Hayate the Combat Butler (ハヤテのごとく!, Hayate no Gotoku!?) is a Japanese manga series, written and illustrated by manga author Kenjiro Hata, about a boy who starts a new job as a butler and the events he experiences with his employer. Shogakukan have released 24 volumes in Japan. The English edition of the series has been licensed by Viz Media for distribution in North America. The style of the manga has a comedic gag with a slight harem feel and constantly breaks the fourth wall. The series includes numerous references to other anime, manga, video games, and popular culture. An anime adaptation of the manga started airing on April 1, 2007, and ended on March 30, 2008 on TV Tokyo. A second anime season of Hayate the Combat Butler was officially confirmed for production by TV Tokyo on the official site on March 31, 2008, and in Shōnen Sunday volume eighteen, released on April 2, 2008.[1][2] Another such announcement immediately followed the ending credits of the final episode of season one. On July 4, 2008, Bandai Entertainment announced that they have licensed the anime series.[3] On June 11, 2009, Animax-Asia started airing the anime in South-East Asia with English dubs done by Red Angel Media.
Hayate Ayasaki is an unlucky teenager who worked since childhood to make ends meet due to his parents' irresponsible behavior. One day he finds out that his parents were planning to sell his organs to the Yakuza to make money, leaving behind a massive gambling debt on his shoulders. While running away from the debt collectors, he ends up meeting Nagi Sanzen'in, a young girl who is the sole heir of the wealthy Sanzen'in estate, and due to a misunderstanding, Nagi ends up falling in love with Hayate. After he rescues Nagi from some kidnappers, she hires Hayate as her new butler.
Aside from performing his ordinary duties as a butler, Hayate must fight to protect Nagi from harm, a difficult task as her life is always in danger because she is the target of other individuals coveting her family's fortune, and sometimes deal with some extravagant requests from her, oblivious to Nagi's true feelings for him. In the later story, Hayate has to deal with the feelings of several other girls, including the president of the student council of Nagi's school, Hinagiku. He is revealed to have had a romantic relationship with a female character some ten years previous, who is revealed to be a chairman for the board of the school.
