The winter break provide a multitude of pursuits much better than checking the latest news: discovering surprises, feasting on festive fare, and using meditation skills to refrain from arguing with family members. Hopefully you succeeded in enjoy all these things and more. That said, the world of entertainment never sleeps, and this is notably true for the realm of anime. Many exciting announcements came out during the holidays, and if you overlooked a few, here is a roundup of the juiciest bits.
Perhaps the biggest piece of news, the much-discussed disaster that was the third season of One-Punch Man proved insufficient to halt further production. The show will come back with a follow-up batch of episodes in 2027—so far away they could have dubbed it season 4. Even more shocking, animation studio J.C. Staff will continue to be at the helm. Thankfully this time, helmer Shinpei Nagai is on board to direct from the outset, which might be a hopeful indicator. However, the main art for the second cour is identical to the one used for season 3, just with protagonists Saitama and Garou facing different directions. This leads one to believe that, by now, they could be trolling the fans.
Kyoto Animation has established a reputation for being an prestigious animation studio, making its mark not just for the high caliber of its productions but for the fair treatment of its employees—a sadly unusual standard in the industry. Curiously, until now, it had not produced an anime adapted from a manga from Shonen Jump, arguably the best-known magazine in the industry. Ruri Dragon will end that streak, and what a excellent choice it is. The manga by Masaoki Shindo became widespread acclaim when it debuted in 2022 after just a small number of issues, but then went into a extended pause due to the creator's health issues. When it returned with a reduced workload, the series demonstrated it maintained the fans' support and goodwill, and now everyone is thrilled about the impending KyoAni adaptation.
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 recently got an English release, but the anime has been running for a while, and its sixth season was another outstanding entry. As it happens that was just the initial batch, because a "sequel" has been announced as in production, and it will very likely air in 2026.
A further studio known for the superior craftsmanship of its projects, Science Saru has brought us hit shows of the caliber of Space Dandy, Devilman Crybaby, and, lastly, 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 true story of Fatima, an influential 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 truly original and intriguing visual style, which reminds me a bit of Ranking of Kings. Debuting in July 2026, this one will without a doubt be on my watchlist.
Right after the conclusion of the final episode of the first season, it was confirmed that Tougen Anki will be getting a second season. Inspired by the Japanese legend of Momotaro, Tougen Anki brings to life the manga by Yura Urushibara. The upcoming season of the anime will delve into the Nikko Kegon Falls Arc, but a specific air date has yet to be revealed.
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