Dynamite Entertainment has officially opened solicitations for the highly anticipated crossover series between The Powerpuff Girls and Thundercats, set to debut on June 4, 2025. The first issue of this unprecedented pairing will feature a diverse range of collectible variant covers from artists, including Paulina Ganucheau, Coleman Engle, Coran Kizer Stone, Saowee, and Nicoletta Baldari. This unexpected collaboration brings together the Chemical X-powered trio from Townsville with the warriors of Third Earth in what the publisher describes as “the greatest crossover since peanut butter met jelly.” The main storyline follows Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup after they’re trapped in a runaway rocket by Mojo Jojo and transported to a strange planet where their superpowers no longer function, forcing them to ally with the Thundercats against the ancient evil Mumm-Ra.

The crossover represents a significant expansion of Dynamite’s growing catalog of nostalgic properties, with both franchises finding renewed interest among collectors and fans of classic animation. Writer Paulina Ganucheau and artist Coleman Engle, who have been announced as the creative team behind the series, face the unique challenge of merging two dramatically different fictional universes with distinct visual styles and tonal approaches. “After being trapped in a runaway rocket by Mojo Jojo, the titanic trio find themselves on a strange planet where their super-powers don’t work,” states the official synopsis. “Luckily, someone named Snarf is there to provide a situation report and wouldn’t you know it, there’s evil that needs defeating! But without their Chemical X-enhanced abilities, what can Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup do against a foe like Mumm-Ra?”

[RELATED: Yes, The Powerpuff Girls Could Take Omni Man In a Fight]

Prior to the June release of the first full issue, fans will have an opportunity to preview the crossover on Free Comic Book Day, with a special #0 issue scheduled for May 3, 2025. This introductory installment promises to establish the groundwork for the full series while showcasing how the creative team plans to navigate the contrasting dynamics between the elementary school superheroes and the more mature, battle-hardened Thundercats. The Free Comic Book Day special serves as both a marketing tool and a low-barrier entry point for potential new readers who might be familiar with either franchise through their respective animated series but haven’t previously engaged with their comic book adaptations.

The Powerpuff Girls Are Extremely Popular Right Now

The timing of this crossover coincides with a significant resurgence of The Powerpuff Girls. The original series creator, Craig McCracken, is returning to the franchise for an official revival that is currently in development with Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. While specific details about this project remain limited, Warner Bros. Animation president Sam Register previously called McCracken’s return “an opportunity we could not pass up,” suggesting a significant investment in the property’s future.

Furthermore, on April 12th, the original The Powerpuff Girls animated series will return to television with a regular Saturday morning time slot on Cartoon Network for the first time in years, airing weekly at 10:30 AM as part of a revamped animation block that also includes Steven Universe. This television return comes at a particularly strategic moment as the series will be departing from Netflix’s streaming platform on April 2nd, redirecting viewers toward traditional broadcast options or the HBO Max streaming service, where the complete series remains available.

Finally, footage from the canceled live-action CW The Powerpuff Girls adaptation leaked online earlier this month. The controversial pilot, which reimagined Blossom (Chloe Bennet), Bubbles (Dove Cameron), and Buttercup (Yana Perrault) as disillusioned twentysomethings, generated substantial social media discussion after revealing its satirical take on the source material. The leaked trailer depicted a drastically different interpretation where the adult protagonists had abandoned their crime-fighting responsibilities following a tragic incident involving their nemesis Mojo, portrayed as a human character rather than the anthropomorphic monkey from the cartoon.

Check out all the covers for the Thunderbolts & The Powerpuff Girls. Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

The post The Powerpuff Girls Are Getting the Wildest Comics Crossover This Summer appeared first on ComicBook.com.

2025 has been a rough year for animation as while some great new shows are making their debut, there are just as many that are coming to their respective ends. We may only be a quarter into this year thus far, but there are some big shows that have come to their respective ends and others that have announced their imminently approaching ends as well. But it’s not all doom and gloom for these shows either as while they might have come to an end, they are thankfully still available to watch if you somehow missed them during their initial run.

With so many of these big animated shows coming to an end for the year thus far, now is the time to look back at the major finales and make sure you get to see them now that they are complete. Each of these shows has come to an end for one reason or another, but their entire library is now available for streaming. Read on for a break down of the animated shows that ended this year, and let us know which ones you miss the most in the comments.

RELATED: Jellystone! Creator C. H. Greenblatt Talks Cartoon Network Crossover, Space Ghost and More

Craig of the Creek (Ended January 25th)

Where to Watch: Hulu, Max

Craig of the Creek was the first major ending of the year, and unfortunately it is likely the most permanent on this list overall. The Cartoon Network series came to an end after five seasons, and seven years for its broadcast and even got to have a feature film release to help flesh it out before it was done. This series has a rather satisfying conclusion at the heart of it all as well as the final episode not only is a full reflection of just how far Craig and the others have come since it all started, but it’s also just another day at the creek. You should really watch it now that it’s all in one place at last.

Jellystone! (Ended March 6th)

Where to Watch: Max

Jellystone! has ended its run with Max after three seasons of episodes with the streaming service, and introduced fans to a remixed version of Hanna-Barbera’s classic animated library that brought each of these characters to the modern age. This is one of those endings where production might have wrapped, but there’s still a potential to go on. Speaking to ComicBook, series creator C.H. Greenblatt noted that the final season was “Final for now, but who knows?” Elaborating further, “We all have our fingers crossed. Who knows? If there’s more, we’re ready. Trust me. We’re ready to hit the ground running.”

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (Ended March 8th)

Where to Watch: Disney+

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur unfortunately was cancelled before the second season of the series even got to air its final few episodes, and that ultimately means that the final episodes had more of a lingering cloud overhead for the people who had been watching along. But now that it has come to an end, it really is a good time to go back and check out this animated series to see how unique of a show it really was. Even with the support from fans it seemed like it was cut off at the knees, so perhaps watching with a clear mind would make it stand out all the more.

Win or Lose (Ended March 12th)

Where to Watch: Disney+

Win or Lose is unlike the other animated series on the list as the Pixar Animation Studios only conceived it as a miniseries. It was a project developed to expand on an idea in a whole new way, and was able to do so by the end. Though it did stir up some controversy for what ended up being left on the cutting room table (something Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur was also familiar with), Win or Lose was able to accomplish what it set out to do. It’s a complete experience, and with the release of its final episode, it’s now the best time to go back and check it all out.

Tiny Toons Looniversity (Ended March 22nd)

Where to Watch: Max

Tiny Toons Looniversity was a surprising project as it rebooted the classic Tiny Toon Adventures from the 1990s. The Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation collaboration introduced a new era of fans to these classic toons, but the second season of the series officially aired its final episodes with the Max streaming service as Spring came to an end. It wasn’t outright cancelled, but those behind the production seemed to have moved on to other projects by the time this final batch of episodes finally made its debut. In a time when the Looney Tunes franchise could use as much support as it can get, you should check this one out.

The post Every Major Animated Series That Ended in 2025 So Far (& How to Watch Them) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Dragon Ball Super’s TV anime aired its final episode eight years ago today, and unfortunately this milestone is a reminder that the anime isn’t coming back for new episodes any time soon. Dragon Ball Super was a revelatory new entry for the then dormant Dragon Ball franchise. Following the success of Dragon Ball Z‘s Battle of Gods and Resurrection F feature films, the franchise came back for a much fuller continuation of Dragon Ball Z with a new TV anime series that took Goku and the others to a whole new multiverse of strong foes and abilities unlocking their godly potential.

Dragon Ball Super ran for 131 episodes, and the final episode officially made its debut in Japan on March 25, 2018. It’s been eight years since the TV anime said goodbye Goku and the others, and while we’ve had some new franchise entries in the years since, it’s far from the full continuation of the TV anime that fans have been hoping to see happen since. And as the anime celebrates this milestone, it’s just another reminder that we have yet to see a full return from Dragon Ball Super.

Dragon Ball Super Didn’t Really End With the Anime

Although Dragon Ball Super ended following the Tournament of Power back in 2018, the future of the franchise seemed bright. It was quickly confirmed that the anime would be continuing with a new feature film release so fans weren’t concerned then about the state of the anime franchise. The new film then later turned out to be full of even more surprises when Dragon Ball Super: Broly not only continued the story from the end of the TV anime series, but also introduced famous non-canon movie villain Broly into the official series timeline along with tweaking more of the Saiyans’ origins.

Dragon Ball Super then continued this hot streak with its official manga release. Dragon Ball Super‘s manga ended up releasing two brand new arcs that were not seen in the anime or movie releases, Galactic Patrol Prisoner and Granolah the Survivor. This got fans excited over the prospect of potentially getting more episodes someday, and this excitement grew even further with the release of the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero feature film, which ended up taking place after those arcs. Then the manga took it even further with a massive Frieza cliffhanger that we’ve yet to see followed up on.

RELATED: 7 Times Goku Should’ve Used SSJ4 in Dragon Ball But Didn’t (For Some Reason)

Is Dragon Ball Super Ever Coming Back?

Dragon Ball’s anime franchise has even been active with the release of Dragon Ball Daima, which told a brand new story of its own. This was a big event as it features the final story from series creator Akira Toriyama and changed the Dragon Ball timeline forever, but it’s still not the continuation of Dragon Ball Super that fans had been hoping to see. This might seem an even more daunting task as well as the manga is on hiatus (and still on a cliffhanger) following Toriyama’s passing too.

But with those behind the anime franchise eager to keep it going, it’s highly likely that Dragon Ball Super will return someday. It might not be for even longer than fans might expect as the franchise really needs to end the manga story before continuing the anime. Otherwise, we’d end up in this same boat waiting for the franchise to continue. So it might be a good while before we get to see Dragon Ball Super return, but it’s not impossible. It’s just going to involve more waiting through bummer milestones like this.

The post Dragon Ball Super Breaks Hearts With the Anime’s Newest Milestone appeared first on ComicBook.com.

King of the Hill is currently in the works on a new revival series for Hulu, so now is the best time to look back on it all with some of the best episodes from the very first season. King of the Hill first debuted with Fox back in 1997 with one of the shortest seasons in the original run. The Mike Judge and Greg Daniels developed animated series introduced fans to the fictional Texas town of Arlen, and the humble and conservative people within it. Offering a more grounded take on its world than seen with hits like The Simpsons, King of the Hill immediately stood out from the pack.

King of the Hill’s first season is also a much quieter affair than fans might have seen in later seasons to come. King of the Hill had a humble origin as Hank Hill navigated his quiet life in his small neighborhood, but the world around him was steadily changing. The series mined its comedy from how Hank needed to change in order to fit the wacky world around him, and the first season truly had some stellar examples of this initial idea.

Read on for five of the best episodes from King of the Hill’s first season, and let us know which are your favorites in the comments!

Square Peg (Season 1, Episode 2)

King of the Hill really started to carve out a unique path early on in its first season with “Square Peg.” Although the series introduced fans to Hank as he was constantly confused by his son, Bobby, the second episode of the series further expanded this dynamic to the rest of the family to showcase just how the rest of the Hill family would be changing with these new times. As Bobby takes sexual education in school, and Peggy is tasked with teaching it, the first of these conservative views is challenged when Peggy starts openly speaking about the subjects that Hank’s generation would rather keep quiet.

It’s a small glimpse into the dynamic that would be explored through the rest of the series, and a great example of their strong characterization early on.

Hank’s Unmentionable Problem (Season 1, Episode 6)

But this idea of Hank being pushed in an uncomfortable situation gets even more exaggerated with a more hilarious, but relatable problem. When Hank gets constipated from all of the meat and beer he consumes, his inability to relieve himself becomes the talk of the neighborhood. Hank is forced to face this embarrassment head on, but it really takes an emotional turn when he realizes that Peggy only wants what’s best for him.

She’s worried that his lifestyle will kill him, and thus has been pushing all of these embarrassing procedures and medications on him just to help. It’s only when Hank’s emotional state rests that he’s allowed to finally use the bathroom, and really makes for one of the best endings in the first season overall.

Keeping Up With Our Joneses (Season 1, Episode 10)

King of the Hill began with the concept of taking a conservative, old school ideology and mining it to the extreme, and that is especially prominent in “Keeping Up With Our Joneses.” This episode reveals that Hank and Peggy used to smoke cigarettes all the time before having Bobby, and the two of them return to the habit when Bobby himself is caught smoking. Bobby ends up hooked to nicotine just as much as the two of them are when a punishment goes awry, and they’re only allowed to resolve all of this when Peggy’s niece Luanne locks them in a room overnight and gets them to quit cold turkey.

It’s an episode that really shows off new sides of the Hills’ personalities, and gives the series a rather fun edge that would continue to be a part of Hank and Peggy’s characterizations in the years to come. This was one of the better examples of the high kinds of drama that could also emerge from the series’ comedy, and it really sticks the landing when it all comes to an end.

King of the Ant Hill (Season 1, Episode 11)

Hank’s friend and neighbor Dale Gribble had been part of the extended crew since the very beginning, and had stood out thanks to his tendency to go on wild conspiracy theory tangents. But this was the first real episode where we got to see just how unhinged Dale could be as he starts a feud with Hank over the fact that Hank won’t let Dale treat his lawn for insects. It’s here that fans get to see just how far Dale is willing to go when he has a vendetta, and it’s not limited to his enemies as he’ll manipulate his friends. All the while, Bobby is hypnotized by the ant queen to do its bidding. It was the first of many truly wacky episodes in King of the Hill, and the start of Dale’s wild future from then on.

Plastic White Female (Season 1, Episode 12)

King of the Hill is just as much Bobby’s show as it is Hank’s. “That boy ain’t right” has become such a catchphrase outside of the series because of how little Hank and Bobby see eye to eye. That comes to a literal head with “Plastic White Female” as Bobby falls in love with the practice mannequin Luanne needs for school. It’s Bobby practicing just how he would approach women (something every boy of that age seems to do at the time) when he gets invited to his first Boy/Girl party. When Hanks finds out, he destroys it.

This ends up with Hank needing to volunteer to serve as the model for Luanne’s school exam, and Bobby needing to go to the party and somehow shake off everything that happened. The end of the episode then sparks the bigger friendship turned romance between Bobby and Connie, and it’s a perfect finale for this debut season as its a sweet tease for the future. And if it would have been the end, it was a sweet end for Bobby. Just great on rewatch.

The post These Are the Best 5 Episodes of King of the Hill Season 1 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Digimon has recently crossed over its 25th anniversary milestone, and the franchise is celebrating with a special promo looking back on how far it’s come thus far. Digimon is one of the most influential anime franchises of the last few decades. Although many of a certain generation might equate it to one of the many series that tried their hands at the Pokemon craze in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Digimon really has carved out its own identity in the time since so that it no longer even looks close to whatever Pokemon might be doing at the same time.

Digimon looks much different than it did when it first began its own anime franchise 25 years ago, and now is the perfect time to look back on it all as part of the 25th anniversary celebration. With eyes to the future of where the franchise might be coming next in the pipeline, Digimon has shared a special trailer showing off a fun look at its long past. You can check out the special Digimon “Beyond Evolution” promo in the video above.

Digimon Celebrates 25 Years of the Anime

Digimon might have started out life as a series of virtual pet games with Bandai, but kicked off its anime with the debut of Digimon Adventure back in Japan in 1999, and then grew even further when it officially debuted its English language release in North America and other territories later that year. This first season of the series immediately set it apart from Pokemon as it introduced eight different protagonists, known as the DigiDestined, and their Digimon partners. Unlike Ash in Pokemon, those in Digimon had a single Digimon partner that they traveled and grew with together. It really was a different vibe altogether with an entirely different kind of journey ahead of them.

Digimon Adventure proved to be such a hit that it continued with an official sequel, Digimon Adventure 02, and then new series followed that fully rebooted what had come before. Series such as Digimon Tamers, Digimon Frontier, Digimon Data Squad, Digimon Fusion, Digimon Ghost Game, and even a full rebooted TV series for Digimon Adventure: that brought back the eight original DigiDestined for a brand new take on their original journey through the Digital World. It’s been a long journey for the franchise, and it’s nowhere near over.

RELATED: Digimon x Godzilla Collab Shows Off Wild New Fusions

What’s Next for Digimon?

Digimon has big plans for the anime’s future as it prepares for its next major era. Along wiht the release of this special trailer, and the debut of the Digimon Adventure: Beyond anime short, Toei Animation has also announced the next major anime in the Digimon franchise. Titled Digimon Beatbreak, there is unfortunately little known about what to expect from this new entry in the series outside of the fact that it’s already teasing a dark new Digimon with all sorts of potentially terrifying monsters in store in the episodes to come.

Digimon Beatbreak will be officially releasing some time this October as part of the Fall 2025 anime schedule, but a concrete release date or international release plans have yet to be announced as of the time of this publication. As the anime prepares for its release together with a packed Fall 2025 anime schedule, there is going to be a lot to look forward to for the franchise’s future. Perhaps even 25 more years of anime releases are on deck.

But what are you hoping to see from Digimon‘s future? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments!

The post Digimon Looks Back on 25 Years of Anime With Special Promo appeared first on ComicBook.com.

American Dad! has officially come to an end with TBS after over a decade of episodes, and now its future is uncertain as it prepares to potentially return to its original home of the Fox network. American Dad! has been one of Seth MacFarlane’s most successful animated series, and has even found a popularity outside of Family Guy‘s reach. Although the series was meant to serve as a sort of sister series with Family Guy and aired with Fox in the same Sunday evening block, like Family Guy, American Dad! ended up getting shuffled off Fox and found more success elsewhere.

American Dad! has ended with TBS with the final episode of Season 19, “What Great Advancements!” which aired with the network this week. This final episode served not only as a perfect cap to the era, but also a potential finale to the series if it never comes back. After first making its debut with TBS back in 2014, this also marks the end of an 11 year run that has outshined pretty much everything that it did in its original 9 or so year run with Fox. It’s an entirely different show now.

How Does American Dad End?

American Dad! ended its run with TBS with Season 19, Episode 22, “What Great Advancements!” Like many of the best episodes in the series’ history, this finale completely reinvents its world and imagines Stan and the others living in a silent film, black and white era. Stan is an inventor on a failing farm with hopes of making it in the big city, and soon invents a special roach that actually gives everyone the power of speech. It’s then revealed that this world is literally silent and in black and white through the course of the episode.

Stan then soon forgets the reason he came to the big city in the first place, and is so blinded by greed and success that he pushes everyone to the wayside. When he eventually invents a device to give everything color, he’s shot and the device is stolen from him and given to the people. With color throughout the world, Stan is ruined and goes back to his farm life. It’s only then he realizes he had a good life after all (even if he still misses the money). It’s a sweet ending for the series on TBS, but thankfully it seems like the series will indeed continue.

RELATED: 10 Best Roger Personas in American Dad, Ranked

Is American Dad Cancelled?

American Dad! is still one of the most successful animated series as it was the second most binged series on Hulu in 2024 overall, so the uncertainty for the series’ future did not last long. It’s been reported that there are already talks in place to continue American Dad! with its original home on Fox for Season 20 and beyond. It’s yet to be confirmed whether or not this would be the case, but it’s not the first time that Fox has bought back the rights to an original series after its found success elsewhere like they have done with Family Guy and Futurama in the past.

American Dad! found massive success with TBS, and enjoyed a longer run with the network than it did with Fox. The animated series was not only the final scripted TBS original program left with the network, but reruns of the series are still scheduled to air with the network through to 2030 despite them not producing any more episodes. It just goes to show just how big of a program its become in the 11 years time since it left Fox, and hopefully it still has a bright future ahead of it.

The post American Dad Ends Its Run With TBS After 11 Years appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Solo Leveling just gave fans the fight they’ve been waiting for all along, and it was nothing short of stunning. In fact, the latest episode featuring the battle between Jinwoo and the Ant King has already become one of the top-rated episodes of Season 2 and is breaking all kinds of streaming records on Crunchyroll. Having said that, while Episode 12 no doubt delivered in every possible way in terms of the animation and the action, the anime did leave out one scene from the manhwa, which, though insignificant at first glance, could end up changing a big upcoming reveal in the anime about Jinwoo’s powers.

Season 2, Episode 12 of Solo Leveling cuts out one specific scene from Chapter 101 of the webtoon, wherein, before the Ant King can return from killing Goto Ryuji, Jinwoo uses his shadow extraction powers on the corpses of the dead ants, adding them to his army. In the webtoon and the novel, this whole scenario is also caught on camera and broadcast live to the entire nation. Though minor, this scene effectively sets up the big reveal that Jinwoo has necromancer powers, which, until that point, had been a secret to the rest of the hunters. The larger implications of the anime cutting out this scene are that Jinwoo may not have the shadow ant troops at all unless the scene is somehow added into the final episode during the big reveal when Jinwoo eventually uses his powers on the Ant King, the Queen, and Byung-gu.

[RELATED: Solo Leveling Season 2 Shares New Look At Season Finale]

Solo Leveling’s Anime Cuts Out Jinwoo Turning the Ants Into His Shadow Soldiers

In the webtoon in Chapter 101, Jinwoo’s arrival is caught on camera, and the director of the broadcast channel immediately decides to go live as soon as he arrives on the scene, not caring for the 10-minute delay. Soon after Jinwoo arrives, he deals with a huge chunk of the ants. Iron then taunts the rest of the ants with his skill, and after killing a few more, Jinwoo uses shadow extraction on the dead ants, and it is only then that he gives the S-rank hunters the healing potions and fights the Ant King or Beru. The cameraman clearly catches Jinwoo using shadow extraction on the ants and confusedly remarks on the ants fighting each other when the broadcasting station asks him to explain what is going on and explicitly states the entire country is watching.

The webnovel makes this fact even clearer than the webtoon, with the cameraman describing the ant soldiers as statues of the ant monsters carved out of black dry ice in Chapter 119. Even Baek Yoonho expresses his shock at seeing the new summons, and the webnovel clearly states that it is with these new ant soldiers added to his army that Jinwoo manages to turn the tides against the remaining ants and finally get the situation under control. However, in the anime, Jinwoo does not use shadow extraction on the dead ants at all, dealing with the swarm of ants with his current number of shadow soldiers alone. Instead, Episode 12 sees Jinwoo consider turning the ants into his shadows, but he quickly decides not to do so because too many people are watching. The episode then directly cuts to Beru’s arrival, and this creates two problems for the anime.

Solo Leveling’s Season 2 Finale Has To Fix a Huge Continuity Error

While the fact that Jinwoo can turn the dead into his soldiers is no secret to readers and viewers, the same can hardly be said of the characters within the story. Until the Jeju Ars most of the S-rank hunters did not even know the vast extent of Jinwoo’s summons much less the fact that he was a necromancer. This fact is explored soon after the battle against the Ant King, and though it is kept secret from the public, seeing Jinwoo resurrect the dead ants prefaces this reveal, which is quite the bombshell for the Korean S-rank hunters. While the fact that Jinwoo manages to initially overwhelm the ants with the current size of his shadow army is somewhat justifiable, the anime will inevitably have to add a scene of Jinwoo using shadow extraction on the ants in the finale or risk having a huge continuity error on its hands.

This is because they are an indispensable faction of his shadow army and play a huge role in helping Jinwoo clear the rest of the dungeon break after defeating the Ant King. However, it is unclear when the anime will get the chance to naturally integrate this scene back into the story. It would have to be before Jinwoo uses shadow extraction on the Ant King and the Queen, as the presence of the ant shadows explains why Jinwoo cannot turn the Queen into one of his shadows as well. All that said, while Solo Leveling’s anime has made many changes from the source material and added many original scenes, the absence of this particular moment could have major consequences for the series. This only goes to prove that, though the latest episode was stunning, Season 2 of Solo Leveling does indeed suffer from pacing issues, and hopefully upcoming seasons will find that pacing sweet spot.

Solo Leveling is available on Crunchyroll.

The post Solo Leveling’s Latest Episode Leaves Out One Key Scene appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Konosuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! is coming back for a couple of new episodes later this Spring, and now their international streaming platform has been officially announced ahead of their debut this Spring. The new wave of anime hitting for the Spring 2025 anime schedule is fast approaching, and that means there will be a ton of new series vying for fans’ attention over the coming months. But while there will be many new shows that you will want to check out, Konosuba is also coming back for a couple of new episodes that you will want to see in action too.

Konosuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! Season 3 was one of the shortest seasons in the TV anime series to date, but luckily that’s going to be remedied in April with a new batch of episodes. Titled Konosuba -God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World 3- BONUS STAGE, this is an OVA featuring two brand new episodes that were in development following the end of the third season back in 2024. As announced during Sakura Con 2025, Crunchyroll has confirmed that they will be exclusively streaming the new episodes when they hit next month.

What Is Konosuba -God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World 3- BONUS STAGE?

Konosuba -God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World 3- BONUS STAGE features two brand new episodes that weren’t seen with the original release of the third season last year, and will be streaming with Crunchyroll some time in April as part of their massive slate of new releases for the Spring 2025 anime schedule. While there is no concrete release date as of the time of this publication, Crunchyroll will be streaming these new episodes for fans in North America, Central America, South America, Europe (excluding Spain, Portugal, Dutch-, and Italian-speaking Europe), Oceania, Middle East, North Africa, Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Featuring a returning staff and cast as seen in the third season, Konosuba‘s new episodes are titled “Red Stream Explosion!” and “Beware of Fakes!” according to their original listings in Japan. They have not been available for too long (as they only got a special screening in Japanese theaters earlier this month, and hit home video in April), so this is a rather quick turnaround for these new episodes for their international streaming release. It’s something that Konosuba fans will really want to see when they hit.

RELATED: 10 Best Isekai Anime To Transport Fans To Another World 

What’s Next for Konosuba?

Konosuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! has been such a success following the third season that it’s already been announced that a new sequel project is now in the works. It’s yet to be announced as to whether this will be a full Season 4 of the TV anime or maybe even a new feature film instead, but it’s an exciting prospect nonetheless as the franchise is set to continue with new releases in the future. It’s just a matter of waiting for updates on when and what to expect from this future.

If you wanted to catch up with Konosuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! in the meantime, you can now find all three seasons of the TV anime now streaming exclusively with Crunchyroll. If you want even more of the anime, you can also find the special Megumin focused prequel spinoff series, Konosuba: An Explosion of this Wonderful World!, and its feature film release, Konosuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! Legend of Crimson, streaming with Crunchyroll as well.

Are you excited to watch more Konosuba soon? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments!

The post Konosuba Locks Down Streaming Home for New Spring 2025 Episodes appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Invincible’s third season is one of the best television seasons to arrive in 2025 but this doesn’t make it flawless. Mark Grayson’s fight against the villainous Conquest, his own dark doppelgangers from other dimensions, and even Cecil Stedman were some of the best animated battles of the year. Throughout the many traversals of the Earth-bound hero, there was one major element that took something of a backseat to what was taking place. Nolan Grayson, aka Omni-Man, is still dealing with the weight of what he did in season one for the Viltrumite empire and we wish we had seen more of Nolan’s struggle.

Invincible’s second season featured Omni-Man’s surprise return, as Nolan was featured in multiple episodes with not just his reunion with Mark but also thanks to the new life he made for himself on an alien world. Once captured by the Viltrumite Empire, Nolan finds himself trapped in their grasp alongside the likes of Allen the Alien and Battle Beast. While the trio are able to give viewers quite the adventure as they fought against their captors, it didn’t give us as much time exploring Nolan’s present state of mind as we would have liked. The road to redemption is a long one and Nolan’s character arc is sure to be an interesting one.

[RELATED: Invincible Fans Defend Cecil’s Controversial Season Three Decision]

Gone But Not Forgotten

While Nolan might not have been featured in as many episodes as the first two Invincible seasons, season three did find ingenious ways to have his shadow touch on Mark’s life. Specifically, the villain known as Powerplex, played by Aaron Paul, made his debut, wanting revenge on Invincible for losing family members in Mark’s fight with his father in season one. It was in this episode specifically where Powerplex makes his debut that we are able to see the differences between Mark and Olliver as the brothers look at what their father did very differently.

Since Olliver wasn’t there to see the carnage firsthand, the half-Viltrumite younger brother to Mark wonders why everyone can’t forgive Omni-Man. On the flip side, Mark finds himself still unable to truly forgive his father for the deaths of so many people when he was a loyal subject of the Viltrumites. While never physically returning to Earth, Nolan’s presence is still felt even when the planet is swarmed with evil Mark Graysons.

Just Like The Comics

To be fair, Nolan’s general absence here plays true to the source material, as Omni-Man was able to escape the clutches of his people thanks to an assist from Allen and Battle Beast. Without diving into spoiler territory, Invincible fans should prepare to see a lot more of Nolan in the future, as well as having some big reunions that no one will be prepared for. With creator Robert Kirkman already confirming that the upcoming fourth season will have a brand new storyline that wasn’t a part of the comics, it will be interesting to see if this underworld tale might give Nolan a chance to return that we hadn’t seen in the Image run.

Luckily, fans won’t have to wait as long for Invincible season four as they had in the past with previous seasons. At present, Kirkman is hoping for the animated series to have around eight seasons to follow all the events that took place in the comics, meaning we should expect a lot more Omni-Man and J.K. Simmons’ portrayal of him in the future.

Want to see when Omni-Man will make a comeback? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Invincible and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

The post Invincible: Here’s the Big Problem With Season 3 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The only qualification for inclusion was that the character could have only been in a single episode. Given how long South Park has been running, it’s important to specify just what being a one-off character means. In short, it means they only had a speaking part in one episode. If they spoke in one episode and then appeared as a background character in other episodes (e.g., Bridon Gueermo and his parents from Season 12’s “Elementary School Musical”), that still counts as being a one-off character. That means Nurse Gollum, who spoke in both “Conjoined Fetus Lady” and “Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods,” was excluded.

That said, Nurse Gollum (not to mention Starvin’ Marvin) should come back. Like Dr. Mephisto, she was a perfect addition to the classic South Park roster. The only other excluding factor was a celebrity character. Not so much a character played by a celebrity (you’ll find one of those here), but a South Park representation of a celebrity. Apologies, Jeff from Season 7’s “Cancelled.” Anyway, without further ado, here are the one-off South Park characters who need to come back.

Damien from “Damien” (Season 1, Episode 10)

“Damien” may not be in the top five episodes of Season 1, but it’s still pretty fun. Its title character, Damien Thorn of The Omen fame, is also quite a bit more than one might expect. He’s actually a pretty nice kid, just looking for acceptance.

Damien gets a full arc in his Season 1 episode and even returns to Hell, so it makes some sense that he never came back. That is, right up until one realizes that Satan debuted in “Damien” and he’s come back any number of times. The closest Damien has come is a few background appearances (e.g. in “Gnomes,” “Professor Chaos,” “Smug Alert!,” and “ManBearPig”) and a speaking role in the game South Park: The Stick of Truth.

The Book Mobile Driver from “Chickenlover” (Season 2, Episode 4)

Sure, once it’s revealed the Book Mobile driver is actually the Chickenlover, Officer Barbrady gives him a few good cracks on the head with his nightstick. And, sure, he’s seen laying on the ground bleeding out. But he did, in fact, survive.

The only other times the Book Mobile driver has been seen are in a newspaper article in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and as a background character in the South Park Police Station in “Toilet Paper.” It’s a shame because, like many other early season characters, he had his charm (not including his proclivity for making love to chickens, of course). Who says he couldn’t again attempt to get the boys hooked on “the magic of reading?”

Parallel Universe Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny from “Spookyfish” (Season 2, Episode 15)

The parallel universe versions of Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny from “Spookyfish” are just one element that makes the Season 2 episode such a winner. Stan’s A-plot is fantastic, Sharon Marsh’s attempts to cover for Stan are increasingly hilarious, and the pet store owner’s explanation of why he built his shop on a Native American burial ground is one of the best jokes of the season.

Even still, the best part of “Spookyfish” is the “evil” Eric Cartman. It’s so jarring to see a Cartman who isn’t an awful little monster, and it would have been nice to see him again, if only for him to sing the “You Guys Are My Best Friends” song once more. Perhaps even the core four boys could go to the parallel universe and see what that’s like.

Miss Stevens from “Rainforest Shmainforest” (Season 3, Episode 1)

Arguably the biggest guest star South Park ever got, Jennifer Aniston’s presence in the Season 3 opener, “Rainforest Shmainforest,” helps elevate what is otherwise a fairly middling episode. It’s so clear that Aniston is relishing the opportunity to break away from her network television gig on Friends and drop a few F-bombs.

And, now that those F-bombs wouldn’t be bleeped thanks to streaming, why not have her come back in, say, a Paramount+ special? The only location the former activist wouldn’t be is in the Rainforest, begging the question of just what she’s up to these days. Maybe she’s started a new choir to sing about how dumb (in South Park‘s opinion) other narcissistic, ego-inflating causes are.

Sexual Harassment Panda from “Sexual Harassment Panda” (Season 3, Episode 6)

Another very temporary fixture of early South Park, the educational mascot Sexual Harassment Panda, is one of the goofiest characters to date. He’s just such a random figure, one that seemingly exists without a purpose. Even when it comes to educating young people about sexual harassment, he’s awful at it.

He only truly finds purpose in the final moments when he becomes Peetie the Don’t Sue People Panda. But that’s only after he’s gone to the Island of Misfit Mascots. Speaking of that location, Jimmy the Don’t Hold Onto a Large Magnet While Someone Else Uses a Fan Nearby Falcon needs to come back too. His message is just too important to relegate to a single episode.

[RELATED: 10 Most Controversial South Park Episodes]

The Chinpokomon from “Chinpokomon” (Season 3, Episode 11)

Fine, this one’s a bit of a cheat since the Chinpokomon don’t even speak in their eponymous episode, but the fact remains that the Chinpokomon should come back. Chu-Chu Nezumi, Donkeytron, Fatdactyl, Ferasnarf, Furrycat, the Pikachu-like Lambtron, Monkay, Pengin, Pterdaken, Roo-stor, and, of course, Shoe, are all so perfect.

There have been references to the characters here and there, primarily in the video games South Park: The Fractured But Whole and South Park: Snow Day! but for the most part, these little pocket monsters were nowhere to be seen after their Season 3 episode. Even still, for those who played those aforementioned games, they did get to see Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s newest additions to the Chinpoko-line-up, including the cat/snake hybrid Sna-kat, the roided-out rat Roidrat, and the Justin Bieber-reminiscent Biebersaurus.

Mark Cotswolds from “Hooked on Monkey Fonics” (Season 3, Episode 12)

Mark and Rebecca Cotswolds should have come back not so much because they were great characters, but more because their debut episode definitively set them up as new additions to the South Park Elementary school class. Instead, they never spoke again, though Mark was seen in “Professor Chaos,” “The Death Camp of Tolerance,” “Raisins,” “Wing,” “Smug Alert!,” and the first part of the “Imaginationland” trilogy.

The reason Mark is the only Cotswolds sibling listed in the heading is that Rebecca was the final character to be voiced by Mary Kay Bergman, who took her own life shortly after the episode aired. Rebecca was so uniquely voiced that it wouldn’t make sense to recast, nor would it be particularly respectful to Bergman’s memory to bring the character back.

BSM-471 from “Trapper Keeper” (Season 4, Episode 12)

BSM-471 (using the codename Bill Cosby) is a cyborg from the future sent to the modern day to stop Cartman’s Trapper-keeper before it takes over the world. He’s also a pretty terrific reference to The Terminator.

BSM-471 is a true one-off character. He’s never so much as shown his face again. Odd, considering there have been a number of truly bizarre events in the town of South Park that could have used his interference.

Tad Mikowski & Thumper from “Asspen” (Season 6, Episode 2)

In just a single episode, both Tad Mikowski and Thumper the ski instructor became iconic South Park characters. It figures because Season 6’s “Asspen” is an iconic episode. From the numerous (and eventually successful) attempts by the two agents to sell the boys’ parents a timeshare to Ike’s disastrous descent down the mountain, it all works.

It’s that former point that was an in for Tad and Thumper to come back. Sure, South Park wasn’t bound to continuity at that point in the series’ run, but the parents did buy a timeshare, so why couldn’t they have all come back to “Have a good time” and hear Tad belt out another “Stan Darsh” song? That said, both characters were seen in Season Twenty-Two’s “Buddha Box,” with Buddha Boxes on their heads.

Miss Claridge from “Pre-School” (Season 8, Episode 10)

“Pre-School” is an underrated episode of South Park, but it’s also a dark one. Poor Miss Claridge is just a pre-school teacher who is trying to put out a fire set by Trent Boyett, which the core four boys claim they can put out (with their urine). In the process, she is consumed by flame, has the boys urinate on her to try and put her in the fire, and is ultimately left in a full-body electric wheelchair. To speak, there’s one beep to represent “Yes” and two beeps to represent “No.”

It’s not the only suffering Miss Claridge experiences during the episode, for instance, in the final moments when her electric wheelchair is supercharged by a taser gun. It’s all so grimly funny that one just wonders what else Parker and Stone could think up for her. The closest they’ve come to having her reappear is in “The Death of Eric Cartman,” where the title character gives her a gift basket as an apology.

The post South Park: 10 One-Off Characters Who Deserve to Make A Return appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Shinichirō Watanabe, the famed director of Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Space Dandy, is about to release his next project, Lazarus, for Adult Swim’s Toonami. The beloved director has made a career in making some of the most stylish anime in the market, earning renown from across the world for his influences and musical taste. While Cowboy Bebop was Watanabe’s first overseas sensation, the animator’s first major work as a lead director was for an entry in a prestige mecha franchise. His work in this entry for this prestige mecha series firmly established his early style and opened doors for him, which led him to work on Cowboy Bebop.

Watanabe made his directorial debut with the Macross Plus OVA series as part of the greater Macross franchise. Macross Plus was the first major follow-up to the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross, excluding the OVA Flash Back 2012 and the much-maligned Super Dimensional Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again six-episode OVA series. Plus served to wipe the slate clean for the Macross franchise, giving the franchise a new shot in the arm. Even though Watanabe was a hired hand for the project, Macross Plus featured many stylistic choices that informed Watanabe’s sensibilities as a director, showing off his interests in Western culture and music.

Where Macross Plus Lands in the Franchise’s Timeline

Macross Plus came about at a weird time in the Macross franchise. Although Flash Back 2012 was done under the supervision of the same team that worked on the original Macross show, Macross II was produced without any influence from the original creators. Furthermore, it is the only show in the franchise without any input from the brand’s lead creator, Shoji Kawamori. Macross II left a sour taste in fans and creators’ mouths, and, even though it has developed a small fan following, the original creators decided to start fresh with Macross Plus.

Macross Plus appears to be more of Kawamori’s project than Shinichirō Watanabe’s. Kawamori overseas most of the Macross shows, often serving as either the lead director, writer, designer, story idea, or all of the above. He was the acting co-director of Macross Plus alongside Watanabe. The OVA presents multiple story ideas and aesthetics common in Kawamori’s work, including love triangles, musical concert set pieces, and using music in a sincere form to bring people closer together. The Plus OVA is more serious than other Macross projects, lacking the goofy yet genuine charm shown previously in the franchise. There’s even a serious plot point of sexual assault that doesn’t feel like the other Macross shows would even dare touch at that point. Macross Plus is the franchise’s coming-of-age story, moving into more mature and cerebral storylines. It’s possible the more serious tone in Plus was Watanabe’s influence, as the next entry, Macross 7, returns the series to its more campy tone.

[RELATED – Macross Is Already Huge but Falls Short of Gundam for One Simple Reason]

Macross Plus Reveals Shinichirō Watanabe’s Love of Music and Western Media

Despite Macross always being entwined with Kawamori’s involvement, Macross Plus features plenty of choices that become hallmarks of Shinichirō Watanabe’s future work. Watanabe is infamous for how much music and Western media influence his projects, with Cowboy Bebop being particularly famous for how it infuses jazz with typical anime aesthetics. Macross, from its inception, has always been about music, with songs often presented as the ultimate form of artful expression that can bridge people together.

Macross Plus’s plot centers on an AI songstress, Sharon Apple, with many standout moments taking place in a concert. The climax of the series hinges on the intimacy of music between the two main love interests. While music saving the day is a typical Macross cliche, it’s also very in line with how Watanabe presents the medium in his other anime. Watanabe’s Carole & Tuesday is all about the importance of music, starring teenage girls pursuing a musical career on Mars. The emotional hook of Carole & Tuesday is about using music as a valid artistic expression, not too dissimilar to the themes and messaging presented in Macross. Macross Plus would also be the first time Watanabe would work with Yoko Kanno, who later collaborated with him on Cowboy Bebop and Terror in Resonance. Kanno was responsible for many of the jazz pieces presented in Cowboy Bebop, establishing that show’s unique style.

Watanabe is also known for his obvious influence from Western films and media, with Cowboy Bebop taking clear inspiration from the noir and gangster films from classic cinema. Macross Plus takes direct influence from Top Gun, with the two lead male protagonists being test pilots for a military-sponsored jet program. The two leads are lifelong friends and rivals, and most of the OVA’s runtime is them competing in aircraft tests. The main protagonist, Isamu Alva Dyson, is a loose cannon who feels akin to Tom Cruise’s Maverick in Top Gun. Proceeding Macross shows would put more emphasis on the pop idol aspect of the franchise, whereas Macross Plus still seems more like a jet/mecha series centering on men who want to prove their masculinity, possibly because of Top Gun‘s influence. The OVA is one “Danger Zone” away from being an unofficial sci-fi Top Gun sequel.

With Macross Plus and the rest of the franchise now available on streaming across the globe for the first time, people are experiencing one of Shinichirō Watanabe’s earliest directorial works. After Plus, Watanabe’s next work would be Cowboy Bebop, cementing him as one of the most influential anime directors of the ’90s and 2000s. Despite Macross Plus following the blueprint established by co-director Shoji Kawamori’s other work, the OVA still feels unmistakably Watanabe.

The post Cowboy Bebop & Its Director’s Surprising Legendary Mecha Anime Origins appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Next month, the Gundam universe will expand with an anime series that is nearly impossible to pronounce. Created by the man responsible for Neon Genesis Evangelion, Hideaki Anno, the television series will introduce a wild new chapter to the Bandai Namco franchise. Anime fans who were willing to hit the theaters to check out the new chapter in the mech series have helped the compilation movie hit some major heights. As the theatrical run approaches its conclusion, GQuuuuuuX was able to hit one more milestone which is a good sign for those hoping for this to be the next big thing in the anime universe.

Unsurprisingly, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX didn’t make the top ten box office in Japan for its tenth weekend, as the television premiere preps to make landfall. As of the writing of this article, the compilation film has sold over 2 million tickets in Japan, scoring a box office tally of close to $22 million USD. While the movie only cleared a little over $1 million USD in North America, it goes to show how even a compilation can be a big draw at the box office. Of course, GQuuuuuuX wasn’t the only anime movie that was a hit in theaters this past weekend.

[RELATED: Major Mobile Suit Gundam Series Enters Its Final Arc]

Japan’s Big Anime Weekend

While the new Gundam film might not have made the top ten for its tenth weekend, the anime medium had some major top spots at the Japanese box office. In its third weekend, Doraemon The Movie: Nobita’s Art World Tales once again took the top spot, earning around $2.3 million USD. The future feline film was then followed by films from North America in Wicked and Snow White, newly released in Japan. Hanging in there, the rap battle anime movie, Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- remained in the top ten in its fifth weekend on the silver screen. Some of these films might not receive a theatrical run in the West like Gundam but we imagine that they will make their way to North America in some form or fashion.

GQuuuuuuX’s Big Twist

At this point, following the long theatrical run and the promotional material released, the latest Gundam’s secret plot is one that might turn a few heads. Rather than introducing anime fans to an entirely new universe, Anno’s new series instead introduces a world that sees the Principality of Zeon winning the original war that started the franchise. While the series mostly focuses on a new cast of characters who are dragged into some serious mech battles, familiar faces are sure to be featured in the alternate reality anime.

Want to see how high Gundam’s latest series will soar? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Mobile Suit franchise and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

Via Kogyotsushin

The post Gundam GQuuuuuuX Hits Another Major Milestone As Theatrical Run Nears Its End appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Demon Slayer: Kimetso no Yaiba is objectively one of the most popular anime of all time. Based on the manga by Koyoharu Gotouge, the shonen series follows Tanjiro on his mission to save his demon sister Nezuko by joining the Demon Slayer Corp in their fight against Muzan and his demonic army. Even with its divisive later seasons, Demon Slayer is still a massive hit, as fans would tune in each week for the gorgeously animated battles and hilarious antics between Tanjiro, Nezuko, Inosuke, Zenitsu, and the rest of the Hashira. But the anime has one glaring flaw that many fans struggle to overlook.

Most of Demon Slayer focuses on the physical battles between Tanjiro, his comrades, and the demons. Season 1 eased Tanjiro in as he fought unranked and lower-ranked demons. But since the Mugen Train Arc movie, he’s been facing off against the Upper Moon Demons and somehow prevailing. Being the kind soul that he is, Tanjiro tries to comfort the dying demons in their final moments. But, as they share their life stories from before they turned into fiends, audiences can’t help but groan at a poorly used anime trope.

Demon Slayer’s Flashbacks Are Notoriously Frustrating

The anime flashback is a trope that has already been memed into infamy. After a hard-fought battle, a character will lie dying on the floor with everyone around them crying. But before they move on to the next life, the episode takes a 15-minute-long diversion to recount their entire life story. Some anime use flashbacks incredibly well to establish their characters, the history of the world, or to recap past events if a series is particularly confusing. Shows like Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and even Attack on Titan use flashbacks well. Unfortunately, Demon Slayer does not.

While it is a trope for the medium as a whole, Demon Slayer‘s flashbacks have become a formula unto themselves. The trend was most notable in the “Entertainment District Arc,” after the Demon Slayer Corp finally managed to kill Daki and Gyutaro, with each character being given almost an entire episode dedicated to their flashbacks. But even the Hashira get a lengthy flashback when their lives are on the line.

[RELATED – Demon Slayer Reveals Bonus Swag to Hype Infinity Castle’s Release]

Why Demon Slayer‘s Flashbacks Are So Bad

The problem isn’t with flashbacks as a whole. As previously mentioned, some anime make great use of the technique. But, to put it bluntly, Demon Slayer‘s use of flashbacks is lazy and has negative consequences on the rest of the respective season. Fans now know that when a demon is close to dying, the episode will pause from the action to show their backstory. This expectation and the flashback itself drastically kills the frenetic pacing created by the intense battle scene that has likely lasted for the past few episodes. For a show that relies so heavily on the strength of its action, culling the pacing so suddenly for a flashback removes the energy from the fight. So, when we then rejoin the present to see Tanjiro kill the demon, it doesn’t feel as exciting.

Most egregiously, Demon Slayer‘s use of flashbacks is lazy from a writing perspective. Fans love an interesting and sympathetic character. But there are much better ways of making an audience care about an antagonist than info-dumping their backstory into a single flashback right before they die. To many, it feels like a cheap way to elicit sympathy and tears before they are killed. Demon Slayer‘s villains and complex Hashira would be far more interesting if their backstories were hinted at throughout the season, either through smaller, more incremental flashbacks that influence their decisions in the present or even through how they behave in the present.

The series has shown it can do this with Muzan, who has already been shown to be complex through his limited screentime in the past seasons. So, why is it so hard for the show to do with its Upper Moon Demons?

Fans are hoping that the upcoming Infinity Castle movie will move beyond this trend and layer the villains’ and characters’ backstories into the overall story rather than halting the present progress to throw a slow flashback at the audience. We’ll find out for ourselves when Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle releases in US theaters on September 12th, 2025.

The post Demon Slayer’s Most Annoying Problem Has Always Been a Part of the Series appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Despite fans’ hopes for a peaceful adventure in the land of the Giants, the World Government unfortunately seems to have had different plans with the Holy Knights’ arrival setting into motion another chaotic series of events that might even give the Egghead Arc a run for its money. Clearly, a huge battle is looming ahead on Elbaf, and One Piece already has the perfect opponent for Luffy. Surprisingly enough, it isn’t Loki but one of the newly introduced Holy Knights, St. Killingham, who, as per the latest chapter, has a very broken devil fruit ability.

Chapter 1143 of One Piece reveals that St. Killingham possesses the Dragon-Dragon Fruit Model: Kirin, a mythical Zoan that allows him to put his targets to sleep and turn their dreams into reality. Killingham’s introduction card even refers to him as a “dream-manifesting man,” confirming that he’s the one responsible for putting the Giant children to sleep and bringing the beings from their nightmares, called sleeptids, to life. The chapter also sees Killingham use this ability on St. Sommers, putting him to sleep in an instant and pulling out the salt from his dreams. Besides being similarly goofy, St. Sommers’s devil fruit makes him the perfect match-up for Luffy and Gear Five’s similar imagination-powered, reality-defying abilities.

[RELATED: One Piece’s Elbaf Arc Already Has the Best Opponent for Sanji]

One Piece Sets up Killingham as the Perfect Opponent For Luffy

With St. Killingham being responsible for the nightmarish creatures currently wreaking havoc on Elbaf, this makes him a top priority in terms of the order in which the Holy Knights need to be taken out. Defeating a devil fruit user typically deactivates the effects of their devil fruit, which means defeating Killingham would be the fastest way to make the sleeptids disappear.

Moreover, with every successive chapter, it is becoming clearer and clearer that Loki may not be Luffy’s opponent after all. Several hints currently point to Loki being innocent of his crimes, and if so, he may be an ally to the Straw Hats instead, leaving St. Killingham as the perfect replacement for Luffy’s big opponent in Elbaf.

More importantly, St. Killingham’s powers are almost just as goofy as Luffy’s. Chapter 1143 reveals just how his dream manifesting ability works, with Killingham first emitting waves that put his target to sleep before physically reaching into the sleeping person’s cloud-like thought bubble and pulling out the object they’re dreaming of.

Much like how the Nika Fruit relies on its user’s imagination, Killingham’s ability relies on his target’s imagination and dreams. His ability to manifest dreams in of itself defies reality much like Gear Five, and it will surely be incredibly fun to see how these two broken devil fruits perform against each other, especially since Luffy has also displayed to ability to manifest objects on Egghead against the Five Elders. St. Killingham’s devil fruit has already created the perfect battlefield on Elbaf for Gear Five to shine, and in Loki and Shamrock’s absence, it is hard to see a better opponent for Luffy than him, though only time will tell where One Piece’s Elbaf Arc goes with the match-ups.

One Piece is available to read from Manga Plus and Viz Media.

The post One Piece: Luffy’s Next Opponent Has a Devil Fruit That Could Rival His Own appeared first on ComicBook.com.

A third entry in the crossover series featuring the Godzilla and Kong of Legendary’s MonsterVerse is in the works. With a release date already confirmed for 2027, there are plenty of questions that are surrounding the next cinematic chapter of the kaiju universe. Despite this sequel being years away, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is still getting plenty of eyes on it in some unique ways. In a shocking, hilarious twist, one of the funniest moments from the previous sequel is getting a statue of its own as Kong and Suko’s first meeting gets a new lease on life.

If you want to learn more about this new statue that is arriving later this year, here’s how Spiral Studio describes the hilarious recreation of Kong using Suko as a weapon, “Get ready to unleash a whole new level of hilarity with the Kong 2024 Statue (Weaponized Suko Version) from the epic showdown in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire! Forget your typical action figures; this legendary piece captures the moment when Kong proves that even titans need a little finesse—and a trusty sidekick like Suko! This statue features the mighty Kong in all his glory, muscle-bound and ready to throw down, but wait, what’s that in his hand? It’s Suko! That’s right, the not-so-innocent creature gets the honor of being Kong’s go-to weapon against Skar King’s minions. It’s like having a best friend who’s also your secret weapon—if only that best friend had a knack for getting tossed around!”

[RELATED: Everything We Know About Godzilla x Kong 3, and What Happens After A New Empire]

Will Suko Return?

Suko, the orange-furred primate that first made its debut in the New Empire, initially had many thinking that the MonsterVerse had received its own “Grogu.” In a surprise twist, Suko was anything but as he was more than willing to take a bite out of Kong and was working in the sway of the Skar King. When Kong used Suko as his personal nunchucks, it cemented how hilarious Legendary’s series of kaiju films could be when it wanted to.

Luckily, for those hoping to see this smaller ape making a comeback in Godzilla x Kong 3, there is a glimmer of hope. The ending of New Empire saw Suko survive and become a loyal follower of Kong, as Skull Island’s ruler took the Skar King’s followers as his own. Now that Kong has truly become a king in the bowels of the Hollow Earth, we have to imagine that his new empire is one that will play a major role in the third entry of this trilogy.

Want to stay up to date on all the happenings within the MonsterVerse? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Godzilla and Kong and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

The post New Godzilla x Kong Statue Recreates New Empire’s Greatest Moment appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Batman Ninja arrived in 2018, giving us a serviceable, neat animated adventure that featured Bruce Wayne, his allies, and his enemies transported to feudal Japan. During this journey, nearly all the characters were given makeovers to reflect their new surroundings while also using a CG animation style that made the outing look unlike anything else focusing on the Dark Knight to date. While the first movie was a solid new take on Batman, its sequel is one that improves on almost every aspect of its predecessor while giving DC fans some story bits that are well worth its runtime.

Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League, for those who might not be familiar, is a story that takes place almost immediately following the events of the first film. Bruce and Damian Wayne have returned to the present, only to discover that their journey to the past has seemingly changed the reality of their home. The world has seemingly been taken over by an evil interpretation of the Justice League, led by the Demon’s Head Ra’s Al Ghul, and is looking to get rid of the abnormality that is the Dark Knight. Luckily, Bruce and his sidekicks get some unexpected allies from both the Yakuza League’s iteration of Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn and work together in an effort to bring down the evil supergroup’s heavy hitters.

[RELATED: Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League Releases Massive Ten-Minute Preview: Watch]

For Anime Fans

While we were certainly expecting this movie to be chock-full of references to the DC Universe, the fact that this film often feels like a love letter to the anime medium came out of left field. Two such scenes are the best representation of this fact, with the first being a hilarious tribute to classic anime franchises such as Voltron, aka Beast King Go-Lion. During this surreal scene, which you can check out above, Alfred introduces Batman, Robin, Red Robin, Nightwing, and Red Hood to their new vehicles in a way that appears as though it was ripped straight from anime’s past. “Go! Bat Phoenix” is only the icing on the cake when it comes to the movie’s anime tributes.

In another scene, the Yakuza League’s Wonder Woman, known here as Diana Amazone of Hinomoto, delivers a melancholy performance as she belts out a tune preparing to take on the film’s villains. Paying tribute to some of the more melodramatic elements of anime’s past, this quick scene makes for a hilarious moment where Harley Quinn even breaks the fourth wall in an attempt to figure out what exactly is happening. This is to say nothing of the wild designs for the Yakuza League that truly live up to the Yakuza aesthetic, especially when it comes to one character who hasn’t been featured in any of the promotional material. Speaking of…

For DC Fans

Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League has a lot of material that seems tailor-made for fans of the DC Universe, and I am saying this as someone who is quite knowledgeable when it comes to the DCU. The Yakuza League, for example, might be an entirely new take on the Justice League but it feels like a wild new iteration of DC’s Crime Syndicate. For those who don’t know or need a refresher, the Crime Syndicate hailed from an alternate reality that saw classic characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman transformed into Ultraman, Owlman, and Superwoman. The team ruled over their world with an iron fist, presenting dark doppelgangers to the heroes we’ve come to know. Of the Yakuza League members featured in the film, the true stand-out is the Man of Steel.

Yes, the Yakuza League has an evil Superman and he is one of my favorite takes on an “evil Superman” that I have seen in some time. This version of Clark believes that in order to save the world, he needs to be as ruthless, and criminal, as humanly possible, following the orders of Ra’s Al Ghul to the letter. It makes for an interesting new take on the character and while we do have a traditional “Batman Vs. Superman” fight in the runtime, the resolution to how the Yakuza League’s leader is actually defeated is a gift to DC fans and Superman enthusiasts.

Bruce does get some good shots in but what helps defeat this twisted Man of Steel is simply the legacy of Superman in general. With worlds colliding, the evil Clark Kent gets the chance to see the OG Superman’s life for himself, beaten down by the fact that the original was able to create such an amazing life for himself while becoming an inspiration for the world at large. This causes the Yakuza League’s Kryptonian, and the team as a whole, to reverse course. It’s a neat little callback to the DCU itself while creating an effective, albeit fast-paced, redemption scene.

Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League takes everything that the original film did and improves upon it. Whether you’re an anime fan looking for a quick movie to check out or want to see another example of the DC Universe invading the anime medium, this film was made for you.

Want to see how the DCU continues to be a part of the anime world? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Batman Ninja and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

The post Batman Ninja Vs Yakuza League Is a Must See For DC And Anime Fans appeared first on ComicBook.com.

After 25 years, 25 seasons, over 1,000 episodes, and 22 films, Ash Ketchum concluded his Pokémon Journeys in 2023 by defeating Galar Champion Leon in the World Coronation Series. From humble beginnings coming from Kanto to becoming the World Champion, over the course of eight generations and regions in the Pokémon franchise, Ash had gone through his own evolutions of Pocket Monster teams with Pikachu sticking by his side all the way. But which was Ash’s best Pokémon team?

Starting out, Ash didn’t make it in time to Professor Oak’s lab to get a typical Kanto Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander starter Pokémon. But as fate would have it, receiving Pikachu as his starter would lead to quite the legacy of friendship between the inseparable trainer and Pokémon duo. As Pikachu had remained Ash’s #1 Pokémon and best friend, he also remained outside his Poké Ball and in Ash’s team throughout the series, leaving five other slots to fill with potential battle buddies, typically including types like grass, water, fire, a regional bird Pokémon, and a wildcard.  Let’s break down the teams Ash has had over the years and decide which to choose as the best!

Ash’s Pokémon of Yore

As Ash set out on the first part of his journey, he built up his team to include Pokémon caught throughout the region of Kanto. Although Ash had been late to the party to receive the typical starter Pokémon, he’d managed to catch all three, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander, to add to his party. He’d also managed to nab a Butterfree and Pidgeotto. Ash managed to build up a team of a variety of types and eventually even evolve his Charmander into Charizard, but unfortunately, he didn’t manage to evolve his other Pokémon, and Charizard often ignored commands. Even so, Ash’s First Generation team had been through their share of endearing experiences and is one many find nostalgic.

In the Johto region of Gen 2, Ash gathered a team consisting of Bayleef, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Noctowl, and Phanpy. Ash also had a Heracross, which despite being a uniquely strong Bug-Fighting type, wasn’t often included in the team. Noctowl, being a rare shiny Pokémon, was an especially great find for Ash. Although Ash still didn’t seem to employ the use of evolving his Pokémon, he did, however, continue to make use of diversifying the types of Pokémon in his team. Following up with traversing the Hoenn region in Gen 3, although he still doesn’t make much use of evolution, Ash’s team continued its pattern of type diversity with Swellow, Grovyle, Corphish, Torkoal, and Glalie, adding an ice-type to shake things up. Even so, Ash could’ve nabbed Pokémon that would’ve possibly been more beneficial to add to his team.

In Gen 4, Ash builds a team in the Sinnoh region with Staraptor, Torterra, Buizel, Infernape, and Gible in the Sinnoh region. Ash also has some of his previously caught Pokémon make a return, like Heracross and evolving Gligar into Gliscor and Cyndaquil into Quilava. This time in making his team, his Pokémon are mostly evolved, upping his team’s stats and diversifying tactics. Although Ash comes face to face with the Pokémon god himself, Arceus, it’s too bad we don’t get such a legendary showdown of Ash and his Pokémon battling it. But perhaps fighting the god of the Pokémon universe wouldn’t have ended well in the first place.

[RELATED: Pokémon Guide Settles Big Debate About Arceus]

Entering the Unova region for Gen 5, Ash’s team becomes a bit of a mess with a large revolving roster and reverts back into old habits of not fully evolving most of his Pokémon, especially region starters. Ash does manage to fully evolve a Unfezant, Leavanny, and Krookodile, but leaves Oshawott, Pignite, Snivy, Scraggy, Boldore, and Palpitoad in lesser forms. Even so, it is a delight to see Charizard make a return.

Ash’s experiences in the Kalos region make him an especially strong contender in his strongest teams of Pokémon, especially since he’d gotten so close to winning in the Lumiose Conference. Along with Gen 6 introducing Mega Evolutions, Ash upped his Pokémon’s odds with a fully evolved team including Talonflame, Hawlucha, the dragon-types Goodra and Noivern, and Greninja taking on an interesting form with its Battle Bond ability. Not only were these especially strong Pokémon in their own right, but many still hold strong places in the base games’ competitive meta.

In the Alola region of Gen 7, Ash finally manages to win the title of the first Alolan Pokémon League champion. Although it’s a bit of a curveball that Rowlet remained unevolved, the team is frankly pretty overpowered with the inclusions of Incineroar, Lycanroc, Naganadel, and Melmetal. Along with new Pokémon, Gen 7 also introduced some new battle features like exclusive Alolan forms, Ultra Beasts, and Z-Moves.

In the region of Galar, Ash creates his final team. With Ash a full-fledged trainer, he managed to create a diverse team that includes Lucario, Dracovish, Dragonite, Gengar, and Galarian Farfetch’d. Along with a dragon-type and a ghost/poison-type on the team, Ash ups the ante with the inclusion of one of Gen 8’s new Galarian form Pokémon. Galar also provides kaiju-sized Pokémon with the new features of Dynamax and Gigantamax. With an ending to Ash’s Pokémon career just as big as the Pokémon in the region, Ash finally manages to defeat Galar Champion Leon in the World Coronation Series, becoming the World Champion.

So Which Team Comes Out on Top?

With so many Pokémon friends Ash has made in all his travels and encounters, it would be difficult for even him to choose which team had been the strongest, most memorable team he’d managed to build and nurture. From humble beginnings in Kanto with but a single beloved Pokémon to the final leg of his journey in the Galar region, having attained the title of champion, the teams Ash had created along the way are all special in their own ways, showcasing what Ash had learned as a trainer throughout his adventures. In a way, it’s fitting that Ash caps off his journey with his strongest team at the end of his final run as the face of the anime, Pokémon Journeys.

But when it comes to choosing which team is the best in both strength and endearment, his latest and final team of Dragonite, Gengar, Lucario, Galarian Farfetch’d, Dracovish, and of course, Pikachu, outshines the rest. With a team of Pokémon diverse in both types and spanning generations, this is an all-star team that ultimately won Ash the well-deserved title of World Champion.

Which of Ash’s teams do you think is the best? Let us know in the comments which Pokémon team is your favorite!

The post Ash Ketchum’s Best Pokémon Team Was the Friends He Made Along the Way appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 has been absolutely stellar so far, and it’s no big surprise that fans are waiting with bated breath to see more, especially after the intense moment shared between Jinshi and Maomao in Episode 35. Thankfully, they won’t have to wait too much longer because the obi – or promotional wrap-around on Japanese print releases for manga – on Volume 15 revealed that Cour 2 of the season would begin airing on April 4, 2025. The obi, reported by Manga Mogura on X, further confirms what fans already knew and hoped about two consecutive cours for Season 2, but with the added bonus of no delay before it resumes.

Much like Season 1, Season 2 of The Apothecary Diaries is listed to receive 24 episodes and has quickly surpassed Season 1 in terms of quality and storytelling. With the mysteries surrounding the palace becoming even more intriguing with time – especially those surrounding Maomao’s resident Watson, Jinshi, and his life within the palace – there’s no telling where the rest of the season could potentially lead.

[RELATED: The Apothecary Diaries Hypes Season 2 With Playful New Year’s Poster]

The Apothecary Diaries Is Dominating the Spring 2025 Anime Season, and For Good Reason

With a devilishly clever and hilarious main character, a handsome male lead, and an intriguing spin on a historical setting, The Apothecary Diaries is truly a series that has something for everyone. While the first season began by teasing a Sherlock Holmes-esque set-up taking place in a fictionalized version of China’s Ming Dynasty, it has since evolved into a gorgeously written mystery with intrigue surrounding imperialism, family, and so much more. Based on a series of novels by Natsu Hyuga that was later adapted into a manga with illustrations by Nekokurage, it’s not surprising at all that the series has anime fans in a chokehold. After all, one of the biggest things that’s been missing from modern anime releases is a genuinely compelling mystery with enough charm to carry the story without relying on cheap gimmicks or being overly edgy.

The Apothecary Diaries continues to be a success across all mediums, with the light novel being the third best-selling series in Japan in 2021, with around 500,000 copies sold in that year. Additionally, by February, the franchise – both the manga and novels combined – had well over 40 million copies in circulation, with that number growing rapidly ever since the release of OLM’s stunning anime adaptation. The series is also, unsurprisingly, award-winning, with the light novel and manga taking home the Piccoma Award in 2024 and the manga winning the Next Manga Award. Its enduring success since the original series began printing is a testament to its engaging characters, world, and the story Natsu Hyuga continues to spin around Maomao and her seemingly never-ending escapades around the palace. While it’s still unclear where Season 2 plans to end, fans can only hope that a third season is somewhere over the horizon.

Source: Manga Mogura on X

The post April 4th Is Going to Be an Amazing Day for The Apothecary Diaries Fans appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The One Piece Cafe has become a hit in Las Vegas since it swung open its doors last year, proving that the Straw Hat Pirates have become a hit in North America. With Luffy and company routinely chowing down during their many travels on the Grand Line, it should make sense that Eiichiro Oda’s shonen series is tailor-made for edible crossovers. Earlier this year, ice cream purveyors Baskin-Robbins were teasing that a One Piece crossover was on the way and this teaser has been confirmed as the retailers have revealed a first look at the Straw Hat promotion.

While this crossover is a Japan-exclusive, Baskin-Robbins still shared the goods with all anime fans worldwide. The event will take place from April 1st next month until May 8th, offering Straw Hat enthusiasts the chance to pick up ice cream that would fit right into the Grand Line. Here are the flavors that Baskin-Robbins has confirmed as a part of this anime collaboration and you can check out the new poster released for this crossover below.

• Gomu Gomu no Fruit Punch
• Luffy Suge!! Pirate Double Cup
• Zoro & Sanji Royoyoku Sundae
• Nami Kirakira Orange Sundae
• Chopper Sakura Amaama Sundae
• Egghead Ice Cream Set

[RELATED: Problematic One Piece Figurine Stirs Up Controversy]

The One Piece Crossovers of Legend

When it comes to anime crossovers, One Piece has its fair share of team-ups that we’ve seen in the past. The legendary meeting of the Straw Hat Pirates and the Z-Fighters took place in a special episode of One Piece that brought in the characters of Dragon Ball Z for a one-off adventure. Thanks to video games like Jump Force, Luffy has been able to fight side-by-side with far more anime characters than just Goku as the fighting game features the likes of Yu Yu Hakusho, My Hero Academia, Naruto, Hunter x Hunter, and many more. With Eiichiro Oda’s masterpiece in its final saga, it will be interesting to see if the Straw Hats have any more anime crossovers before the end.

Thanks to the One Piece Netflix adaptation, the shonen franchise is getting another highly anticipated crossover. As one of the first anime projects for LEGO, the Going Merry and various locales will be recreated via the building sets that have become the top of their field over the years. Considering how long anime fans have been hoping to see any anime franchise receive official LEGO sets of their own to join the likes of Marvel, Star Wars, and more, starting with One Piece feels like a safe bet for getting the ball rolling on potential future anime sets.

Want to see if this Baskin-Robbins anime collab will make its way to the West in the future? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on One Piece and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

Via Baskin-Robbins Official Website

The post Baskin-Robbins Shares First Look At Its One Piece Ice Cream appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Straw Hats haven’t been in Elbaf for long, but the fight has already begun as the Holy Knights catch the Giants off guard. The Holy Knights were first mentioned in One Piece Chapter 1054 when Akainu and the Gorosei discussed the aftermath of the chaotic Reverie Arc. Akainu mentions that the Holy Knights intervened after the attempted murder of Saint Charlos and the accusation that Saint Mjosgard let the attacker escape. While this chapter barely tells us anything about the Holy Knights, they were again mentioned in Chapter 1083 when Sabo reunited with the Revolutionary Army and reported everything to Dragon and Ivankov. Dragon mentions that the real war against the World Government will begin when the Holy Knights are immobilized.

This further hypes up the antagonistic group as we learn just how dangerous they are to the Revolutionary Army. Garling’s introduction in Chapter 1086 gives us a glimpse at their social standing as the man executes another Celestial Dragon. The Holy Knights were already established as a powerful group of fighters, but now we are finally learning more about them in the Elbaf Arc. They are the main villains of this arc as we meet four new members. The battle in Elbaf will be intense, and the crew will face their biggest challenge yet. While we can’t say for certain which Holy Knight will fight the crew members, it seems Eiichiro Oda already has plans for Sanji.

[RELATED: One Piece Fans May Be Expecting Too Much From Usopp in Elbaf Arc]

One Piece’s Sommers Will Be a Worthy Opponent for Sanji

Saint Sommers of the Shepherd family is from the same bloodline as Saint Ju Peter. He is introduced in Chapter 1140 when he is summoned to Elbaf without his knowledge. In Chapter 1143, he explains his twisted philosophy of love. He believes that every love has its thorns and that love is the passion to reach out and squeeze someone tight. Even though the thorns hurt them, he believes there’s real “emotion” in killing. For someone as powerful as Sommers, nothing excites him more than “death by love.”

Sommers has the power of a Thorn-Thorn Fruit, which grants him the ability to grow thorns around himself, other people, and basically anything he sees. If someone tries to touch a person ensnared by Sommers’ thorns, they will be injured as well. It’s worse when the thorns hovering around the target are seemingly invisible, making it easier for others to fall into Sommers’s trap. It also obscures the true nature of his devil fruit. Sommers’s idea of love and causing pain to others based on their emotional bonds heavily contrasts with Sanji, who represents the themes of love and kindness in One Piece.

Sommers’s powers are quite tricky and will prove to be quite challenging for Sanji, who is more of a straightforward fighter. Sanji’s Haki and exoskeleton are powerful, but there’s no guarantee how powerful Sommers is in terms of close combat. However, Sanji does have an advantage with his fire abilities, which can potentially burn Sommers’s vines. The pirate also has one of the best Observation Haki in the series, so he may be able to figure out where the vines are located.

Sanji and His Theme of Love in One Piece

When it comes to representing the themes of love in One Piece, no one does it better than Sanji. His portrayal as the kindest character and his unwavering chivalry heavily contrasts that of Sommers. Sanji’s devotion to women is seen as representing a romanticized version of love, while his unwavering loyalty and care for Luffy and the others embody the kind of love centered on friendship and brotherhood. Rather than fighting based on their strength, it will be exciting to see a clash of ideals as they both have completely different outlooks on love. Sanji’s selflessness and willingness to sacrifice himself for those he holds dear is another one of the aspects that’s different from Sommers.

Compared to Sanji, the villain’s love appears to be possessive and punishing. The stronger feelings someone has towards Sommers’ targets, the more pain they will be in. That said, so far, it’s only an assumption that the two will fight, but who knows what Oda has in store for us. With so many Holy Knights invading the island, the crew will be forced to fight some powerful enemies. As usual, we can expect at least Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji to have amazing one-on-one fights with the villains, where each of these pirates pushes past their limits and becomes stronger than ever.

The post One Piece’s Elbaf Arc Already Has the Best Opponent for Sanji appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One of the most over-the-top, shockingly well-animated isekai series from recent years is finally back with a second season, and fans just got a look at what the return of I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince is bringing to the table during the Summer 2025 anime season. Much like Season 1, Season 2 boasts a gorgeous production thanks to Tsumugi Akita Animation Lab. The season will also be introducing two pivotal characters to the story – Escher and Saria, who will be voiced by Manaka Iwami and Minami Tsuda, respectively.

The second season of I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince will be picking up where the first season left off, and if it follows the same structure and pacing as Season 1, it will be adapting volumes 3 and 4 of the original light novel. The second season will not only feature Lloyd, the lead protagonist, reaching new heights with his magical abilities but will also explore his relationships with his sisters with a bit more depth. Where Season 1 was mostly focused on over-the-top action and characterizing Lloyd’s obsessive ambition for power, Season 2 will be more focused on expanding 7th Prince‘s world and characters.

[RELATED: Re:Zero Season 3 Unleashes Promo Ahead of Finale (But There’s a Catch)]

I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince Shakes Up a Classic Isekai Formula

I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince very much fits into the same power fantasy-fueled niche that every other isekai series before it has. However, what makes Lloyd de Saloum’s journey so interesting is that his previous life wasn’t that of some antisocial otaku from the real world. Instead, his origins were humble ones, as a commoner from the same world he was reborn into who always had a yearning to learn magic but never the wealth or time to master it. Now, as high-ranking nobility, Lloyd finally has the opportunity to indulge himself in all the arcane knowledge he could get his hands on, including summoning and controlling a powerful demon. 7th Prince‘s in-universe wish fulfillment somehow feels like it breaks away from typical isekai power fantasy anime in how much more real it feels for the magic system to not necessarily be tied to convoluted RPG mechanics.

Sure, there’s still plenty of over-the-top “for the plot” explanations for how a lot of the magic featured in the show works, but as far as isekai anime go, it does a great job with world-building and keeping Lloyd’s abilities in check, even if he does occasionally suffer from many of the same tropes as other isekai protagonists. With Season 2 seemingly being set to explore other characters in Lloyd’s house, it could be a great way to better contextualize his naturally powerful magical abilities, his position in his noble family, and some of the greater threats that seem to be looming in I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince‘s otherwise light-hearted story.

Source: Isekai Channel on YouTube

The post I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince Season 2 Releases First Trailer Ahead of Summer Premiere appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It’s impossible to deny that Solo Leveling is one of the biggest anime in 2025 as Jinwoo Sung’s story is being spread far and wide online. Unfortunately, viewers are preparing themselves to once again bid a fond farewell to the heart-pounding moment as the next episode of season two will be its last. The second season finale is set to focus on Jinwoo at a high point thanks to what took place in the penultimate episode and the franchise has released a new preview that gives audiences a better idea of what is to come.

Warning. If you haven’t caught up on Solo Leveling’s second season, be forewarned that we’ll be diving into spoiler territory. The final episode of Solo Leveling season two is titled, “On To The Next Target” clearly referencing what Sung has next on the docket following his big win against the black ant king Beru. To give fans a glimpse at what is to come, A-1 Pictures has released a description of the season finale, “Cha’s last hope, the “Divine Water of Life,” is ineffective, and she is in a race against time. To help her, Sung comes up with an idea. Despite the many sacrifices, the Jeju Island raid ends with the Hunters’ victory. Having demonstrated his power both at home and abroad, Sung throws himself into a new battle in search of even greater strength.” The franchise also released a new image of Jinwoo before the grand finale which you can check out below.

[RELATED: Solo Leveling’s Creator Teases Good News to Come After Season 2]

Solo Leveling Season 3?

A third season for Solo Leveling’s anime adaptation has yet to be confirmed at this point, though it feels like it is inevitable at this point. There are still some major moments and battles to adapt from the original manwha, potentially meaning that we have years of stories ahead on the screen. This is especially true considering that a sequel series, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, is releasing new chapters.

Typically, an anime series will make an announcement regarding a new season around the time of a previous season finale, meaning anime fans might get confirmation this week. In a recent forum post, Solo Leveling’s creator Chugong noted that fans should get ready for some “good news” in the near future. Specifically, Jinwoo’s creator stated, “I think we’ll hear some good news starting from the middle of this year.” 

It’s not hard to see why Solo Leveling has become such a hit amongst anime fans. Each episode is jam-packed with fights that are some of the biggest in the medium, despite the fact that Jinwoo is far stronger than nearly every other character on Earth. Taking a page from Saitama of One-Punch Man fame, the protagonist still makes the story interesting despite his “op” status.

Want to see how Solo Leveling’s second season will come to a close? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Jinwoo Sung and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

The post Solo Leveling Season 2 Shares New Look At Season Finale appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Futurama has been brought back from cancellation not only once, but twice thanks to how good it all started off with right from the very beginning. Futurama‘s first season is still one of the best slates of episodes in adult animation history, and that’s still true even after all these episodes and revivals in the years since. Although this also came from the mind of The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, Futurama immediately stood out from its counterpart thanks to David X. Cohen and the rest of the team behind the scenes making sure it had its own voice at the center of it all.

Futurama‘s first season had to do a lot of work to separate itself from The Simpsons, and immediately it carved out its own voice and humor to further distance itself from anything that had come before. It really felt like adult animation was heading into the future with this one, and Season 1 is one of the best seasons to go back and highlight some of the best gems from that era overall.

Here are five of the best episodes from Futurama’s very first season, and you should let us know which are your favorites in the comments!

Space Pilot 3000 (Season 1, Episode 1)

Futurama has one of the best pilot episodes…ever really. To introduce its wild premiere, “Space Pilot 3000” sends the hapless Phillip J. Fry 1,000 years into the future when he accidentally gets cryogenically frozen. Waking up in the year 3000, Fry (and the audience) are introduced to the world of the series as he realizes how much has changed and how much has actually stayed the same. After trying for the entire episode to keep from being labeled a delivery boy with a thankless job like he had in the past, Fry ends up becoming an entirely different kind of delivery boy that has a much better (and more fun) future.

This really got the series off to an incredible start, and showed just how much of Futurama was locked down right from the very first minute. The show would change a little after this initial pilot, but much of it was already in place for the strong run it would continue to go on across multiple years, revivals, and networks.

A Fishful of Dollars (Season 1, Episode 6)

“A Fishful of Dollars” kicked off a string of absolutely memorable episodes from the first season. This episode explored more of Fry’s life in the past and juxtaposed it with how much his life had actually improved in the future. This was also the episode that introduced fans to Mom and her “friendly robot company” as a long running antagonist for the series to come. Not only was Fry scammed out of millions of dollars, he also hilariously lost himself much more by refusing to sell his anchovies. But all this showcased that Fry’s simplicity also made him that much more compelling of a protagonist going forward. He’s selfish, but ultimately loves his friends.

My Three Suns (Season 1, Episode 7)

This all gets put to the test just one episode later in “My Three Suns.” When Fry accidentally assassinates the Emperor of an alien planet by drinking him, he becomes ruler and quickly pushes away Leela and the rest of his friends with his selfishness. This one eventually comes full circle too as when he’s afraid of getting assassinated himself, the solution ends up being that they need to make him cry. And in true Futurama fashion, it doesn’t really come about until Fry gets his true comeuppance as Leela and the others start beating on him as the episode comes to an end. It’s just a fun showcase of Fry’s connection with the others in an otherwise isolated story.

RELATED: Futurama Executive Producer Talks Returning for Hulu Series, Coming Back From Cancellation, and More

A Big Piece of Garbage (Season 1, Episode 8)

“A Big Piece of Garbage” was the first episode of Futurama to ever get wide recognition as it was nominated for an Emmy that same year. It might have lost to King of the Hill that year, but this episode was recognized for a very good reason. This was the first example of Futurama using its futuristic setting to not only share a real scientific outlook on how humanity handles waste, but mined that for a truly hilarious mission that saw Earth threatened by the titular “big piece of garbage.”

Not only did it come to a very real, yet hilarious solution of “we’ll deal with it later,” but it was one of the first examples of why Futurama was still very grounded despite its outlandish setting. It struck that balance of being a comedy that worked in the present day, but was filled with plenty of ideas for its future world.

Hell Is Other Robots (Season 1, Episode 9)

Futurama has a ton of great characters on its roster, but Bender was the true highlight right from the jump. “Hell Is Other Robots” is not only one of the best episodes in the first season, but of the series overall. Seeing Bender dabble in religion for the first time only to end up going to a very real Robot Hell and meeting a very real Robot Devil, this was also one of the first demonstrations of just how wild Futurama was going to get. With a musical number performed by Dan Castellaneta (who returns in future seasons for some of the best episodes in the series), there really is no other better episode to go back and revisit from the first season. It really is a good one.

The post These Are the Best 5 Episodes of Futurama Season 1 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Power Rangers franchise is now in the works on a new reboot series for Disney+, and Hasbro should really take this opportunity to start off with something brand new in order to avoid the mistakes of the past. The Power Rangers franchise lasted for 30 years worth of television shows, video games, comics, feature films and more, and seemingly ended its run for good with the release of Power Rangers Cosmic Fury on Netflix back in 2023. But you can’t keep this franchise down as a new take on the series is already in the works for a new rebooted era.

Hasbro and 20th Century TV are reportedly now working on a new Power Rangers series for Disney+ with Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz, who are currently working on the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series for Disney+, to serve as showrunners and executive producers that will be a “reinvention” of the classic franchise. The best way to do and to keep both older and newer fans of the series happy is to just start with a clean break and tackle a brand new version of the franchise never seen before.

Power Rangers Is Built on Reboots

At its core, Power Rangers is a franchise that’s build on rebooting itself. Not only was the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series a reboot of the Super Sentai series, Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, with new edited footage added for the American version of the show, but the franchise itself was reinvented each year. Although Mighty Morphin Power Rangers originally ran for three full seasons, there were a number of key cast changes and power changes to coincide with all of the new footage from other Super Sentai shows that were tossed in to keep it going. Power Rangers might have been set within a single timeline at first, but this changed over the many seasons.

Power Rangers fans should be used to reboots at this point, so the idea of a brand new one isn’t that wild of a premise. Although Power Rangers chose its ideas based on whatever Super Sentai series that Toei produced in Japan shortly before, it was still a show that reinvented itself with each season. It even got to the point that each new season was basically an entirely new series with a new cast, new premise, new timelines, powers, and much more. It was just something we all accepted without issue. But somewhere along the line, the idea of rebooting the series became an issue with dedicated fans.

For whatever reason, Power Rangers fans started fighting back against the idea of the series changing up or ignoring much of what Toei’s Super Sentai franchise had produced. Although the two franchises are completely different, there was a desire to keep many of the elements the same despite the two very different purposes. Even when a Power Rangers show was completely new, like Cosmic Fury, there was a lot of heat online over the fact that it was taking elements from a different show it had ignored (which Power Rangers has been doing from the very beginning). For whatever reason, now rebooting the series is an issue.

RELATED: What Went Wrong with Power Rangers and Disney and Why a Return Might Work

Just Start Brand New With Power Rangers

In that case, it’s best to just start brand new with Power Rangers’ new Disney+ series. As fans have gotten to see through the various comic book releases, Power Rangers can do a lot more than what fans might think it’s capable of. The reliance on Toei’s Super Sentai material was not only a crutch for creativity, but also became one of its biggest hassles as more of the fanbase wanted to see that original Japanese material adapted for the new version. To avoid that hassle with this new reboot, it’s best to just start at the beginning.

It doesn’t mean start with a new version of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (which is likely what is going to happen given that it’s basically the only version of the series that broke through the general pop culture sphere), it means start out with something that has never been seen before. There are already going to be a lot of expectations working against this new series, so it’s best to meet those challenges head on with a new version of the franchise that will get to have its own story.

To further separate this new TV series from the also apparently in the works Power Rangers movie reboot, this should be a brand new story with its own characters, villains, powers and much more. It will force even the most dedicated fans to judge this new Power Rangers on its own merits as a Power Rangers series, and has the potential to even change what we think Power Rangers is. If this wants the best chance it could have at success, a fresh start free from anything potentially holding it back is the way to go.

What do you want to see in a new Power Rangers reboot series? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments!

The post Power Rangers Should Start Fresh With New Disney+ Reboot Series appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Bob’s Burgers is currently caught in the middle of some big schedule changes with Fox, so the wait for new episodes is going to take a bit longer than fans might have ever hoped for. Bob’s Burgers Season 15 kicked off its run last Fall alongside the premieres of The Simpsons Season 36 and more. Fox had their first major Animation Domination line up shift last Fall during all of this as Family Guy was removed from the Sunday night Fall schedule for the first time in two decades as a result of these changes. Now it’s just Bob’s Burgers‘ turn.

With the start of the midseason schedule earlier this Winter, Family Guy made its return to Fox to finally premiere Season 23 of the animated series alongside Krapopolis, The Great North, and Grimsburg. As The Simpsons prepares to make its own comeback with new episodes for Season 36 later this month, Bob’s Burgers have been wondering where the series has been. Thankfully, it is far from cancelled as many fans are fearing. It’s just going to be a longer wait to see the new episodes.

When Will Bob’s Burgers Return?

As the midseason schedule continues for Fox’s Animation Domination block, it’s been confirmed that The Simpsons Season 36 will be having its midseason premiere on Sunday, March 30th. This will be bringing it to the line up to replace Grimsburg, with a shake up then resulting in The Simpsons, Family Guy, The Great North, and Krapopolis holding it down from there. But unfortunately for fans of Bob’s Burgers, Fox has yet to announce a return date for its also in progress Season 15. Episode 10 of the series hit last December, but it’s still got a full season of episodes left to go through the rest of the year.

As far as when it will return, Fox previously noted that Bob’s Burgers Season 15 would come back with new episodes in the “Spring.” With The Simpsons being the final addition of the Winter 2025 schedule, it also means that it likely won’t be too much longer before Bob’s Burgers makes a return either. With The Great North and Krapopolis likely ending their respective runs pretty soon, Bob’s Burgers is more likely going to be taking Krapopolis‘ place when it ends some time in May. That means it’s going to be a rougher wait than anticipated, but that’s all conjecture. It could even return at a different day of the week entirely to get back on Fox even earlier.

RELATED: The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers and Family Guy Lock in New U.S. Streaming Deal

How to Catch Up With Bob’s Burgers

As Bob’s Burgers Season 15 is likely scheduled for a return later this May, this does raise some questions about what shows will eventually be in Fox’s Animation Domination block later this Fall. Given that many of these shows have also yet to be renewed for more seasons as of the time of this publication, and the potential return of American Dad! also being on the table around this time, the schedule for the rest of the year is just unfortunately up in the air as of this time.

If you wanted to catch up with Bob’s Burgers in the meantime, you can now find all of the Season 15 episodes available now streaming with Hulu along with every previous season released thus far. You can also check out The Bob’s Burgers Movie streaming with the service as well if you want even more. Bob’s Burgers Season 15 has had some of the best episodes of the series to date, so it will definitely be worth the wait when it finally comes back to screens this year.

The post Is Bob’s Burgers Cancelled: What’s Going on With the Show in 2025? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Grand Blue Dreaming is coming back for a new season of episodes later this Summer, and fans have gotten a fun look at what to expect from Season 2 with a new trailer. Grand Blue Dreaming might not be the most blockbuster franchise out there when compared to how big some other anime have become in the last few years, but Kenji Inoue and Kimitake Yoshioka’s original manga series have found a dedicated fanbase nonetheless. With the first season of the TV anime hitting back in 2018, it’s finally time for the series to make its comeback for new episodes after all this waiting.

Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2 will be premiering in Japan later this Summer, and revealed some crucial updates about the coming episodes during the AnimeJapan 2025 weekend. Not only did it reveal that the new opening theme for the series is titled “Seishun Towa” as performed by Shonan no Kaze and Atarashii Gakko!, but a new trailer to help show it all of as well. To get further hyped for the new episodes to hit later this Summer, you can check out the new trailer in the video above.

What’s New for Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2?

Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2 will be making its debut on July 8th in Japan, but has yet to confirm its international release plans as of the time of this publication. This season picks up right after Iori got a letter from his younger sister, who will be making her full anime debut in the coming season. Shiori Kitahara will be voiced by Sumire Morohoshi in the new episodes along with other new additions of Aya Yamane as Sakurako Busujima and Yoshino Aoyama as Naomi Otoya. The staff from the first season will be returning for the new episodes, but there will be some shake ups behind the scenes.

Shinji Takamatsu will be returning for the second season to direct and write for Zero-G, but they will be joined by studio Liber to help with its production as well. Hideoki Kusama will be handling the character designs, Yoichi Ueda will be serving as chief animation director, and Saber Links will handle the sound production. Yukari Hashimoto will be taking over the music composition for the second season, however, as another shake up from the first season.

RELATED: 10 Most Exciting Hidden Gem Anime for Spring 2025

Who Returns From Grand Blue Dreaming Season 1?

The massive cast from Grand Blue Dreaming‘s first season is set to return for the new episodes as well and they include the likes of Yuma Uchida as Iori Kitahara, Ryohei Kimura as Kohei Imamura, Hiroki Yasumoto as Shinji Tokita, Katsuyuki Konishi as Ryujiro Kotobuki, Chika Anzai as Chisa Kotegawa, Maaya Uchida as Nanaka Kotegawa, Toa Yukinari as Azusa Hamaoka, Kana Asumi as Aina Yoshiwara, Takuya Eguchi as Hajime Nojima, Junya Enoki as Shinichiro Yamamoto, Natsuki Hanae as Yu Mitarai, Robert Waterman as Kenta Fujiwara, Jun Fukuyama as Captain Kudo, Shinji Kawada as Toshio Kotegawa, and Nana Mizuki as Kaya Mizuki.

If you wanted to catch up with the anime before the new episodes hit, unfortunately you can’t currently find the first season of Grand Blue Dreaming streaming online. It’s why the buzz for the new episodes isn’t as strong as it should be, and this season might also fly under the radar if it’s not licensed for the Summer either. But either way, it’s definitely something fans should keep an eye on if you want a light and fun hit that’s perfect for the Summer vibes you’ll be looking for.

But are you excited for Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments!

The post Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2 Drops New Trailer for Summer Premiere appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Webcomic platform WEBTOON is launching a new series called Fantasy High on March 31. Fantasy High is based on the debut campaign from the popular Dungeons & Dragons tabletop roleplaying game (TTRP) series, Dimension 20, streaming on Dropout. With the webcomic set to premiere this week, WEBTOON is sharing a first look at the characters with exclusive character portraits. 

Fantasy High was the first campaign the team at Dimension 20 played and streamed, and has earned a special place in fans’ hearts. The story focuses on the adventures and experiences of six high school freshmen attending Aguefort Adventuring Academy – Fabian Seacaster, Kristen Applebees, Gorgug Thistlespring, Adaine Abernant, Riz Gukgak, and Fig Faeth. The sneak preview from WEBTOON reveals the characters’ names, class, race, and designs ahead of the March 31 premiere. The web series will consist of 61 episodes of magic, drama, intrigue, and mayhem that is sure to become an instant favorite among readers.

[RELATED: Webtoon Announces New Series With Dungeons & Dragons Icon Dimension 20]

Fantasy High is Dimension 20’s First and Most-Loved Campaign

Dimension 20: Fantasy High is a captivating actual play series that debuted in 2018. The campaign blends familiar tropes of high school coming-of-age narratives with the enchanting world of fantasy role-playing. The series is set within the unique environment of Aguefort Adventuring Academy – a high school dedicated to training aspiring adventurers in the magical realm of Spyre. 

At the heart of Fantasy High are “The Bad Kids,” a charmingly diverse group of freshman misfits who find themselves unexpectedly entangled in a series of increasingly dangerous mysteries. Each character is unique and detailed, possessing their own distinct quirks, backstories, and relatable struggles. 

The campaigns, Fantasy High: Freshman Year, Fantasy High: Sophomore Year, and Fantasy High: Junior Year, feature compelling storylines that balance humor, heart, and suspense, keeping both the players and the audience on the edge of their seats. Game Master Brennan Lee Mulligan masterfully weaves intricate plots that are as entertaining as they are emotional.

The Fantasy High WEBTOON creative team consists of Derek V. Song (writer), Alex Brennan-Dent (storyboards), Denaseey (inks), StarPiper (backgrounds), SZ (colors), and Nisaa (lettering).

Fantasy High premieres on WEBTOON on March 31.

Source: Images courtesy of WEBTOON Entertainment.

The post Webtoon Hypes Dimension 20’s New Series With Fantasy High Promo appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004 is one of the big light novel franchises making its official anime debut this year, and now the series has locked down its Fall release window with the launch of a new trailer and poster. Rocket Shokai and Mephisto’s original Sentenced to Be a Hero light novel series first launched with Kakuyomu back in 2020, and fans have been itching to see it get an official anime adaptation ever since. The series imagines a world where being a hero is a punishment for the worst crimes, and kicks off a whole new series of fantasy battles.

Sentenced to Be a Hero was one of the many anime franchises with something to show during the AnimeJapan 2025 event this past weekend, and confirmed that it will be launching some time in October as part of the Fall 2025 anime schedule. To celebrate it locking down a release window, Sentenced to Be a Hero has also dropped a brand new trailer that you can check out in the video above to see how it’s all going to look in motion. You can also check out the newest poster for the anime below as well.

What to Know for Sentenced to Be a Hero’s Anime

Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004 will be releasing in October as part of the Fall 2025 anime schedule, but has yet to confirm its release date or international release plans as of the time of this publication. There were also new staff details revealed during the AnimeJapan2025 as well. Hiroyuki Takashima will be directing the new anime for Studio KAI with Yoshitake Nakakoji serving as assistant director and creature designer. Kenta Ihara will be overseeing the scripts for the series, Takeshi Noda will be designing the characters, and Shunsuke Takizawa will be composing the music for the anime.

The currently confirmed voice cast for the new anime include the likes of Yohei Azakami as Xylo Forbartz, Mayu Iizuka as Teoritta, Shizuka Ishigami as Patausche Kivia, Shun Horie as Dotta Luzulas, and Shunichi Toki as Venetim Leopool. This is one of those series that’s likely going to find a whole new audience with a successful anime adaptation, so fans should really keep an eye out for it this Fall.

RELATED: 10 Most Exciting Hidden Gem Anime for Spring 2025

What Is Sentenced to Be a Hero About?

If you wanted to read up on the original Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004 light novels, Yen Press has officially licensed the series for an English language release. They tease the series as such, “Heroism—a punishment for only the worst criminals. Those sentenced to the fate of a hero are forced to fight at the front lines against the demon king’s army—and if they die, they can expect to be revived and continue the battle. But when their leader, convicted of killing a goddess, meets another goddess himself, the contract they forge may be enough to change the world…”

The Fall 2025 anime schedule is currently stacking up with some of the biggest new anime releases of the year, so a new adaptation like this is really going to need to work hard in order to standout among some of the other releases like My Hero Academia (which is returning for its final season) that will be taking over much of the conversation around the same time.

How are you liking the look of Sentenced to Be a Hero so far? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments!

The post Sentenced to Be a Hero Sets Release Window With New Trailer, Poster appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece is about to take to the field as Luffy and the Straw Hats have teamed up with the Bundesliga soccer club Borussia Dortmund for a cool new game day collaboration. One Piece has been getting ready to come back for new episodes of the anime following a historic hiatus that has been lasting for six months, and fans around the world have been able to bask in that return with all sorts of cool new collaborations. As has seen in the last few months specifically, One Piece is taking over the worlds of various sports to bring anime to the masses.

Just this year, One Piece has teamed up with the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers for a special game night, they are getting ready to team with MLB’s Seattle Mariners for a game night of their own, and now it’s been revealed that One Piece has teamed up with the Bundesliga soccer club Borussia Dortmund for a special match day coming later this month. To celebrate this new collaboration with the major football club, you can check out the special poster for the team up below.

What’s New for This One Piece Collab?

As detailed on One Piece’s official website, this new  “BVB × ONE PIECE Matchday 2025” will be taking place during the home game between Borussia Dortmund and 1.FSV Mainz 05 at Signal Iduna Park in Germany on Sunday, March 30th local time. Along with showing off more of the One Piece Card Game during the event (with a special promo card available for those who try it out at the venue), there will also be special merchandise and other goods combining the two franchises that will only be available there. It’s also teasing a special team up between Tony Tony Chopper and the Borussia Dortmund mascot, EMMA.

This is far from the only major team up that One Piece has had with sports teams in the last few months, and will likely be far from the last especially as One Piece will be returning for new episodes of the anime later this Spring. The series has been on a historic six month hiatus following the first half of the Egghead Arc last Fall, so fans have been anxious to see how all of these episodes have been developing in the time since. Now that it’s almost here, it’s finally time to really celebrate with events like this.

RELATED: New One Piece Spinoff Anime Announced

When Is The One Piece Anime Coming Back?

One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2 is finally coming back for new episodes beginning on April 5th in Japan, and will be streaming with Netflix and Crunchyroll. There’s going to be a full premiere weekend with Crunchyroll too as along with the new episode, they will be sharing a special 83 minute recap special of the first half of the Egghead Arc to help fans get back up to speed with the new episodes. But that’s not all as a second new episode will quickly premiere the next day, April 6th, that weekend as well.

One Piece Episode 1123 (the first episode of this major comeback) will be launching with Crunchyroll on April 5th, followed by the release of Episode 1124 on April 6th for fans in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Latin America. It’s also been announced that the new episodes will feature a new opening theme titled “Angels and Demons” as performed by GRe4N BOYZ, and a new ending theme performed by muque. It’s going to be a big Spring for One Piece fans.

The post One Piece Teams Up With Borussia Dortmund for Cool New Collab appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Re:Zero Season 3’s eight-episode Counterattack arc began airing on February 5, 2025. Now, more than a month later, the series is fast approaching its season finale in the form of Episode 16. This final episode is set to air on Wednesday, March 26th at 10:30 PM JST. For those outside of Japan, the episode will be simulcast on Crunchyroll all over the world at 7:30 AM PT. As the finale approaches, the anime has taken the opportunity to promote a Season 3 special event, Pristella’s Banquet. 

At AnimeJapan 2025, the event received a new visual depicting Re:Zero’s cast in intricate blue and white outfits. Unfortunately for international fans, however, the Season 3 special event is Japan-only and set to take place in the Tokyo Dome City Prism Hall on Saturday, May 24th. Tickets for the event are available via general lottery that will be held from Wednesday, March 26th, the same date as the release of the series’ anticipated season finale.

Everything To Know About Pristella’s Banquet

Taking place at the Tokyo Dome City Prism Hall, Pristella’s Banquet will be divided into daytime performances that start at 2:00 PM and nighttime performances that start at 6:00 PM, JST. Three types of tickets are available: Front-seat guaranteed ticket, Normal ticket, and Cut-out seat ticket. You can learn more about the different tickets here.

As for the cast, the event will feature Yusuke Kobayashi (Subaru Natsuki,) Rie Takahashi (Emilia,) Satomi Arai (Beatrice,) and many more. Otto Suen’s Kohei Amasaki will be making an additional appearance in the evening session. However, at this stage, performers are still subject to change.

[RELATED – Jujutsu Kaisen and One Piece Animator Just Gave Re:Zero Its Best Episode Yet]

How To Apply For Ticket Lottery

The event had two types of lotteries fans could apply to: priority sales lottery and general lottery. To apply for priority daytime or evening session lotteries, fans needed to have the “Daytime or Evening Session Priority Sales Application Ticket” included in the 3rd season Blu-Ray. Currently, applications for both these priority sales lotteries have already closed, with the winner of the daytime session lottery to be announced on March 25th at 1:00 PM. The winner will then have until April 1st at 9:00 PM to complete the payment process.

For Japanese Re:Zero fans who missed the priority sales lottery or didn’t have the 3rd season Blu-ray and accompanying “Priority Sales Application Tickets,” the good news is that they can still apply for the general lottery. The application period for this starts on March 26th at 12:00 PM and ends on April 9th at 11:59 PM. During this application period, you are free to cancel your ticket application or make changes to it. The lottery winner will then be announced on April 14th at 13:00 and given until April 22nd at 9:00 PM to complete payment. 

Note that winners and seat numbers are selected at random from the applicants and not on a first-come-first-served basis. Lottery results are notified by email, but it’s recommended to also check the “Application Status Introduction” after the result announcement. Additionally, anyone using domain-specific reception or email-specific reception, should make sure to set it to receive emails from “@eplus.co.jp.” Fans can select up to two ticket types and apply for up to two tickets but will need to register as a free e+ member to receive their tickets. 

The post Re:Zero Season 3 Unleashes Promo Ahead of Finale (But There’s a Catch) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Family Guy is now working its way through Season 23 of the long running animated series, and the newest episode surprisingly brought another animated classic to an end by giving Caillou a surprising series finale. This current season of Family Guy has been one of the most unique to see develop yet as each of the episodes has offered something new that either brings back an old character, or offers a unique spin on something you wouldn’t expect. But the latest episode blends those two ideas by revisiting another Caillou parody after years of references and jokes to the PBS Kids broadcast series.

Family Guy‘s newest episode brings back Caillou in full after first bringing a parody of it to screen back in Season 19, as Stewie is so excited over the fact he’s getting an Easy-Bake Oven that he reveals that he hasn’t been so excited since he got to see the series finale of Caillou. As it plays out on screen, it soon reveals itself to be a full parody of The Sopranos‘ notorious final scene with a special guest appearance from Arthur to boot. Check it out as spotted by Sekou Toure on X:

Family Guy and Caillou Have a Hilarious History

Although the gag seen in Family Guy Season 23 Episode 8 “Dog is My Co-Pilot” is a fairly straight forward take on The Sopranos, it is a rather fun pull from the series’ history. Not only has Family Guy taken multiple shots at how The Sopranos ended over the years, this is far from the only time that they have brought Caillou into it. The first major appearance was from the Season 19 episode, “Stewie’s First Word” that had Lois wondering where Stewie could have gotten his bad language from and decides to watch all of Caillou to figure it out.

The parody back then really takes shots at Caillou’s father, and blames him for the lack of discipline for Caillou himself. Stewie has also referenced Caillou’s baldness as something he had aspired to here and there, but this is definitely the fullest callout of the children’s animated series in the years since. Even with Arthur in the mix, thankfully the series doesn’t go too far when it comes to bringing Caillou to its own end. As the series itself ended back in 2011 after five seasons.

RELATED: Family Guy Introduces the Giant Chicken’s Son for Surprising New Romance

What’s Next for Family Guy?

If you wanted to catch the newest season as it airs, Family Guy Season 23 is now airing on Sunday evenings with Fox as part of the Animation Domination block. It’s currently sitting in The Simpsons‘ time slot for the midseason schedule, but that’s going to change starting on Sunday, March 30th as The Simpsons will be returning for its own new episodes with Season 36. It’s yet to be revealed how this will shake up the line up’s schedule, but it’s unlikely that Family Guy will disappear from the block once more.

Family Guy had basically missed the entirety of 2024 outside of some exclusive episodes streaming with Hulu for the Halloween and Christmas holidays. Due to the schedule shake ups at Fox, this newest season did not premiere until earlier this year and still has a lengthy run before it comes to an end. This has also resulted in some big shake ups for the rest of Fox’s animated series, so fans should keep an eye on Sunday nights to see how the Animation Domination block changes in the near future as more new episodes premiere.

The post Family Guy Finally Gives Caillou the Finale He Deserves appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Devil May Cry is gearing up for its worldwide debut with Netflix not long from now, and the anime is teaming up with rock group Evanescence for a brand new single to hype its release. Devil May Cry might have gotten its first shot at an official anime adaptation many years ago, but now it’s about to take a much bigger swing with a new anime coming later this Spring for Netflix. As the anime series prepares to kick off April with this new take on Dante, it’s also featuring a much different kind of soundtrack that fans might have expected.

Netflix and Adi Shankar’s Devil May Cry has gone all out for a particular kind of rock vibe from the 2000s with the likes of Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin” serving as its opening theme, and Papa Roach’s “Last Resort” being the backing track to its newest trailer. But as the anime prepares to make its full debut, Evanescence has taken to social media to announce a brand new collaboration track with the anime series, “Afterlife.” Check out the small preview below ahead of its streaming release this Friday (with a special lyric video dropping on Thursday at 9am PT).

When Does Devil May Cry Hit Netflix?

Devil May Cry officially releases with Netflix worldwide beginning on April 3rd as part of a huge new wave of anime coming for the Spring 2025 anime season. Created by Adi Shankar (who also serves as Executive Producer and Showrunner), Devil May Cry will be running for eight episodes with its debut. The new series is a special collaboration between Shankar, Capcom and Netflix with animation produced by Studio MIR (The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, DOTA: Dragon’s Blood, The Legend of Korra), with Alex Larsen as writer, and Capcom’s Hideaki Itsuno and Studio MIR’s Seung Wook Lee as Executive Producers.

The English voice cast for the series includes the likes of Johnny Yong Bosch (who originally voiced Nero in the Devil May Cry video games) as the voice of Dante, Scout Taylor-Compton as Lady, Hoon Lee as White Rabbit, Kevin Conroy as VP Baines, and Chris Coppola as Enzo. The currently announced Japanese voice cast includes the core trio of Toshiyuki Morikawa as Dante, Fumiko Orikasa as Mary, and Hiroaki Hirata as Vergil. It’s yet to be revealed how Evanescence’s “Afterlife” will be used in the new series, however.

RELATED: 10 Most Exciting Hidden Gem Anime for Spring 2025

What Will the New Devil May Cry Be About?

As for what to expect from Netflix and Adi Shankar’s new take on Devil May Cry, Netflix teases the coming series as such, “In this animated adaptation of the popular Capcom game and from the vision of Adi Shankar, sinister forces are at play to open the portal between the human and demon realms. In the middle of it all is Dante, an orphaned demon-hunter-for-hire, unaware that the fate of both worlds hangs around his neck.” With the new series teasing characters from the original games making their debut, it’s going to be an exciting release for sure.

Devil May Cry is already carving out an identity to further separate it from Shankar’s work with the likes of Castlevania and Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, and this focus on this particular era of Metal and Alternative Rock is a fun way to give it a nostalgic vibe while fitting within the current era too. If this series is going to have as much fun as each of these promotional efforts have been teasing, then fans are looking at a good time with this one.

The post Netflix’s Devil May Cry Teams Up With Evanescence for Brand-New Single appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Chainsaw Man is bringing anime’s most desperate protagonist, Denji, to the big screen this year with the upcoming Reze Arc movie. Based on the wild manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, MAPPA’s Chainsaw Man anime was one of 2022’s best new shows, as fans across the globe became obsessed with Denji’s simple-minded mission to one day touch a breast. Ahead of the Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, the cast of Chainsaw Man looked back at the bonkers first season and picked their favorite moments via Anime News Network.

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc was announced back in 2023, and this year’s AnimeJapan expo in Tokyo finally gave fans the long-awaited release date. The Reze Arc movie releases in Japanese theaters on September 19th. While a US release date hasn’t yet been confirmed, given the popularity of the franchise, western fans are hoping for a simulcast.

Chainsaw Man‘s Cast Pick Their Favorite Moments

During Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc‘s panel at AnimeJapan 2025 (via Anime News Network), the cast of the series, including Kikunosuke Toya (Denji), Tomori Kusonoki (Makima), and Maaya Uchida (Angel Devil) all revealed their favorite scene from the hit first season. Embracing Denji’s desperate side, Toya picked the character’s first (incredibly disgusting) kiss. In Episode 7, Denji kisses a very drunk Himeno. Unfortunately for him, all her drinking catches up with her in a moment, and she projectile vomits mid-kiss.

There was a running theme of the voice actors staying on brand for their characters. Kusonoki, who voices the deceptively terrifying Makima picked arguably one of the character’s most important moments in Season 1. After finding Denji, Makima treats him to some noodles. What seems like a sweet sentiment turns into the start of a complex and toxic power dynamic between the two, which will be greatly expanded upon in the Reze Arc movie.

Uchida was the only voice actor to go off character for their pick. The voice behind the Angel Devil picked one of Aki’s most emotional scenes following the death of Himeno. The scene involved Aki nearly having his first cigarette in a flashback shot in the character’s POV. The otherwise unremarkable scene involved a conversation between Aki and Himeno about smoking. But, given Aki’s and the audience’s grieving state, the scene hits hard.

[RELATED – Jujutsu Kaisen & Chainsaw Man x Shakespeare Is the Crossover We Didn’t Know We Needed]

What to Expect From Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc

The official synopsis for the Reze Arc movie was revealed in December last year, and it appears as though things are looking up for Denji. The synopsis revealed that Makima finally took him on a date. But, after being caught in the rain and taking shelter under a bus station, Denji then runs into Reze, who is described as “a girl who works in a café.”

Fans who have read the manga know that description is as elusive as calling Denji “a guy who loves his dog.” Without diving into spoilers, in true Chainsaw Man fashion, not everything is as it appears to be in the “Reze Arc.” The first trailer for Reze Arc was released at JumpFesta 2025, and it highlighted the new animation, under director Tatsuya Yoshihara.

H/T: Anime News Network

The post Chainsaw Man Cast Hypes Reze Arc Movie With Favorite Season 1 Moments appeared first on ComicBook.com.

As the first part of Dr. Stone Season 4, titled Dr. Stone Science Future, nears its end, the anime has shared the first look at what’s going to happen in the final episode at Anime Japan 2025. Dr. Stone Season 4 follows Senku and his friends’ journey to America, kicking off the war between the Kingdom of Science and the American colony led by Dr. Xeno. The season has been airing since January 2025 and is expected to be released in three separate cours throughout 2025. The first cour is currently nearing its end, with Episode 12 expected to be its last episode.

With Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi’s original Dr. Stone manga having come to an end years ago, the anime has a clear path to its story’s finale. So far, the battles between the Senku and Dr. Xeno’s forces have been nothing but intense. To make matters worse, Senku was badly injured in the season’s ninth episode. But his leadership, even in such a state, earned him the love and loyalty of Luna, a former med student who previously followed Dr. Xeno. And thanks to her, Carlos, too, switched sides, giving the Science crew a map of Xeno’s base to tilt the fight in their favor.

RELATED:

How Will Dr. Stone Season Four End?

Dr. Stone Season 4 has been spending the last few episodes exploring the warfare between Senku’s Kingdom of Science and Dr. Xeno’s forces. Senku was badly injured and out of the fight for part of the season. Although episode ten saw a still healing Senku return to the field, joining Ryusui in an aerial dogfight to take down Stanley. But while the duo was seemingly successful, the Stanley they were fighting turned out to have been a decoy. 

Instead, the real Stanley captured the Science crew members still aboard the Perseus with the help of Xeno’s secret weapon, a submarine. Fortunately, Stanley wasn’t the only one with leverage over the others as the final scenes of Episode 11 saw Tsukasa and the battle team successfully tunnel under Xeno’s base to confront the now defenseless ex-NASA scientist. The finale will likely revolve around Tsukasa and his team’s capture of Xeno. Meanwhile, Senku will head towards Dr. Xeno himself to confront the man who was once his old science mentor.

How to Watch Dr. Stone Season 4 Episode 12

Dr. Stone’s Season 4, Episode 12 is titled “Reunion,” and as that title suggests it’s going to feature Senku reuniting with Dr. Xeno and the rest of the Science crew. With Xeno having become incredibly bitter over the years, it’s clear he’s no longer the same person who once went out of his way to help a young Senku build his first rocket. But, the potential for a peaceful outcome may still exist.

The episode will premiere on Thursday, March 27th, 2025 at 10:00 PM JST on TOKYO MX and other channels. And become available for streaming on Crunchyroll starting at 10:00 AM EST. At this point, there are less than 100 chapters of the manga to adapt, with the entire story expected to finish by the end of 2025.

The post Dr. Stone Science Future Shares First Look at Part 1 Finale appeared first on ComicBook.com.

HIDIVE, the anime streaming service, just dropped a new trailer for its next exclusive anime series, Sword of the Demon Hunter Kijin Gentosho, and it looks incredible. The new series was initially scheduled to release last June, but its premiere was delayed due to production issues. Thankfully, Sword of the Demon Hunter is nearly ready to be unsheathed to the world ahead of its premiere on March 31st.

HIDIVE is slowly building a strong streaming library for itself. The relatively new platform doesn’t yet boast the same prestigious shows as Crunchyroll or Netflix. But, it has already acquired hits like Food Wars, the Danmachi series, My Love Story, and various other slice-of-life, romance, and ecchi shows. Sword of the Demon Hunter looks to be the biggest, and most action-packed HIDIVE original so far.

Sword of the Demon Hunter Teases Supernatural Samurai Action

The second trailer for Sword of the Demon Hunter promises intense fight scenes, which are clearly inspired by some of the all-time great samurai movies from the golden age of Japanese cinema. The influence of directors like Akira Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi, and Hiroshi Inagaki is apparent in the trailer, from the character design to the glimpses of the fight scenes we see. Additionally, classic stories like Lone Wolf & Cub are obvious influences on the anime’s plot, albeit with a time-bending magical twist.

Sword of the Demon Hunter is set in the Edo period after Jinta and his sister were forced to flee their home because of demons. The description continues, “Years later, Jinta has grown into a skilled swordsman, sworn to protect the priestess of the village shrine. Charged with slaying a demon that threatens the shrine, Jinta confronts the malevolent creature in the forest, only to learn a shocking truth. The demon speaks of events one hundred and seventy years hence, when Jinta must confront the demon in the future. Thus begins an epic fantasy journey that spans multiple eras as Jinta hunts a demon through time and must come to terms with his own dark nature.”

[RELATED – Oshi no Ko Season 3 Confirms Release Window & More]

Sword of the Demon Hunter Releases Exclusively on HIDIVE

HIDIVE will be the home of the exclusive simulcast of Sword of the Demon Hunter when it is released later this month. The series stars Taku Yashiro and Saori Hayami as Jinta and his sister Shirayuki, with Reina Ueda voicing the young priestess Suzune.

Sword of the Demon Slayer is directed by Kazuya Aiura (Assassins Pride), with Yokohama Animation Lab animating. The new trailer also revealed the show’s OP, “Continue,” by the Japanese rock band, NEE.

H/T: MBS on YouTube

The post HIDIVE Fantasy Anime Drops Action-Packed Trailer to Hype Release: Watch appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Some anime endings do a perfect job of tying everything together, while others leave viewers staring at the screen in disappointment and disbelief. But there’s a third option: a finale so divisive fans just can’t decide what to think about it. Such controversial endings don’t always ruin a show, but they do spark debates, rewatches, and theories that just refuse to die. Some fans analyze every frame for answers that may not even exist. While others just give up on the series.

There are also cases where fans just don’t agree with the writer’s vision of the ending. But regardless of whether viewers hate how the story wraps up or defend it, no one forgets a finale that stirs this much emotion. And that can lead to even more controversy. The conversation stretches across social media, conventions, and online reviews, where fans dissect every detail. The fallout does not stop with the audience. Studios and creators feel the pressure, and some respond with sequels, re-cuts, or complete reimaginings while others stick to their original vision. But all that aside, here are ten controversial anime endings that left fans split down the middle. 

As the List Suggests, MAJOR Spoilers for the Following Anime Endings Ahead

Death Note 

Death Note built up a thrilling battle of wits, but Light Yagami’s final defeat left fans split. Light spent the series manipulating, strategizing, and staying ten steps ahead, so his defeat should have matched that intensity. Instead, it felt too simple. Near, L’s successor, set a trap that exposed Light without the same tension as their earlier mind games. The once-calculating Kira lost control, made reckless mistakes, and fell apart in a way that felt unearned.

Some saw this as a fitting end since Light’s arrogance has always been his greatest weakness. Others thought his defeat came too easily, as if Near only won because the story needed to end rather than because he truly outsmarted him. Ryuk’s final move — writing Light’s name in the Death Note — gave the story closure, though the last battle left us wondering what could have been. In this situation, a more intense showdown might have changed everything. 

Devilman Crybaby 

Devilman Crybaby’s controversial ending dragged us into chaos and never let us catch our breath. Akira gave everything to save humanity, but in the end, there was nothing left to save. His final fight with Ryo, now revealed as Satan, was brutal, messy, and filled with heartbreak. When the dust cleared, Ryo finally realized the truth — he had always loved Akira. But by then, it didn’t matter. His best friend was gone, the world was in ruins, and the cycle of destruction was about to start all over again.

Some called this ending a masterpiece, a gut punch that stayed true to the manga’s tragic roots. Others thought it was pure cruelty, a story that never gave us a chance to hope. The wild animation, the eerie soundtrack, and the way the anime refused to hold back ensured we’d never forget it. Whether we loved its fearlessness or hated how it broke us, Go Nagai’s Devilman Crybaby left us sitting there, stunned, trying to process what we had just watched.

Serial Experiments Lain

At the end of Serial Experiments Lain, Lain erased herself to fix the mess she made, but she never really left. She stuck around like a ghost nobody remembered, watching from the edges of existence, everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Was she a god? A digital phantom? Just a fading memory? The show never gave a straight answer and left us to make sense of it on our own.

This controversial anime ending explored identity, technology, and existence in a way that felt both brilliant and unsettling. The storytelling was hazy, the lines between dreams and reality blurred, and every answer led to more questions. By the end, we sat there in silence while we tried to wrap our heads around what we had just watched. Whether it expanded our minds or completely fried them, Serial Experiments Lain made sure we’d never look at the digital world the same way again.

Neon Genesis Evangelion 

Few anime endings have caused more controversy than Neon Genesis Evangelion. The anime’s last two episodes threw out the main story and dropped us inside Shinji’s mind. Instead of a big final battle, the show turned into abstract images, strange monologues, and deep questions about existence. Then came the “Congratulations!” scene, where everyone clapped as if Shinji had just won a prize. To many, this felt more like a puzzle than an ending, even though it’s actually better than many fans think.

The movie The End of Evangelion tried to give answers but only made things wilder. Battles turned brutal, the imagery became nightmare fuel, and humanity melted into orange goo. SEELE attacked NERV, Asuka fought for her life, and Shinji made a choice that changed everything. He rejected Instrumentality but left the world in ruins, making the ending even harder to process. Whether it made sense or not, Evangelion left an impact that never faded.

Steins;Gate

Steins;Gate gave us an ending that still sticks with us today. After endless time loops, heartbreak, and impossible odds, Okabe finally saved both Mayuri and Kurisu. It felt like the perfect victory, but time travel never comes without questions. Did changing the past erase everything he suffered through? Did the story wrap things up too easily for something built on pain and sacrifice?

Then came Steins;Gate 0, showing a world where Okabe failed. He was broken, stuck in a reality without Kurisu, and forced to keep going. Seeing that version of his story made everything more complicated. The contrast between both timelines changed how the ending felt, making it harder to say what was truly right. Whether it felt like closure or just another twist, Steins;Gate made sure its story would never be forgotten.

[RELATED – 10 Best ‘80s Anime for Fans Craving Timeless Classics]

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Puella Magi Madoka Magica led us through heartbreak and ended on a note that was just as painful. Madoka rewrote reality, erasing witches and saving magical girls from their cruel fate. But she paid the ultimate price — she erased herself too. Her friends barely remembered her, and Homura, who had fought endlessly to protect her, was left alone, holding onto a bond that no longer existed.

Madoka’s sacrifice gave meaning to all the suffering, but it also left a deep emptiness. Her choice brought hope, yet it also felt like an endless cycle of loss. Then, Rebellion came along and turned her salvation into something even more tragic, rewriting everything once again. Whether the ending was interpreted as victory or another cruel twist, it left a question that still lingers — can true hope ever exist in a world built on suffering?

Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan delivered an incredible story for years with many twists and turns, but its finale was ultimately less than satisfying. We see Eren go from a freedom fighter to a genocidal villain. While this plot line could have drawn attention to how trauma changes a person or how hatred can eventually make one the very thing they despise, that’s not what happened.

In the end, Isayama tried to portray Eren’s mass genocide as part of a grand plan for world peace. This fell completely flat as not only was it inconsistent with Eren’s character, it also made no sense. Worse was the story’s epilogue. Conflict returned, Paradis fell, and everything we watched the characters fight for led to nothing. While this could have been a powerful statement about the never ending cycle of conflict, its frustrating execution was so controversial fans had to take it upon themselves to make what they believed to be a better ending.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

A cult classic anime, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya’s ending is frequently considered controversial due to its Endless Eight arc. Consisting of eight episodes with the same general plot line, the arc is a wonderful depiction of a time loop. But its repetitive nature makes it incredibly tedious to watch to the point that it feels like nothing more than a glorified filler arc.

It doesn’t help that the second season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya came after a long wait of three years. At that point, its repetitive nature felt even more like an elaborate joke at fans’ expense. And the end result was a dark stain on the anime’s otherwise superb legacy.

Fate/Zero

Viewers knew Fate/Zero was a tragedy, but nothing could prepare us for just how brutal the ending would be. Kiritsugu gave up everything for his dream of a better world, only to learn the Holy Grail was nothing more than a cursed relic that twisted wishes into nightmares. In the end, he destroyed it, saving only one child: Shirou. After all that struggle, the cruelest twist was how little his sacrifice seemed to change.

Saber’s fate felt just as bitter. She fought harder than anyone, yet she was forced to destroy the very thing she had sworn to claim. Gilgamesh survived and strolled into the modern world like he owned the place, while Kirei, who found joy in suffering, walked away victorious. This controversial ending wasn’t just a tragedy for the characters — it was a reminder that sometimes, the world doesn’t care how hard you fight for justice.

School Days

Infamous for its controversial ending, School Days starts off like any other high school romance. But by the end, it’s full-blown psychological horror. Makoto’s endless cheating finally catches up to him in the worst way possible. Sekai, furious and heartbroken, snaps and stabs him. But the nightmare doesn’t stop there. Kotonoha, still obsessed with Makoto, finds his body, decapitates him, and sails away, cradling his head like a twisted love token.

The sheer brutality of this controversial ending shocked everyone. Some saw it as karma; others thought it was way too much, turning a messy love triangle into something straight out of a slasher film. The shockwave even reached real life when the anime’s final episode was delayed due to the Sasebo slashing, leading to the infamous Nice Boat meme. Love it or hate it, School Days burned itself into anime history in the bloodiest way possible.

The post 10 Controversial Anime Endings That Divided Audiences appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The debut of Shinichiro Watanabe’s Lazarus is fast approaching. To get fans excited about the new show from the mind of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo‘s creator, a new sneak peek has been revealed, highlighting a beautiful action scene from the new show. As well as the killer soundtracks and overall immaculte vibes, Watanabe knows how to create great action, and Lazarus appears to be no different.

Lazarus is yet another original anime from Watanabe. Set in the not-too-distant future, the series follows a ragtag team who are desperately hunting for the mysterious Dr. Skinner, a scientist who tricked the world into taking a “miracle cure” that will kill everyone within three years. The titular task force, comprising Axel, Doug, Christine, Leland, and Eleina, has just 30 days to find Dr. Skinner and develop a vaccine to save the population. There’s just one problem… Dr. Skinner hasn’t been seen in three years.

Lazarus Teases John Wick-Esque Action In Latest Trailer

The new teaser released by Adult Swim shows off a hyper-stylized prison fight scene from Lazarus. The action in Watanabe’s work has always been grounded, avoiding Super Saiyan-like powers for realistic hand-to-hand combat. Lazarus is taking things a step further as none other than John Wick‘s director, Chad Stahelski, designed the action choreography for the series.

In the scene, Axel fights his way out of a prison, using various martial arts to overpower the guards. The John Wick influence flies off the screen, as Axel blends Spike Spiegel’s over-the-top spinning kicks with the judo and jiu-jitsu John Wick is known for. Add to that a funky/jazzy score, and Lazarus already looks to be another hit for Watanabe.

Lazarus is being produced by Sola Entertainment, with animation by MAPPA. Shinichiro Watanabe is confirmed to be directing every episode. Kamasi Washington, Floating Points, and Bonobo are overseeing the show’s score, with the aforementioned Stahelski working on action design and choreography. Washington performs the unrevealed OP, “Vortex,” while the ending theme song, “Lazarus,” is performed by the English rock band, The Boo Radleys.

[RELATED – I’m Excited for Shinichiro Watanabe’s Lazarus, but It’s Missing One of His Best Traits]

What Should We Expect From Lazarus?

For many, Lazarus is one of the most anticipated new shows of 2025. While Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo are Watanabe’s two most lauded works, he is also the mind behind Space Dandy, Macross Plus, Terror in Resonance, and Carole & Tuesday, among many others. Bebop and Champloo were many people’s introductions to anime. So, to see Watanabe return with another sci-fi series is immensely exciting.

Lazarus looks to be the vibey sci-fi story fans were hoping for. Axel feels like Spike Spiegel reincarnated, while the rest of the supporting cast all boast interesting and unique characteristics. Character details remain thin. But, knowing Watanabe’s work, expect every character to be more than meets the eye. Lazarus debuts on Adult Swim on April 5th, before streaming on Max on April 6th.

H/T: Adult Swim on YouTube

The post Lazarus Releases Exciting Prison Fight Clip Ahead of April Release: Watch appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead for One Piece Chapter 1143!

The One Piece manga introduces Prince Loki as soon as the Ebaf Arc begins. He was first mentioned in The Whole Cake Island Arc as Lola Charlotte’s fiance who proposed to marry her. However, the latter runs away from home in hopes of finding new love, which further ruins Big Mom’s relationship with Elbaf. The ongoing Elbaf Arc unveils his character design along with a shocking truth about him. Loki is currently serving his sentence in the Underworld for the crime of killing his father, the beloved King Harald. The Giants claimed that Loki did that out of greed for a mysterious devil fruit that has been passed down in the royal family for generations.

Not only that, but the Giants have always called Loki the “Cursed Prince” of Elbaf. Ever since he was young, he’d commit arson, let the monsters of the underworld loose on villages, and cause all kinds of mischief in the villages. When Harald died 14 years ago, all the Giants tried to capture Loki but the latter overpowered them and ran away. It wasn’t until six years ago when Shanks brought him back to Elbaf and imprisoned him there. The Giants painted Loki as a cruel being, but the reality is something else entirely.

[RELATED: It’s About Time Netflix’s One Piece Remake Shares a New Update]

Loki Is Hiding a Major Truth From Everyone in One Piece

In the latest installment, Chapter 1143 of One Piece, Hajrudin and Loki finally come face to face after years. Hajudin is Loki’s older half-brother, who openly shows hostility towards him. Although Hajrudin and Loki share the same father, the former isn’t considered a prince because his mother is from humble origins. Loki and Hajrudin grew up together but were worlds apart in terms of strength and personality. The older sibling always hated Loki for insulting him and his mother. Things turn even worse between them when Loki allegedly kills Harald.

When the two meet again after several years, Hajrudin throws all kinds of accusations at Loki but the latter is rather calm. Loki sounds as if he pities Hajurdin and asks him to take a look at the woods around them, which are in terrible condition. He also talks about the accusation of killing Harald by being blinded by greed. However, Loki knows Hajrudin doesn’t truly believe all that nonsense, and as expected, the latter has a complicated expression on his face. This is the case, whether Loki is purposely hiding the truth or if no one refuses to believe him.

Furthermore, the sentence is highly ambiguous; it could imply that he didn’t kill Harald out of greed or malice, casting doubt on the circumstances of his actions. However, he also doesn’t explicitly say he killed his father at all. It could be possible that it wasn’t even Loki who killed Harald. Giants like Jarul, who were present at the scene of the crime, know the truth but are also hiding it from everyone. Therefore, the truth about 14 years ago is still shrouded in mystery. As Chapter 1143 ends on a cliffhanger, we may find out more about the past in the coming weeks.

The post One Piece Finally Proves Loki Innocent of a Horrible Crime appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Funko is returning to WonderCon this year, and that means there are going to be Pop figure exclusives to collect. If you won’t be in attendance at WonderCon 2025, you can still get exclusive Pops inspired by One Piece, Marvel, Naruto, Pokemon, and more starting on March 28th at 6am PT, 9am ET. Shared exclusive figures will probably go live later in the day, but it should wrap up by 9am PT / 12pm ET. Everything you need to know to maximize your haul can be found below.

For starters, the most serious of Funko Pop collectors will be able to purchase a bundle with everything but the show only exclusives for $275 here at the Funko website (link won’t be active until after the launch) on 3/28. These bundles have sold out quickly in the past and the same is expected to happen here. If you aren’t interested in the whole collection, you’ll be able to purchase the Pops individually via the early links below (again, these links won’t be active until after the launch). Note that you will likely enter a queue if you purchase your figures through Funko, so sign into your account and be ready and waiting early.

• You can shop all of Funko’s convention exclusive Pops right here.
• One Piece Pop! Rides Deluxe Nami with White Hobby Horse – See at Funko
• One Piece Pop! Bartholomew Kuma with Pop! Protector – See at Funko
• Naruto Pop! Moment Madara (Susano’o) – See at Funko
• Naruto Pop! Sasuke Uchiha (Sasuke’s Paw Encyclopedia) with Pop! Protector – See at Funko
• House of the Dragon Pop! Daemon Targaryen (Targaryen Armor) with Pop! Protector – See at Funko
• Toy Story Pop! Tin Toy with Pop! Protector – See at Funko
• Pokemon Pop! Jumbo Suicune – See at Funko / Amazon
• Invader Zim Pop! Invader Zim with Irken PAK Legs with Pop! Protector – See at Funko / Hot Topic
• The Fairly Oddparents Pop! Anti-Cosmo & Anti-Wanda 2-Pack – See at Funko / Toy Temple
• Marvel Pop! Captain America (I Can Do This All Day) with Pop! Protector – See at Funko / Target
• You can check out all of the latest Funko Pop drops here via our master list (updates weekly).

The post Here’s Where To Get Funko Pop WonderCon 2025 Exclusives appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Netflix has really been stepping up its anime game, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the streaming service would eventually want to procure a license with a massive fanbase behind it. While they’ve already accomplished this by snagging exclusive anime adaptations based on popular manga and video games, the true powerhouse brand Netflix was lacking was one of Sanrio’s iconic mascot characters. While this new show doesn’t follow the iconic Hello Kitty, it does follow a duo that is just as recognizable among fans.

Netflix has previously dabbled in making animated shows featuring Sanrio’s characters, having released Rilakkuma & Kaoru, an episodic series following the popular San-X mascot living his daily life alongside an office worker, the streaming service’s latest animated project instead focuses on what is by far Sanrio’s most iconic duo in the aptly titled My Melody & Kuromi, which is set to release in July 2025. Netflix is excited about the show, too, revealing a special preview image of My Melody in the upcoming series.

[RELATED: Netflix Brings Sanrio’s Cutest Duo Alive in New Series Teaser]

My Melody & Kuromi Have an Adorable Rivals-To-Friends Relationship

My Melody was originally introduced as one of Sanrio‘s flagship characters in 1975 by artist Yasuko Matsumoto as a friend to Hello Kitty. She grew in popularity and eventually got her own anime series titled Please My Melody in 2005, which ran for four seasons. The anime featured a cast of human characters that acted as companions for My Melody, and, most importantly, officially marked the debut of My Melody’s mischievous rival, Kuromi. While Kuromi was originally written to be an antagonistic figure in Please My Melody, in later appearances, like in Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures, she’s much friendlier to the pastel crew, especially My Melody.

This relationship makes sense: the two are perfect mirrors of one another, and given that they’re receiving a brand-new show following their dynamic, it’s clear that it’s something fans love to see, too. The new Netflix series My Melody & Kuromi seems to be taking an approach similar to the aforementioned Rilakkuma & Kaoru series by using stop-motion animation to capture My Melody and Kuromi as adorable felt dolls brought to life while being loaded with charm and style. The initial first look revealed by Netflix Anime in January 2025 didn’t give away any details regarding the type of story My Melody & Kuromi intends to tell, but, it does show that the production team at TORUKU – part of Wit Studio – intends to make the characters as lively as possible.

Source: Netflix on X (Formerly Twitter), Youtube

The post Netflix’s My Melody & Kuromi Is Looking Adorable With First Preview appeared first on ComicBook.com.

AnimeJapan is the gift that keeps giving as Bandai Namco Filmworks released a new teaser for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX during the event. The teaser is spliced footage with moments from the -Beginning- film and new scenes with the lead characters out of the mecha. While the new footage only briefly shows Nyaan and Shuji, Amate receives most of the spotlight. The teaser highlights many of Amate’s reactions in the upcoming series, ranging from excitement to depression. There’s a notable scene where she’s relaxing in front of a pool and wearing swimwear. Nyaan has one humorous moment where she’s eating ramen in typical anime style whereas Shuji has an evocative moment where he’s sweaty on the floor.

The teaser plays Kenshi Yonezu’s “Plazma” in the background; the single will serve as the opening theme for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. The new footage highlights the three protagonists’ personalities and the upcoming mecha fights. Amate is highly emotive with a lot of range, showing great excitement while being easily aggregated. Nyaan is a war orphan who is desperate for money and food, explaining why she’s shown slurping down the noodles in the AnimeJapan teaser. Shuji is a mysterious oddball, with his one big moment in the teaser showcasing the character’s weird presentation.

[RELATED – Gundam Is Getting a New Anime With Evangelion’s Creator: Watch the Trailer]

Where To Watch Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX

The new anime is a partnership between Bandai Namco Filmworks, also known as Sunrise, and Studio Khara. While Sunrise has been producing Gundam anime since its inception, Khara is a prestige studio run by the same crew that worked on Neon Genesis Evangelion. The prologue film for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, subtitled -Beginning-, opened in theaters in Japan and overseas. Amazon Prime Video will release the show globally with a same-day simulcast on its streaming service.

-Beginning- covers the first three episodes of the show, starting with the shocking connection to the One Year War from the original show and ending with Amate and Shuji winning their first duel in the underground Gundam fighting ring. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX takes place in an alternate timeline from the main Mobile Suit Gundam show, where the Principality of Zeon won the One Year War instead of the Earth Federation. Gundam GQuuuuuuX stars school student Yuzuriha Amate who joins an underground “Clan Battles” for mobile suits under the alias of Machu. She steals a new high-tech Gundam from Zeon, unlocking her Newtype abilities and forming a connection with Shuji and his mysterious Red Gundam, the same mobile suit that the legendary Char Aznable piloted during the One Year War.

H/T: Official Gundam GQuuuuuuX X (formerly Twitter) account

The post Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX Shares New Promo Ahead of Premiere appeared first on ComicBook.com.

American Dad! recently celebrated its 20th anniversary not long ago, so now is the best time to look back at it all to see just how far it’s come since that very first season. American Dad’s future is currently in flux as although it’s still one of the most popular animated series that fans love to see time and time again, it’s been caught in between networks in some notable ways in the last few years. But it’s all because American Dad caught fans’ attention early on, and never really has let go since that initial premiere all those years ago

American Dad! first premiered with Fox back in 2005, and 20 years later is now one of Seth MacFarlane’s biggest animated franchise. Family Guy might be getting all of the credit, but American Dad is just as (and in some cases) even more popular. When looking all the way back at Season 1 after all this time, there are a few gems that continue to stand out as major episodes that fans won’t want to miss if by chance they’re jumping in for the very first time.

A Smith in the Hand (Season 1, Episode 9)

American Dad! really took some time to find its right footing, and that includes the balance between its conservative atmosphere and its humor. With a very politically charged and closed off Stan Smith working for the CIA, it also meant there was still quite a lot to explore when it came to Stan…exploring himself. The final episode of the series’ initial production run was “A Smith in the Hand,” and didn’t amount to much more than a series of self-pleasure jokes but it was hilarious seeing how it all got there. It was only the tip of the kind of Stan we’d see in the years the followed. The first sign of the real wackiness to come.

Bullocks to Stan (Season 1, Episode 8)

Speaking of wacky characters, there aren’t many in American Dad that have gone as wild as Avery Bullock over the years. He started off from a very peculiar place already as well as Stan’s boss who was also very sexually active. This would later morph into degeneracy as Bullock started to have much more complicated vices and fetishes, but the early kernel was there in his brief tryst with Hailey in “Bullocks to Stan.” It also leads to a point where Stan and Avery have a huge fight in a diner, only for Bullock to pass it off as part of his grand plan. An episode like this just hits so much better in retrospect.

Francine’s Flashback (Season 1, Episode 4)

What made American Dad! stand out from Family Guy so early into its run wasn’t its focus on politics, however, it was Stan’s access to all sorts of gadgets that would ultimately run afoul of the rest of his family. The first truly example of this came with “Francine’s Flashback” as it revealed that Stan had actually been secretly wiping out Francine’s memory when he forgot their anniversary for the past 20 years. Naturally, things go wrong and she reverts back to when they first met…only to reveal that their origin story started off in an expectedly wild way. Not all of the episode ages that well, however, so just be aware of that going back in.

Roger ‘n Me (Season 1, Episode 20)

Stan and Roger’s friendship is one of the main pillars of American Dad’s history, and it really got started here. When the two of them connect on a deeper level than ever before as Stan realizes he doesn’t have any other friends, this leads to a wild result where Francine needs a dangerous (and expensive) operation while Steve and Haley are trying to date a pair that they think are their soulmates.

It’s an episode where no one makes the right decision, and end up with a terrible result at the end of it all. But because this is American Dad, it’s also the kind of ending that just makes sense for the series. And this episode helped to launch a dynamic we would see flesh out in all sorts of ways in the years to come.

Helping Handis (Season 1, Episode 21)

Now not every episode of American Dad‘s first season ages well, but this is one of those cases where that outdated nature of the idea actually amplifies how well it works today. When Steve grows a pair of breasts thanks to some special CIA level steroids, he ends up becoming very popular at school for some terrible reasons. To counter this, Stan takes some of his own to grow even larger breasts to prove to Steve that popularity was truly fleeting. It leads to one of the most audacious visuals in American Dad‘s history, and that really helped to launch the series into a whole new atmosphere.

That wasn’t all though as Francine’s story ended up being even wilder as she was a back alley doctor for a gang, and talked them into robbing a bank (immediately resulting in their deaths) in order to save herself from all of it. It was one of those ideas that really wouldn’t work in how American Dad is currently written, and really helps to emphasize how that first season used those rougher edges to succeed.

The post These Are the Best 5 Episodes of American Dad Season 1 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Hell Teacher Nube is now in the works on a brand new anime series, and it’s going to come back with a brand new manga revival too. Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube is a brand new anime series taking on Sho Makura and Takeshi Okano’s original Shonen Jump manga classic in a whole new way. The new anime will be modernizing things to fit with the current time, and it’s going to make some other changes from the classic run to better help the fit. But for those hoping for more of the manga instead, there’s a cool new release on the way too.

Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube announced during the AnimeJapan 2025 weekend that along with the new anime reboot coming later this Summer, the manga is kicking off a new serialization in Japan later this Spring (as detailed on social media). Debuting in Shueisha’s Saikyo Jump magazine on May 2nd, this new series will be titled Jigoku Sensei Nube Kai and will feature Nube crossing space and time to help save his students from a lot of otherworldly beings and foes that are making themselves known. Check out the first look at the new manga below.

What’s New for the Hell Teacher Nube Revival?

Original creators Sho Makura and Takeshi Okano will be returning for the new Jigoku Sensei Nube Kai manga, but it has yet to be revealed just how long this new take on the classic will be running for. It’s also yet to be revealed how this will tie into the story of the new reboot anime, but during the AnimeJapan 2025 weekend the anime reboot revealed some new additions to its growing cast. These include the likes of Natsumi Fujiwara as Akira Yamaguchi, Ayahi Takagaki as Shuichi Shirato, Nao Toyama as Noriko Nakajima, Yui Makino as Shizuka Kikuchi, Shoji Inoyama as Masaru Kaneda, and Miyuri Shimabukuro as Manami Kimura.

Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube previously revealed the voice cast for the revival anime would feature the likes of Ryotaro Okiayu as Nube, Ryoko Shiraishi as Hitoshi Tateno, Aya Suzaki as Kyoko Inaba, Tomoyo Kurosawa as Miki Hosokawa, Ryota Iwasaki as Katsuya Kimura, Shiho Kokido as Makoto Kurita, Aya Endo as Ritsuko Takahashi, Toshiyuki Morikawa as Kyosuke Tamamo, and Ai Kakuma as Yukime. Yasuyuki Oishi will be directing the anime for Studio KAI with Fumito Yamada as assistant director, Yoshiki Okusa is writing the anime’s scripts, Yu Yoshiyama will be designing the characters, and Evan Call will be composing the music.

RELATED: 10 Most Exciting Hidden Gem Anime for Spring 2025

Hell Teacher Nube Is Getting a Modern Update

Original series writer Sho Makura teased how Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube would be a modern update for the franchise, “I am thrilled that we are getting a new anime adaptation in this Reiwa (modern) era. With the changing times and advancements in digital animation, the setting has been updated, and the students of Class 5-3 have been given a modern update. Please look forward to a completely new look while retaining all the charm of Nube.” So it’s going to be fresh even for experienced fans.

As for what to expect from the series overall, Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube is teased as such, “A number of inexplicable phenomena have been plaguing the town of Domori. In order to protect the town’s children, a new homeroom teacher known as ‘Nube’ arrives. Normally gentle and a bit outgoing, Nube has a secret side: he is, in fact, the only psychic teacher in Japan. Rumor also has it his left hand is possessed by a demon! Hell’s messenger of justice is here to take on the school’s seven mysteries, ghosts, and evil spirits attacking his students. This occultist action story starts now!”

The post Hell Teacher Nube Returning for New Manga Revival Ahead of Reboot Anime appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Powerpuff Girls are gearing up to return to TV screens for the first time in years with a new time slot coming to Cartoon Network. Warner Bros. Animation has gone to great lengths to celebrate some of their Cartoon Network classic shows in unexpected ways. With the likes of the special Checkered Past block with Adult Swim bringing back some of these older shows for a regular schedule for the first time in many years, there are a few notable series that fans have been hoping to see make their return to TV too but have yet to do so.

The Powerpuff Girls have been getting a lot of buzz online lately thanks to the recent leaking of the cancelled live-action pilot, and interest in the original animated series is at an all time high as a result. Thankfully, it looks like there’s going to be a much easier way to watch episodes of the classic series as @CNSchedules on X has spotted that The Powerpuff Girls will be returning to Cartoon Network on Saturday, April 12th as part of a new morning lineup that also includes a returning Steven Universe to the network as well

The Powerpuff Girls Returns to Cartoon Network

The schedule for The Powerpuff Girls‘ return to Cartoon Network (which thankfully doesn’t look to be teasing the reboot from 2016 either, which was panned by fans and critics for good reason) on Saturday, April 12th breaks down as such:

• 9:00AM – Teen Titans Go!
• 9:30AM – Iyanu
• 10:00AM – Steven Universe
• 10:30AM – The Powerpuff Girls

It’s a great time for The Powerpuff Girls to return to Cartoon Network as it’s about to be much harder to stream the classic episodes too. Although the series is still going to be available with Max for the foreseeable future, The Powerpuff Girls is going to be leaving Netflix’s streaming service on April 2nd. With the series returning to Cartoon Network not long after, it’s going to be the perfect time to shift up your habits and check it out on Saturday mornings.

The Powerpuff Girls last had a regular place on Cartoon Network’s schedule back in 2023 to celebrate the animated series’ 25th anniversary, but this return is a little more notable despite the fanfare behind. Because unlike some of the other Cartoon Network classics airing with the network again, The Powerpuff Girls hasn’t been put into one of the Adult Swim time slots.

RELATED: Top 10 The Powerpuff Girls Episodes, Ranked

What’s Next for The Powerpuff Girls?

The Powerpuff Girls might never be launching a live-action series, but there are still new projects for the franchise now in the works. It’s important to note that the classic will be returning to Cartoon Network specifically as it’s a good indication of the future plans that Warner Bros. Animation could have in the works. It was announced that original series creator Craig McCracken would be returning for a new revival of The Powerpuff Girls (and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends), but no new updates have been announced as of the time of this publication.

Working with Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe (The Amazing World of Gumball), Sam Register, president of Cartoon Network Studios, Warner Bros. Animation and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe said the following about the reboot’s initial announcement, “The Hanna-Barbera homecoming of Craig was an opportunity we could not pass up…Along with his unparalleled sense of fun and imagination, he’s bringing two of his greatest works in ‘The Powerpuff Girls’ and ‘Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends,’ and we are so excited for these characters to be a part of the new legacy taking shape at the studio.”

HT – @CNSchedules on X

The post The Powerpuff Girls Returning to TV for the First Time in Years appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Simpsons is gearing up to return for the second half of Season 36 later this month, and now fans have gotten to see the first look at its midseason premiere episode. The Simpsons has been going through a lot of schedule shake ups in the past year as Fox continues to shuffle their Animation Domination block on Sunday evenings, and this past year saw some of the biggest shake ups yet between Family Guy and The Simpsons as the two have been swapping places for the past few weeks. Now The Simpsons is finally getting ready for its own comeback.

The Simpsons was not one of the many Fox animated programs that made its comeback during the midseason start to the schedule this year, and it was later revealed that the series would then make its return at a much later date in the Spring. Although this led to some awkwardness among fans of both animated series, The Simpsons is finally on deck for its own comeback on Sunday, March 30th at 8:00PM EST. Check out the first look at its midseason premiere below.

What to Know for The Simpsons’ Midseason Premiere

The Simpsons Season 36 will be kicking off with Episode 12 of the series when it returns to Fox on Sunday, March 30th at 8:00PM EST. Titled “The Flandshees of Innersimpson,” the episode has been teased to feature Jane Kaczmarek and Rachel Bloom in guest spot appearances. As for what the episode is about, it’s also been teased that it will involve “Bart dipping his toe into the world of celebrity DJ-ing, and Homer finally pushes Flanders too far.” The latter half of the description makes a lot of sense considering the title of the episode apes The Banshees of Inisherin, which was a feature film that featured Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two friends who no longer spent time together.

The guest spot for the episode also tease a return from Jane Kaczmarek’s recurring judge character, Judge Constance Harm. After first making her debut with the animated series back in Season 13’s “The Parent Rap,” she has been playing a fairly recurring role as The Simpsons often found themselves at the center of some major court cases over the years since. Her most recent appearance was back in Season 34’s “One Angry Lisa” for example, so this episode might have a court case in it too.

RELATED: Sorry Disney+, This Is Actually the Best Order to Watch The Simpsons

How to Catch Up With The Simpsons

With The Simpsons making its return for Season 36 in a little over a week from the time of this publication, it’s now the best time to catch up with everything that has been released thus far. You can now find the first 35 seasons of the animated series streaming exclusively with Disney+. To make revisiting the episodes even easier, Disney+ even recently launched a brand new streaming channel with the service that will be airing all of its episodes in order on a 24/7 schedule in a continuous loop.

If you wanted to catch up with the first 11 episodes of The Simpsons Season 36 released last Fall, you can now find all of these episodes streaming with Hulu. They will also be offering the latest episodes after their air with Fox on Sunday evenings, so it’s the best way to keep up with the most up-to-date releases for the long running series. As it fast approaches the 800th episode milestone, it’s going to be bigger than ever before with more ways to watch in the near future.

The post The Simpsons Reveals First Look at 2025 Premiere appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece is finally on the verge on making its long awaited anime return after the longest hiatus in the series’ history, and fans have finally got a look at these new episodes with a new teaser trailer. One Piece: Egghead Arc brought the first part of its run to an end last Fall, but it was shockingly announced that the anime would then be going on a six month hiatus so that the team behind the scenes could better prepare for what comes next. Though at the time it seemed like the wait would last forever, that hiatus is actually coming to an end soon.

One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2 will finally be returning for its new episodes in just a little over a week from the time of this publication, and Toei Animation is finally letting fans get the first look at how it’s all going to be in motion when the anime returns. One Piece has dropped the first look at the anime’s big comeback (featuring the new opening theme coming to the series), and you can check it out in the video above.

What’s New for One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2?

As revealed in this first real trailer showing off One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2, the anime will be returning with a brand new opening theme titled “Angels and Demons” as performed by GRe4N BOYZ. It has also been announced that muque will be behind the new ending theme too. One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2 will be making its debut on April 5th in Japan, and will be streaming with both Netflix and Crunchyroll. But there are going to be some big premiere plans in place with Crunchyroll to celebrate One Piece’s return from this historic hiatus that fans should get ready for.

Crunchyroll will be offering an 83 minute long recap special for One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 1 for any fans who need a refresher before the new episodes start their run. One Piece Episode 1123 (the first episode of this major comeback) will then be launching with Crunchyroll on April 5th, followed by the release of Episode 1124 on April 6th for fans in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Latin America. So it’s actually going to be a double premiere weekend for fans after waiting for such a long time.

RELATED: AnimeJapan 2025: Every Major Anime Announced

What’s Next for One Piece?

This isn’t the only major project that One Piece now has in the works either. Not only is there the second season of the live-action series with Netflix now in development (as the original showrunner has stepped down in the midst of it), but Netflix also has a full remake now in the works too. Titled The One Piece, this new anime is re-adapting Eiichiro Oda’s original manga series from the very beginning and will be much closer to the original manga than what was seen in the anime the first time around.

One Piece also has a new anime spinoff now on the way to celebrate One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2‘s premiere. Koisuru One Piece (which can also be translated into One Piece In Love) is an officially recognized spinoff of the main series that follows a young boy and girl duo who share names with members of the Straw Hat crew and bond over One Piece. It will be launching across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok on a daily basis across April 1 through 5 in Japan, but international release plans for the series have yet to be determined.

The post One Piece Finally Reveals First Trailer for Anime’s Long-Awaited Comeback appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One of the biggest anime events, AnimeJapan 2025 shares the latest updates regarding several anime. One Piece took the stage on March 22nd, the first day of the event, and announced an upcoming vertical anime spin-off, titled Koisuru One Piece, which can be translated as One Piece in Love. Created by Daiki Ihara and serialized in Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+, the story revolves around a young boy and a girl, along with their companions who share names with members of the Straw Hat crew and form a bond over their mutual love for Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece franchise. Toei will be handling the series with Miki Kobayashi as the producer as well as Yu Kamatani and Hazuki Omoya as directors.

Additionally, fans also got new updates about Egghead Part 2, One Piece’s highly anticipated anime return. One Piece will be releasing two episodes back to back on April 5th and 6th for the first time in history. There will also be a special 83-minute-long recap episode. The anime will return with a new opening theme by Gre4n Boyz and an ending theme by Muque. While all these announcements are exciting for sure, the franchise still hasn’t shared any updates about the remake in months.

[RELATED: Crunchyroll Announces One Piece Premiere Weekend For Anime’s Return]

Netflix’s One Piece Remake Was Announced in December 2023

One Piece took the internet by storm during Jump Festa 2024 when a Netflix remake by WIT Studio was announced. WIT is one of the most renowned animation studios in the industry, best known for creating the first three seasons of Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga Season 1, and Spy x Family in collaboration with CloverWorks. The director of Attack on Titan Seasons 2 and 3, Masashi Koizuka will be working on this project as a director. Fans were thrilled with the remake announcement since it meant experiencing their favorite series in modern animation.

After more than half a year of silence, WIT Studio shared a bunch of concept art and character designs, which were well-received by the fandom. The illustrations include several beautiful scenes from the East Blue Saga, which will be covered in the first season of the remake. Additionally, the concept also highlights that WIT won’t be censoring the manga’s brutality, unlike Toei. These were shared in August 2024, and the studio went silent again with no new updates since then.

What to Expect From The One Piece?

Unlike the long-running anime series by Toei, the remake will be seasonal, with the first season likely featuring the first saga of the manga. The East Blue Saga is where Luffy sets out on his journey and gathers four people in his crew from different islands. Each crew member has their own dreams to follow, so they join the protagonist’s journey and swear to help him become King of the Pirates. The episode count is unknown, but if the first season is planning to adapt the entire first saga, we can expect at least more than 20 episodes.

Why Is There a Need for One Piece’s Remake?

One Piece has always been a popular franchise but it reached greater heights than ever after Netflix’s live-action adaptation. Netflix has been working on more One Piece projects including the one-episode spin-off Monsters and the anime remake. The platform also began streaming the original anime from the Egghead Incident Arc. Furthermore, One Piece’s pacing has been a problem for several years now. When the anime originally began, it adapted around one and a half chapters per episode which later got decreased to less than one chapter.

The story’s flow has since taken a major hit, with the anime often getting criticism for it. However, Toei has been working on the anime for over 25 years as a long-running show instead of a seasonal one. Therefore, with the manga and the anime simultaneously releasing every week with a two-year gap since the debut, Toei couldn’t give One Piece a normal pacing like other anime. Even so, the studio made up for it with anime-only scenes and gorgeous animation that only got better over the years. However, they are striving to fix this issue with the longest anime hiatus in history.

In July 2024, the President of WIT Studio, George Wada explained the reasons behind the remake in an interview with Real Sound. He talked about Oda’s goal to make Japanese manga more popular around the world. In order to do that, it is necessary to reach people who aren’t familiar with One Piece with a remake as an entry point. Additionally, Wada noted that the original anime was produced in a 4:3 aspect ratio and features animation that may feel dated since it was created over two decades ago. This format can be a barrier for young viewers who are used to modern animation standards.

H/T: Real Sound

The post It’s About Time Netflix’s One Piece Remake Shared a New Update appeared first on ComicBook.com.

AnimeJapan 2025 took over Japan this past weekend, and with it revealed some big anime projects now in the works. AnimeJapan is usually one of the biggest events to help kick off the new year of anime as its the first real opportunity that many studios take to showcase some of the new projects they have in production. This past weekend the event took place, and it turned out to be one of the biggest in recent memory as there were a ton of new announcements and first looks revealed at some of the new anime coming our way soon enough.

This past weekend not only gave us a new look at some of the big franchises on the way such as My Hero Academia Season 8, but also Fire Force Season 3, My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 and more. There were also plenty of new movie reveals too for the likes of Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to Be Loved, and more. With so many big premieres already lined up for the Spring and Summer seasons this year, read on for a breakdown of some of the biggest announcements over the weekend (with new updates still coming).

Friday, March 21

• Netflix’s Supernatural Horror Anime Drops Hot New Trailer: Watch
• Puella Magi Madoka Magica Movie Reveals First Major Promo in Months
• My Hero Academia Season 8 Shares New Trailer, Poster for Final Season
• Demon Slayer Reveals Bonus Swag to Hype Infinity Castle’s Release
• Oshi no Ko Hypes Season 3 With Aqua-Themed Teaser & Poster
• Dandadan Promo With Incredible Collage Spotted at AnimeJapan
• Crunchyroll Announces One Piece Premiere Weekend For Anime’s Return
• Netflix’s Devil May Cry Hypes Release With Japanese Voice Cast Reveal
• My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Crossover Sees Deku And Crawler Team-Up
• Fire Force Season 3 Confirms Yet Another Streaming Home for 2025
• Tokyo Revengers Hypes Sequel With Three Deities Arc Promo
• Jujutsu Kaisen Hypes Upcoming Movie in AnimeJapan 2025
• Kaiju No. 8 Drops Incredible Season 2 Trailer & Promo to Hype Summer Release
• New One Piece Spinoff Anime Announced
• Netflix’s Sakamoto Days Shares First Look at Part 2
• New Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt Anime Reveals Release Window, New Characters
• Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 4 Drops Hawaii Arc Trailer: Watch
• Lycoris Recoil Shares New Trailer Ahead of New Anime: Watch
• Tougen Anki Drops New Trailer Ahead of Summer Premiere
• Netflix Teases New Sci-Fi Anime by the One Piece Director in Latest Promo
• Kaiju No. 8 Hypes Its Strongest Anti-Kaiju Combatant in New Promo
• Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus Sets Release Window With New Trailer
• Boruto Star Joins Fire Force Season 3 Cast

Saturday, March 22

• Solo Leveling Unleashes Epic Season 2 Finale Trailer
• Studio Shaft’s Virgin Punk Unveils Cast & Promo to Hype Release Date
• Classroom of the Elite Season 4 Drops First Trailer
• Solo Leveling’s Creator Teases Good News to Come After Season 2
• New Jujutsu Kaisen Movie Drops First Trailer: Watch
• One Piece’s Time Slot Replacement Anime Reveals New Trailer: Watch
• This Kamen Rider Anime Is Going to Be a Must-Watch For Fans
• Jujutsu Kaisen Has Bad News for Fans Waiting for Season 3
• Rurouni Kenshin Season 3 Announced With First Look
• Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc Shares Final Trailer Ahead of Premiere
• My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Locks Down Release Window With First Look
• Chainsaw Man – Reze Arc Movie Finally Reveals Its Release Date (But There’s a Catch)
• Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Shares New Look at New Movie
• Disney Twisted-Wonderland Anime Shares First Trailer: Watch
• Hell Teacher Nube Returning for New Manga Revival Ahead of Reboot Anime
• Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX Shares New Promo Ahead of Premiere
• Netflix’s My Melody & Kuromi Is Looking Adorable With First Preview
• HIDIVE Fantasy Anime Drops Action-Packed Trailer to Hype Release: Watch
• Re:Zero Season 3 Unleashes Promo Ahead of Finale (But There’s a Catch)
• Sentenced to Be a Hero Sets Release Window With New Trailer, Poster

What has been your favorite announcement from AnimeJapan 2025? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments!

The post AnimeJapan 2025: Every Major Anime Announced appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Disney Twisted-Wonderland is one of the many franchises getting ready to make its anime debut later this Fall, and fans have gotten the best look at the new series yet with its first trailer. Disney Twisted-Wonderland has been a fairly successful mobile game in Japan as it takes the classic Villains roster and reimagines them as young students making their way through a mysterious magical academy. Disney is finally bringing the franchise to TV screens, and it’s going to do so in a rather grand fashion with three full seasons of the anime planned before it even premieres its very first episode.

Disney Twisted-Wonderland The Animation will be making its debut later this Fall, and is planning to release three full seasons for three arcs of the original mobile game and manga releases. The first season will be tackling the “Episode of Heartslabyul” arc, and has dropped its first trailer during the AnimeJapan 2025 weekend to help celebrate. This is the first full look at the new anime in motion since it was first announced to be in the works, and you can check it out in the video above.

What Is Disney Twisted-Wonderland?

Announced during the AnimeJapan 2025 weekend, Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Animation will feature the opening theme titled “Piece of my world” as performed by Night Ravens. It was also revealed that Yohei Azanami will be joining the anime’s voice cast as Yuken Enma, the protagonist of the anime’s first season who is a normal high school student that ends up whisked away to this mysterious magical academy. Takumi Ozama will also be returning from the original mobile games to compose the music for the new anime as well (which will also be including new tracks for the series as teased by some of what can be heard in the trailer).

Disney Twisted-Wonderland The Animation is currently scheduled to premiere some time this October in Japan as part of the Fall 2025 anime schedule, but has yet to confirm a release date as of the time of this publication. As for its international release plans, it will be launching in Disney+ overseas but will likely release with Hulu in the United States when it hits. But it’s yet to be confirmed as of the time of this publication. This will also be the first “Episode of Heartslabyul” arc of a planned three season run.

RELATED: 10 Most Exciting Hidden Gem Anime for Spring 2025

What to Know for Disney Twisted-Wonderland Anime

Disney Twisted-Wonderland The Animation will then continue with “Episode of Savanaclaw” in Season 2, and then follow it up with “Episode of Octavinelle” in Season 3, but release windows for those follow up seasons have yet to be announced. The series will be directed by Takahiro Natori and Shin Katagai for Yumeta Company and Graphinica. Yoichi Kato will be writing the scripts, Hanaka Nakano and Akane Sato will be handling the character designs, and Black Butler series creator Yana Toboso is credited with the original game’s designs and concept.

Previously announced members of the voice cast include Natsuki Hanae as Riddle Rosehearts, Seiichiro Yamashita as Ace Trappola, Chiaki Kobayashi as Deuce Space, Ryota Suzuki as Trey Clover, Tatsuyuki Kobyashi as Cater Diamond, Mitsuru Miyamoto as Dire Crowley, and Noriaki Sugiyama as Grim. With there still being quite a lot of time before this new series makes its debut this Fall, there will be even more developments in the coming months.

How are you liking the look of Disney Twisted-Wonderland The Animation so far? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments!

The post Disney Twisted-Wonderland Anime Shares First Trailer: Watch appeared first on ComicBook.com.

With Jinwoo himself finally becoming an S-rank hunter, Season 2 of Solo Leveling has brought the S-rank hunters as a whole into the limelight. The Jeju Raid Arc in particular has introduced fans to not only the rest of the Korean S-rank hunters like Ma Dong Wook, Min Byung-gu, and Lim Tae-gyu but also the fearsome Japanese S-rank hunters. All that said, the entry of these new, powerful, and extremely skilled S-rank hunters like Goto Ryuji has only proven that there is a huge disparity in power and abilities within the S-rank category which has many fans confused about the ranking system as a whole, but fortunately, Solo Leveling’s creator is here to clear up these misconceptions.

In a recent post on the DC Inside forum, Chugong, the creator of Solo Leveling, was asked whether Goto Ryuji, the newly introduced Japanese S-rank hunter, can be considered the strongest of all the S-ranks. The exact question by the fan reads, “Can Goto Ryuji be considered the topmost tier hunter among the S-ranks, excluding the National Level Hunters? I’m also curious how he compares to other S-rank individuals like Yuri Orlov and Lennart Niermann.”

Even though Goto Ryuji is even said to be the strongest S-rank hunter in Japan, Chugong’s answer to the question was far more nuanced, reading, “The difference within S-rank tier is greater than the difference between E-rank and A-rank, so it’s difficult to consider him as the topmost tier.” Chungong’s response perfectly confirms what fans have been suspecting for quite some time, this being that there is a huge world of difference in power among the S-rank hunters even though they may be grouped under the same tier.

[RELATED: Solo Leveling Creator Confirms Season 2’s Big Villain Was Supposed to Be Much Darker]

Solo Leveling’s Creator Addresses the Huge Power Difference Within the S-Rank Category

Ever since the start of the series, the S-rank hunters have been among the elite and the rarest of the rare within the fictional confines of the story. The extent of their powers and abilities have long been set up as being beyond an ordinary individual’s wildest imagination and being capable of decimating their surroundings should a battle break out between them. The fact that Jinwoo is only the tenth S-rank hunter in all of Korea is an excellent example of how uncommon this level of power is.

That said, even amidst this topmost tier of hunters, it has always been clear that there are some hunters who are significantly more powerful than others, and the Jeju Island Arc has further proven this point through the recent spar between the Japanese and Korean S-rank hunters. This only gets even more confusing when the National Level Hunters, (who are yet to properly make their debut in the anime) enter the equation. The National Level Hunters’ strength is clearly a tier above the regular S-rank hunters as a single National Level Hunter is said to rival the might of a nation’s entire military force, which explains the special moniker.

As a result, the S-class category itself is quite confusing to many and makes power scaling a literal nightmare. That said, Solo Leveling’s author, Chugong, explains it quite succinctly but accurately when he states that the difference in power levels between various S-rank hunters is almost as vast as the difference between the E-rank and A-rank hunters. This is not even taking into account the National Level Hunters, who, as later revealed in the webtoon, borrow their power from the Rulers, which is why they belong in a sub-tier of their own.

Why the Difference in Power Level Between S-Rank Hunters Makes Sense

Though Chugong does not go into the reasons for this huge difference in power levels in his comment on the forum, Solo Leveling has arguably already laid out several plausible explanations. The first and most obvious is that the S-rank hunters belong to different classes, and thus, each brings a different type of value to the time besides having their own unique fighting styles. For example, Choi Jong-in is a Mage Class hunter, and his offensive fire abilities are best suited to taking out weak hordes in one fell swoop as opposed to fighting one strong opponent in close-range combat, which is more Baek Yoonho’s style. Lim Tae-gyu is the only Archer Class S-rank hunter and is more inclined to support his teammates from a distance. It is difficult to fairly compare hunters, even S-rank ones who belong to different classes.

Another more obvious reason why this disparity within the S-rank category makes sense is the metrics used to define an S-rank hunter. A hunter’s rank is defined by their magic power, and an S-rank hunter, as seen in Jinwoo’s re-evaluation, is simply an individual whose magic power exceeds the limits of the evaluation machine and cannot be quantified. If humanity were to develop technology capable of evaluating the S-rank hunters’ magic power, then surely it might be possible to rank them even further, though as things stand in Solo Leveling power scaling the S-ranks remains an impossible, incredibly subjective matter, and the S-rank tier itself remains a broad, all-encompassing rank.

Source: DC Inside Solo Leveling Gallery.

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