# Yona of the Dawn (2014)

> A sheltered princess flees her collapsing kingdom after discovering a shocking betrayal on her sixteenth birthday and sets out to reclaim her throne.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/54795

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 24
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, action, fantasy, romance
- Network: TOKYO MX, Sun TV, TV Aichi, BS11, AT-X
- Cast: Chiwa Saito, Tomoaki Maeno, Yusuke Kobayashi, Junko Minagawa, Susumu Akagi, Kazutomi Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Yoshino, Kazuhiro Nakaya
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3957196/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: wistful, hopeful, adventurous, romantic, melancholic

## What critics say

Reviewers broadly praise the princess's transformation, the romance and political intrigue, and the animation, while faulting the pacing and the abbreviated single season that leaves the story unresolved.

## Synopsis

Yona of the Dawn (2014-2015) is a Japanese shojo fantasy anime series produced by Pierrot, adapted from the manga by Mizuho Kusanagi and broadcast on TOKYO MX and its partner networks. Set in the fictional kingdom of Hiryuu, it follows Princess Yona, a sheltered sixteen-year-old whose birthday night reveals a devastating truth about her father and the palace. Stripped of her position, she flees with her loyal friend and servant Hak and begins a journey to reclaim her throne, gathering allies who each carry a grudge, a skill, or a secret. Her cousin Soo-won, the figure she once hoped to marry, looms over the political stakes. The engine of the story is the slow transformation of a privileged girl into a determined leader, with each episode built around a new region, a new companion, and a new threat. The result is a single continuing season of twenty-four episodes, a serialized adventure with a warm romantic undertow. Its tone blends wistful melancholy with hopeful, sweeping adventure, and its palace intrigue and dragon lore give it a royal, mythic flavor. Fans of Fushigi Yuugi, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra will find resonance here.

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