Marriage Is Difficult for a Ninja: Season 1, Episode 1 - Episode 1 (2023)

Hotaru Kusakari stands behind the counter at the neighborhood pharmacy, wearing her white coat and speaking politely to a customer about medication dosage while her coworker bustles in the back. As the customer leaves, her expression subtly hardens and the way she scans the store and street outside shifts from friendly to watchful, revealing her constant vigilance. The narration or her internal monologue establishes that she is not just a pharmacist but a covert operative of the Kōka ninja clan, living in modern society under deep cover, and that she has married an ordinary-seeming man named Gorō Kusakari while hiding her true identity.

That night, after work, Hotaru walks home through a residential area and enters the modest apartment she shares with Gorō. Inside, Gorō appears to be an easygoing, slightly clumsy postal worker in casual clothes, complaining lightly about his day delivering mail. He greets her warmly, and they move around one another in the small kitchen, preparing dinner together with practiced motions. While they talk about trivial matters--work, neighbors, household expenses--Hotaru's glances become sharp when his back is turned; she notices the way his hands avoid leaving fingerprints on certain surfaces and the silent lightness of his steps, small tells no normal postal worker would have. Internally, she suspects he might not be what he appears to be, but she does not reveal this; outwardly she just smiles and continues playing the role of a normal, affectionate wife.

Later that same evening, after dinner, Hotaru steps out supposedly to take out the trash. Once in the corridor and then outside in the dark, she smoothly checks the surroundings, her body language instantly changing to that of a trained operative. She leaps lightly up to a higher vantage point or slips into a narrow alley and uses her phone or a small encrypted device to report to her Kōka handler. On the other end, a calm authoritative voice reminds her that the centuries-old rivalry between the Kōka and Iga clans continues into the present, and that their operations in the city are delicate. The handler casually asks about her husband's background again, pressing her to stay alert, since an Iga agent might attempt to infiltrate their organization through marriage. Hotaru replies with controlled confidence that she has seen no concrete proof about Gorō, but she will keep monitoring him.

Back at the apartment, after Hotaru returns and goes to shower, Gorō takes advantage of being alone. His relaxed expression disappears, and he quietly moves a piece of furniture just enough to retrieve a concealed pouch or case. From it he takes out ninja tools--throwing blades, a coiled wire, or compact gadgets--and a compact communication device bearing the Iga clan's emblem. He quickly checks a message from his own superior, who reminds him that the Iga and Kōka clans remain enemies and that intelligence suggests a Kōka operative has been embedded in their district. Gorō is ordered to keep his cover as an ordinary postal worker and gather more intel, especially on any suspicious persons around him. Gorō's eyes flick briefly toward the bathroom door where Hotaru is showering, but he shakes off any doubt, closes the pouch, hides it back in its compartment, and resumes his mild, everyday demeanor before she emerges.

The next morning, Gorō heads out early "for work," putting on his postal uniform, slinging the bag over his shoulder, and kissing Hotaru goodbye at the door with an air of normal routine. Hotaru sees him off with a smile, then, once the door shuts, her face grows serious. She swiftly changes out of her domestic clothes into dark, flexible attire under an ordinary outfit, and tucks compact tools into hidden pockets. On her way to the pharmacy, she intentionally alters her route so that she can follow, from a distance, the direction Gorō took. From rooftops or from the shadows of side streets, she keeps him in sight as he delivers mail, noting his surprisingly strong leaps up exterior stairs, his uncanny ability to sense bicycles or cars behind him, and his precise body balance when he stretches to higher mail slots. Each of these movements strengthens her suspicion that he must be a ninja trained from childhood.

During his rounds, Gorō senses he is being tailed and subtly tests it. He changes direction abruptly, pretends to fumble his bag to stop and look around, and takes an unusually narrow alley as a shortcut. Hotaru anticipates these moves and uses her own training to remain unseen--clinging to blind spots, ducking behind cars, scaling a fence in seconds. Gorō's senses prickle; at one point, he suddenly turns his head, and for a split second he glimpses a shadow slipping out of sight on a nearby rooftop. He stiffens and quietly confirms to himself that another professional is watching him in broad daylight. Determining that this must be the rumored Kōka agent and not realizing it is his wife, he resolves to find out more but chooses not to confront the pursuer directly in order to maintain his cover.

That evening, after both have returned home and changed into loungewear, the tension of their separate suspicions coats the air even though their conversation is light. While eating dinner at the low table, Gorō casually asks Hotaru if anything unusual happened at the pharmacy. Hotaru, sensing his probing, replies with an equally casual tone but keeps the details vague. She then asks him about his route that day, naming certain districts with a tad too much interest. For a moment they lock eyes, each trying to read the other without giving away their own deception, then both laugh it off and change the subject. The scene shows them washing dishes together, hands brushing in the suds, their domestic intimacy standing in sharp contrast to the silent battle of information going on in their minds.

Later that night, separately, each receives a more urgent contact from their respective clan. Hotaru steps out onto the balcony to take a coded call from the Kōka side. She is informed that a high-value Iga courier is passing through the city, transporting data or an item crucial to the Iga's future operations. Her mission is to intercept this courier at a set location that very night, without revealing herself to law enforcement or civilians. She is warned that this courier might be heavily guarded or might turn out to be someone important within the Iga network. Hotaru accepts the mission and is reminded that failure will have serious consequences for Kōka security.

Inside the same apartment, moments after Hotaru ends her call and returns to act normal, Gorō excuses himself and goes into the bedroom, where he silently locks the door and activates his own secure line. The Iga commander informs him that reliable intelligence suggests a Kōka operative will attempt to strike a key Iga courier in the city that night. Gorō's assignment is to protect that courier and eliminate the Kōka agent if necessary. The commander explicitly stresses that Kōka ninjas are relentless and deceptive, and that Gorō must prioritize the mission above personal attachments or emotional entanglements. Gorō, whose life as a married man has given him softer instincts, hesitates for a fraction of a second but ultimately confirms he will complete the order.

Close to midnight, in a deserted part of the city--an empty commercial district or a dimly lit overpass--Hotaru arrives first, dressed in full operational gear beneath a dark coat and mask, moving swiftly over obstacles with ninja agility. She takes a high vantage point and surveys the area, spotting the planned route her target is expected to use. She sets simple traps or scouting devices--perhaps a thin wire across a side path, a small camera-like sensor on a lamppost, and a concealed flash device for disorienting opponents. She then settles on an upper ledge or rooftop, poised, focused, and waiting for the designated time, with the night wind tugging at her outfit.

From another direction, also under cover of night, Gorō moves into the same zone in his own Iga gear, his face mostly hidden, his body posture sharper and more disciplined than in his daytime persona. He meets briefly with the Iga courier, a masked operative carrying a case or secure container. Gorō tells the courier the exact path he should take and promises to cover him from the shadows, making clear that protecting the item is the priority. The courier nods and starts moving along the chosen route while Gorō melts into the darkness above and behind him, ready to intercept any attacker.

As the courier passes through a choke point, Hotaru's sensor triggers, alerting her that the target has arrived. She watches carefully and notices the courier's movements mark him as a trained ninja, confirming he must be the Iga operative she was sent to stop. Just as she prepares to strike, she also glimpses another shadow tracking the courier from a different angle. Recognizing the pattern of a protective escort, she concludes that the second presence must be a higher-level Iga ninja acting as a bodyguard. She decides to first neutralize the guard to isolate the courier, planning to capture the courier afterward.

Hotaru drops silently from above, using a distraction device--maybe a small pellet that explodes into a flash of light and smoke near the courier's feet. The courier stops, blinded and confused, and instinctively moves back. Gorō, seeing the explosion from his vantage point, instantly leaps down between the courier and the direction from which the attack came. Hotaru darts in, attacking from the side with quick strikes aimed at pressure points. Gorō blocks, and the two engage in a fast, precise hand-to-hand fight, exchanging punches, kicks, and blade parries, each recognizing the other's high level of training. Neither speaks at first; they only read each other's style, both thinking that the opponent feels strangely familiar in footwork and timing.

Their duel drives them along the street, up onto a stairwell, and briefly across a lower rooftop. Hotaru attempts to tie Gorō's leg with a wire to immobilize him, but he anticipates the move, cuts the wire mid-swing, and counters with a sweep aimed at her ankles. She avoids the fall by planting her hand on the ground and flipping over his leg in a smooth arc. In the confusion, both lose track of the courier, who uses the distraction to escape down a different path. When they realize the courier has slipped away, they shift tactics, each trying to disengage briefly to regain the objective, but the other refuses to let them go, resulting in another intense exchange of blows.

During one close clash, their faces come within inches of each other, and a gust of wind dislodges part of Hotaru's mask or hood. Under the dim streetlight, Gorō catches a glimpse of her eyes and a fragment of her hair or jawline that is unmistakably his wife's. His stance falters for a split second as he stares in shock, and he breathes her name quietly, almost involuntarily. Hotaru hears her own name on the lips of her supposed enemy in her husband's voice and, in turn, focuses on his eyes, realizing that the pattern of his breathing, his way of calling out to her, and his presence are all those of Gorō. She pulls her mask fully down for a moment, and he lowers his own, both of them staring at each other in disbelief as they finally comprehend that their enemy on this mission is their own spouse.

The sudden revelation paralyzes them briefly, and both lower their weapons slightly, breathing hard. Hotaru's mind races as she connects all the small oddities she has observed about Gorō--the light steps, the quick reflexes, the guarded behavior--and matches them to the image of an Iga ninja standing before her. Gorō does the same with his half-formed suspicions that his wife was more than a simple pharmacist. They exchange a few terse words, confirming directly that each belongs to their respective clan: she admits she is Kōka, and he reveals he is Iga. Their voices carry a mix of hurt and incredulity, but the mission clock is still ticking, and they both know their organizations expect results tonight.

Before they can fully process what this means for their marriage, distant sounds or a coded signal inform them that the courier has escaped the immediate area. Both receive brief updates through their devices: Hotaru hears from Kōka that the courier has not yet left the city and that she still has a chance to track him; Gorō gets confirmation that the courier is en route but may face additional obstacles. Back in the alley, facing each other, they both raise the possibility--hesitantly--that they should stand down for the night. However, their training and lifetime loyalties make it impossible for either to abandon the mission entirely. This inner conflict leaves them frozen for a beat, weapons still loose in their hands.

Realizing that if they continue fighting they might be forced to seriously injure or kill one another, and that both clans will now investigate this botched encounter, Hotaru makes a quick decision. She suddenly throws a smoke bomb at the ground between them, filling the area with thick haze. Gorō instinctively moves to close the distance, but the cloud obscures everything and forces him to step back to avoid surprise attacks. Instead of using the cover to strike him, Hotaru uses it to disengage completely, leaping up a nearby wall and vanishing onto the rooftops. When the smoke clears, Gorō stands alone in the alley, looking up at the empty ledge where she disappeared, torn between chasing after her and returning to secure the courier's remaining route.

Gorō ultimately chooses his duty for the remainder of the operation and rushes off in the direction of the courier, leaving the alley behind. Hotaru, now perched on a distant rooftop, watches him go, clutching a railing or antenna tightly, her usually calm face shaken. She does not attempt further interception that night, letting the courier reach safety. Instead, she quietly retreats through the city, no longer focused on the mission but replaying the fight and the moment their faces were revealed to each other. Both missions end without the decisive outcome that either clan wanted: Kōka fails to seize the courier, and Iga fails to eliminate the Kōka agent, although the courier stays alive.

Later, just before dawn, Hotaru returns to the apartment first. She changes out of her gear into her usual pajamas or home clothes and forces herself to breathe normally. When she hears Gorō's key in the lock, she quickly assumes a half-asleep posture on the futon or couch, eyes closed but mind alert, pretending she has been home all night. Gorō enters quietly, sees her "sleeping," and stops at the doorway, staring at her with a troubled look. He knows now, with certainty, that the woman lying there is a Kōka ninja who just tried to sabotage his mission. He kneels beside her, hesitates as if about to wake her and talk, but ultimately pulls a blanket over her shoulders instead and withdraws to the other room, his face full of conflict.

When morning light filters into the apartment, both of them get up and go through the motions of their usual routine. In the kitchen, they stand side by side, preparing breakfast. Neither mentions the previous night's confrontation directly; instead, there is a strained politeness in their voices. Hotaru steals sidelong glances at Gorō, noticing that his movements are a shade stiffer than usual, while Gorō does the same, unable to look at her without seeing the masked opponent from the alley. When he finally mutters a casual question about whether she slept well, she gives a flat affirmative, then asks in return if work was busy. The banal exchange masks the new, heavy knowledge hanging between them.

As they sit to eat, the silence stretches, punctuated only by the clink of chopsticks. Each of them considers speaking--confessing everything openly, asking the questions that now crowd their minds about clan loyalties, their marriage, and their years together--but each stops short, constrained by the fear of betraying their own side and of hearing an answer that will shatter whatever remains of their normal life. The episode ends with the two of them at the breakfast table, facing each other across the dishes, outwardly an ordinary married couple starting another day, inwardly two rival ninjas who have just discovered the truth about one another and have no idea yet how to reconcile their opposing worlds.

Short, simple version of the ending of Episode 1:

At the end of Episode 1, Hotaru and Goro, still believing the other is just an ordinary spouse, each secretly receive a new ninja mission connected to the same political assassination. They separately slip back into their clan lives--Hotaru as a Kōka operative, Goro as an Iga operative--while returning to the same shared home as a worn‑out married couple. The episode closes with both of them determined to handle their missions and their crumbling marriage, unaware that the enemy ninja they are being pointed toward is actually the person waiting for them at the dinner table.

Expanded chronological narrative of the ending, scene by scene:

After the mid‑episode tension about their failing marriage, the story moves into its final stretch late at night.

Inside their small apartment, Hotaru stands alone in the living room. The lights are on but dim, giving the space a tired, yellow cast. There are traces of an ordinary evening--a half‑cleared table, a couple of mugs, and a TV turned off with the remote lying skewed on the floor. Hotaru's shoulders are slightly slumped; she looks at the room as if it feels too quiet. The earlier argument about chores and responsibilities still hangs between her and Goro, and her expression is not angry anymore but flat, edged with resignation.

Goro comes out from another room, still in his postal worker clothes, the shirt slightly wrinkled from a full day's work. His tie is loosened, and he scratches the back of his neck, trying to find something normal to say. He makes an effort at small talk and a casual tone, as if they can simply glide over the awkwardness and exhaustion. Hotaru answers him, but in a clipped, polite way. The conversation stays shallow--house bills, schedules, mundane logistics--as both of them carefully avoid mentioning how unhappy they are.

When Goro turns away to head toward the bathroom, Hotaru watches his back. Her face shows a brief flicker of softness, then closes up again. She looks at her phone, scrolling through messages or a schedule app, and her eyes narrow just slightly, her mind clearly somewhere beyond the four walls of their home.

The next beat shifts the air in the scene.

Hotaru's phone vibrates with a particular pattern. She recognizes it instantly. Her posture changes; her whole body tightens and becomes more alert. Stepping away from the main room, she moves into the bedroom and quietly closes the door behind her. The lighting here is cooler, the shadows deeper.

She taps a secure app or answers a coded call--whichever method is shown in that specific cut--and a calm, controlled voice from the Kōka clan side gives her new orders. The details relate to a recent assassination of a political figure and to suspicious movements connected to the rival Iga clan. Hotaru listens without interrupting. Her face loses the domestic weariness and shifts into professional focus: eyes sharp, jaw set, breathing even.

She receives precise instructions: she is to investigate movements tied to an Iga operative, to track, observe, and, if needed, eliminate a threat to her clan that is suspected to be close to the same region where she lives as "Hotaru Kusakari, pharmacist and wife." The briefing alludes to the Iga clan's continued hostility and suggests that a talented Iga ninja has been operating under civilian cover.

Hotaru answers in a low, steady voice. She accepts the mission without hesitation. After the call or message ends, she stands very still for a moment, then opens the closet. Behind a layer of ordinary clothes, tucked neatly away, is her ninja gear: dark, functional clothing, specialized tools, and possibly a concealed weapon or two. She touches the gear briefly, reaffirming this part of herself, then closes the closet again, returning everything to its hidden place.

Her expression now holds two simultaneous tensions: the obligation of the ninja mission and the unresolved strain of her marriage. She is committed to both identities, but she cannot merge them. She takes a slow breath, smooths her civilian clothes, and exits the bedroom.

The point of view then shifts to Goro.

Somewhere else in the apartment--a small hallway, the bathroom doorway, or a separate room--Goro's phone or device also emits a distinct signal. He reacts instantly, the easy, slightly goofy domestic demeanor falling away. His eyes sharpen; his movements turn economical and controlled.

He steps into a private spot, perhaps closing the bathroom door or moving into another room. A similar secure line or coded channel appears, but this time from the Iga clan leadership. The Iga voice is more clipped and stern, framing the same assassination incident from their own perspective: they suspect Kōka involvement and have identified the area where a dangerous Kōka operative is believed to be active.

Goro is instructed to monitor and neutralize this Kōka threat. The language used makes it clear that if he finds the target, elimination is an option. The clan emphasizes duty, rivalry, and the long history of hostility with Kōka. Goro listens quietly, his face serious, all traces of the slightly bumbling husband gone. He confirms receipt of the mission with a firm reply.

After the communication ends, he opens a hidden compartment: maybe a panel behind a cabinet, a box tucked high in a closet, or a concealed drawer. Inside are his Iga tools--light, quiet, deadly. He checks a weapon or two for readiness, then closes the space, leaving everything perfectly concealed.

Goro's internal conflict is visible only in subtle ways. He glances toward the direction of the living room, where Hotaru is, and there is a moment where the weight of living two lives settles on his features. But, as with Hotaru, duty overrides hesitation. He squares his shoulders, returns his posture to that of an ordinary working man, and steps back out.

The episode brings them back into the same frame.

Hotaru and Goro end up in the living room again, within a few meters of each other, each having just accepted a mission to hunt an enemy from the rival clan. They do not talk about it--neither knows that the "enemy" their clan is warning them about is likely to be sitting across from them at their own dinner table.

Goro may suggest something small and normal--finishing dinner, going to bed, or planning part of the next day. Hotaru responds in measured tones. The silence between lines is heavier than before, because now there are two secrets running in parallel: their shared marital problems and their distinct ninja assignments.

The camera or focus lingers on their faces in turn:

Hotaru, looking down at something mundane in her hands, her eyes distant. The mission runs through her mind. She is a Kōka ninja again as much as she is a wife.

Goro, looking toward her, his eyes shadowed with fatigue and something like guilt, hiding the Iga orders that are still echoing in his head.

In the final image of the episode, they are physically together yet framed in a way that emphasizes distance--either separated by part of the room, by the back of a chair, or by a subtle line in the composition. Both are resolving to carry out their clan duties while continuing the appearance of an ordinary married life.

Fates of the main characters at the end of Episode 1:

Hotaru: She remains in the marriage, staying in the shared home with Goro, but emotionally she is strained and dissatisfied. By the end of the episode, she has taken on a new Kōka ninja mission connected to the assassination case. She is fully active as a ninja again, committed to her clan, and still completely unaware that her husband is an Iga ninja and that his latest assignment is essentially aimed at the same conflict.

Goro: He also remains in the marriage and in the same apartment, yet feels the weight of the growing distance between himself and Hotaru. By the end of the episode, he has accepted a new Iga mission to investigate and, if necessary, eliminate a Kōka operative tied to the assassination. He resumes his role as an Iga ninja in secret and does not know that his wife is the Kōka ninja counterpart on the other side of the same case.

They both end Episode 1 under the same roof, preparing in silence for opposing missions and unknowingly setting up a direct clash between their clan loyalties and their troubled marriage.

There is no post-credits scene in "Marriage Is Difficult for a Ninja" Season 1, Episode 1 (2023); the episode ends with the standard credits only and no additional narrative footage afterward.

"Marriage Is Difficult for a Ninja" episode 1 is generally light and comedic, but it is aimed at adults/teens rather than young children, mainly because of marital themes, clan conflict, and some stylized ninja action.

Potentially objectionable or upsetting elements in episode 1 (kept non‑spoilery):

• Mild to moderate martial arts/ninja violence: surprise attacks, chases, characters using weapons in non‑gory, TV‑style action scenes.
• Ongoing marital conflict: spouses argue, talk seriously about divorce, and express dissatisfaction with their partner and married life.
• Family/clan hostility: rival ninja clans, talk of strict rules, punishment or expulsion from the clan, and pressure to stay married for clan reasons rather than love.
• Some romantic/sexual‑situational content appropriate to adult drama (discussion of married life, physical closeness implied) but no explicit nudity or graphic sex.
• Light alcohol/social drinking in adult settings may appear.
• Occasional tense or suspenseful moments when characters are secretly on missions or hiding their identities, which might be stressful for very sensitive viewers.
• Mild verbal barbs/insults during arguments or comic relief.

For most older kids/teens it will likely feel like a fairly tame live‑action romantic action‑comedy, but the themes of divorce, adult relationships, and clan pressure make it less suited to younger children.