A Ton of Japanese Animation News Arrived During the Holidays

The winter break provide a plethora of activities much better than scanning the updates: unwrapping gifts, indulging in holiday treats, and harnessing meditation skills to avoid yelling at relatives. I hope you managed to enjoy all these things and more. However, the entertainment world doesn't take a break, and this is notably true for the realm of anime. A slew of thrilling developments came out over the holidays, and should you overlooked a few, here is a compilation of the most exciting bits.

One-Punch Man Season 3 Is Moving Forward (Come 2027)

Perhaps the most surprising revelation, the notorious controversial season that was the third season of One-Punch Man proved insufficient to stop further production. Season 3 will be back with a subsequent part in 2027—a date so remote they easily could have dubbed it season 4. More surprisingly, animation studio J.C. Staff will remain leading the project. On a positive note this time, helmer Shinpei Nagai is set to direct from the start, which could be taken as a positive development. But, the main art for the second cour is identical to the one used for season 3, just with characters Saitama and Garou facing different directions. This suggests that, at this point, they are probably trolling the fans.

The Ruri Dragon Series Is Poised to Be the Premiere Shonen Jump Anime By Kyoto Animation

Kyoto Animation has established a name for being an elite animation studio, setting itself apart not just for the exceptional quality of its output but for the fair treatment of its employees—a rarity in the industry. Unexpectedly, until now, it had never worked on an anime stemming from a manga serialized in Shonen Jump, perhaps the most iconic magazine in the field. Ruri Dragon will end that streak, and what a excellent choice it is. The manga by Masaoki Shindo became widespread acclaim when it launched in 2022 after just a small number of issues, but then went into a extended pause due to the mangaka's health issues. When it came back with a more relaxed pace, the series showed it hadn't lost the fans' appreciation and positive sentiment, and now the community is overjoyed about the impending KyoAni adaptation.

The Kingdom Series Its Sixth Season Will Get a Sequel In Production

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 fairly recently obtained an English localization, but the anime has been airing for some time, and season 6 was yet another excellent entry. Apparently that was just the first cour, because a "sequel" has been confirmed as in production, and it will very likely debut in 2026.

Science Saru Is Adapting A Witch in Mongolia To Anime

One more studio known for the artistic merit of its projects, Science Saru has delivered masterpieces of the caliber of Space Dandy, Devilman Crybaby, and, most recently, Dandadan. This time, the studio will be handling the adaptation of Tomato Soup's manga A Witch's Life in Mongol, which is 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 fascinating visual style, which is somewhat reminiscent of Ranking of Kings. Set to premiere in July 2026, this one will definitely be on my list of anticipated shows.

Tougen Anki Will Return With a Season Two

Shortly after the release of episode 24, it was confirmed 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 cover the Nikko Kegon Falls Arc, but a firm premiere date has yet to be revealed.