A Heap of Japanese Animation News Dropped Over the Holidays
The Yuletide season offer a plethora of activities much better than checking the headlines: unwrapping gifts, getting stuffed on holiday treats, and harnessing patience techniques to avoid snapping at relatives. Hopefully you were able to accomplish all these things and more. Nevertheless, the world of entertainment never sleeps, and this is especially true for the realm of anime. Numerous thrilling announcements emerged during the festive period, and just in case you missed any, here is a compilation of the biggest bits.
The One-Punch Man Series Season 3 Is Set to Continue (In 2027)
Without a doubt the most surprising announcement, the much-discussed disaster that was season 3 of One-Punch Man failed to deter the series' continuation. The show will be back with a second cour in 2027—a date so remote they easily could have dubbed it season 4. Adding to the surprise, animation studio J.C. Staff will remain in charge. On a positive note this time, helmer Shinpei Nagai is attached to direct from the beginning, which might be a hopeful indicator. But, the promotional image for the new episodes is a mirror of the one used for season 3, just with characters Saitama and Garou oriented differently. This leads one to believe that, nowadays, they must be mocking the fans.
The Ruri Dragon Series Is Set to Be the First Shonen Jump Anime From Kyoto Animation
Kyoto Animation has forged a name for being an elite animation studio, distinguishing itself not just for the exceptional quality of its work but for the fair treatment of its employees—a rarity in the industry. Curiously, until now, it had not adapted an anime stemming from a manga from Shonen Jump, arguably the best-known magazine in the field. Ruri Dragon will change that, and what a superb choice it is. The manga by Masaoki Shindo gained massive popularity when it launched in 2022 after just a handful of installments, but then went into a extended pause due to the author's health issues. When it came back with a reduced workload, the series demonstrated it maintained the fans' support and enthusiasm, and now everyone is thrilled about the impending KyoAni adaptation.
Kingdom Its Sixth Season Will Get a Sequel Now in the Works
Kingdom is the top-selling, long-running Shueisha manga that is aside from One Piece. If you've are unfamiliar with it before, it's because it only fairly recently obtained an English translation, but the anime has been running for years, and its sixth season was another excellent entry. As it happens that was just the first cour, because a "sequel" has been revealed as currently being made, and it will very likely debut in 2026.
Science Saru Is Adapting A Witch in Mongolia To Anime
One more studio famous for the excellent quality of its productions, Science Saru has delivered critically acclaimed works of the quality of Space Dandy, Devilman Crybaby, and, more recently, Dandadan. This time, the studio will be handling the adaptation of Tomato Soup's manga A Witch's Life in Mongol, which is based on the true story of Fatima, an powerful woman and scholar in the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. Judging from the trailer, the anime titled Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia will have a truly original and fascinating visual style, which is somewhat reminiscent of Ranking of Kings. Scheduled to launch in July 2026, this one will definitely be on my watchlist.
Tougen Anki Will Continue With a Season Two
Right after the release of the final episode of the first season, it was announced that Tougen Anki will be securing a follow-up. Based on the Japanese legend of Momotaro, Tougen Anki brings to life the manga by Yura Urushibara. The new season of the anime will adapt the Nikko Kegon Falls Arc, but a specific air date has yet to be revealed.
