lead=yes is a Japanese Webcomic manga series written by Joumyaku and illustrated by Mizuki Yoda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ app and website since April 2022, with its chapters collected in 16 volumes as of January 2026. Viz Media licensed the series for English release. An anime television series adaptation produced by Bones Film is set to premiere in April 2026.
Plot
Hikaru Gero is a young man from the Poison Clan of professional assassins, which has been in existence for hundreds of years. Because he deals in the dark side of society and has never lived a "normal life", he considers himself to have no prospects with women and has no interest in marriage. However, one day, the Poison Clan states that if Gero does not marry and produce an heir to carry on their lineage, they will force his sister into bearing a child against her wishes. Wanting to save his younger sister from such a fate, Gero asks one of his assassination targets to marry him. When the
cross-dressing marriage swindler Mei Kinosaki declines, Gero instead has Kinosaki train him to date and how to appeal to women with the goal of finding someone he truly wants to marry.
Characters
Protagonists
- Gero Hikaru
- Gero is the designated heir of the Poison Clan, one of the Five Great Families of assassins. Under pressure to produce an heir to the Poison Clan, he vows to protect Kinosaki in exchange for her help in finding a bride.
- Kinosaki Mei
- Kinosaki is a marriage swindler who has made countless men and women fall for him. Although Kinosaki dresses as a woman and is perceived by others as female, he is actually a guy
[ Marriagetoxin, ch. 1] and claims to be irresistible while dressed as an man.[ Marriagetoxin, Bonus ch. 1]
Prospective partners
- Himekawa Kyoko
- A thief who returns stolen art to its rightful owners.
- Ureshino Shiori
- A college student who will one day take over her family's party supply company.
- Arashiyama Kimie
- The Hamster Master, whose family is a branch subordinate to the Beast Clan.
- Akakura Chinatsu
- A "protector" who has skills similar to the assassin clans, but more useful for defense, as they have not specialized. Her weapon of choice is a metal-alloy barrier tape.
- Himi Makoto
- Ureshino's friend, who can change her attitude from meek and mild to aggressive to suit the audience. Her father Yukio has made many sacrifices after the death of her mother.
- Ushio Shizuku
- The Water User, who comes from the Fire Clan.
- Naruko Genya
Friends
- Nakagawa Piichi
- The Hit Man Hunter, an "ordinary guy" who has great talent with a knife. He wants to open a cafe with his girlfriend Marin and has decided to kill the assassins, starting with the Beast Clan, because he feels his potential patrons would not be able to dine in peace otherwise.
- Gero Akari
- Hanamaki Toshiki
- Zao Erina
- The only daughter of the head of a criminal organization; after he left, he was betrayed by his former colleagues and killed, and they now pursue Erina.
Other Masters
- Dogo Toshiro (Beast)
- Head of the Beast Clan and one of the Five Great Families. His animal partner species is a bat.
- Dogo Tonako (Beast)
- New head of the Beast Clan and sister of Toshiro. Her animal partner species is a wolf.
- Hanamaki Toshiki (Bug)
- His family is a branch subordinate to the Poison Clan. He is married to Anna Kawakita.
- Hayato Tsunagi (Needle)
- His family is a branch subordinate to the Poison Clan.
- Kushima Nagihiko (Spear)
- Killed by Piichi; he was infamous for indiscriminate killing.
- 白狐 (Bear)
- From a family subordinate to the Beast Clan which are shunned as the "impure masters" because they skin their bear partners rather than control them.
- Kannawa Kazuma (Wind-Wheel)
- The Kannawa family was thought to have died out before a trio of siblings, led by Kazuma, were hired to capture Erina Zao. He has a sister (Mitsuba) and brother (Kojiro).
- Sakazuki Reiji (Ghost)
- He uses weapons and belongings possessed by ghosts, either forcing humans to attack with cursed weapons or debuffing their abilities with spiritual mementoes.
Media
Manga
Marriagetoxin is written by Joumyaku and illustrated by Mizuki Yoda.
The manga was officially announced by
Shueisha on April 11, 2022,
and began its weekly serialization for free on the
Shōnen Jump+ app and website on the 20th of the same month.
Shueisha also simultaneously publishes the series in English for free on its
Manga Plus platform.
In June 2023, Viz Media announced that they licensed the series for English release under the name Marriage Toxin.
Volumes
Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
These chapters have yet to be published in a volume.
Anime
An
anime television series adaptation was announced on October 1, 2025. It will be produced by Bones Film and directed by Motonobu Hori, with series composition and scripts handled by Kimiko Ueno, characters designed by Kōhei Tokuoka, who will also serve as chief animation director, and music composed by Taisei Iwasaki and Yuma Yamaguchi.
The series is set to premiere in April 2026 on the brand new Ka-Anival!! programming block on Kansai TV,
Fuji Television and their affiliates.
Muse Communication licensed the series in Southeast Asia.
Reception
Marriagetoxin was nominated for the Next Manga Award in the Best Web Manga category in June 2022,
and ranked eighth out of 50 nominees.
It also ranked fifth in the Nationwide Publishers Recommended Comics of 2023.
The series was recommended by
Koyoharu Gotouge,
and Mogumo, the character designer for the anime series
.
The first volume received positive reviews for its art and action sequences.
In Anime News Networks year-end retrospective, Lucas DeRuyter wrote that: " Marriagetoxins attitude towards dating is so healthy, and it was considered a shoo-in for my pick for the best new manga of the year."
External links
