Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadow S2 Ep 2 Review
A few months ago, being trapped in a Red Gate dungeon would’ve been a worst-case scenario for Jin-woo. Especially if his party leader left anyone they deemed weak behind to die while they fought the boss. But that was before he became a Player and learned how to raise the dead as part of his own private army. Now, the Red Gate is just another way for him to train and build his Shadow army. And as Jin-woo makes clear in this episode, he’s not afraid to use his necromancy powers on his fellow human beings.
To be fair, he’ll only use them on humans who already deserve this fate, like his so-called party leader.
Kim Chul’s Three Strikes
At the end of the last episode, the anime showed us the fate of party leader Kim Chul and his half of the Hunters. Without any food or supplies, they starved, froze, and were then mauled to death by yetis. Chul only survived because he ran away with his tail tucked between his legs.
While the sight of Chul walking back alone and half-insane might make some people feel bad for him, the story makes it clear that we shouldn’t. He knew leaving the weaker Hunters behind would likely kill them, and he did it anyway. Worse, he forced the other members to press on without adequate food and supplies, leading to their deaths. Any military leader worth their salt would tell you sending your forces out without being prepared can lead to disaster. That’s strike one against Kim Chul.
Then, when he gets back to the others and sees them happy around a campfire with food and blankets, he snaps. He wrongly assumes that they deliberately hoarded supplies from him, and thus, that they’re to blame for everyone’s deaths. That’s strike two, and if Jin-woo hadn’t been there to knock him on his back, he would’ve killed everyone present.
Kim Chul ❌ Iron ✔️
BiliBili Anime: Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow- EP2
Then, when Chul comes to while Jin-woo’s fighting the boss, he decides to try killing Jin-woo instead of helping him like he should’ve. Final strike! And for his arrogance and stupidity, Jin-woo gives Chul a very special gift: the honor of being the third time he’s had to kill a human being.
And, to add insult to injury, Jin-woo doesn’t even kill Chul himself; he has Igris do it before reviving him as his latest Shadow, now called Iron.
Jin-woo Bodies an Army of Murderous Ice Elves
The real highlight of the episode, though, is the fight between Jin-woo and his Shadow army and the Ice Elves, led by one called Baruka. The fight is frenetic, fast-paced, and seems less like a duel between two opponents and more like a proper battle. As Jin-woo continues to get stronger, though, he’s going to use his Shadows more and more to help him deal with monsters. Thus, this is a prelude to some of the things that he will end up doing as the anime progresses.
Baruka’s a tough opponent, but in the end, he ends up another victim of Jin-woo. The one loss that Jin-woo has to take is the fact that he’s unable to extract Baruka’s Shadow, leaving him out of a valuable soldier in his growing army. However, he manages to get his daggers and the survivors out in one piece, so that’s a win. In addition, he gets another cool moment when the White Tiger’s guildmaster, Baek Yoonho, tries to get answers about what happened out of him. Instead, Jin-woo tells him off for not being grateful he got any of his guildmembers out alive.
As for Dongsoo, he left after thinking Jin-woo wouldn’t make it out of the Red Gate alive.
This episode marks another turning point in Jin-woo’s growth as a Hunter. Until now, he’s only used Shadow Extraction on monsters. Now that he knows he can use it on humans, though, anyone who makes the mistake of crossing him could become an undead minion in his army. Fortunately, he seems like the type who wouldn’t revive another human unless they were already worthy of punishment from him. On a lesser note, this is the third instance where he’s killed a person; if he’s not careful, he could become numb to the value of life and risk losing his humanity. Thankfully, he has his sister and Jinho to keep him grounded.
Speaking of Jinho, when he sees how informal his boss and Song-yi are after the events the night before, he comes to a disturbing conclusion. To be fair, if someone heard two people talking about how they didn’t get any sleep the night before out of context, they might make the same assumption. But Jin-woo isn’t that kind of Hunter.
People love the new OP
Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow- Opening has reached 1 Million Views in 3 days on Aniplex YouTube Channel! 🖤
By the way, reports are coming in saying that Solo Leveling broke its already impressive viewer record with the premiere of Season two. And the new OP managed to reach a million views on YouTube in less than three days. The people have spoken: Solo Leveling is a big thing in anime right now!
Solo Leveling made huge waves in the anime world last year by being 2024’s first big hit. And now, the story of Sung Jin-woo continues as he finally has a concrete goal beyond leveling up. Within the special S-rank Dungeon only he can access lie the ingredients to a miracle potion that can cure anything. If he gets his hands on it, he can use it to awaken his mom from her coma! The bad news is that he’s still not strong enough to clear the Dungeon. The good news? He’s no longer fighting alone. He’s got an army of shadow warriors to help him, and he’s going to use them. Which leads us to the season premiere as Jin-woo puts his black Air Force energy through its paces in a Dungeon raid gone wrong. Again.
【Opening Theme】 Solo Leveling Season 2
OP: "ReawakeR (feat. Felix of Stray Kids)" by LiSA
But first, can we talk about how amazing the OP to season two of Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadows is? Besides the killer animation, there’s also the fact that the song is sung by LiSA and Felix from Stray Kids. She’s one of my favorite J-Pop singers, and for good reason. She’s done the theme songs to some the biggest anime of the century, including Sword Art Online, Fate, Demon Slayer, and more. Regardless of the criticisms to SAO, “Crossing Field” is a very exciting OP. And “Gurenge” is practically a legend at this point. While the OP for the first season wasn’t that interesting, the one for season two is the exact opposite, being an absolute head-banger that I desperately want to find on iTunes.*
*(It’s on iTunes Now!)
Jin-woo’s Master Plan to Convince Sister’s Friend to Stay in School
It’s parent-teacher day at the school of Jin-woo’s sister, Jinah, and since he’s her legal guardian, he has to go in their parent’s place. And despite just waking up, Jin-woo shows up looking super-cool, leading to yet another moment where young ladies drool over him. The man’s rizz is off the charts, and he doesn’t even realize it!
The good news is Jinah’s on track to get into the medical school she’s aiming for, so there’s no problems there. However, her teacher asks Jin-woo with help with another student who’s a friend of Jinah. Her name is Han Song-Yi, and she recently awakened as a Hunter…as an E-rank. She’s the girl who’s been in Jin-woo and Jin-ho’s party as they go Dungeon hopping for their plan to make Joonho a guild master. And now, she’s planning on quitting school and becoming a full-time Hunter.
It’s not out of the ordinary for young, talented people to decide they’re wasting their time in public school and simply drop out. Some of the great movers and shakers in history never finished school. However, Jin-woo knows firsthand how dangerous being a Hunter is, especially if you’re an E-Rank. He might not have the scars, but he’s got the hospital bills to prove it! Thus, Jin-woo decides he needs to set Sang-yi straight before she gets herself killed. However, instead of lecturing her about how dangerous it is, he decides to go for the “sink-or-swim” approach. He speaks to her and tells her that he’s gonna let her go on a Dungeon Raid with him, and manages to get them a spot on a raid by the White Tiger Guild.
Red Gates. The Bane of Every Hunters Existence
Unfortunately, Jin-woo’s plan works too well. As soon as the party enters, the Gate turns into a Red Gate. That’s when the Dungeon mutates and sends the people inside into another dimension altogether, where the monsters are stronger, and they can’t get out unless they kill the boss or the Dungeon breaks.
From this moment on, the Dungeon raid becomes a survival horror…for everyone that isn’t Jin-woo. One Hunter dies immediately to an ice arrow. The A-rank Hunter in charge of the raid decides to leave lower-ranked Hunters to die while the others clear the Dungeon. As the end of the episode shows, they die and the leader, Kim Chul, runs away scared for his life. In contrast, everyone who stayed with Jin-woo lives and thrives after he takes out the ice bears and their leader.
Speaking of which, the fight with the ice bears and their pack leader marks the first time that Jin-woo uses his Shadows in battle. While it’s not as epic as one would think, keep in mind that this is still a new power to him. However, as he gets stronger, his Shadows will follow suit as he gains more of them. Eventually, he will have his own army. As far as animation goes, though, his little skirmish is decent.
Don’t expect to see Dongsoo again this season.
Speaking of skirmishes, Jin-woo narrowly avoided getting into one with S-rank Hunter Hwang Dongsoo. He flew back to Korea to kill Jin-woo and Joonho for the death of his older brother, only to arrive at the gate too late. At his current level, Jin-woo could likely go toe-to-toe with Dongsoo, but there’s no guarantee he would come out on top. In addition, fighting him in front of the leader of the White Tiger Guild and Joonchul from the Hunter’s Association would just bring him unwanted attention. Right now, anonymity is good for him.
This first episode doesn’t reach the same heights as the series premiere, but it doesn’t have to do so. All it needs is to reintroduce people to the story and show the direction it’s heading in. As far as action goes, it’s only going to get better as time goes by. Having read the manwha, trust me when I say that by the time the series hits its climax, it’s going to need a theater to handle everything.
But if you really want more action right away, you can always play Solo Leveling: Arise.
Warning: Unauthorized Plug for Tie-In Game Detected.
Solo Leveling: Arise is a free-to-play action RPG available on mobile and pc that lets players experience the story of Solo Leveling for themselves. Players can take control of Jin-woo and have him hack, slash, and rizz his way through the dungeons as he levels up and goes from the weakest Hunter to the strongest in the world. They’ll have all the RPG mechanics of the System at their disposal as they help Jin-woo get stronger to take on the threats found within the dungeons. And with more skills, special attacks, and weapons than I can hope to count available to them, they can make Jin-woo into their ideal Hunter.
But wait! Jin-woo won’t be fighting alone in this game. Through the rewards you gain by completing events and parts of the story, you can earn resources to upgrade your equipment even further. More importantly, you can unlock characters from the story that you can either play as or have support Jin-woo throughout the story. Not only are all of these characters voiced by their VA’s and Seiyus from the anime, but they can also be leveled up so they can keep being of use to you. To sweeten the deal, if you level them up enough, you can unlock their backstories and learn how they became Hunters. There are even original manwha stories detailing their origins for you to read and enjoy.
While the combat in Arise can get a bit repetitive at times, the game provides its own solution. If you set your characters to ‘auto’ mode, they will clear dungeons and story chapters on autopilot. It’s perfect to level grind without having to put in the effort of controlling your character! Plus, the cutscenes are a combination of the in-game engine and using panels from the original manwha, allowing for a diverse way to experience the story of Solo Leveling. Fair warning, though: the story does extend far beyond where the anime is right now. So avoid going any further if you’ve only watched the anime and want to avoid spoilers!
Get Solo Leveling: Arise now for PC and Mobile, release on Steam to be announced.
RJ Writing Ink’s (hilarious) recap of Season One of Solo Leveling
Sung Jin-Woo, the main protagonist of the Korean manwha Solo Leveling and the black air force Hunter. AKA Sung Him-Woo, because he is that guy. Once mocked and considered the weakest Hunter in the world, after the latest in a long line of near-death experiences, gains the unique ability to level up. Before long, he goes from a meek little piece of cannon fodder into one of the coldest protagonists to ever come out of South Korea. And he’s only getting started!
I’m RJ Writing Ink for the D&A Anime Blog, and today, we are recapping the first season of Solo Leveling and the rise of Sung Him-Woo as he gains his black air forces. This way, you will be caught up in time for the new season, which will either be out by now or mere days from release. You will want to watch this show!
Sung Jin-woo’s Humble Beginnings
Let’s provide some context first. Ten years ago, magical portals, or Gates, to other dimensions began appearing worldwide. And from those Gates, monsters started appearing, threatening to overrun Earth. While normal weapons proved unable to kill the monsters, some humans started gaining magical abilities that could. They became the Hunters, whose job it is to defeat the monsters in the Dungeons on their side of the Gates, sealing them and keeping them from overrunning humankind. However, once a Hunter awakens their skills, they’re stuck with them and unable to get stronger. The strongest Hunters are the S-Rank, some of whom are strong enough to rival an entire nation’s military, while the weakest are the E-Rank. And Sung Jin-Woo has the misfortune of being the weakest E-Rank of all time.
Poor Jin-Woo is barely stronger than the average human being, and is considered a joke or someone for other Hunters to pity. Every time he goes into a Dungeon, he almost dies and has to be bailed out by the party healers. Despite being so weak, though, he keeps at it because his Dad’s missing and presumed dead, his Mom’s in a coma and requires medical support, and his sister is in high school. In other words, he’s desperate and needs the money, even if he barely gets by due to being so weak. However, all of that is about to change.
On what should have been a simple raid of a D-Rank Dungeon, Jin-Woo and his party discover a second, secret Dungeon hidden away. Jin-Woo casts the deciding vote for the group to investigate the second Dungeon, and everyone heads inside. However, it soon becomes apparent that they should have stayed far away from this new Dungeon.
Welcome to Hell
This Double-Dungeon turns out to be S-Ranked, filled with giant statues whose smiles would make the Smiling Titan from Attack on Titan wet herself. They proceed to slaughter almost all of the Hunters before only Jin-Woo and a handful of others are left alive, with Jin-Woo losing a leg from the carnage. So, the young man decides to stay behind and keep the door open so his comrades can escape. He figures its all a weakling like him can do to give his life any value. But, as soon as the others are gone, that feeling of self-sacrifice evaporates, and the realization that he’s about to die sinks in…and he HATES IT!
Jin-Woo starts cursing out the universe for what’s about to happen to him. He curses the fact that he’s about to leave his family to fend for themselves. And most of all, he wishes that he was stronger so that none of this would even be happening to him!
But something happens right as he’s about to die. A message from this display straight out of an RPG pops up and says “Congratulations, buddy! You completed the secret quest and get the chance to become a [Player]. If you do, you’ll get the chance to earn yourself some black air forces. If not…you can guess the rest.” Since Jin-Woo isn’t a dummy and doesn’t want to die, he gladly accepts the deal.
Little did he know, but this is the moment when Sung Jin-Woo would begin his journey as the black air force Hunter.
Getting Used to His Black Air Forces
Three days later, Jin-Woo wakes up in the hospital and learns he was somehow rescued from the Double Dungeon. The experience, though, left all the survivors traumatized. Some have survivor’s guilt for abandoning the others. Their leader lost his arm and may have to retire. And Jin-Woo’s healer friend, Joo-Hee, is left with PTSD. No one got out unscathed. But that doesn’t matter, because its time for Jin-Woo to begin his training in the way of the black air forces.
That display that gave Jin-Woo the offer to become a Player returns and lays down the ground rules. Firstly, it is a program called the System, and it functions like the mechanics to an RPG, giving him quests with rewards, keys to Dungeons that only work for him, etc. Secondly, said RPG mechanics give him the ability to level up his status, making him the only Hunter in the world who can do so! Lastly, since he wasn’t born with black air force energy and has to gain it, he has to complete daily goals, usually by doing enough exercises. If he tries to welch on them, he will be dropped into a penalty zone and attacked by giant, poisonous centipedes. So, Jin-Woo has some pretty good incentives not to neglect his training.
So after he spends the rest of his time in the hospital getting into this daily routine of training, Jin-Woo begins to evolve. He goes from the meek, little twig he started out as into a full-on demigod. He’s tall, has the face of a Korean Adonis, and is swole as they come! And all the young nurses are practically drooling over him. When one of them comes in to check on him, she catches him exercising without a shirt and almost passes out from his hotness!
And that’s only the visible side effects of him training to master his black air force energy. His power has skyrocketed far beyond E-Rank.
Taking a Shady Job
Once he’s out of the hospital, Jin-woo decides its high time for him to start making money again. That means he has to go back into a dungeon, so he finds a C-Rank party that needs a few extra members. The only problem is that the party leader, Hwang Dongsuk, is sus, making him sign a contract saying that he doesn’t have to fight, but doesn’t get any item drops.
Rounding out their 8-man party is a rich, D-Rank newcomer Yoo Jin-ho, AKA the ultimate wingman and Jin-woo’s new best friend. And we say that because, despite having better equipment due to his dad being super rich, Jin-ho stands up for Jin-woo when they reach the boss room and find it loaded with mana crystals. Dongsuk tries to keep Jin-woo from getting any of this valuable loot, but Jin-ho looks at the contract and says “Hey, man. I just looked this thing over and it doesn’t say anything about those crystals counting as battle drops. My man Jin-woo should get a share!” All Dongsuk can do is grumble about it…is what you’d think would happen!
As it turns out, Jin-woo was right to be suspicious about Dongsuk and his party, because they’re all a bunch of murderers! Every time they hit a dungeon, they hire on a few red shirts to serve as cannon fodder to soften the boss up so they can kill it without issue, letting them focus on collecting the loot! These guys are serial killers, and they try to pull the same thing on Jin-woo and Jin-ho, leaving them to fight the giant spider boss alone!
HIM-woo Begins to Catch Bodies
But they weren’t dealing with some E-Rank Hunter anymore. Sung Jin-woo had been growing into those black air forces, and it was for him to flex. It takes some doing, but Jin-woo manages to squash the spider. And the whole time, Jin-ho is looking at him and thinking, “Dang. I need to make this guy my new best friend!” But then, Dongsuk and the sucky gang return.
Now, since they think Jin-woo is still some lowly E-Rank, these guys think Jin-ho killed the boss. So they offer Jin-woo’s new bestie a deal: help kill Jin-woo, and they’ll let him live and give him a cut of the loot. And Jin-ho is like, “Oh, heck no! I ain’t turning on my new bro like some chump! Take that offer and shove it!” And Dongsuk decides, “Oh, well. Your funeral. Boys, kill them both!” And they slam Jin-woo into the wall, thinking that would be enough.
Jin-woo’s response? “So, you have chosen death.”
So the System gives Jin-woo this urgent quest, saying that he’s got to kill his attackers, or his heart will stop. Truthfully, though, Jin-woo would have done it anyway, because there was no way these guys would face justice back home. When Hunters are strong enough, they’re able to avoid legal charges and are basically untouchable. But, as Jin-woo repeats what Dongsuk back to him, “What happens in a Dungeon stays in a Dungeon.” And then, in one of the coldest anime moments of 2024, Sung Jin-woo turns the group of six into victims.
Jin-woo saves Dongsuk for last, and the man is on his butt looking ready to wet himself in terror, begging Jin-woo to spare him! Because if he doesn’t, his younger brother will come after him! But Jin-woo had no F’s to give, and ended that man’s life. After that, they just left the trash there, walked out like bosses, and Jin-ho covers for his new best friend by saying the dungeon killed the others.
Fate Has a Cruel Sense of Humor
Not long after, Jin-ho meets with Jin-woo and explains his situation. His dad is looking to start their own Hunter’s guild, which is where Hunters work together to pull off jobs, so that his company can have a steady stream of resources. Jin-ho offers him his own building if helps meet the requirements to start his own guild, but Jin-woo says, “No thanks. But we’ll keep in touch.” Don’t forget, he’ that got to keep meeting the System’s requirements and look after his Mom and sister. Shortly afterward, he maxes out his dailies and gets a key to an S-Rank Dungeon, whose reward is a potion that can cure any illness. And Jin-woo realizes he can use this to cure his Mom, so he dives right him. Sadly, the dungeon is like a real-life version of Dark Souls, because fighting the first boss, a giant Cerberus, almost kills him.
Which means he’s got to train even more.
Jin-woo then calls up Jin-ho and says, “Hey, man. You still want help running those Dungeons to make that guild?” But before they can make any progress, Jin-woo gets recruited to form a last-minute party to handle a C-Rank dungeon. It just so happens that the other party members include Kang Taeshik, an agent from the Hunters Association that oversees all Hunters, some Hunters serving time in jail, and the other survivors of the Double-Dungeon incident. This must be fate at work!
The Black Air Force Hunter Finds his Next Victim
There turns out to be more to this job than anyone realizes. Some time ago, one of the convicts had murdered a girl, so the girl’s dad paid Kang to kill him in the Dungeon. Kang gladly does so, only for the two Double-Dungeon survivors that abandoned everyone to catch him in the act. So
Kang kills them both to cover everything up. And this is where things get really sad, as one of those guys only took this job so he could apologize to Jin-woo for leaving him to die. To make it even sadder, the man has a wife and kid he’s leaving behind!
So, Jim-woo reveals his black air force energy and, in a pretty epic fight, manages to kill Kang. Afterwards, just like before, the remaining party members cover for him as that is for saving their lives. But Joo-hee? She’s done being a Hunter. The trauma she’s experienced is too much, and she wants out, so she’s moving back home with her parents. Which also means anyone who shipped her with Jin-woo has been left high and dry.
The Bromance’s Grinding Scheme
So, after that latest incident, Jin-woo and Jin-ho put their plan to start a guild into motion. Jin-ho buys up the rights to a bunch of C-Rank Dungeons and then hires some low-rank Hunters so they can meet the party quota. The two of them are the only ones to head inside and clear everything. By which we mean Jin-woo clears them while Jin-ho helps carry the stuff and serve as his hype man. But despite Jin-woo’s attempts to fly under the radar, people are starting to take notice.
Case in point, a high-ranking member of one of the top Guilds in Korea puts the pieces together and realizes that Jin-woo has “reawakened.” Reawakening is when a Hunter goes through a second awakening that makes stronger than they once were. To be fair, that is technically what Jin-woo has gone through. Though when this man tries to recruit Jin-woo, he turns him down. And for good measure, he flexes his BAFE to let him know what will happen if he tries to tell anyone else.
Jin-Woo Gets a Promotion
At this point, Jin-woo is getting stronger and stronger. So strong, in fact, that the System decides this is the point where he can pull a job-change to get even stronger. He’s subsequently dropped into a giant castle and has to fight his way through a horde of magical warriors before making his way to a throne room. That’s where he challenges the boss, Igris, the Bloodred Knight Commander. Igris pushes Jin-woo to his limit, but he manages to win by the skin of his teeth. And he acknowledges that he only won thanks to dumb luck!
Unfortunately for him, this wasn’t the job-change quest. This was just the warm-up for the real quest: fighting an endless horde of armored warriors until the time limit expires. All while he’s exhausted, unable to use potions…and missing the teleportation stone that acts as his escape rope.
Jin-woo almost gives up because he thinks he bit off more than he can chew. Just as he’s about to give up, though, his past self gives him the pep talk he needs to keep going. That’s when remembers something important: be was so eager to start the quest, he forgot to do his dailies. So, back to the penalty zone he goes!
And, like anyone with black air force energy, Him-woo makes short work of the opposition and uses the drop items to get back to full strength. Once back, he wastes the enemy with time to spare.
Long Live the Shadow Monarch, Sung HIM-woo!
With the quest over, the System appears again to say “Congratulations for completing the quest and proving yourself worthy of black air force energy. Now, time to assign you your new job based on your performance.” Sadly, Jin-woo can’t pick his new job class, but lucky for him, the System chooses the most OP one it has: Necromancer. And since he killed everyone before the time limit, he got so much XP that he automatically levels up to Shadow Monarch, the one who rules over an army of the dead!
The coolest part, though? He can extract the shadows of the deceased and revive them as unkillable, unflinching minions! And the stronger he gets, the more Shadows he can control. This man is capable of creating his own private army! And, since every army needs commanders, Jin-woo revives Igris as the first of his elite warriors!
You Will be Calling him Sung HIM-woo before the show is over!
And that is where the first season comes to an end. Sung Jin-woo has obtained the power of black air forces and proven that he is that guy, but his journey is far from over. He needs to keep getting stronger to save his mom and deal with the powerful individuals that will no doubt continue to take notice of him. And if you thought he was badass already, then trust me when I say that you haven’t seen anything yet. I read through the entire webtoon in a few days, and lets just say that I was right to give him the nickname of Sung Him-woo. He will be in a class all his own by the time the anime comes to an end!
Now, go get ready to watch the next season of Solo Leveling. And if you’re too impatient, go try the mobile game, Solo Leveling: Arise!
The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World Initial Review
Somewhere, somehow, a mangaka asked the following question: what if we put a super sentai protagonist in an Isekai story? How would these two different types of stories work together? What chaos would ensue from the clashing of genres? Apparently, not only did someone decide to find out, but it was enough to warrant the resulting manga an anime. This is The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World…and it might be one of the most ridiculous ideas of the year.
The Red Ranger Who Got Isekaied
Meet Asakagi Togo, AKA Red, AKA the Red Ranger of the Kizuna Five, his world’s version of the Super Sentai/Power Rangers. Right in the middle of their final battle against their nemesis, the (I’m not making this up) Breakup King, Red apparently sacrifices himself to end the fight for good. Instead of dying, though, Red wakes up to find himself in the middle of a world full of swords and sorcery. He got Isekaied.
Six months pass. Red has been trying to find a way home, only for its attempts to come up fruitless. However, after seeing all the hardships the people of this new world face, his sense of justice compels him to keep being a hero by becoming an adventurer. And, since he still has all his Sentai abilities, he can no-sell almost anything thrown at him. The people of this world don’t even understand what Red’s powers are!
Meet Yihdra Arvoln, the daughter and heir to a noble family of wizards. For generations, her family served their kingdom as, for lack of a better comparison, the Hands of the King, but with magic. Until her father lost the title to someone who wants to abuse magic for power and got exiled. Now, she’s trying to reclaim her family’s position by contributing to the study of magic. Sadly, every adventurer she hires to retrieve materials proves unfit for her high standards.
Then Red arrives and throws her for a loop with his powers, his ability to make enemies explode for no reason, and his constant talking about the importance of bonds. He talks so much about friendship and bonds, it would make Naruto proud!
This is a Satire. Don’t Take it Seriously
At this point, it should be apparent what kind of story The Red Ranger is meant to be: a satire. It’s deliberately playing up the more absurd aspects of the Sentai genre to make fun of how ridiculous the whole concept can seem to someone who doesn’t get it. However, the anime makes it evident that it’s meant to be playful ribbing rather than mean-spirited criticism. Despite how much Yihdra is thrown off-guard by Red’s personality, she realizes that he genuinely believes in what he says about the importance of friendship. Case in point, he takes the time to hear out her dream of using magic to help make the world a happier place. While she fully expects him to scoff or laugh at the idea, Red instead fully supports her goal because he’s just that nice.
At the end of the episode, Yihdra repays Red’s kindness by offering to form an adventuring party and work on finding a way to get him home. Red’s so moved by this act that he starts crying tears of joy!
Also, she doesn’t say it, but it’s pretty obvious from her expressions that Yihdra’s falling in love with Red. Opposites do attract, after all!
The Red Ranger is, by all accounts, a ridiculous show with a ridiculous premise. Yet, try as I might, I can’t help but want to watch it. With how prevalent the Isekai genre has become, people have had to get creative with their approach to it. So, why not have a Power Ranger get isekaied and see what happens? At the very least, it will make for some good laughs!
Verdict: Imma Watch it…for reasons I don’t understand
I take back everything I said in the last review about Vegeta getting the short end of the stick. This episode of Dragon Ball Daima saw Vegeta cook! Not only did he manage to continue his fight against the Tamagami, but he also showed a transformation that, until now, had been relegated to fanfics and video games. As for Dr. Arinsu and Majin Duu, they also cooked, scoring a big win for themselves.
Before we get started, it should be noted that the OP credits to Daima have changed to reflect what’s going on in the series. It’s not much, but considering how the OP and ED to an anime can set its tone as well as reveal potential plot points, it’s nice to see it get updated.
In the last episode, it looked like Vegeta had been swallowed by a giant Kraken and that Goku would have to bail him out. As it turns out, though, the Prince of the Saiyans was fine, escaping the Kraken in the nick of time!
It’s not clear what Toriyama was involved in regarding and what wasn’t, but this feels like another one of his fake-outs meant to troll us. Dragon Ball has a running gag where it looks like something bad happened to a character, only for it to be revealed to be a false alarm. It can seem a bit cruel to mess with the fans emotions like that, but at this point, unless you count disease and old age, death isn’t going to stick for the heroes.
Now that Vegeta is warmed up, he’s able to fight to his fullest, and continually pressures the Tamagami. Thanks to a little cheating by Neva, though, he has to use a transformation that, until now, remained non-canon. For the first time ever, Vegeta goes Super Saiyan 3! After that, the fight ends fairly quickly.
From a meta-standpoint, the reason why Vegeta never used this transformation in future stories can be chalked to them being written before Daima. From the perspective of the story, though, it can be best explained by the fact that SSJ3’s rapid draining of ki makes largely a hindrance in long-term fights. After the discovery of Super Saiyan Blue, the form practically becomes useless. So, unless Vegeta thinks he can swiftly end a fight, he’s not going to use it.
In a very amusing moment, Vegeta also proves to be smart enough to win the game that comes afterwards. Vegeta for the win!
Majin Duu Steamrolls Tamagami
Meanwhile, back with Dr. Arinsu and her creations, Duu continues to run circles around the Tamagami while remaining a total goofball. The only time he winds up on the ropes is when he starts wanting chocolate, prompting Kik to run out and get him some. After that, he steamrolls through the guardian of the Dragon Ball. In another humorous moment, though, it’s Kuu that solves the puzzle that’s supposed that comes with each Dragon Ball.
There seems to be no purpose beyond these puzzles beyond being a source of humor, but it’s fun to see the characters wrack their heads instead of using their fists.
At this point, the heroes now have two of the three Dragon Balls, while Arinsu has the last one. All that is left is for them to make their way to the First World, get the last Dragon Ball, and rescue Dende. However, they’re going to have to deal with the threat of Gomah, Arinsu and her Majin, Shin’s brother, and whatever Glorio is being asked to do. The group is in for a tough battle going forward. Though this isn’t the first time the Dragon Team has gone barging into an enemy base with half a plan. They should be fine…right?
At least Vegeta got to come in clutch this episode!
There’s a running gag in Dragon Ball surrounding Vegeta: he keeps getting the raw end of the deal. No matter how many times he gets stronger, no matter how much he yells, he seems to end up losing when it matters the most. Toriyama admitted that he didn’t like Vegeta that much, despite how he’s become the co-protagonist of the franchise alongside Goku. Knowing this, you can’t help but feel that what happens to Vegeta in this episode feels like a cruel joke Toriyama’s playing on him from beyond the grave. Once again, Vegeta gets shafted.
Dragon Ball Just Solved the Problem of Keeping Them Away from Villains
At the end of the last episode, our heroes were getting ready to leave the abandoned home of the Namekians for the next Tamagami. However, they weren’t alone. Neva, the last Namekian in the Demon Realm and guardian of its Dragon Balls, appears before them. And while he pretends to act senile, Piccolo sees through his act. Thus, Neva gets right to the point: he wants to go with them to the next Tamagami.
While the flight is a bit cramped for the occupants, it does give viewers the chance to learn more about the Demon Realm’s Dragon Balls. When they were created, they were unguarded like the other sets were. As was the case with the sets on Earth and Namek, though, evil beings sought to use their power. In other words, the Tamagami were created to address one of the biggest flaws the Dragon Balls have had throughout the franchise: that anyone can use them for evil if they get their hands on them.
This…this is smart writing!
Honestly, this decision makes a lot of sense. Thanks to inventions like the Dragon Radar, the Dragon Balls main defense of being scattered across whatever planet they’re on becomes little more than an issue of time. And given how villains have tried to use the Dragon Balls time and again, with King Piccolo succeeding, it highlights how dangerous they are in the wrong hands. Having a powerful guardian to protect them means that most people cannot use them unless they’re strong enough. And given how Goku had to go Super Saiyan to beat one, it’s likely that if Namek had their own Tamagami, Frieza wouldn’t have gotten close to them. That’s some smart writing going on! The kind that makes me wonder if Toriyama took a page or two from fans like TeamFourStar
As an aside, this episode establishes that Piccolo doesn’t know Namekian. Didn’t he and Kami speak it during their fight in the World Martial Arts Tournament that one time, though?
At any rate, Vegeta gets to fight the next Tamagami, and like with Goku, he’s more than capable of holding his own. Sadly, the fight is cut short when Vegeta falls underwater and is attacked by a kraken, swallowing him whole.
Kuu, now Duu? Where did Toriyama come up with these names?
Meanwhile, back with Dr. Arinsu, she’s given up on using Majin Kuu to get the third Dragon Ball. Instead, she and Marba use the last of the essence of Buu to create another Majin, Majin Duu. Whereas Kuu seems to have Kid Buu’s build and Super Buu’s intelligence, Duu takes after Good Buu in both appearance and mannerisms. He’s big, goofy, and loves to eat chocolate and other candies. Much like Good Buu, though, underneath his unremarkable exterior, Duu is a formidable warrior. When he fights the Tamagami, he’s able to give it a run for its money. The fight doesn’t end before the episode does, but what is shown proves to be a good callback to Majin Buu’s first appearance in DBZ.
Basically, Duu is strong but silly, like Buu. And if what we have seen on social media is true, Duu might not be the last Majin we see before the show is done.
So, once again, Vegeta has gotten shafted by fate and the anime, meaning it’s up to Goku and the others to save him from the Kraken. That, or Vegeta might end up killing it from the inside. Meanwhile, we’ll also be seeing whether or not Duu measures up to his template. Given how much fun Buu was even when he was evil, this could make for some entertaining fights.
Full disclosure: the original draft for this review was somehow erased like Zeno erased a third of the Dragon Ball multiverse, leaving it to be redone. Thus, this review will not be quite as detailed as one would hope it would be, but enough to cover the key points of the tenth episode of Dragon Ball Daima.
Speaking of Zeno, we might have been introduced to Zeno’s predecessor as the ruler of the multiverse in this episode. As it turns out, the Demon Realm might be the oldest place in all of creation, predating everything that we have seen!
Giant Sea Monsters!?!?
Having completed everything they can in the third Demon World, Goku, Panzy, Glorio and Shin all set out for the Second Demon World. Unfortunately, the show drops some hints that indicate it doesn’t intend to stay long in this second world, which largely consists of vast oceans…with giant sea monsters in them!
Kaiju-sized monsters aren’t anything new to Dragon Ball thanks to the Saiyans being able to become Great Apes. However, the Krakens that dwell in the ocean are shown to be so powerful, even Goku has to give them a wide berth. It’s the first big reminder since the start of the series that Goku’s operating with a noteworthy handicap, hence the need to return to his adult form fast as he can.
So that’s how the Multiverse came into existence!
The main focus of this episode, though, comes when Goku and the others arrive at the original homeworld of the Namekians. Besides serving as a call-back to Namek and New Namek, this is also where Shin drops some major lore regarding the history of the cosmos. According to Shin, the Demon Realm existed before the rest of creation, but one of the first Supreme Demon Kings asked a Super Majin named Rymus to create more worlds for the Demons to explore. Rymus’ creations became what we know as the multiverse for Dragon Ball!
This is big news in more ways than one. Besides confirming that the Demon Realm is, in fact, the origin point for existence, it gives us a concrete look at how the multiverse came to be. However, while it may seem to contradict everything we learn in Super about Zeno and how he governs the multiverse, it doesn’t. Rymus looks a lot like Zeno does, leaving many fans to conclude that Zeno is a descendant of Rymus.
It’s details like this that make worlds like Dragon Ball so entertaining. I doubt few fans ever considered learning how the Multiverse began, but Daima decided to tell us anyway.
Kuu turns out to be a chump!
The other big thing about this episode is that we got to see the fight between the first Tamagami and Dr. Arinsu’s new minion, Majin Kuu. Despite getting hyped up as being as strong as Majin Buu, if not Kid Buu, the show managed to pull the wool over all our eyes by having Kuu lose the fight! Kuu puts up a good struggle, but he’s ultimately unable/unwilling to keep fighting the Tamagami. Thus, he bails, leading Arinsu to deem him a failure and head back to the drawing board.
This was such an unexpected twist. Given how he shared the skinny physique of Kid Buu, it would be easy for fans to assume that he was as strong as Kid Buu. And given how Kid Buu is the biggest menace Goku has faced up to this point in his life, that prospect is terrifying. Instead, it seems that Toriyama or whoever came up with this part of the story decided to prank us. Personally, I’m fine with this. Toriyama always did have a good sense of humor.
What does Neva want?
The episode ends on a cliffhanger on the hero’s side, and for good reason. Right as Goku’s group is getting ready to leave the ancient Namekian home to meet Vegeta’s group, they’re approached by a lone figure, the last Namekian in the Demon Realm, Neva. But what could the ancient Namekian want with the group?
We already know by this point, since the next two episodes are already out. Rather, three episodes, depending on when this goes up.
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 2 Premiere Review
Everyone, the GOAT harem anime where no one loses has returned! After what felt like an eternity, The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You has returned to grace our screens once more!
It should come as no secret by now, but I am a big fan of 100 Girlfriends. Of all the harem anime that I’ve seen over the years, it’s one of the funniest and most wholesome in the entire genre. More importantly, it’s about a protagonist who’s got an actual personality, but who is proactive in how he treats his girlfriends. Rentaro is the gold standard that every boyfriend should aspire to be, and I love seeing him and his growing family enjoying their lives together.
So, despite it not being my intention, I’m going to be reviewing every episode of this new season as we watch and laugh at all the hilarity. And the show comes out of the gate swinging like it’s Karane’s killer left hook.
Freaky Friday or Your Name?
After the new OP (which is one of the series best parts), rather than jump into the story of the manga, the series decides to come up with an original story for the first half of the premiere. And it doesn’t hesitate to resume its fourth-wall-breaking by having the girlfriends acknowledge that it’s been a year since the last episode. So, to shake things up, Hakari had Kusuri develop a drug to alter their personalities…only for it to somehow make them switch bodies. It’s a scenario straight out of Your Name, and not only does the anime acknowledge this, it even recreates it one of its famous montages.
If that wasn’t funny enough, what makes it funnier is the fact that they try to avoid getting sued for name-dropping it. As well as Rentaro trying to figure out who’s in what body based on their mannerisms.
I think what makes it even better is that they didn’t switch seiyuu’s for this like other anime would. They got to act out of character as much as they wanted, and I can’t wait to hear this in dub.
In any event, it’s up to Rentaro to figure out how to get them back in their bodies, and this is one of those moments where the show just chooses to ignore realism in the name of comedy. In this case, the girlfriends each have to kiss Rentaro, making them feel so ecstatic that their souls leave their bodies. I cannot make this up!
Girlfriend #7 Comes to Feast!
Once that’s done, though, the anime gets back to following the plot of the manga. That means that it’s time for Rentaro to get his seventh soulmate. And the winner is…
A new Character Trailer for ‘The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, REALLY Love You’ Season 2 anime released!
Meet Kurumi Haraga, a third-year middle schooler and the big eater girlfriend. She and Rentaro meet when she sneaks into high school cafeteria to get some lunch. And, as with all the other girls, Kurumi has her own issues that serve to make her unique amongst the growing Rentaro Family. In this case, her big eater tendencies are not by choice. She suffers from an abnormally high metabolism, meaning she burns through calories like crazy, so she has to eat a lot to keep going. Worse, whenever someone mentions a specific food, she’ll start craving it and will remain grumpy until she has it. In other words, combine the eating habits of a Saiyan with the eating disorder that Big Mom from One Piece has, but without destructive tendencies.
Because of her unique issue, Kurumi has a hard time opening up to people, as she will lash out at others when she’s hungry. And since she’s hungry all the time, she has no friends. Thus, despite bonding over lunch with Rentaro after they meet, she lashes out at him the next day when she can’t get the food she wants.
Thankfully, Rentaro, being the CHAD he is, manages to soothe her hunger pains…and win her heart.
Did I mention I like her design? The headphones and hoodie are a cool combo.
Prepare for Lots of Foodservice Next Episode
The episode ends with Rentaro introducing Kurumi to the Family, only for Kurumi to say she’s not interested in being friends with them. So, to break the ice, Rentaro has them all sign up for an eating contest with a special gelato as the prize, setting us up for the next episode!
This entire episode, from start to finish, was an absolute blast. I love 100 Girlfriends for how unhinged it can be with its premise, and it’s the comedic moments in this episode that provide a good example of why. It doesn’t care about being hated; it’s only interested in having a good time. I’m really glad it’s back…and I love the ED just as much as the OP.
The following is an emergency announcement from the D&A Anime Blog concerning an important member of the Dragon Ball community.
Less than a year ago, the world of anime wept at the loss of Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball. Now, another prominent member of the anime community is in need of our help: Mike McFarland.
For those who aren’t aware, Mike McFarland is a veteran voice actor with more than 400 roles to his credit. The one we should concern ourselves with the most, though, is one of the OG conossseuirs of Waifus, Master Roshi. And right now, he’s in trouble.
Earlier this week, Colleen Clinkenbeard revealed on Twitter that Mike went to the hospital for what he thought was a bad ear infection. Instead, it turned out to be a brain tumor that the doctors had to get out of him. Thankfully, the operation was successful, and Mike is out of the hospital and recovering. However, with that comes another problem: paying the bills. He will need someone to stay with him until he is fully recovered, which won’t be cheap. That is why Brandon McInnis and J. Michael Tatum have set up a gofundme page to help the man cover his medical fees. Fortunately, the fundraiser has already met its goal…but some extra money cannot hurt.
Many Dragon Balls are still mourning the loss of Toriyama a year ago, and I’m still saddened by the loss of Rachael Lillis in that same year. So, the fact that the man who gives Master Roshi life facing something so scary is too much to bear. Fans of Dragon Ball and anime need to do whatever they can to help a man who plays one of the OG Shonen mentors in his time of need. And if this winds up being more serious than doctors first thought, we need to ensure that he has enough money for further care.
RJ Writing Ink’s List of Anime to Look Out For in 2025
Anime fans, we are going to be eating like kings this year.
By the time you’re reading this, the year 2025 will likely be here, and it is promising to cook a feast for anime lovers around the world. From popular anime returning with new seasons to newcomers on the block, the year is going to be filled with so many potentially great anime. So much so that for the first time in recent memory, I actually had to stop looking to keep my brain from overloading. That’s how much we could end up eating this year!
I’m RJ Writing Ink for the D&A Anime Blog, and this is my baker’s dozen of all the anime I will be paying attention to in 2025.
Solo Leveling-Arise from the Shadows-January 4th, 2025
Only a few days into 2024, the world of anime got its first big hit in the form of Solo Leveling. Based on the Korean manwha of the same name, this megahit told the story of Sung Jin-Woo as he started going from being the weakest Hunter in the world to a contender for the title of That Guy. And he’s going to get even stronger.
At the end of the first season, Jin-Woo gained the ability to raise the dead as shadow warriors, giving him the means to build his own army. This upcoming season will see him grow his forces while continuing to level up his skills. And the stronger he gets, the more attention he will end up attracting. And, having read the entire manwha to the end, I can promise you when I say that we have seen nothing yet!
Zenshu-January 5th, 2025
This next anime is unique on this list, as it’s the only one that wholly original. Created by studio MAPPA, Zenshu takes the all-too-familiar concept of the Isekai and puts someone who works in the anime industry into the protagonist role. When the young animator Natsuko Hirose apparently dies from exhaustion at work, she wakes up in the world of her favorite anime. Unfortunately for her, said anime is one where anyone can die, like its Game of Thrones. The good news is that she learns that she has the power to re-animate scenes from the story, thereby changing it in the process. So, she does what any fan who doesn’t like how a story turns out: she gets to work fixing it.
These days, Isekai are a dime-a-dozen, and creators have to get creative to help themselves stand out in the crowd. That being said, the premise of someone rewriting the world of her favorite series because they hate what happens is something plenty of fans can relate to. Take, for example, the recent ending to the Oshi No Ko manga. Plenty of disillusioned fans would love to fix that controversial ending! Not to mention how the last two seasons of Game of Thrones need a complete overhaul! The bottom line is that Zenshu is the power fantasy for every fan disillusioned by a story gone wrong, and we should give it a shot.
Dr. Stone Science Future-January 9 2025
We’re ten billion percent ready to return to the world of Dr. Stone, the sci-fi manga with an emphasis on science. Following the events of the third season, Senku and the Kingdom of Science to acquire one of the mysterious devices that caused humanity to petrify. In addition, they also learned the device and its brethren were getting their orders somewhere on the Moon, meaning they would have to travel there to uncover the truth behind the Petrification Event. Doing that will require more resources, meaning Senku and the others will have to travel the globe and gain new allies…and new enemies.
While I never watched Dr. Stone past season one, the anime has caught up to the part of the manga where I started reading it every week. Since I know what happens, I know how interesting things are going to get. And while it might not be the most exciting Shonen series, Dr. Stone balances learning about science with goofy humor, making it interesting enough for me to watch. That, and the dub voice cast is pretty good.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2-January 10 2025
Everyone’s favorite apothecary detective returns with a new season! If you don’t know what The Apothecary Diaries is, it’s an anime that premiered back in 2023 before running into the following year. It tells the story of Maomao, a talented young apothecary forced to work as a lowly servant at the palace of an Emperor. Once she starts using her talents to solve mysteries, though, she starts taking on a much greater role. With the new season heralding the arrival of spring, there’s sure to be more mysteries to solve. And more importantly, more chances for Maomao and Jinshi to mess with each other!
Normally, The Apothecary Diaries wouldn’t be the kind of anime I would be interested in. However, the combination of good voice acting, mysteries, and the dynamic between Jinshi and Maomao is enough to pique my interest. With how many popular like to cosplay as characters from the series, it’s apparent that it’s got a pretty big fan base already, and will surely grow bigger with the new season.
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 2-January 12th 2025
The ultimate sigma harem anime returns at last! For those who don’t know (or didn’t ready my review of the series), 100 Girlfriends is, as the name suggests, about a boy who’s destined to meet and have 100 girlfriends. As of the end of the first season, our protagonist/the ideal every boyfriend should aspire to, Rentaro Aijo, stands at six girlfriends. Given what the trailer revealed, he’s due to make it to the double digits before the end of the season.
Harem doesn’t have the best reputation in the anime community, but as I said in my review, 100 Girlfriends is the exception to the role. Not only does it have a protagonist who actively gives his partners reasons to like him, but each partner serves as a deconstruction of a different female archetype. I.E., Karane’s tsundere-ness is something she hates due to it making her too insecure to say what she’s really feeling. Or Shizuka’s muteness is not by choice, but due to her extreme shyness. The point is that each girlfriend has more depth than you would think. Not only that, but the series is pretty funny.
One Piece-April 2025
This fall, One Piece shocked fans everywhere when, for the first time in its 25-year history, it went on hiatus. Fans have had to be content with a retelling of the Fishman Island Saga over the course of the fall and winter months. However, all of that ends April, 2025 as One Piece returns to the actual story.
For those not caught up, the series went on hiatus in the middle of the Egghead Island Arc. That arc has the Straw Hats meet the genius scientist Dr. Vegapunk, who begs them to get him and his clones as far away from the World Government as possible. While the arc has already been filled with plenty of epic moments, I can promise you that you haven’t seen anything yet. Expect your mind to be blown into a million pieces, put back together, and then blown again before the Straw Hats leave Egghead. No spoilers, though!
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes-April 2025
My Hero Academia might be heading into its final season, but there are still stories left to be told in this world of superpowers and heroes. Case in point, we have the anime adaptation of the MHA spin-off/prequel, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes. Set five years before the events of the series, Vigilantes follows Koichi Haimawari, an aspiring hero who opts not to become a Pro Hero in favor of becoming an illegal vigilante.
Anyone who has read an American superhero comic knows that vigilante heroes aren’t a new thing. Technically, most of the superheroes in Marvel and DC comics are vigilantes that have charges pressed against them. The only reason that doesn’t happen is because the heroes are all fairly competent at what they do. Having a spin-off that brings the concept of superheroes back to its vigilante roots should provide a new and interesting perspective on how heroism works in the world of My Hero Academia. That, and it will keep the fandom alive for a little bit longer.
Dan Da Dan Season 2-July 2025
If you read my reviews of Dan Da Dan, then you know I consider it to be the best anime of 2024 hands down. Unfortunately, the first season ended on a pretty awkward vote: Okarun and Jiji found a secret room in Jiji’s house, and Momo was under attack from a bunch of creeps. Thankfully, fans don’t have to wait years to find out what happens in anime form, with the next season due in just a few months.
Continuing the story where the last episode left off, Okarun, Jiji, and Momo will have to face both a deadly cult and an evil spirit known as the Evil Eye. Given everything that we see in the trailer, including Jiji being possessed by the spirit and the image of an erupting volcano, things are going to get wild. And I wouldn’t have it any other way!
My Hero Academia Final Season-Fall 2025
It’s been a long, long road, but My Hero Academia is finally nearing the end of its run. The last season ended as the final battle between the heroes and the villains was reaching its climax. As Deku continues his fight against Shigaraki, All Might fights to stall the evil All for One from reaching his apprentice so they can merge and become unstoppable. With all the other battles now out of the way, the series can focus on making this the finale that the fans deserve.
Once again, this is a series where I read the entire manga in advance. Thus, I know how things are going to turn out and care more about its executed. If Studio Bones does this right, then it will cement MHA in the Shonen hall of fame. If not…you remember what happened with Oshi No Ko, right?
Kaiju No. 8 Season 2-Unknown Release Date
Here’s another up-and-coming Shonen anime that’s getting another season, Kaiju No. 8. At the end of the last season, Kafka Hibino managed to prove his humanity despite being able to transform into a Kaiju. As a result, he’s getting another chance with the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force. With the threat of Kaiju No. 9 and other intelligent Kaiju still looming, the JAKDF will need all the help they can get.
Sadly, a concrete release date for the new season has yet to be announced. In fact, every entry beyond this point has no clear release date.
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc-Unknown Release Date
Right when it looked like it may never continue, Chainsaw Man bursts back onto the scene in all of its bloody glory. Some time ago, it was announced that the next arc of the popular Shonen series, the Reze Arc, would be made into a movie. However, with no news after such a long time, it began to feel like we may never get to see the Reze Arc play out. Thankfully, our wait may not be for much longer.
While we still don’t have a concrete release date for the film, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s coming in 2025. Given how popular the anime is, fans will likely line up in droves to see this next chapter in this bloody, unhinged story.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba-Infinity Castle Movie Trilogy-Unknown Release Dates
Speaking of popular Shonen series getting the movie treatment, it seems that Demon Slayer is returning to the movies not once, not twice, but three times in 2025. With the fourth season covering the Hashira Training arc and the start of the final battle against Muzan, the studio behind the anime must have decided to give Demon Slayer the send-off it deserves. Thus, it looks like they’re adapting the Infinity Castle arc into a trilogy of films, giving Demon Slayer the stage it needs to play out its final act.
At the moment, it’s currently unclear if the Infinity Castle movies will premiere in theaters in the West. It’s not even clear if the movies will finish the series as a whole or just cover the Infinity Castle Arc. However, I’m hoping that they do both. With how cinematic Demon Slayer has proven to be over the years, it feels right to have it end on the big screen. Just like the series finale to Avatar: The Last Airbender should’ve aired in theaters.
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 (I Hope!)
JUJUTSU KAISEN "Culling Game Arc" Officially Announced!
This last one is less of a confirmed release and more like wishful thinking, but given how the JuJutsu Kaisen manga ended earlier this year, it would be appreciated. After all, the second season of JJK ended on a pretty bleak note.
To quickly recap what went down in the second season of JJK:
Gojo was sealed inside a cursed prison with his enemies in Jujutsu society forbidding his rescue.
Sukuna made Yuji level most of the Shibuya District, killing hundreds in the process.
Tons of new curse users have been awoken alongside many cursed spirits.
Yuji’s execution has been re-instated.
With the next season set to adapt the Culling Games Arc, this is JJK’s chance to regain much of the love that was lost due to how the manga ended. Hopefully, more news will come in the next few months!
What other anime are you looking forward to seeing in 2025? If you have any recommendations feel free to leave a comment about it! Happy New Year!
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