Bride of the Death God Manga Follows Flawed Characters

Media involving a possible romance with a reaper or shinigami aren’t uncommon. A Date with Death is a recent English otome game involving the concept. Square Enix’s new Bride of the Death God manga involves a similar situation, with a dying young woman meeting the reaper who is about to kill her, and him in turn saving her and becoming her personal shinigami bodyguard. What makes this story so interesting, however, is that neither of them seem to be exactly “pure” people. Each of them seem as though they might be flawed in some way, or at least ended up touched by darkness at some point, and it made me want to read more so I could find out everything going on with each of these suspicious individuals.

Editor’s Note: There will be some spoilers for the first few chapters of the Bride of the Death God manga below.

The Bride of the Death God manga begins with us seeing a shinigami who relishes stealing the souls of individuals on the verge of death. He explains how he loves watching them cry in fear. It is very sadistic really, and he absolutely doesn’t feel like a hero, even though he might actually be “saving” folks’ souls from angels. His latest target is a young woman named Aibi. She’s suffering from Bouquet Syndrome, a disease that causes flowers to bloom on individuals and eventually kill them. When he first meets her, she has seven days left to live, and she doesn’t cry when he tells her. There’s no fear. She actually seems happy to wait for him and see him again.

It’s then that we see that Aibi is experiencing a fate that might even be worse than a disease that keeps her locked indoors, hidden away in a room, with flowers gradually overtaking her body. Her mother is terribly verbally abusive, blaming her daughter for her husband leaving the family, and wishing her dead and gone. It’s then that we learn Aibi herself is going through the motions, in a way. She’s determined to “be a good girl” and be an ideal that people want, to try and be loved and cherished. 

The shinigami, who eventually ends up dubbed Shii-kun by her, is somehow touched by the situation. When angels come to begin what seems to be a mechanical interment process, he steps in and prevents it. He doesn’t reap her. He saves her life, all because he hasn’t made her cry. Even though this amnesiac only showed negative behaviors prior to that and even compared himself to a thief, he stepped in to protect her. So already, there’s a conflict with one character and his nature. Especially since flashbacks seem to suggest a bloody situation for him in the past.

At the same time, Aibi and her nature is somewhat dubious. As the first volume goes on, we learn that Bouquet Syndrome, though classified as a disease, is actually a curse. She has abilities of her own tied to it. There are also some hints in the way she speaks to Shii-kun. There’s almost an edge of manipulation to them. After she thanks Shii-kun for saving her the first time, she says, “I could tell at first glance that you’re a good boy. Naive and sweet.” Her behaviors could be a defense mechanism, especially as an abused individual, to try and curry favor and get people to sympathize with her. But the fact we also see her possibly use an ability tied to that curse is suspicious. 

The first volume of the Bride of the Death God manga really sets up these two characters who have sides to them that we aren’t seeing yet. Shii-kun seems dangerous, callous, and sadistic, but his behaviors toward Aibi and glimpses at his past suggest a kinder and more dependable side. Aibi first appears as a dying, sick teenager suffering from what seems to be a supernatural disease, but some of the ways she phrases things and her actions make it seem like maybe she could be a bit darker than things immediately suggest. This first volume is so formative and puts down a foundation that left me wondering if we’ll be seeing major characters who are all shades of gray. 

Volume 1 of the Bride of the Death God manga is available now, and Square Enix will release volume 2 on January 13, 2026. 

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