A Mountain of Japanese Animation Updates Landed During the Festive Season

The winter break offer a wealth of activities considerably more enjoyable than catching up on the headlines: unwrapping gifts, getting stuffed on festive fare, and employing patience techniques to not yelling at relatives. I hope you were able to accomplish all these things and more. That said, the entertainment world never sleeps, and this is notably true for the realm of anime. Numerous exciting announcements came out during the holidays, and should you missed any, here is a roundup of the juiciest bits.

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

Truly the biggest announcement, the widely-criticized controversial season that was the third season of One-Punch Man proved insufficient to halt further production. The show will come back with a subsequent part in 2027—such a distant date they might as well have dubbed it season 4. More surprisingly, animation studio J.C. Staff will continue to be at the helm. On a positive note this time, director Shinpei Nagai is set to direct from the start, which is seen as a hopeful indicator. However, the main art for the second cour is a mirror of the one used for season 3, just with protagonists Saitama and Garou looking opposite ways. This suggests that, by now, they could be teasing the fans.

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

Kyoto Animation has established a standing for being an prestigious animation studio, setting itself apart not just for the exceptional quality of its productions but for the fair treatment of its employees—a sadly unusual standard in the industry. Surprisingly, until now, it had not adapted an anime adapted from a manga published in Shonen Jump, possibly the best-known magazine in the business. Ruri Dragon will break that tradition, and what a great choice it is. The manga by Masaoki Shindo achieved massive popularity when it first appeared in 2022 after just a handful of installments, but then went into a lengthy break due to the mangaka's health issues. When it returned with a more relaxed pace, the series demonstrated it hadn't lost the fans' affection and positive sentiment, and now everyone is overjoyed about the upcoming KyoAni adaptation.

Kingdom Its Sixth Season Has a Sequel Currently in Production

Kingdom is the top-selling, 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 translation, but the anime has been running for a while, and its sixth season was another excellent entry. Apparently that was just the first cour, because a "sequel" has been announced as currently being made, and it will probably premiere in 2026.

Science Saru Is Adapting A Witch in Mongolia To Anime

A further studio known for the superior craftsmanship of its work, Science Saru has delivered 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, which is based on the true story of Fatima, an prominent woman and scholar in the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. From the trailer, the anime named Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia will have a distinctly fresh and fascinating visual style, which evokes Ranking of Kings. Debuting in July 2026, this one will without a doubt be on my list of anticipated shows.

The Tougen Anki Series Will Return With a Second Season

Immediately following the conclusion of episode 24, it was revealed that Tougen Anki will be securing a follow-up. Adapted from 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 concrete air date has not yet been announced.