A Ton of Japanese Animation News Dropped During the Festive Season
The winter break provide a plethora of activities far superior than scanning the headlines: opening presents, feasting on festive fare, and harnessing patience techniques to avoid yelling at relatives. I hope you were able to do all these things and more. Nevertheless, the entertainment world never sleeps, and this is especially true for the realm of anime. Many exciting news items surfaced during the holidays, and just in case you didn't see a few, here is a roundup of the most exciting bits.
The One-Punch Man Series Season 3 Is Set to Continue (Come 2027)
Truly the biggest announcement, the widely-criticized troubled production that was season 3 of One-Punch Man failed to stop more episodes. The show will come back with a follow-up batch of episodes in 2027—such a distant date they might as well have dubbed it season 4. Even more shocking, the studio J.C. Staff will continue to be in charge. Thankfully this time, director Shinpei Nagai is on board to direct from the outset, which is seen as a hopeful indicator. Yet, the key visual for the continuation is identical to the one used for season 3, just with protagonists Saitama and Garou looking opposite ways. This suggests that, by now, they could be mocking the fans.
The Ruri Dragon Series Is Poised to Be the Premiere Shonen Jump Anime Produced By Kyoto Animation
Kyoto Animation has forged a standing for being an elite animation studio, making its mark not just for the exceptional quality of its productions but for the fair treatment of its employees—a sadly unusual standard in the industry. Surprisingly, until now, it had not produced an anime stemming from a manga from Shonen Jump, possibly the most iconic magazine in the industry. Ruri Dragon will break that tradition, and what a superb choice it is. The manga by Masaoki Shindo achieved massive popularity when it launched in 2022 after just a few chapters, but then went into a two-year hiatus due to the mangaka's health issues. When it returned with a more relaxed pace, the series demonstrated it hadn't lost the fans' support and goodwill, and now everyone is thrilled about the impending KyoAni adaptation.
The Kingdom Series Its Sixth Season Has a Sequel Now in the Works
Kingdom is the highly popular, decades-spanning Shueisha manga that is other than One Piece. If you've are unfamiliar with it before, it's because it only fairly recently obtained an English release, but the anime has been airing for years, and season 6 was a further excellent entry. Apparently that was just the first half, because a "sequel" has been announced as in development, and it will almost certainly premiere in 2026.
Science Saru Is Adapting A Witch in Mongolia Into an Anime Series
A further studio renowned for the artistic merit of its projects, Science Saru has brought us hit shows of the caliber of Space Dandy, Devilman Crybaby, and, more 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 called Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia will have a truly original and captivating visual style, which evokes Ranking of Kings. Scheduled to launch in July 2026, this one will definitely be on my watchlist.
The Tougen Anki Series Will Continue With a Second Season
Shortly after the conclusion of the final episode of the first season, it was revealed that Tougen Anki will be securing a second season. Based on the Japanese legend of Momotaro, Tougen Anki is based on the manga by Yura Urushibara. The second season of the anime will delve into the Nikko Kegon Falls Arc, but a specific release date has not been disclosed yet.
