fundamental games
and supplemental media
These two games are essential to play through chronologically to understand the world of Hatoful Boyfriend. It's certainly not all there is though!
Media that has official English translations will be tagged with 🗸
Media that only has fanmade translations will be tagged with ？
Media that has no English translations will be tagged with ⒳
Media that only has fanmade translations will be tagged with ？
Media that has no English translations will be tagged with ⒳
- School of Hope & White Wings 🗸
- The first game.
- Bad Boy's Love 🗸
- Secret long route that you can only earn after playing through other character's "full endings". It's around 4-6 hours long.
- Holiday Star 🗸
- Second game. Don't forget the accompanying Short Stories and Radio / How & Why of St. Pigeonation's which you unlock after completing the game.
bonus games
Starting in 2014, Moa began releasing short episodes featuring the characters. Unlike the previously named games, these ones were/are free and are downloadable through the browser. They require AdobeAIR to be installed.
- Tohri Nishikikouji Special Edition 🗸
- A free VN based off the Tohri scenario included in Hatoful Boyfriend's Playstation edition. As mentioned, this route is integrated into the main game on the PS, and possibly is integrated into the (now defunct) iOS and Android ports of the game. (Funfact: This episode was translated by Ed Fear!)
- 2014 April Fools 🗸
- April Fools special VN, "Hatocatch Pretty Coore!"
- 2015 April Fools 🗸
- April Fools special VN, "Sweet Shuu"
- 2016 April Fools 🗸
- April Fools special VN, "Sweet Shuu Q&A"
- EP 1-3 "Black Ships Attack!" ？
- Unlike the April Fools episodes, these ones are "canon" and will be a part of the storyline in MIRROR. They are not officially translated, but I have made translations of the 2nd and 3rd EPS, to read on google docs here and here.
- New Year's Greetings (2012/01/03) ⒳
- A short visual novel from the old Hatoful website which can be played via the browser using Flash. Uisng the Ruffle browser extension, it can still be viewed and played here.
- Plans for the Q&A Box (Closed for Submissions) (2011/11/30) ⒳
- A short visual novel from the old Hatoful website which can be played via the browser using Flash/Ruffle. After this was posted, users could submit questions, and those questions would eventually make it into the Hatoful Radio in Holiday Star. It can be viewed and played here.
manga
Since the original game's launch, Moa has released additional comics and manga. The physical books aren't being produced anymore. Kindle versions of some of the books are available.
The first two mangas on this list might be confusing to understand so I'll preface.
When Hatoful first came out, Moa began a Hatoful Boyfriend Webcomic. New chapters would be released regularly, once a month, for 16 months. Years into the future, Moa got a publisher to release the webcomic as a physical manga, but it only contained the first 12 chapters. So the remaining 4 chapters were added to a second Hatoful manga called "Overload! Overflow!", and an additional 3 short comics, previously unseen, were added at the end of the book.
If you look for "Hatoful Kareshi" on any manga website, it might lack the last 3 chapters, or have them be out of order, or only lack some but not others. These reprints will also most likely be fan-translated. The physical mangas were translated by the publishing company. You will differentiate the fantranslations from official by the font. Fantranslations will use the Anime Ace font, while official ones will use Hiragino Sans.
The first two mangas on this list might be confusing to understand so I'll preface.
When Hatoful first came out, Moa began a Hatoful Boyfriend Webcomic. New chapters would be released regularly, once a month, for 16 months. Years into the future, Moa got a publisher to release the webcomic as a physical manga, but it only contained the first 12 chapters. So the remaining 4 chapters were added to a second Hatoful manga called "Overload! Overflow!", and an additional 3 short comics, previously unseen, were added at the end of the book.
If you look for "Hatoful Kareshi" on any manga website, it might lack the last 3 chapters, or have them be out of order, or only lack some but not others. These reprints will also most likely be fan-translated. The physical mangas were translated by the publishing company. You will differentiate the fantranslations from official by the font. Fantranslations will use the Anime Ace font, while official ones will use Hiragino Sans.
- Hatoful Kareshi 🗸
- A manga adaptation of the Hatoful Webcomic. Although it takes place within the Hatoful universe, it follows a separate timeline from the game so it follows a different canon.
The first 12 chapters of Hatoful Kareshi were collected into the Hatoful Kareshi volume. The other 4 chapters were released in Hatoful Boyfriend Overload! Overflow! EX. It isn't formally for sale anymore, but it's been reprinted to many websites. - HBF: Overload! Overflow! EX 🗸
- Contains chapters 13-16 of the Hatoful Webcomic. Available to purchase on Moa's Kindle here.
- Kazuaki-Kun's Book 🗸
- A story about Kazuaki-kun's life. Available to purchase on Kindle here
- Absolute ZERO 🗸
- Anghel's manga in-universe is called "Dark Angel Story" and takes place in an alternative RPG universe. This manga takes place in that universe, but isn't drawn by Anghel. Available to purchase on Kindle here
- Focus on the Hawks 🗸
- Stories about Shuu, Tohri, and Ryuuji's past. Available to purchase on Kindle here
- Watari Bird Kimamani Toriaruki -Kobe Kachouen- ⒳
- Comics that serve to promote and advertise the bird animal park in Kobe, Kobe Kachouen! Available to purchase on Kindle here
guidebooks
- Official Guidebook (2011) ？
- Contained some concept art, guides for the routes, character profiles, and a few drawings in Anghel's artstyle. Unavailable to buy.
- Official Fanbook (2012) ？
- Extended version of the Guidebook. Q&A, a timeline of events, creator notes, school layout, interviews with Moa and the Drama CD voice actors, and so on. Unavailable to buy.
- The Fanbook also contains short stories featuring each of the characters.
drama CD
- 1. Prologue ？
- 2. Primal Feather ⒳
- 3. Second Feather: Summer Vacation ？
- 4. HatoMame Sweet Blend ？
- Drama CDs were released one by one from 2011 to 2013. Like the manga, they take place in the game (canon) universe but follow a slightly different timeline.
bonus
And that may generally be it. Other than these projects, Hatoful Boyfriend's lore is scattered across random Tumblr asks and answers from Moa's old blog and Twitter entries. One surviving post is this Q&A post on her blog, here. Sometimes Moa also randomly drops lore tidbits on Twitter. I recommend looking through her Twitter using keywords like character names, both in Japanese and in English. Up until January 2024 (idk why she stopped) she tagged her OC art with #ArtworkMoa810.
Moa and Damurushi have both posted hundreds of Hatoful Boyfriend drawings, but not as official concept art, so they shouldn't be taken as such. There's some self-indulgent things like ship art and doujinshi. So they're not necessarily even "dubiously canon" but they're still interesting to study. Here is a list of doujin mangas drawn by Damurushi.
Moa and Damurushi have both posted hundreds of Hatoful Boyfriend drawings, but not as official concept art, so they shouldn't be taken as such. There's some self-indulgent things like ship art and doujinshi. So they're not necessarily even "dubiously canon" but they're still interesting to study. Here is a list of doujin mangas drawn by Damurushi.
- in the honey milk ⒳
- Fanfiction: after the end of BBL, Shuu eventually develops the treatment for Ryouta's virus and saves him. But with that out of the way, there is nothing stopping Nanaki from doing whatever he wants to Shuu. He kidnaps Shuu and chains him up in his basement. As they spend time in each other's company, they look back on their life and spiral deeper into madness. Available to purchase as a digital book here.
- Hi No Tori No Uta ⒳
- Damurushi's own take on how Hitori and Kazuaki met, and how their relationship looked like. It comes in two parts. Part 1 is "Shiro" and Part 2 is "Kuro". Available to purchase as a digital book set together here.
- Artistic Operation ○🞨▽□ !! ⒳
- NSFW Fanfiction: Self-insert x Tohri. The Y/N character is a musclehunk fanboy of Tohri, so you pamper and worship Tohri. Then it gets right down to fucking, In this one, Tohri bottoms.
- LOVE IS DRUG ⒳
- NSFW Fanfiction: Shuu x Ryuuji. Ryuuji Lives AU. I think Shuu takes an aphrodisiac in this one.
- Under Control ⒳
- NSFW Fanfiction: Shuu x Ryuuji. Ryuuji Lives AU. Shuu is a bit older than in canon.