Yakuza Fiancé episode 5 review: Kirishima's first encounter with Tsubaki

Yakuza Fiancé Episode 5 aired on November 4, 2024, introducing Akashigata Tsubaki, one of Yoshino's many cousins, and establishing her as another of Kirishima's adversaries. The episode primarily highlighted the similarities between Tsubaki and Kirishima, alongside their mutual dislike—each tolerating the other only for Yoshino’s sake.

The anime adaptation currently follows the manga with an irregular pacing, adapting between one to three chapters per episode. While previous episodes covered three chapters, Episode 5 focused solely on Chapter 12, centering around Tsubaki’s introduction.

Disclaimer- This article is speculative and contains spoilers for the Yakuza Fiancé episode 5.

Yakuza Fiancé episode 5 highlights

Kirishima, Yoshino and Tsubaki as shown in the anime (Image via Studio Deen)

Yakuza Fiancé Episode 5 begins with Yoshino waking up after recovering from her fever, with Kirishima, who stayed by her side all night, expressing relief that she’s feeling better. Yoshino invites Kirishima to breakfast, which he accepts.

The episode then shifts to Yoshino and Kirishima at school, where Yoshino is stressed about her upcoming exams, especially her struggle with mathematics. Kirishima offers to tutor her, and their conversation drifts to the topic of college and Yoshino's cousin, Tsubaki, who will soon be moving from Kyoto to Yokohama.

Yoshino later heads to Yokohama, trailed by Kirishima, who insists he couldn't leave her alone in such a dangerous place. Yoshino questions how much Kirishima has investigated her family and what he knows about Tsubaki. Kirishima casually reveals that he knows Tsubaki is Yoshino’s half-cousin.

Yoshino clarifies that Tsubaki is the granddaughter of Renji Somei, born from one of his mistresses, while Yoshino descends from Renji’s legitimate son. They soon meet Tsubaki, who compliments Yoshino’s appearance, noting her resemblance to Renji Somei. This turns into Tsubaki praising Renji’s near-perfect attributes.

Tsubaki and Kirishima as shown in the anime (Image via Studio Deen)

The trio visits various locations before settling at a café, where Yoshino remarks on the similarities between Tsubaki and Kirishima, especially their tendency to date multiple partners at once. When Yoshino leaves to get dessert, Tsubaki confronts Kirishima, accusing him of feigning interest in the family situation solely to win Yoshino’s favor, an accusation that Kirishima confirms.

Kirishima later probes Tsubaki about her status as the "princess" of an organ trafficking syndicate, asking if she had any involvement with Yoshino’s kidney in Episode 1. Tsubaki clarifies that no kidney was taken from Yoshino and that she was merely paid for her blood.

The episode closes with Tsubaki describing Kirishima as a “smooth-talking low-life,” though she acknowledges it shouldn't be an issue as long as Yoshino remains happy in their relationship. Before departing, Tsubaki warns Kirishima that if he ever harms Yoshino and becomes truly irredeemable, she’ll ensure he never finds her again.

Yakuza Fiancé episode 5 review

Yoshino as shown in Yakuza Fiancé episode 5 (Image via Studio Deen)

Yakuza Fiancé Episode 5 continued the themes from Episode 4, establishing Yoshino's allies who will be keeping a close watch on Kirishima. While Episode 4 focused on Shouma and Kirishima’s confrontation, which seemed likely to escalate into a physical altercation, Episode 5 shifted to a confrontation based on connections and influence.

This episode saw a considerable change in pacing, as it adapted only a single chapter of the manga, whereas previous episodes consistently covered three chapters per episode. Despite being produced by Studio Deen, known for its adaptation of the later seasons of Seven Deadly Sins, the animation quality remained steady. The consistency might stem from this episode's emphasis on character interactions and dialogue, with fewer high-action sequences requiring intensive animation.

Kirishima as shown in the anime (Image via Studio Deen)

Episodes 4 and 5 both established Kirishima’s opposition: Shouma and Tsubaki. Shouma is positioned to confront Kirishima physically, while Tsubaki can challenge him through her cunning and her connections within the underworld. Yakuza Fiancé episode 5 effectively balanced the power dynamic between Yoshino and Kirishima by introducing Yoshino's allies.

The voice acting has remained consistent, but the soundtrack remains unremarkable, with no particularly memorable tracks during emotionally charged moments.

Final Thoughts

Yakuza Fiancé Episode 6 will be released on November 11, 2024, as part of Crunchyroll's Fall 2024 lineup and will focus more on Kirishima and his evolving dynamics within the Yakuza group, along with his various other relationships. Episode 5 adapted Chapter 12 in its entirety, so fans wanting to continue the story can start reading from Chapter 13 of the manga.