A Ton of Japanese Animation News Landed Over the Holidays

The Christmas holidays provide a plethora of pursuits much better than checking the updates: unwrapping gifts, feasting on holiday treats, and employing patience techniques to refrain from yelling at family members. I hope you managed to accomplish all these things and more. Nevertheless, the showbiz industry doesn't take a break, and this is especially true for the realm of anime. A slew of exciting developments came out over the break, and should you didn't see any, here is a summary of the biggest bits.

One-Punch Man Its Third Season Is Moving Forward (Come 2027)

Truly the biggest announcement, the notorious controversial season that was season 3 of One-Punch Man proved insufficient to deter further production. Season 3 will come back with a follow-up batch of episodes in 2027—so far away they might as well have called it season 4. Even more shocking, the studio J.C. Staff will still be leading the project. Thankfully this time, helmer Shinpei Nagai is on board to direct from the start, which might be a good sign. Yet, the key visual for the second cour is a mirror of the one used for season 3, just with characters Saitama and Garou oriented differently. This leads one to believe that, at this point, they are probably mocking the fans.

The Ruri Dragon Series Will Be the First Shonen Jump Anime From Kyoto Animation

Kyoto Animation has built a standing for being an prestigious animation studio, making its mark not just for the superb artistry of its output 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, arguably the best-known magazine in the business. Ruri Dragon will break that tradition, and what a superb choice it is. The manga by Masaoki Shindo became massive popularity when it first appeared in 2022 after just a few chapters, but then went into a extended pause due to the author's health issues. When it resumed publication with a more relaxed pace, the series proved it hadn't lost the fans' affection and positive sentiment, and now everyone is thrilled about the forthcoming KyoAni adaptation.

The Kingdom Series Season 6 Is Getting a Follow-Up Currently in Production

Kingdom is the highly popular, long-running Shueisha manga that is not One Piece. If you've are unfamiliar with it before, it's because it only fairly recently obtained an English localization, but the anime has been running for some time, and its sixth season was another excellent entry. It turns out that was just the initial batch, because a "sequel" has been announced as in development, and it will very likely air in 2026.

Science Saru Is Bringing A Witch in Mongolia Into an Anime Series

Another studio known for the artistic merit of its productions, Science Saru has given us masterpieces of the caliber 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, which is based on the real historical figure of Fatima, an prominent woman and thinker in the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. Judging from the trailer, the anime called Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia will have a distinctly fresh and captivating visual style, which evokes Ranking of Kings. Set to premiere in July 2026, this one will absolutely be on my must-watch list.

The Tougen Anki Series Will Return With a Second Season

Immediately following the conclusion of the final episode of the first season, it was announced that Tougen Anki will be securing a sequel. 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 concrete release date has not been disclosed yet.