Aozakura

Aozakura: Bōei Daigakukō Monogatari (あおざくら 防衛大学校物語; lit. 'Aozakura: The Story of National Defense Academy') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hikaru Nikaidō [ja]. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday since April 2016, with its chapters collected in 36 tankōbon volumes as of April 2025. It was adapted into a five-episode Japanese television drama broadcast on MBS from October to November 2019.

Aozakura
First tankōbon volume cover
あおざくら 防衛大学校物語
Genre	Coming-of-age[1] Military[2]
Manga
Written by	Hikaru Nikaidō [ja]
Published by	Shogakukan
Imprint	Shōnen Sunday Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Sunday
Original run	April 27, 2016 – present
Volumes	36
Television drama
Directed by	Katsuri Hirabayashi
Written by	Erika Yoshida Takeshi Miyamoto
Original network	MBS
Original run	October 31, 2019 – November 28, 2019
Episodes	5

Plot

Isami Kondo (近藤 勇美, Kondō Isami), a high-achieving high school senior, faces financial hardship when his family's diner nears bankruptcy, forcing him to reconsider his future. Learning that the National Defense Academy offers full tuition coverage and a monthly stipend, he decides to enroll, seeking both stability and purpose. The series chronicles Isami's evolution from an uncertain freshman to a disciplined leader, shaped by camaraderie, adversity, and self-discovery within the academy's demanding environment.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Hikaru Nikaidō [ja], Aozakura: Bōei Daigakukō Monogatari started in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday on April 27, 2016.^[1] Shogakukan has compiled its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was published on September 16, 2016.^[3] As of April 18, 2025, 36 volumes have been released.^[4]

Volumes

No.	Japanese release date	Japanese ISBN
1	September 16, 2016[5]	978-4-09-127340-6
2	December 16, 2016[6]	978-4-09-127425-0
3	March 17, 2017[7]	978-4-09-127508-0
4	June 16, 2017[8]	978-4-09-127574-5
5	September 15, 2017[9]	978-4-09-127684-1
6	December 18, 2017[10]	978-4-09-127877-7
7	March 16, 2018[11]	978-4-09-128093-0
8	June 18, 2018[12]	978-4-09-128256-9
9	September 18, 2018[13]	978-4-09-128395-5
10	December 18, 2018[14]	978-4-09-128593-5
11	March 18, 2019[15]	978-4-09-128803-5
12	June 18, 2019[16]	978-4-09-129167-7
13	September 18, 2019[17]	978-4-09-129330-5
14	November 18, 2019[18]	978-4-09-129445-6
15	February 18, 2020[19]	978-4-09-129560-6
16	April 16, 2020[20]	978-4-09-850066-6
17	July 17, 2020[21]	978-4-09-850164-9
18	October 16, 2020[22]	978-4-09-850271-4
19	January 18, 2021[23]	978-4-09-850380-3
20	April 16, 2021[24]	978-4-09-850518-0
21	July 16, 2021[25]	978-4-09-850633-0
22	October 18, 2021[26]	978-4-09-850722-1
23	January 18, 2022[27]	978-4-09-850863-1
23	April 18, 2022[28]	978-4-09-851057-3
25	July 15, 2022[29]	978-4-09-851184-6
26	October 18, 2022[30]	978-4-09-851348-2
27	January 18, 2023[31]	978-4-09-851531-8
28	April 18, 2023[32]	978-4-09-852028-2
29	July 18, 2023[33]	978-4-09-852612-3
30	October 18, 2023[34]	978-4-09-852854-7
31	January 18, 2024[35]	978-4-09-853074-8
32	April 17, 2024[36]	978-4-09-853221-6
33	July 18, 2024[37]	978-4-09-853435-7
34	October 18, 2024[38]	978-4-09-853636-8
35	January 17, 2025[39]	978-4-09-853814-0
36	April 18, 2025[4]	978-4-09-854081-5

Drama

A five-episode television drama was broadcast on MBS from October 31 to November 28, 2019.^[40][41]