The Ramparts of Ice (Kōri no Jōheki) was one of the most anticipated romance anime of Spring 2026 – and for good reason. The webtoon is written and illustrated by Kocha Agasawa, the same creator behind You and I Are Polar Opposites, which was so successful that it got a second season announced on the very same day its Season 1 finale aired. That’s very rare in the romance anime world.

Now Agasawa’s earlier work is getting its own moment in the spotlight. But if you’re watching The Ramparts of Ice on Netflix and wondering whether Koyuki and Minato will actually kiss during the anime’s 12-episode run, you will find your answer here.

Fair warning: Heavy spoilers ahead.

Who Is the Love Interest in The Ramparts of Ice?

With how the anime starts, you might think that Yota, the kind, towering guy also known as “Mr. Giraffe”, is the love interest. But he’s not. The actual male lead is Minato Amamiya, the bubbly extrovert who can’t help but gravitate toward Koyuki.

Their dynamic starts off pretty fun: Koyuki is standing in front of a mirror trying to figure out if her expression looks too intimidating when Minato suddenly appears next to her to see what she’s up to. They didn’t even know each other at that point, and Koyuki – who is deeply reserved and keeps everyone at arm’s length – is completely startled.

From that moment on, Minato keeps noticing her. He thinks about how to approach her, not in a pushy or creepy way, but out of genuine curiosity and warmth. Unfortunately, Koyuki overthinks everything he says and keeps him at a distance. That is, until they have a small argument. Once they talk it out, their relationship begins to shift.

But after misunderstanding each other constantly, Amamiya gets another girlfriend.

I know that sounds terrible on paper. But trust me: the romance between Minato and Koyuki, and especially the buildup, is one of the most well-written slow burns I’ve read.

Koyuki x Minato: Is There a Kiss in The Ramparts of Ice?

Episode 2 on Netflix covers roughly up to the middle of Chapter 14. The anime has 12 confirmed episodes, so if that pacing holds, Season 1 will likely end somewhere around Chapter 84.

And there is no kiss until then. Not even close – because as of Chapter 83, Amamiya is still in a relationship with Momoka.

Koyuki’s and Minato’s first kiss is in chapter 108. But that is well beyond what the anime will cover this season – if they don’t pick up the pace.

So to see a kiss animated, we’ll have to wait for a Season 2 – but I honestly doubt it will happen, at least not as a full season. The webtoon is finished at 117 chapters, which would leave only about 33 chapters left to adapt. Whether that’s enough to justify another season will depend entirely on how well Season 1 performs. For reference, You and I Are Polar Opposites was such a massive hit that a second season was confirmed for July 2026 almost immediately, but not every romance anime gets that lucky.

Is The Ramparts of Ice a Manga or a Webtoon?

You’ll see The Ramparts of Ice labeled as a “manga” in a lot of places – including on Wikipedia and in Shueisha’s own catalog – but that’s only half the story. It actually started as a self-published webtoon by Kocha Agasawa, who uploaded it independently for about two years before it got picked up for official serialization on LINE Manga in January 2020. The series ran there until April 2022 and accumulated over 160 million views on the platform.

Only after the digital serialization ended did Shueisha publish the story in print under its Jump Comics imprint, reformatting the vertical-scroll panels into a traditional horizontal page layout across 14 tankōbon volumes (July 2023 – February 2025). So the reading experience differs quite a bit depending on which version you pick up.

For English readers, the full-color webtoon version is available on MangaPlaza, with the first 48 chapters free to read. There is no English print release as of now.

Do Yota and Miki Get Together?

Now for the side couple that a lot of readers are equally invested in.

Yota and Miki have been best friends since middle school. Miki comes across as this loud, tomboyish girl, while Yota is the gentle giant who hides his feelings because he doesn’t want to ruin the friendship. He actually manages to keep them buried for years – until one day, when they’re alone in the storage room and Yota saves her from a falling box. In that moment, Miki realizes that his feelings for her go deeper than friendship.

Yota eventually confesses, and Miki shuts him down. But don’t worry: she starts seeing him differently around Chapter 95. They get together in chapter 109. Whether their full arc gets animated will depend on that Season 2 question.

If you want to check out the Raws yourself, you get two free chapters if you register on ShounenJump+.