Haganai Author Yomi Hirasaka Retires After Reaching Financial Independence

Yomi Hirasaka, the author behind Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, has confirmed that he has retired from working as a light novelist, and the reason is surprisingly calm, almost like closing a book after finishing the last page exactly when you meant to. According to Hirasaka, his decision was driven by FIRE, the idea of achieving financial independence and retiring early through saving and investing, rather than by poor sales, stress, or health concerns.

The clarification arrived after online speculation suggested that he may have stepped away because of mental health struggles linked to criticism surrounding A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics and the final volume of the original novel series. Hirasaka directly pushed back on that idea, stating that both the anime adaptation and the last novel volume were extremely popular. In a media space where assumptions spread fast, often faster than facts, his response cut through the noise with unusual simplicity.

What led to the retirement

Hirasaka explained that his retirement was not born from creative exhaustion or commercial disappointment. Instead, it came from reaching a point of financial stability that allowed him to stop working earlier than most people do. In practical terms, that places his decision within a growing pattern: in recent years, interest in FIRE has expanded globally, especially among professionals seeking more control over time and work. It is a quiet kind of milestone, less dramatic than a farewell tour, but perhaps more honest.

I have always found these announcements a little bittersweet, because when a writer leaves by choice, it feels less like a collapse and more like watching someone step off a train one station before yours, content and unhurried. That is more or less the tone surrounding Hirasaka’s words here.

The final stretch of A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics

Hirasaka and illustrator Kantoku launched A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics in October 2021. The series concluded with its 10th and final volume, which shipped on July 17. Its manga adaptation, illustrated by Kōtarō Yamada, began in September 2022 on Sunday Webry and ended in December 2024. The adaptation’s sixth and final compiled volume shipped in January 2025.

The franchise also received a television anime adaptation that premiered in April 2024. For many authors, an anime adaptation is a kind of second wind, and in this case Hirasaka made clear that the reception was strong, not damaging. That detail matters, because it shifts the story away from retreat and toward personal choice.

A career built on well-known titles

Long before this retirement announcement, Hirasaka had already built a recognizable body of work. A Sister's All You Need., also created with illustrations by Kantoku, launched in 2015 and ended with its 14th volume in February 2020. The series also inspired a manga adaptation by Edo, which ran from December 2015 to July 2019 and concluded with eight volumes. It even expanded into a spinoff manga, Imōto Sae Ireba Ii.: Gaiden - Imōto ni Saenareba Ii!, which ran from October 2016 to February 2018 and ended with three volumes.

Then there is Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, perhaps the title many readers still associate with him first. That light novel series, created with illustrator Buriki, began in 2009 and ended with its 11th volume in August 2015. It inspired two television anime series, video anime spinoffs, and even a live-action film. Few writers leave with only one footprint; Hirasaka leaves several, and each one still carries weight.

A measured farewell

There is no scandal here, no sudden disappearance, no dramatic unraveling. What you see instead is a creator who says he reached the financial point where continuing was no longer necessary. In an industry often defined by overwork and uncertainty, that is a rare ending. Or maybe not an ending, exactly, but a door closing softly.

For readers, the numbers tell part of the story: multiple completed light novel series, anime adaptations, manga versions, and a final major work that reached 10 volumes. For Hirasaka, though, the more important figure may simply be one: the moment he decided he had enough freedom to stop.