A Ton of Japanese Animation Updates Dropped Over the Festive Season

The Yuletide season present a wealth of pursuits far superior than scanning the updates: unwrapping gifts, indulging in delicious food, and harnessing meditation skills to not yelling at family members. It is wished you succeeded in enjoy all these things and more. That said, the world of entertainment never sleeps, and this is especially true for the realm of anime. Many exciting news items emerged during the holidays, and just in case you overlooked any, here is a roundup of the biggest bits.

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

Perhaps the most surprising piece of news, the much-discussed troubled production that was the third season of One-Punch Man failed to halt more episodes. The show will return with a subsequent part in 2027—a date so remote they easily could have dubbed it season 4. More surprisingly, the studio J.C. Staff will still be in charge. At least this time, helmer Shinpei Nagai is on board to direct from the outset, which is seen as a positive development. Yet, the key visual for the new episodes is the same image the one used for season 3, just with characters Saitama and Garou looking opposite ways. This leads one to believe that, at this point, they must be trolling the fans.

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

Kyoto Animation has built a reputation for being an top-tier animation studio, distinguishing itself not just for the high caliber of its output but for the fair treatment of its employees—a rarity in the industry. Curiously, until now, it had never worked on an anime based on a manga published in Shonen Jump, arguably the most iconic magazine in the field. Ruri Dragon will break that tradition, and what a superb choice it is. The manga by Masaoki Shindo became a huge following when it debuted in 2022 after just a handful of installments, but then went into a extended pause due to the creator's health issues. When it resumed publication with a reduced workload, the series proved it still retained the fans' affection and positive sentiment, and now fans are ecstatic about the forthcoming KyoAni adaptation.

Kingdom Its Sixth Season Will Get a Sequel In Production

Kingdom is the top-selling, long-running 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 release, but the anime has been running for a while, and its sixth season was a further stellar entry. As it happens that was just the first cour, because a "sequel" has been revealed as in production, and it will probably premiere in 2026.

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

Another studio famous for the superior craftsmanship of its work, Science Saru has given us masterpieces of the quality of Space Dandy, Devilman Crybaby, and, more recently, Dandadan. This time, the studio will be handling the adaptation of Tomato Soup's manga A Witch's Life in Mongol, inspired by the real historical figure of Fatima, an influential woman and intellectual 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. Debuting in July 2026, this one will absolutely be on my watchlist.

Tougen Anki Will Return With a Season Two

Shortly after the release of its twenty-fourth episode, it was announced that Tougen Anki will be receiving a second season. Based on 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 specific air date has not been disclosed yet.