A Ton of Japanese Animation News Landed During the Festive Season

The Christmas holidays offer a plethora of pastimes far superior than scanning the updates: discovering surprises, getting stuffed on delicious food, and using patience techniques to refrain from yelling at relatives. It is wished you were able to do 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 emerged over the festive period, and if you overlooked some of them, here is a summary of the biggest bits.

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

Perhaps the most surprising piece of news, the widely-criticized disaster that was the third season of One-Punch Man failed to stop further production. The show will be back with a second cour in 2027—such a distant date they might as well have called it season 4. Even more shocking, animation studio J.C. Staff will still be in charge. Thankfully this time, helmer Shinpei Nagai is attached to direct from the outset, which might be a positive development. Yet, the promotional image for the continuation is a mirror of the one used for season 3, just with characters Saitama and Garou oriented differently. This makes me think that, at this point, they are probably trolling the fans.

Ruri Dragon Is Set to Be the Premiere Shonen Jump Anime From Kyoto Animation

Kyoto Animation has forged a reputation for being an top-tier animation studio, making its mark not just for the exceptional quality of its work but for the good working conditions of its employees—a rarity in the industry. Curiously, until now, it had not produced an anime stemming from a manga from Shonen Jump, arguably the most famous magazine in the industry. Ruri Dragon will change that, and what a excellent choice it is. The manga by Masaoki Shindo achieved a huge following when it debuted in 2022 after just a small number of issues, but then went into a lengthy break due to the creator's health issues. When it came back with a more relaxed pace, the series proved it maintained the fans' appreciation and enthusiasm, and now fans are thrilled about the impending KyoAni adaptation.

Kingdom Season 6 Will Get a Sequel In Production

Kingdom is the top-selling, long-running Shueisha manga that is aside from One Piece. If you've haven't come across it before, it's because it only recently got an English translation, but the anime has been running for years, and its sixth season was another stellar entry. As it happens that was just the initial batch, because a "sequel" has been revealed as in production, and it will very likely debut in 2026.

Science Saru Will Adapt A Witch in Mongolia Into an Anime Series

Another studio renowned for the artistic merit of its projects, Science Saru has given us critically acclaimed works of the quality of Space Dandy, Devilman Crybaby, and, most 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 real historical figure of Fatima, an powerful woman and thinker in the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. Based on the trailer, the anime named Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia will have a truly original and captivating visual style, which is somewhat reminiscent of Ranking of Kings. Scheduled to launch in July 2026, this one will absolutely be on my watchlist.

Tougen Anki Will Continue With a Second Season

Shortly after the conclusion of episode 24, it was announced that Tougen Anki will be getting a second season. Inspired by the Japanese legend of Momotaro, Tougen Anki is based on the manga by Yura Urushibara. The new season of the anime will delve into the Nikko Kegon Falls Arc, but a specific premiere date has yet to be revealed.