A Mountain of Japanese Animation Updates Landed Over the Festive Season
The Christmas holidays present a plethora of activities considerably more enjoyable than catching up on the headlines: discovering surprises, indulging in holiday treats, and employing meditation skills to not snapping at loved ones. Hopefully you succeeded in do all these things and more. However, the showbiz industry doesn't go on vacation, and this is particularly true for the realm of anime. Many exciting announcements came out during the festive period, and if you overlooked a few, here is a roundup of the biggest bits.
The One-Punch Man Series Its Third Season Is Moving Forward (Come 2027)
Perhaps the most shocking announcement, the much-discussed disaster that was the third season of One-Punch Man proved insufficient to deter the series' continuation. The show will come back with a subsequent part in 2027—so far away they could have called it season 4. More surprisingly, animation studio J.C. Staff will still be at the helm. On a positive note this time, helmer Shinpei Nagai is attached to direct from the beginning, which is seen as a hopeful indicator. But, the key visual for the new episodes is a mirror of the one used for season 3, just with characters Saitama and Garou looking opposite ways. This suggests that, by now, they could be teasing the fans.
The Ruri Dragon Series Will Be the First Shonen Jump Anime From Kyoto Animation
Kyoto Animation has established a standing for being an top-tier animation studio, making its mark not just for the superb artistry of its output but for the ethical practices of its employees—a uncommon practice in the industry. Surprisingly, until now, it had never worked on an anime stemming from a manga published in Shonen Jump, arguably the best-known magazine in the industry. Ruri Dragon will break that tradition, and what a excellent choice it is. The manga by Masaoki Shindo became a huge following when it first appeared in 2022 after just a few chapters, but then went into a lengthy break due to the author's health issues. When it resumed publication with a reduced workload, the series proved it hadn't lost the fans' support and positive sentiment, and now the community is thrilled about the forthcoming KyoAni adaptation.
Kingdom Its Sixth Season Has a Sequel Now in the Works
Kingdom is the highly popular, decades-spanning Shueisha manga that is aside from One Piece. If you've are unfamiliar with it before, it's because it only just received an English release, but the anime has been airing for years, and its sixth season was another stellar entry. As it happens that was just the initial batch, because a "sequel" has been announced as in production, and it will probably debut in 2026.
Science Saru Is Bringing A Witch in Mongolia To Anime
Another studio renowned for the superior craftsmanship of its projects, Science Saru has brought us masterpieces of the quality of Space Dandy, Devilman Crybaby, and, most recently, Dandadan. This time, the studio will be producing the adaptation of Tomato Soup's manga A Witch's Life in Mongol, based on the true story of Fatima, an prominent woman and thinker in the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. Based on the trailer, the anime titled Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia will have a truly original and intriguing visual style, which is somewhat reminiscent of Ranking of Kings. Scheduled to launch in July 2026, this one will absolutely be on my watchlist.
Tougen Anki Will Return With a Season Two
Right after the release of its twenty-fourth episode, it was confirmed that Tougen Anki will be securing a sequel. Adapted from the Japanese legend of Momotaro, Tougen Anki is based on the manga by Yura Urushibara. The upcoming season of the anime will adapt the Nikko Kegon Falls Arc, but a specific air date has yet to be revealed.
