Does Orange manga have a happy ending? Ending explained

Written and illustrated by Ichigo Takano, Orange manga is regarded as one of the best Shoujo manga series that explores life, its regrets, and the consequences of one's actions. Even though the mangaka has brought the story to its desired conclusion in the seventh and final volume, the ending has continued to captivate readers.

Ichigo-san's manga follows the story of Naho Takamiya, who receives a letter from her future self asking her to fix her 'regrets.' The older self of Naho wanted her 16-year-old self to prevent a tragedy involving her friend, Kakeru, from occurring.

As such, fans who have only read the premise and want to give the manga a read have been asking, "Does Orange manga have a happy ending?". This article describes the true ending of Ichigo Takano's manga and explains the fate of Kakeru.

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The ending of Orange manga sees Naho and Kakeru happily married ten years later in the main timeline

Mangaka Ichigo Takano has brought a satisfying conclusion to Orange manga. The final chapter sees Naho Takamiya and Kakeru Naruse happily married ten years later in the main timeline. As per the final chapter, they also have a son named Haru. It was further revealed that Naho was the one who named their son.

Kakeru was finally able to let go of the past and embrace the love shown by his friends. In other words, Naho, Suwa, and others successfully changed the main timeline and saved their friend.

Kakeru and Naho (Image via Telecom Animation Film)

According to the plot of Orange manga, the deuteragonist committed suicide following the death of his mother, for which he blamed himself. However, his friends successfully made him see the light at the end of the tunnel. They were able to end Kakeru's guilt, which ate him from the inside.

It was revealed that Kakeru's mother committed suicide because her son chose to spend quality time with his friends over keeping a promise to her. As a result, Kakeru developed a tremendous guilt, which ultimately ended up being the reason behind his suicide.

Kakeru and his friends in Orange manga (Image via Ichigo Takano)

However, the ending of Orange manga revealed that Kakeru was finally able to let go of his traumatic past. The deuteragonist wanted to create a world filled with fun and happiness devoid of sadness and suffering. He wanted to protect the smiles of his friends and laugh with everyone even after ten years.

Although he still had a lingering sensation of guilt, he was able to overcome it, thanks to a letter received from his son from the future. In the letter, Kakeru's son, Haru Naruse, reminded his father how he was able to be born because Kakeru survived.

Kakeru and his friends (Image via Telecom Animation Film)

Haru's letter helped Kakeru realize that to find happiness, one must also survive the pain. Kakeru's future son also assured his father not to be over-anxious about his choices, as he wanted him to craft the happy future he wished to see.

Eventually, Kakeru proposed to Naho for marriage and mentioned how much he wanted to protect her and make her happy. The manga ended with the visuals of Kakeru, his wife Naho, and their son Haru, happily taking a stroll with their friends.

Although the author brought Orange manga to its desired conclusion, some may feel that the manga doesn't have a happy ending, especially for Suwa. In the alternate timeline, Naho married Suwa, and they even had a child.

Despite that, she asked her younger self to change the past and save Kakeru, even if it meant a complete reversal of the events. Moreover, Suwa knew that Kakeru had feelings for Naho in the younger days and regretted not telling Naho about it.

He believed that if he had done so, Kakeru wouldn't have committed suicide. As such, he also sent letters to his past self and asked to make things right, even if it meant jeopardizing his future with Naho. Thus, Suwa sacrificed his own love for the sake of his friend.

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