A Mountain of Japanese Animation News Arrived During the Holidays

The Yuletide season provide a plethora of activities far superior than scanning the updates: discovering surprises, feasting on festive fare, and employing patience techniques to not arguing with family members. I hope you managed to accomplish all these things and more. However, the world of entertainment never sleeps, and this is notably true for the realm of anime. A slew of thrilling announcements came out over the break, and just in case you overlooked some of them, here is a roundup of the most exciting bits.

One-Punch Man Its Third Season Will Continue (By 2027)

Truly the most surprising announcement, the notorious controversial season that was season 3 of One-Punch Man proved insufficient to halt more episodes. The show will be back with a second cour in 2027—so far away they might as well have called it season 4. More surprisingly, animation studio J.C. Staff will continue to be leading the project. On a positive note this time, director Shinpei Nagai is on board to direct from the beginning, which could be taken as 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 looking opposite ways. This makes me think that, by now, they must be teasing the fans.

Ruri Dragon Is Set to Be the First Shonen Jump Anime By Kyoto Animation

Kyoto Animation has forged a standing for being an elite animation studio, distinguishing itself not just for the superb artistry of its work but for the good working conditions of its employees—a uncommon practice in the industry. Surprisingly, until now, it had not adapted an anime based on a manga published in Shonen Jump, arguably the most famous magazine in the business. Ruri Dragon will break that tradition, and what a superb choice it is. The manga by Masaoki Shindo gained widespread acclaim when it launched in 2022 after just a few chapters, but then went into a lengthy break due to the mangaka's health issues. When it came back with a reduced workload, the series proved it hadn't lost the fans' support and enthusiasm, and now everyone is ecstatic about the forthcoming KyoAni adaptation.

Kingdom Season 6 Will Get a Sequel Now in the Works

Kingdom is the top-selling, long-running Shueisha manga that is not One Piece. If you've never heard of it before, it's because it only fairly recently obtained an English release, but the anime has been running for some time, and season 6 was a further outstanding entry. As it happens that was just the first cour, because a "sequel" has been announced as in development, and it will almost certainly premiere in 2026.

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

A further studio renowned for the excellent quality of its projects, Science Saru has brought us masterpieces of the ilk of Space Dandy, Devilman Crybaby, and, more recently, Dandadan. This time, the studio will be taking on the adaptation of Tomato Soup's manga A Witch's Life in Mongol, inspired by the true story of Fatima, an prominent woman and scholar in the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. 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. Set to premiere in July 2026, this one will without a doubt be on my list of anticipated shows.

Tougen Anki Will Return With a Season Two

Shortly after the airing of the final episode of the first season, it was announced that Tougen Anki will be getting a follow-up. Inspired by the Japanese legend of Momotaro, Tougen Anki is based on the manga by Yura Urushibara. The new season of the anime will cover the Nikko Kegon Falls Arc, but a firm premiere date has yet to be revealed.