Who Does Nagumo Hajime End Up With?

Who would ever thought that weak-willed and flailing Nagumo Hajime will be a ladies’ man in Arifureta?

Sure, he started out as an otaku student, but look at where he is now and all the women that flocked to his side as the anime progresses.

His popularity surged when he obtained power in the series. And even if only some of them made their debut in the anime, he’s still a good catch!

The Arifureta tv show has been garnering a lot of viewers since its premiere last Summer 2019. And with its colourful and unique sets of characters, this one-cour anime intrigued many viewers, particularly on Hajime’s romance!

Arifureta may have ended last February 2020; however, its ending is a cliff-hanger… But fear not anime-onlies! I’m here to discuss who Nagumo Hajime ended up in the series 😊.

Hajime Nagumo ended up with 8 women in Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest. The “After Story” web novel of Arifureta reveals the women he married: Yue, Shea, Tio, Kaori, Aiko, Shizuku, Remia, and Lilliana.

Only 6 of these women appeared in the anime (the last two women in this list did not make their debuts in the show yet).

It’s unbelievable to see polygamous marriages in anime, but Arifureta is a perfect example of that. Personally, I was shock at first to see this happen in an anime or a web novel medium.

But I remembered that anything is possible even for a sci-fi and action-packed show!

Nagumo’s Romantic Relationships

Here are the names of the women who stepped forward and joined Hajime’s harem (see the end of Volume 8 of the light novel for reference):

I. Yue

We know that she is a royal Vampire Loli Princess (and now, a queen) with body regeneration skills.

But other than that, let’s explore her relationship with Yue more. In the beginning, Hajime is only interested in her. He doesn’t love her because she’s a lonely girl who shuts herself in solitude.

But as time goes by, Yue chose to change. She stepped in as Hajime’s wife because she wanted to be surrounded by a loving family.

And as time goes by, she also pushes Hajime to open up about himself so that he can emotionally connect with others, too.

II. Shea Haulia

Shea is presented as a “rabbit beast-girl” and one who’s possessing psychic powers. What fans love most about her is that she wears her heart up her sleeves. Literally, she is the heart of the team because she keeps people together!

Despite her adorable attitude, she has the tendency to annoy the characters around her.

She goes from bringing the “little sister” act to becoming a child-like wonder (much to the chagrin of fans). It’s also thanks to Shea that Hajime and Yue entered into a polygamous relationship.

III. Tio Klarus

Tio wears a mask but, at the same time, possesses an authentic bond with Nagumo. Despite her masochist princess style whose backstory is part of the exiled “dragonmen” clan; her presence in the series brings good forms of comic relief. 😂

However, Tio’s true character shows beyond her masochist persona.

While she’s faking her masochist self to hide her insecurities, her fetishes have been awakened by Hajime (hence, the formation of their authentic bond because she also awakened Nagumo’s sadist persona).

Many fans surprisingly love their chemistry! For example, Nagumo might have been one of the ruthless characters out there. But it was all an act! He didn’t really enjoy adapting to his ruthless trait.

However, it’s thanks to Tio that he changed! Nagumo started enjoying his ruthless side. In the end, he also tweaked and teased Tio’s non-perverse personalities, to which she favourably responded.

IV. Kaori Shirasaki

She may be a Japanese student who is madly in love with Hajime since middle school. But her relationship with him isn’t fully explored unlike Yue, Shea, and Tio’s. As a matter of fact, Kaori didn’t contribute that much to the relationship other than causing petty issues between Nagumo and Yue.

It isn’t even clear when Nagumo fell for her even if he mentions he does have feelings for her. As a matter of fact, her moments with him were overshadowed by Nagumo’s significant moments with either Tio or Shea.

It was a disappointment because it only punctuated the fact that Kaori is a bystander among Nagumo’s harem.

V. Aiko Hatayama

If you’re one of the fans who’s into student-teacher romance relationships, then Aiko (a responsible and caring high school Social Studies teacher) might be just for you! But there are times when she felt guilty marrying her own student because it contradicts the good moral standing outlook that she projects to others. To compose her indecent subconscious, Aiko berates her inner self. What she did is an immoral and humiliating act, but she cannot undo what’s already been done.

Some fans may be shocked for the weirdness of the situation. To them, Aiko is acting with the mind and emotional capacity of a 17-year-old teenager in a full-grown woman’s body.

She’s unable to control her feelings towards her young crush, who is a student.

On the other hand, other fans are excited to see a steamy teacher like Aiko enter in Nagumo’s harem! She may regret marrying him because of her own personal preconceptions, but her love for him is stronger!

VI. Shizuku Yaegashi

Many fans are happy to see that Shizuku’s feelings were reciprocated by Nagumo. For one thing, she deserves to be loved and cared for because she’s a hardworking swordswoman!

Other than a beautiful soul, Shizuku is defined by her cool beauty and affinity for all things cute! And even before she fell in love with Nagumo, they were already standing on equal grounds.

Her own romantic feelings towards him only punctuated the idea of her infatuation (hence, stepping into his harem).

VII. Remia

Right now, fans perceive Remia as a beautiful, perceptive, and strong-willed woman. But don’t be fooled! This beauty is already a mom! She’s actually the mother of the young “dagon girl”, Myu.

To-date, Remia’s character arc is still an empty black hole in the web novel. And as such, not many people are convinced that she fits in Nagumo’s harem. In fact, it seems that she’s a mere bystander!

The highlights of her character arc exist in the Arifureta short story collections where her side stories are fully explored. And although not many fans are satisfied by these additional short stories, it’s better than nothing.

It positioned Remia as a 3-D person instead of being a 2-D animated character. And to top it all off, it’s easier to understand her emotions since the main story in the light novel just glossed over it.

VIII. Lilliana S. B. Heiligh

Lilliana is a black-hearted genius, but an artistic blonde and blue-eyed princess of the Heiligh Kingdom, too. And although she is mature for her age, she has the tendency to bore others despite her upbeat personality! An outlier who can be sometimes get clingy or demanding like many of the women in the harem, Lilliana looks to Nagumo for solace.

Lilliana is too proud to ask for help though. She would vomit in blood first before asking for Nagumo’s emotional help. But when she does, she doesn’t do it immediately.

She finds the right mood, and ensures his presence is comforting so that their conversations will be convenient for her.

Nagumo respects Lilliana’s withdrawal whenever she blushes away from him. After all, she’s an honest and hardworking woman despite her sadistic nature.

Hajime’s Mistress: Yuka Sonobe

The only one I’m missing in the above list is Yuka Sonobe — the “eternal” mistress and beloved lover of Nagumo! Many people put her as the resident “tsundere” girl because she has the sufficient amount of “tsundere”-ness in her.

This title seems fitting to Yuka because she doesn’t go to extreme violent outbursts unlike most of the girls in the harem.

The romantic indications are clear, too. Just look at how Nagumo and Yuka’s conversations seamlessly flow! Their relationship goes beyond friendship, and she is a special case because she doesn’t just hopelessly fall in love with him.

Nagumo noticed Yuka’s infatuation towards him, but he ignores it to save her honor, dignity, and cute face. She didn’t join his harem, but nevertheless, she is many fans’ “guilty pleasure” (or favourite character).

Many Arifureta fans think that Yuka has the greatest chemistry with Nagumo. If you pair Nagumo and Yuka together, it’s a match-made in heaven! Fans hope that, one of these days, Yuka can overcome her fears and confess to Nagumo.

Yuka also shined the best in Volume 11 of the light novel. Her character development is explored deeply in the After Story web novel. So, fans frequently asked, “Why doesn’t just she join his harem so our ships can sail?”

Well, to answer that question, the author is putting our hopes up. If you look from an objective viewpoint, Yuka’s relationship with Nagumo is the best one out there because she’s the closest to him among his legal wives.

But she’s not ready to marry or join his harem yet because the author didn’t give her a power upgrade yet. In order for Yuka to be up there, the author needs time to flesh her arc other than just giving her an intimate relationship with her lover.

A Wish Fulfillment for Nagumo and His Wives

Nagumo got his wish, and so did the 8 beauties who made Nagumo’s dreams come true! That’s why he was capable of marrying 8 women altogether. The wish rewards the requester (Nagumo) and fulfillers (the 8 women).

Despite the number of parties involved, there’s a give-and-take relationship among the husband and his wives.

Lord Nagumo Hajime recruited women to become his wives. He planned his romantic relationships with them ever since he gained power, influence, and authority!

However, there’s a catch! Only women who are willing to accept strict rules and certain conditions will become one of Hajime’s wives! Otherwise, they will be rejected during the recruitment.

If you want to know other intimate details on Nagumo’s spicy life, he did it with all 8 wives after the final battle. This goes to show that he cares and loves all his wives. He will make love on each one of them no matter how weird or natural their fetishes are!

This “harem route” is perfect for Nagumo, who is a Demon Lord in his own right! And it’s also good for Nagumo (who received Yue’s emotional support) because he reached out to people who can understand him.

From a writing perspective, Ryo Shirakome (the author) guaranteed Nagumo’s wishes. He showed the developments arcs for several of the supporting characters.

In addition, Shirakome-sensei loves a “true harem ending” and wants everything to go right as much as the next Arifureta fan.

Why all these wild and romantic circumstances in the series, you ask? Well, we must remember that the anime removed substantial scenes from Volumes 1 to 4 of the light novel. 😖

Anime viewers might have seen some intimate scenes in the tv show (particularly the sensual moments between Yue and Hajime), but those are nothing compared to the light novels (which already released 11 volumes to-date)!

Conclusion

So, there you have it. That’s my take on Nagumo’s romantic and polygamy relationships. What about you? Who is your favourite gal in Arifureta? And would you prefer it if Nagumo pursues a monogamous relationship? Let us know in the comments section below!

About Arifureta

Hajime Nagumo and his high school class are suddenly summoned to a fantastical land as heroes. But while most of his classmates have powerful stats and abilities, Hajime does not.

Underappreciated and unprepared, he tumbles into the depths of a monster-infested dungeon where voracity and sacrifice are his only options. To thrive in this savage world, he’ll have no choice but to welcome the abyss.