The kingdom of Kouka is blessed with a beautiful princess whose childlike innocence charms all who come across her. Named Yona, she has grown up sheltered in the royal palace, shielded from any danger that may befall her. However, all good things must come to an end. Yona's perfect world comes crashing down when a heinous act of treason threatens to erase all that she holds dear, including her birthright as the princess of Kouka. Left with no one to trust but her childhood friend and loyal bodyguard Son Hak, she is forced to flee the palace. Faced with the perils of surviving in the wild with a target on her back, Yona realizes that her kingdom is no longer the safe haven it once was. Free from the shackles of naivety, Yona vows to do everything in her power to become strong enough to crush her enemies. With Hak by her side, she must piece together the remains of an ancient legend that might be the key to reclaiming her kingdom from those who conspired to steal it from her.

Tooru Honda has always been fascinated by the story of the Chinese zodiac that her beloved mother told her as a child. However, a sudden family tragedy changes her life, and subsequent circumstances leave her all alone. Tooru is now forced to live in a tent, but little does she know that her temporary home resides on the private property of the esteemed Souma family. Stumbling upon their home one day, she encounters Shigure, an older Souma cousin, and Yuki, the prince of her school. Tooru explains that she lives nearby, but the Soumas eventually discover her well-kept secret of being homeless when they see her walking back to her tent one night. Things start to look up for Tooru as they kindly offer to take her in after hearing about her situation. But soon after, she is caught up in a fight between Yuki and his hot-tempered cousin, Kyou. While trying to stop them, she learns that the Souma family has a well-kept secret of their own: whenever they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex, they transform into the animals of the Chinese zodiac. With this new revelation, Tooru will find that living with the Soumas is an unexpected adventure filled with laughter and romance.

Edo is a city that was home to the vigor and ambition of samurai across the country. However, following feudal Japan's surrender to powerful aliens known as the Amanto, those aspirations now seem unachievable. With the once-influential shogunate rebuilt as a puppet government, a new law is passed that promptly prohibits all swords in public. Enter Gintoki Sakata, an eccentric silver-haired man who always carries around a wooden sword and maintains his stature as a samurai despite the ban. As the founder of Yorozuya, a small business for odd jobs, Gintoki often embarks on endeavors to help other people—though usually in rather strange and unforeseen ways. Assisted by Shinpachi Shimura, a boy with glasses supposedly learning the way of the samurai; Kagura, a tomboyish girl with superhuman strength and an endless appetite; and Sadaharu, their giant pet dog who loves biting on people's heads, the Yorozuya encounter anything from alien royalty to scuffles with local gangs in the ever-changing world of Edo.

After his relationship with Eris Boreas Greyrat reaches new heights, Rudeus Greyrat is ecstatic. Unfortunately, his joy is short-lived, as Eris suddenly abandons him to embark on her own journey. Believing that Eris has lost all interest in him, a heartbroken and depressed Rudeus sets forth to the Northern Territories. With his sole goal being to locate his mother on the vast continent, Rudeus wonders if persisting through daily life is worth the pain, falling into a robotic routine as he endlessly ruminates on his lost love. However, the dangers of the North soon prove that one cannot survive with a dulled mind. While on a quest with the party Counter Arrow, with whom he recently became acquainted, Rudeus has a brush with death—an experience that forces him to finally snap out of his despair. With his newfound teammates, Rudeus rediscovers the pleasure of daily adventuring and moves forward with his original goal of living his second lease on life to the fullest.