Raku Ichijo is the son of a yakuza boss. Chitoge Kirisaki is the daughter of a rival gang leader. To stop their families going to war, they are forced to pretend to be a couple, despite hating each other on sight. Add a pendant Raku has carried since childhood, a promise to a girl he cannot remember, and a lot of girls with keys, and you have Nisekoi: False Love.

Nisekoi is one of the most stocked romance manga in our shop, and we have a lovely run of the Viz volumes. This guide covers its history, the anime and film, the characters and the volumes worth having. Browse our Nisekoi manga while you read.

Where Nisekoi came from

Nisekoi started life as a one-shot in Jump NEXT!, Shueisha's seasonal showcase for new work. It was popular enough to win a full serialisation in Weekly Shōnen Jump from November 7, 2011, where it became one of the magazine's flagship romantic comedies for almost five years. In 2013 it was already among Oricon's top 30 best-selling manga.

The story: a fake couple and a real mystery

The fake relationship between Raku and Chitoge provides the comedy, but the hook is the pendant. Ten years ago, Raku promised to marry a girl, and she kept a key to his locked pendant. Over the series several girls turn up with keys, including his crush Kosaki Onodera, and the question of who made the promise keeps readers guessing until the final volumes.

Along the way, Nisekoi is packed with classic school rom-com moments: festivals, beach trips, class plays, and misunderstandings that would be solved by one honest conversation.

From page to screen: the Shaft anime

Studio Shaft, known for its stylish visuals, produced a 20-episode anime that aired from January to May 2014, followed by a 12-episode second season titled Nisekoi: from April to June 2015. Shaft's playful framing and bright colours suited the series perfectly. A live-action film followed in Japanese cinemas on December 21, 2018.

Naoshi Komi's art

Komi's clean, expressive art and talent for comic timing made the girls of Nisekoi instantly memorable, and the debate over which heroine Raku should end up with was one of manga fandom's longest-running arguments of the early 2010s. Each girl's key design is part of the fun for collectors.

Why Nisekoi matters

Nisekoi helped keep the romantic comedy alive in Weekly Shōnen Jump at a time when action dominated the magazine, and its "fake couple" setup has been borrowed by plenty of later rom-coms. It remains a common first romance manga for readers coming from Jump's action series.

Where to start reading Nisekoi

Start at Vol. 1. The fake relationship and the pendant mystery are set up straight away. We stock a good spread of the run, including Vol. 6 and Vol. 17.

Nisekoi: False Love manga & anime timeline

Key characters in Nisekoi: False Love

Curiosities collectors should know

Nisekoi: False Love volumes worth knowing

• Vol. 1

  Nisekoi: False Love Vol. 1

  2014 · Viz Media

  The fake relationship begins and the mystery of the pendant is introduced.

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• Vol. 6

  Nisekoi: False Love Vol. 6

  2014 · Viz Media

  The cast is complete and the love triangle has become a love polygon.

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• Vol. 11

  Nisekoi: False Love Vol. 11

  2026 · Viz Media

  A mid-series highlight full of the classic school-event chapters fans love.

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• Vol. 17

  Nisekoi: False Love Vol. 17

  2016 · Viz Media

  The keys and the past start to come into focus.

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• Vol. 25

  Nisekoi: False Love Vol. 25

  2018 · Viz Media

  The final volume, where the promise is finally answered.

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Nisekoi: False Love covers through the years

A look at the covers across the English-language run. Tap a cover to find it in our shop.

Vol. 1 Vol. 2 Vol. 3 Vol. 4 Vol. 5 Vol. 6 Vol. 7 Vol. 9 Vol. 10 Vol. 11 Vol. 12 Vol. 14 Vol. 15 Vol. 16 Vol. 17 Vol. 18 Vol. 19 Vol. 20 Vol. 21 Vol. 22 Vol. 23 Vol. 24 Vol. 25

Nisekoi: False Love on our shelves right now

Here are some of the volumes we currently have in stock. Every copy is checked and graded before it is listed.

Vol. 1 Vol. 6 Vol. 11 Vol. 17 Vol. 20 Vol. 24

You can also browse every Nisekoi: False Love book we stock.

Frequently asked questions about Nisekoi: False Love

Condition grades on our listings follow our comic & book condition guide. Have Nisekoi: False Love books of your own you would like to sell? Email us at contact@siomiccomics.com. Nisekoi: False Love and all related characters are trademarks of Naoshi Komi / Shueisha. Cover images are shown for reference.