is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Chica Umino. It has been serialized in Hakusensha's manga magazine Young Animal since July 2007, with its chapters collected in 18 volumes as of September 2025. It follows the life of Rei Kiriyama, an introvert professional shogi player, who gradually develops both his play and his relationship with others.
An anime television series adapted by Shaft aired on NHK G from October 2016 to March 2017 and a second season aired from October 2017 to March 2018, with each season consisting of 22 episodes. The English dubbed version was released in four parts by Aniplex of America between December 2017 and April 2019. A two-part live-action film adaptation was released in 2017. The manga has been licensed for English release by Denpa. A spin-off of the manga ran from 2015 to 2020.
March Comes In like a Lion won the fourth Manga Taishō, the 35th Kodansha Manga Award in its general category, the 18th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize's Grand Prize, and the manga division's Grand Prix of the 24th Japan Media Arts Festival. The story has been praised for the psychological depiction of its characters. The anime adaptation has been overall well received by critics, being considered as one of the best of 2010s.
Plot Rei Kiriyama's parents and younger sister died in an accident in his childhood. He then started living with the family of Masachika Kōda who was a friend of his father. Reaching adulthood, Rei left his foster family thinking he was only causing trouble. He now lives alone and has few friends. Among his acquaintances are three sisters of the Kawamoto family—Akari, Hinata, and Momo. As the story progresses, Rei deals with his maturation both as a professional shogi player and as a person, all the while strengthening his relationships with others, particularly the Kawamoto sisters.
The town where the main character Rei Kiriyama lives is set in Shinkawa which is situated along Tokyo's Sumida River. The Kawamoto family's home is set in Tsukuda which is connected to the town Rei lives in through the Chuo bridge. The shogi hall of the manga is set in Sendagaya area and it resembles the headquarters of the Japanese Shogi Association that is situated there.
Characters Main characters
17 years old at the beginning of the series, later turns 18. A five dan at the beginning of the series, he is later promoted to six dan. Rei became a professional shogi player while in middle school and his achievements soon made him one of the most promising players of his generation. After his parents and sister died in a traffic accident, he was taken in by his father's friend Kōda and became his apprentice in shogi. After becoming a professional shogi player and completing middle school, he decided to become independent and not attend high school. However, after feeling a "need" to attend school, Rei joins a high school after a one-year delay. He lives in the city of Rokugatsu-chō (June town).
A resident of Sangatsu-chō (March town), she is the eldest of three sisters. After her mother and grandmother's death, she starts taking care of her two younger sisters. In the morning, she helps her elderly grandfather run a traditional wagashi (Japanese confectionery) shop, Mikazuki-dō, while in the evening, she works as a hostess for a bar in Ginza, Misaki, which her aunt manages. Akari gets acquainted with Rei when she finds him on the street when his older shogi rivals got him drunk and abandoned him; she takes him to her home and looks after him all night, which starts Rei's close relationship with the family. She often calls Rei "Rei-kun". This leads Kyoko to become jealous of her.
The second of the three sisters. A middle school student. She sleeps late in the mornings till the very last minute and often makes by herself. She calls Rei "Rei-chan". Like her elder sister Akari, she likes taking care of Rei, who develops romantic feelings for her as the series progresses. She has a strong loyalty toward her friends and family. She aspires to be as mature as her sister when she gets older. Later she graduates from middle school, enrolls at the same high school where Rei studies, and starts dating him.
The youngest of the three sisters. A preschool student, she attends a daycare center. Pure and innocent, she has a bit of a selfish streak at times. Her favorite anime character is Bodoro (modelled on My Neighbour Totoros Totoro). She calls Rei "Rei-chan".
Kōda family
Rei's shogi teacher, a pro eight dan. He was both a friend and rival in shogi to Rei's biological father. After Rei's parents and sister died, he adopts Rei and guides him in shogi. He is serious about shogi and is very strict with his biological children when they were studying it themselves. Because of the attention that their father showed Rei, both the Koda children grew to resent Rei and treated him poorly as he was growing up in their household.
Kōda's daughter and Ayumu's older sister. She is four years older than Rei. Beautiful and hot-tempered, Kyōko seems to hold a grudge against Rei as she has the habit of exerting a negative influence on him by discouraging him purposefully before his matches. She appears to be in love with Masamune Gotō, a married man. When she was younger, she was openly hostile to Rei when he first joins the family because she is jealous of the attention her father gives Rei. She aspired to become a professional shogi player but was discouraged by her father as the field was dominated by men and she was not talented enough to be a part of it. She often goes to Rei's apartment whenever she is feeling lonely. Later on, she admits to herself that she was unfair to Rei because she realizes that he was not trying to steal her family, rather, he just wanted to be part of one.
Kōda's son and Kyōko's younger brother. He is the same age as Rei. After losing to Rei in shogi, he stopped playing at all and afterward started confining himself to his room and only playing video games.
Professional shōgi players
Rei's self-proclaimed "best friend" and "lifelong rival". A four dan, he has played with Rei since they were children. Even though he appears to be healthy, he is chronically ill, which has contributed to his obesity. He is from an extremely wealthy family. He is modeled after an actual real-life shogi player Satoshi Murayama.
In his late 30s, of the same age as Tōji Sōya. Eight dan. He is a senior fellow student of Nikaidō, whom he takes care of like his own little brother. He is a gentle-tempered person and is naturally inclined to look after younger shogi players. But he is also an incredibly tough soldier in shogi. He hosts the "Shimada shogi workshops", which he invited Rei to join. He originally comes from a rural area. In his youth, he had to work long hours on the farm and relied on his fellow villagers' donations to support his shogi study in Tokyo. He has chronic stomach pain because of the stress from his matches. Takanori Jingūji, the chairman of the Japan Shogi Association, often laments that Shimada is not charismatic or as good-looking as Sōya, the current Meijin, who is his same age.
In his early 40s. Nine dan. A tall and muscular man with a stern and frightening face. His wife is in a coma and appears to have been hospitalized for a long time. He was a younger fellow pupil of Masachika Kōda, whose daughter Kyōko he appears to have a very complicated relationship with, though he calls her a "stalker". Rei sees him as the main antagonist in life for he thinks Gotō is having an affair with Kyōko and breaking her heart. He had an altercation with Rei where he punches him when he was confronted for his improper relationship with Kyōko. Even though she loves Gotō, Kyōko is the one who often helps him get gifts for his comatose wife. He is generally very forthright and impatient to the point of being arrogant, but he also does not hesitate to stand up for Shimada when he overhears some other players making demeaning comments about him.
The current Meijin. He has longed for a rival like Rei. Similar to Rei, he became a professional shōgi player in middle school, and several players who faced both pointed out that their playing styles are very similar. He became the youngest ever Meijin at age 21. Later in the story, it's revealed that he has intermittent hearing loss due to unknown causes.
26 years old. Five dan. A quite expressive and enthusiastic person, he can be aggressive at times as well. He comes from the countryside. He is a fan of Akari.
26 years old. Six dan. He is often called . A bit aloof, he gets along well with Matsumoto.
A nine dan professional shogi player, ranked A for the past eight years, Tsujii Takeshi is a lover of wordplay and craves public attention. Other people within the shogi world call him waste of good looks' due to his propensity for dad jokes and terrible puns. He is usually the only one to laugh at his gags. Tsujii played against Rei during the quarterfinals of the 20th Lion King Tournament.
65 years old. A seven dan. He is a veteran who has been a professional shogi player for over 40 years. He comes from Fukushima.
A six dan. Upon losing a match, he lost his temper, thus resulting in him divorcing his wife.
Shogi Dragon titleholder. Passionate about eventually dethroning Sōya. He temporarily separates from his wife when he thinks a hostess from a bar has genuine affection for him.
Other characters
A middle school student. A childhood friend and classmate of Hinata's, he is her first crush. He is the son of a milkman. He is the ace of his school's baseball team and aims to be a professional. Since Rei became a professional shogi player in middle school, Yūsuke greatly looks up to him. His father and grandfather are both fans of Rei. He is very straightforward and encourages Hinata during the time she was being bullied. To realize his dream to become a professional, he moves to a high school in Shikoku seeking to participate in the kōshien baseball tournament, much to Hinata's sadness.
The grandfather of the three Kawamoto sisters. He runs a traditional shop, Mikazuki-dō (Crescent Moon). Even though he gives off an impression of a grumpy old man, he dotes on his granddaughters a lot, in particular Momo, and aims to live long enough to send them away for their marriages. He is incredibly passionate about being the sole male protector of the family.
The butler of the Nikaidō family, who has been in continuous service for them for over 45 years. A gentle and kind elderly man, he has been taking care of Harunobu ever since he was a baby.
A teacher of the high school where Rei decided to join. He is a big fan of shogi and regularly reads shogi magazines. He is the only one in the high school who had heard of Rei being a professional shogi player though when he first knew of him joining, he presumed he only had the same surname. He speaks in a very friendly manner with Rei and is often concerned with his well-being, always thinking of ways to help him socialize with others. He later develops feelings for Akari.
The aunt of the three Kawamoto sisters. She, helped by Akari, manages a bar in Ginza called "Misaki". She has a strong and confident personality and employs Akari to work at her bar so she can at least spend one night a week dressing up so she does not lose herself to a state of only being a mother to her younger sisters. She encourages Rei to bring his fellow shogi players to the bar so she can make money off of them.
President of the After School Bunsen Burners Club, a chemistry club in the school Rei goes to. Because he has a mustache, everyone assumes that he is Rei's teacher.