According to the author’s public Patreon post, it was suppose to be 6 but it’s going to be extended to 7. Check the comments on tbe and post below:
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Thanks for linking that! The plan was originally 6, but after actually outlining more + having a better grasp at what still needs to happen, I quickly realized that it’ll take 7. Especially since I want to have a lot of endings! I’m not sure if they’re each going to be a short story in length or what, but that’s a concern for the distant future!
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Does this mean book 4 has a save system at the end now?
Book 4 save system has been available for quite a while now. Though I haven’t restarted Book 4 to prepare for Book 5. XD
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I read the demo (despite telling myself to wait for the whole book 
) and i loved it! I’m feeling a mix of excitement and fear for what comes next. Saying the ronin is not in a good state of mind is understatement of the century. and not just the ronin, our og companions aren’t looking very good either, all of them are going through their own trials, with momoko and masa taking the heavy blow. All in all I’m absolutely hyped!
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THE KING IS BACK!!! Super excited for sep. 2!
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. I’m totally with you my Samurai sister! Been following since book one, and played on Patreon. Loving the portraits too, , especially the gold eye versions!!
but yes! My poor gay MC has been to hell and back for his Jun-Kun 
and spent most of this book, so far, broken(with the occasional glance at how hot Tosh is, he’s only human!..I think!) and wanting to do his duty of saving Masa so he can finally end it all to go back to his one-pawed wolf love in hell. Drama!
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Am I the only one who would want J never to come back, and MC could forget them?
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I have really been looking forward to this release, having started and ended university since beginning this story. I do love it, truly, but I’m not personally keen on the fat jokes. I like Juni as the nerdy equivalent to Jun, he’s sweet but the descriptions concerning his weight seem…over the top. Being fat isn’t disgusting, it doesn’t mean you’re greasy and gross. Being fat is just another body type. As a person with a past of struggling with body shaming, could we focus more on Juni being the softer and naïve equivalent to Jun instead of using his weight as an insult? It’s just thought, kinda took me out of the story a bit.
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I regret playing the demo. Now I have to wait another month for the official release.
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You bring up a good point, Asher, and there are definitely moments where MC is overtly mean towards Jukoni/Juni due to their weight. That negativity is meant to be there. It’s times like these, where MC acts or thinks differently than the reader, that there’s some disconnect. That’s inevitable in a first-person story when you have a narrator with a strong tone and their own character.
When I think of MC, I consider them a swordmaster, which is a very dangerous and very athletic profession. During the part of the story where MC confuses Jukoni/Juni for Junko/Jun, MC is especially hard on them for their weight for probably a lot of reasons, but most of all out of concern for their rival/lover’s well-being. Being overweight and out of breath in a swordfight will get you killed, and MC would be very well aware of the danger Junko/Jun is now in.
As far as how MC views Juni/Jukoni later on in the book, they’ll definitely hold them in much higher regard and with more respect.
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I’m not gonna read the demo because i want to experience everything for the first time after release.
But! I am so hyped! Replayed the series like a month ago.
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Thank you for the thoughtful reply, I understand that with interactive first person narration, there is always going to be contention between your own vision for your OC and the players perspective. This does contextualise the MC’s fatphobia. I also noticed that if you choose not to indulge in the fatphobia, you will be rewarded with the pop up for being an honourable Ronin. I appreciate that.
As such, I do believe that making it clearer that these views are a (negative) trait of the MC would demonstrate to the reader that junkoni /Juni isn’t weak because of their weight, as the only character of a bigger size (so far), it’d be nice to see some positive representation for fat characters!
For example, when the MC states ‘In either case, we’d have to discuss his weight issues later’, that fits with what you said about the character being focused on fitness as a sword master. However, something like ‘it wasn’t that I was weak—he was just that heavy’ or ‘He was—I supposed—an expert on food now’ seem mocking/disparaging towards fatness itself, like I did feel myself going “we get it, he’s fat, so what?”
But I trust in your writing, and I’m glad to hear that this fatphobia will be discussed later on in the work, and I hope MC doesn’t just respect Juni/Jukoni despite of their fatness, but accepts them as a worthy sword-master in their own right.
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I ended up stopping reading the books in the third entry, but I plan to return with this new one. I was spoiled that Book 4 mainly deals with Jun/Junko and puts the other characters in the backbench. Will we ever see Kohaku again or he was just a transitory character?
FINALLY MY GUY 
my patience didn’t end up in vain. I just hope MC can reunited with Jun again:face_with_head_bandage:
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I agree with mostly the basis of this issue. However I feel like it is honestly clear enough that MCs’ views toward Juni/Jukon’s weight isn’t necessarily the best way to handle it. Its not like the narrative is in support of the MC while they are insulting juni. I think its quite clear that they are being a jerk. You also have to remember that the MC isn’t in the right mental space. And for the most part they have pretty much lost there minds. That doesn’t excuse it, but It definitely would explain why there aren’t the most sensitive towards those exact issues. I do like the fact that the Author allowed us to temper just how harsh we were about there weight. Which is pretty much how it should be for a choice based game.
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I cant quite put into words at just how stoked I am for book 5… it feels so surreal at this point. I have been following this series since book 1. And I have been invested in this story and its characters ever since then. I absolutely love how some of these new traits in book 5 are such a clear parallel to how Jun/ko was when they allowed the Jigoku to consume them. The “possessive” trait was pretty much a dead giveaway. Its such great foreshadowing that the MC might be walking down a similar path as Jun/ko.
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Forever wondering if my MC is carrying a baby Jun
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To piggyback off of this, Samurai of Hyuga handles the MC a bit differently than most CoG/HG stories. You don’t play as a blank slate self-insert so much as you play from the POV of one of the established characters in the setting.
The ronin has a backstory, prior relationships and characterization. And the ronin has A LOT of accumulated emotional baggage and mental trauma built up over the years and throughout the series itself. That said, it’s fair to say that, although you have no control over who the ronin was, you can absolutely shape who they ultimately become.
And while I’m still deciding whether I like the personality changes the ronin undergoes in Book 5, it’s completely understandable why it happened: the ronin is an emotional wreck at this point in the story and it’s honestly a miracle this breakdown didn’t happen sooner.
So, like Demonieeriemelony said, the ronin isn’t in the right mental space right now. It doesn’t excuse how they handle some things, but it does explain it.
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I don’t wanna say too much cause I read the patreon release so I’ve read most of book 5, but I’d consider the changes in MC’s personality as a way to recognize when MC has lost a sense of who they are/what the point of them being around is, which is especially the case when MC is in love with Jun because MC is super duper traumatized.
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