a man she met once. The man couldn't see youkai normally, but a mischievous trick of the weather let him see her for just one day. For the next fifty years she visited him, hoping he'd see her one more time, but he never did. Now he's vanished. Can Natsume find him for her?

Director: Hironori Aoyagi

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#3 - Distant Festival Lights

Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 11/23/2016

Tanuma invites his friends to an inn run by his relatives. While sweeping outside, Tanuma is greeted by an old woman named Ito-san. Natsume learns that Ito-san is a yokai that serves the Mizunagi shrine by protecting the mountain festival. Ito-san has come into the inn because another yokai has stolen the festival's white mask and has disguised itself as an inn guest. Natsume finds the yokai who stole the mask for the festival's power, and Ito-san exorcises her. Ito-san warns Natsume to keep her identity a secret until after the festival is over so she can complete the festival. Natsume says he will tell no one she is a yokai so she can stay in this town as long as possible.

Director: Akira Toba

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#4 - The Flower's Plan

Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 11/3/2017

As Mahmut and co. enter the Cuore di Rumeliana region, they quickly learn that all 34 city-states lack the military power to defend themselves against Balt-Rhein and are annoyed by their seemingly complacent attitude. After learning that they must get the Republic of Florence's permission to allow the Turkish army passage through their territory, the group heads there and sets up a meeting with Gonfaloniere Caterina di Rossi, the leader of Florence and Süleyman's former lover.

Director: Takeru Sato

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#5 - Heiyong at Night

Season 5 Episode 3 - Aired 1/28/2024

Director: Kiyomitsu Sato

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#6 - Mutual Love

Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 4/30/2010

Anri is targeted by the Slasher, but Kyohei’s gang moves to rescue her. Shizuo and Celty join in, and after defeating the Slasher, reveal his true identity. However, this moment of relief doesn’t last as Celty reads what has been posted in the chatroom.

Director: Masahisa Koyata

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#7 - What the Guardian Serpent Heard

Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 1/19/2020

Kotoko receives a request for help from a giant snake, who is the guardian spirit of Tsukuna Swamp. It appears that a murderer named Tanio Aoi disposed of a body in the snake’s swamp, but there’s something that’s just not sitting right with the snake. After learning about Kuro’s powers, Kotoko asks Kuro to accompany her on this journey, but Kuro declines for a certain reason…

Director: Keiji Gotoh

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#8 - The Rumors of the Steel Lady

Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 1/26/2020

Kotoko is asked why a suspect had thrown a dead body into the Guardian’s swamp and she starts constructing a story. This ends up being a rather tragic tale about Tanio Aoi filled with love and regret that the Guardian is also shocked to hear. Two years later, random acts of violence were happening in Makurazaka City. The suspect seems to be the ghost of the former idol, Nanase Karin…

Director: Shizutaka Sugahara

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#9 - A Monster of the Imagination

Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 2/9/2020

Kotoko happens to spot a man fighting with Steel Lady Nanase. She gets closer and realizes that it was actually Kuro that was struggling in this battle. Saki then also joins in and after talking with her, Kotoko remembers the story about Kuro when he was younger that he told her about. Kotoko realizes they will need a special method to defeat Steel Lady Nanase because she is not an ordinary spectre...

Director: Risako Yoshida

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#10 - Declaration of Disbandment

Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 6/11/2010

The Dollars are enraged at the Yellow Scarves’ actions. The Yellow Scarves learn that Anri is the girl who escaped from their hideout during the night of the meeting, and track her down. However, an unexpected group of people steps in to save her...

Director: Shinya Kawatsura

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#11 - She Who Spins Fiction

Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 3/1/2020

Saki remembers the first time she met Kuro’s cousin, Sakuragawa Rikka. Saki had heard that Rikka had passed, and tries to get more information out of Kotoko. Meanwhile, the forums on the wiki site become rather active again, making Steel Lady Nanase’s presence even stronger...

Director: Shizutaka Sugahara

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#12 - Ephemeral Dream

Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 2/26/2010

Celty runs away from home after arguing with Shinra, and an exchange student asks people to write what they're looking for in a notebook she carries.

Director: Tetsuo Ichimura

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#13 - The Stand-In

Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 1/24/2012

Yobiko, a youkai that can imitate the voices of others, sneaks into Natsumes' house and asks him to call out another youkai named Karikami. Long ago, Yobiko had been watching over a woman named Youko who was meeting with a man at a nearby shrine. One day the man stopped coming, due to an arranged marriage to another woman, so Yobiko decided to use his talent to talk to the girl. Eventually, he told her the truth about the man and ran away. When he came back to the shrine many years later, he found an old letter that had been sealed shut and wrinkled. Natsume and Yobiko later meet Karikami and after returning his name, Karikami restores the letter. Unable to read human letters, Yobiko asks Natsume to read it to him. Instead of a hateful message he was expecting, it is actually a letter of thanks for telling her the truth.

Director: Kotomi Deai

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#14 - Electroshock Pinocchio

Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 2/13/2023

Tae is an active octogenarian who lives with an unusually talkative cat. Why do the fishermen in her seaside town find dead fish coming in with the tide every morning?

Director: Haruhito Ogawa

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#15 - Or You Could Wish Upon a Star

Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 2/20/2023

Tae talks about her past and Kotoko figures out a way they can defeat the Electroshock Pinocchio.

Director: Haruka Kamohara

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#16 - Fallen Wolves

Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 2/4/2003

While searching for paradise the four wolves find a run down city on the sea. While in the city the find Zali and his pack. They are disgusted by the way Zali's pack works for humans to get food. Hige spots a female wolf.

Director: Ikuro Sato

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#17 - Men's Lament

Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 4/29/2003

Hubb and Quent are still traveling together, searching for Cher and Blue respectively. When they get to the next town Hubb finally finds Cher but she tells them that they must all travel to Darcia's keep or all may be lost. Meanwhile the wolves also decide to travel to Darcia's keep to rescue Cheza.

Director: Koji Sawai

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#18 - False Memories

Season 1 Episode 25 - Aired 7/22/2003

Kiba finally finds Cheza and meets up with Jaguara. Jaguara seems to cast a spell on him and hooks him up to her Moonlight Crucible. Tsume ends up in a cell where he meets and old wolf who tells him about the wolf with the collar the betrayed her pack. Hige tells Blue that his memories were false and he must now go help the others in Jaguara's keep. Meanwhile Darcia enters Jaguara's keep and starts to wipe out her soldiers.

Director: N/A

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#19 - Love and Cherish

Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 3/5/2010

After losing contact with her brother Seiji, Namie Yagiri enlists Izaya's help to find him. While roaming through Ikebukuro, Seiji and Mika Harima stumble onto Shizuo and Celty and a heated pursuit begins after Celty figures that the head attached to Mika's body is actually hers.

Director: N/A

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#20 - A Place To Go Home To

Season 3 Episode 12 - Aired 9/20/2011

When a dangerous youkai from Natsume's past finds his current home, he comes down with a fever and dreams about his life right before moving in with the Fujiwaras.

Director: N/A

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#21 - The City of the Lighthouse

Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 8/18/2017

Mahmut arrives at Phoiníkē and sees a Balt-Rhein ship docked at the harbor. He meets with the Türkiye spy, Kyros, who informs him that he will find trouble during his stay. Mahmut is summoned by the patriotic Magistros Konstantinos and other members of the Phoiníkē senate, who request that Mahmut to sit in at the senate assembly to discuss the empire's demands to cede their harbor to them. While Caesar Apollodorus wants to accept the empire's demands, Konstantinos states it is an excuse to invade and gain control over the Centro sea.

Director: N/A

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#22 - The Iron Chains

Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 8/25/2017

As the siege continues, Konstantinos berates Apollodorus for not assisting in the war effort and the two argue over if going to war against Balt-Rhein was the right decision, given how citizens from nations that the empire has annexed are cruelly treated. At night, Glalat prepares the army for their next attack, uncaring for the lives for his men and conscripted soldiers to enact his plans.

Director: N/A

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#23 - The Sinking City

Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 8/25/2017

As everyone looks on in horror as Phoiníkē burns, Konstantinos tries to rally soldiers to defend the city, but Apollodorus sabotage the speaking tubes and scolds him for not seeing the reality of the situation. In order to save the citizens from slaughter, Apollodorus and the senate agree to surrender to Balt-Rhein and relay the message to everyone in the city.

Director: Kaori Makita

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#24 - Heiyong's Crucial Moment

Season 5 Episode 6 - Aired 2/18/2024

He Liao Diao switches gears to share some hard-earned power with Huan Yi's forces--all the general has to do is take it. Qiang Lei's caretaker speaks.

Director: Ippei Ichii

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga

#25 - Roar of Pride

Season 5 Episode 10 - Aired 3/17/2024

Huan Yi's top commanders question his latest bizarre decision. Wei Ping has a crisis of conscience. Xin and Qiang Lei react to a gruesome discovery.

Director: Reiko Nozaki

Writer: Aya Yoshinaga