Category Archives: Manga Anime

Game News, Manga Anime

Overwatch × YOASOBI: The “Orion” Collab Is Live Today

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Two cultural juggernauts just collided: YOASOBI and Overwatch have launched their crossover event today, 30 June 2026, and it runs through 20 July. Six new legendary skins, an original track called “Orion,” and a full animated music video produced by A-1 Pictures are all live in-game right now — and Singapore players can jump in immediately.

Overwatch x YOASOBI | Official Gameplay Trailer — via PlayOverwatch on YouTube

What the Overwatch × YOASOBI Collab Is About

The collaboration was unveiled at a dedicated press event in Tokyo in May, bringing together Blizzard Entertainment and the duo behind some of the biggest anime themes of the past five years — Idol (Oshi no Ko), Beastars, Blue Lock, and more. The event centres on the Shimada clan storyline, told from Kiriko’s perspective through a new in-game short story called The Fall of a Sparrow, exploring what it means to grow apart, hold on, and eventually find a way back — the three “stars” of Orion’s Belt mapped onto Kiriko, Genji, and Hanzo.

A new Tokyo-themed map, Neon Junction, was added to the game alongside the event, giving matches a futuristic J-pop cityscape backdrop complete with neon signage and floating screens.

All Six Legendary Skins — Neon Lights, Hard-Light and Kanji Motifs

Every skin in the collaboration is legendary-tier and carries YOASOBI’s signature aesthetic: neon colours, hard-light accents, kanji-inspired design details, ambient visual effects, and exclusive dance emotes set to YOASOBI’s music. The full roster:

  • Fox Star Kiriko — the centrepiece of the collab; her fox companion gets a spectral, glowing redesign
  • Dragon Star Genji — vibrant neon styling that celebrates the hero he has become
  • Dragon Star Hanzo — luminous hard-light accents and striking kanji details, carrying the weight of his past
  • Spirit Star Mizuki — premium lighting effects with a custom spirit-energy aesthetic
  • Space Star Juno — wonder and optimism, reimagined in neon
  • Fire Star Anran — bold confidence blended with kanji-inspired elements and fiery VFX
Fox Star Kiriko concept art front and back view, Overwatch x YOASOBI collab
Image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

Skins can be purchased individually or as part of a YOASOBI Mega Bundle through the in-game shop. Pricing in-game follows standard Overwatch legendary skin rates. If you’re an Overwatch player in Singapore or Southeast Asia, the shop is accessible as usual — no region lock applies to this event.

Fox Star Kiriko with spirit fox companion in the Neon Junction map, Overwatch x YOASOBI
Image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

“Orion” — The Song, the Story, and A-1 Pictures

YOASOBI composed the original track Orion specifically for this collaboration, blending their signature high-tempo J-pop with futuristic electronic drums and the sound of the Japanese koto — a nod to the Shimada brothers’ heritage. The song is also included on YOASOBI’s new EP THE BOOK for, released on 26 June.

Composer Ayase described the creation process as making music with “the utmost respect” for Overwatch as a work, as reported by Saiga NAK at the Tokyo announcement (Japanese). An animated music video accompanying Orion was produced entirely by A-1 Pictures — the studio behind Solo Leveling, Kaguya-sama: Love is War, and Sword Art Online — and is accessible in-game through the collab event page.

YOASOBI Overwatch collaboration vinyl record featuring Kiriko, Genji and Hanzo artwork
Image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
Mizuki Spirit Star skin in the Neon Junction map, Overwatch x YOASOBI collab
Image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

How Long You Have to Grab It

The Overwatch × YOASOBI event runs until 20 July 2026 — roughly three weeks from today. Once the event ends, event-exclusive cosmetics typically rotate out of the shop, so if any of the six skins appeal to you, plan your purchase before the deadline. Keep an eye on our game news section for any last-call reminders as July 20 approaches.

Manga Anime, Shop and Merchandise

GARRACK x Haikyu!! Smartwatches Expand to Rival Schools

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GARRACK is back with more Haikyu!! wristwear: the Japanese lifestyle brand has officially announced a second smartwatch collection — and this time the spotlight falls squarely on the series’ toughest rivals. Three new models will drop in late July, themed around Aoba Johsai, Shiratorizawa Academy, and Inarizaki High.

Three Schools, Three Distinct GARRACK Haikyu!! Watches

GARRACK x Haikyu!! Aoba Johsai Smartwatch
Image courtesy of GARRACK

Each model is priced at ¥10,890 — matching the first collection — and built around its school’s identity: team-colour straps, an alternate black strap, and custom watch-face artwork that goes well beyond a simple logo placement. The Aoba Johsai model (HUC-HK-BD11-A) features Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and crew cycling across multiple dial animations; Shiratorizawa Academy’s watch (HUC-HK-BD11-S) leans into Ushijima and Tendo, with an eagle silhouette surfacing for incoming notifications; and the Inarizaki model (HUC-HK-BD11-I) gives the Miya twins and their teammates their moment, with fox iconography woven through the dial and calorie display.

All three arrive in special branded packaging. GARRACK’s first Haikyu!! collection (Karasuno and Nekoma, launched September 2025) proved popular enough to warrant this follow-up headlining the rival schools fans have been waiting for.

Dials That React to Every Step and Heartbeat

GARRACK x Haikyu!! Shiratorizawa Smartwatch
Image courtesy of GARRACK
GARRACK x Haikyu!! Shiratorizawa watch lifestyle
Image courtesy of GARRACK

The fitness integration is where GARRACK keeps things interesting. Hit step-count milestones and the dial cycles through different character animations from your chosen school’s roster — the more you move, the more of the lineup you see. When your heart rate spikes, your school’s match banner surfaces on screen. It’s a small touch that keeps the Haikyu!! energy alive mid-workout in a way a static design never could.

On the hardware side these are fully capable smartwatches: the body weighs just 16g, a five-minute fast charge gives roughly two days of use, and a full charge lasts up to 14 days. Health tracking covers heart rate, blood oxygen, stress (via HRV), and sleep, alongside 100+ workout modes. iOS and Android are both supported, with music control, camera remote, alarm, stopwatch, and weather functions all included.

Pre-Orders Open 3 July — Units Ship 31 July

GARRACK x Haikyu!! Inarizaki Smartwatch
Image courtesy of GARRACK
GARRACK x Haikyu!! Inarizaki watch lifestyle
Image courtesy of GARRACK

Pre-orders go live on the GARRACK official page at World Wide Watch (Japanese) from 3 July 2026, with general availability from 31 July 2026. Each watch is ¥10,890. No dedicated Singapore retail listing has been confirmed — GARRACK’s collaborations typically reach Singapore fans through direct Japan orders or international proxy and forwarding services.

Given how vocal Singapore’s Haikyu!! community has been about wanting the rival-school arc represented in merchandise, demand for these three models is likely to be brisk. If you’re going to pick one up, registering interest early via the official page before pre-orders formally open on 3 July is the safest move. For more anime merchandise news, keep an eye on our coverage as more Japan-exclusive drops land in the weeks ahead.

Manga Anime

Kagurabachi Anime Locks in April 2027, Coming to Crunchyroll

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The manga that stormed Weekly Shonen Jump two years ago now has an anime date — and Singapore fans get front-row seats. Kagurabachi, Takeru Hokazono’s revenge-driven sword-sorcery epic, is officially heading to Crunchyroll worldwide in April 2027, with the first episode making its world debut at Anime Expo in Los Angeles on 3 July.

KAGURABACHI — Official Teaser Trailer — via AnimeSelect on YouTube

From Weekly Shonen Jump Page to the Screen

Serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump since September 2023, Kagurabachi wasted no time making itself known. The manga follows Chihiro Rokuhira, the teenage son of a legendary sword-maker, who picks up an enchanted blade to hunt down the sorcerers who murdered his father and stole his life’s work. Fast pacing, striking sword-fight choreography, and a protagonist who skips the hesitation have earned it a fanatically loyal readership — the series now counts over 4 million copies in circulation across eleven collected volumes (as of May 2026).

It is the kind of story that anime announcements get built around: a clear premise, instantly striking visuals, and a lead fans either back completely or want to see challenged. The first official teaser racked up 6 million YouTube views in under 24 hours when it dropped in April 2026.

Crunchyroll Confirms Singapore Streaming from April 2027

Kagurabachi Anime World Tour promotional banner featuring Anime Expo, Japan Expo, AnimagiC and Anime NYC logos
Image courtesy of Project Kagurabachi

Crunchyroll confirmed on 25–26 June 2026 that it will stream Kagurabachi worldwide from April 2027, excluding Japan, mainland China, North Korea, and South Korea. Singapore is confirmed in the streaming footprint — fans on Crunchyroll here will be able to watch alongside the simulcast when it airs.

The anime is produced by Studio Cypic, a newly relaunched identity from Cygames Pictures. Tetsuya Takeuchi serves as director, with Keigo Sasaki handling character design. The anime’s world tour premiere alone drew immediate headlines: the first 20 minutes of Episode 1 hitting the big screen at Anime Expo is a notably confident move for a pre-air event, signalling real buzz behind the production.

The Voice Cast: A Shōnen Heavyweight Lineup

Kagurabachi anime — Togo Shiba character visual, voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi
Image courtesy of Project Kagurabachi

The production has been releasing character visuals and cast reveals through June 2026. The confirmed Japanese voice cast so far:

  • Taihi Kimura as protagonist Chihiro Rokuhira. Kimura won Best New Actor at the 2025 Seiyu Awards — a significant vote of confidence for a lead who carries the series’ emotional core.
  • Tomokazu Seki as Kunishige Rokuhira, Chihiro’s father and the master swordsmith at the heart of the story. Seki is one of Japanese anime’s most recognised veteran voices.
  • Katsuyuki Konishi as Togo Shiba, a veteran sorcerer whose laid-back exterior hides genuine power. Cast announced 26 June 2026.

On Shiba, Konishi said: “Shiba is carefree on the surface, but deep down has a solid core and real strength,” describing his goal as capturing “the effortless confidence of someone genuinely powerful.”

KAGURABACHI｜Official Character Trailer: Shiba Togo — via CyberAgent ANIME Global on YouTube

Anime Expo World Premiere — First Footage on 3 July

Kagurabachi Anime World Tour Part 1 — full venue and date schedule for screenings at Anime Expo, Japan Expo, AnimagiC and Anime NYC
Image courtesy of Project Kagurabachi

Before the April 2027 TV premiere, the production team is taking the first episode on a global road show. The Kagurabachi Anime World Tour Part 1 kicks off at Anime Expo in Los Angeles on 3 July 2026 (4:45–6:05 PM PT), where audiences will see the first 20 minutes of Episode 1 on the big screen, followed by a special panel featuring:

  • Taihi Kimura (voice of Chihiro Rokuhira)
  • Takuro Imamura (manga editor)
  • Koichi Yasuda (anime producer)

The tour then moves to Japan Expo in Paris (9 July), AnimagiC in Mannheim, Germany (1 August), and Anime NYC in New York (22 August). No Singapore or Southeast Asia stop has been announced for Part 1, but with nearly ten months before the series airs, a Part 2 of the world tour remains possible — watch the official world tour page for updates. In the meantime, our anime coverage will track every new cast drop and trailer as the April 2027 date approaches.

Manga Anime

One-Punch Man S3 Part 2 — New Key Visual, 2027 Premiere

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The One-Punch Man anime’s 10th anniversary is underway in Tokyo — and J.C.STAFF and Shueisha have unveiled an updated key visual for Season 3’s second cour to mark the occasion. Released on 26 June 2026, the new artwork adds Drive Knight and Psychos to the battle line-up as the series builds toward its long-awaited Saitama versus Garou showdown, now confirmed to air in 2027 on Crunchyroll.

The Updated Cour 2 Key Visual

The revised key visual places heroes and monsters face-to-face beneath the tagline 最強 vs 最恐 — “The Strongest vs The Most Terrifying” — expanding the Season 3 poster with two characters central to the second cour’s story. Drive Knight, the secretive S-Class hero whose tactical genius and undefeated record have set high expectations, joins the hero side. On the Monster Association’s side, Psychos (Psykos) makes her first appearance in the key art — she is the organisation’s cold-blooded military strategist and one of its most powerful figures, making her anime debut in Cour 2.

Garou and Saitama face each other in the official One-Punch Man Season 3 Part 2 teaser visual
Image courtesy of J.C.STAFF / Shueisha

The visual was unveiled at the opening of the Anime 10th Anniversary One-Punch Man Exhibition at Tenbo Park inside the Sunshine 60 Observatory in Toshima Ward, Tokyo, which opened the same day, 26 June.

The Monster Association Arc Reaches Its Climax

Season 3 Part 1 — which aired from 12 October to 29 December 2025 on Crunchyroll — adapted the opening stages of the Monster Association arc, covering the heroes’ assault on Monster Headquarters and culminating in Saitama’s battle with the Monster King. Part 2 picks up where that leaves off, steering the story toward what manga readers have long considered the arc’s defining moment: Saitama vs Cosmic Fear Garou, a confrontation that rewrites what we thought possible in this world.

One-Punch Man Season 3 hero key visual featuring Saitama and the S-Class heroes
Image courtesy of J.C.STAFF / Shueisha

Season 3 is directed by Shinpei Nagai, with series composition by Tomohiro Suzuki and animation by J.C.STAFF. Part 2 has no confirmed premiere date beyond 2027.

One-Punch Man 10th Anniversary Exhibition in Ikebukuro

The exhibition — titled アニメ10周年記念「ワンパンマン展」 — runs from 26 June to 20 July 2026 at the Tenbo Park event space inside Sunshine 60 Observatory, Toshima Ward, Tokyo. It spans seven sections covering all three seasons (through Part 1) with original production materials on display.

Fan highlights include a full recreation of Saitama’s apartment, multiple photo spots, and an interactive corner where visitors can reportedly touch a prop recreating Puri-Puri Prisoner’s legendary chest hair. Fifty-one hand-written anniversary messages from series creator ONE, manga artist Yusuke Murata, cast members, and composers line the walls. A collaboration café inside Tenbo Park serves exclusive menu items during the event’s run, and the venue shop sells exclusive goods including acrylic stands, clear files, and character merchandise.

Official Trailer 2 | One-Punch Man Season 3 | VIZ Media — via VIZ Media on YouTube

Streaming in Singapore: Crunchyroll in 2027

One-Punch Man Season 3 Part 1 is available now on Crunchyroll in Singapore, where the series streams with English subtitles and dubbing. Part 2 will join the platform when it premieres in 2027; no specific date has been confirmed. If you have not started Part 1 yet, all 12 episodes are available for binge-watching now — and with Drive Knight and Psychos on the horizon, this is a good time to catch up before the second cour lands.

Follow GameTrader’s anime coverage for updates as the 2027 premiere approaches.

Manga Anime

One Piece Chapter 1186: Luffy Punches Imu for the First Time — Full Spoilers

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⚠️ This post contains full spoilers for One Piece Chapter 1186, out now on Manga Plus, Viz Media, and the Shonen Jump app. Stop here if you haven’t read it yet.

One Piece Chapter 1186 dropped on Sunday, 28 June — and it delivered two moments that the fandom has been building towards for years. Luffy finally throws a punch at Imu. And Brook’s long-suppressed memory of the Esperia Kingdom is laid bare at last.

Elbaph Arc Official Trailer | April 5, 2026 | ONE PIECE — via ONE PIECE Official – ENG on YouTube

Luffy vs. Imu — A Punch Eight Years in the Making

Luffy charges forward in his Elbaf arc outfit in the One Piece anime
Image courtesy of Toei Animation

Imu has loomed over the final saga since their silent debut in Chapter 908 back in 2018 — the shadowy ruler of the World Government who even the Five Elders bow before. For eight years of publication, no one in the crew had come close to touching them. Chapter 1186 changes that.

The chapter’s closing beat shows Luffy arriving mid-battle in Elbaf and going straight for Imu, landing a direct punch with both Conqueror’s Haki and Armament Haki fused — the same combination Luffy has used against only his most powerful opponents. Early translations suggest the line he delivers is characteristically blunt, demanding Imu get out of Elbaf. No speech about the Dawn of the World. Just the punch.

The online reaction has already drawn comparisons to the Charlos punch from Chapter 502 — possibly the single most celebrated panel in the manga’s 28-year run. What’s different here is the weight of who Imu is. Charlos was a reprehensible side character. Imu is the hidden axis the entire World Government rotates around. Luffy doesn’t know any of that context. He sees an enemy. He swings.

Luffy smiles in his Elbaf arc Viking outfit in the One Piece anime
Image courtesy of Toei Animation

Brook’s Buried Truth: The Esperia Kingdom Revealed

The other half of the chapter is the payoff to Brook’s extended Esperia Kingdom flashback — and it is a heavy one. The chapter confirms what many readers suspected: Princess Shuri (known to us as Gunko) is not the biological daughter of King Reuven of Esperia. She is a Celestial Dragon from the Manmayer family, her biological father believed to be Manmayer Growlo, one of the God’s Knights.

The control Imu has been exerting over her — through an ability early translations are calling “Domi Reversi” — is now explicit rather than hinted at. King Reuven, it is revealed, had been lying to protect her: the World Government was never coming for a thousand slaves. They were coming for Shuri herself.

Most devastating is what the flashback reveals about Brook specifically. Before leaving Esperia, Gunko drove her blade through Brook’s skull. He survived — he is already dead, after all — but the psychological trauma was enough to bury the entire memory for decades. That single detail recontextualises years of Brook’s characterisation and ties him directly into the larger revelation that the World Government has been hunting people of celestial lineage for far longer than any living character realised.

Where the Elbaf Arc Stands Now

One Piece Elbaf arc teaser visual showing Luffy small between giant footprints in snow
Image courtesy of Toei Animation

The Elbaf arc is running on multiple fronts simultaneously. Zoro and Sanji are engaged with Holy Knights Sommers and Killingham. Loki — voiced in the anime by Yuichi Nakamura, familiar to Singapore fans as Satoru Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen — and giant warrior Ragnir remain at the centre of the island’s politics. Now Luffy has opened a direct line to Imu.

One Piece Volume 115, subtitled The Strongest Thing in the World and featuring cover art of Gear 5 Luffy, Loki, Ragnir, and Gunko-as-Imu, releases in Japan on 3 July. Its scope confirms just how dense this arc has become.

The anime adaptation began airing the Elbaf arc on 5 April 2026, meaning Singapore fans following the anime are still a significant number of episodes behind where the manga sits today — but the pace is faster than any previous arc, Toei having shifted One Piece to a seasonal format for the first time in the series’ history.

How Singapore Readers Can Access Chapter 1186

Chapter 1186 is available free right now on Manga Plus — Shueisha’s official platform, fully accessible in Singapore — as well as on Viz Media and the Shonen Jump app, both of which also carry simultaneous English releases on the same day as Japan. No reason to turn to unofficial scans when the official translation is already up.

Manga Anime

LONA: WIT Studio Assembles a Dream Team for Spring 2027

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WIT Studio dropped a major announcement on June 28: LONA, an original TV anime slated for Spring 2027 — and the creative team they’ve assembled is one of the most exciting in recent anime memory. The combination of names alone is enough to put this on every list, long before a single episode airs.

LONA — official key visual showing the chaotic Neural Optical Analysis Laboratory and its eccentric research team
Image courtesy of WIT Studio

What LONA Is About

LONA stands for Laboratory of Optics and Neural Analysis. Set in the near future, the series follows researchers at this facility who analyze the brains of deceased people using synchrotron light — a real technology inspired by the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility operated by RIKEN in Harima Science Garden City, Hyogo, Japan. Their mission: uncover the truth behind a disturbing new phenomenon in which people believed dead are suddenly reappearing and attacking the living.

Think the institutional precision of Unnatural — cold case meets cutting-edge science — but transplanted into a world where the stakes have gone fully apocalyptic. The confirmed voice cast leading the lab is Minako Kotobuki as head researcher Ao, Anna Nagase as trainee researcher Sango, and Fuka Izumi as Mugen, the facility’s unconventional mascot. The ensemble key visual already signals the tone: a gloriously chaotic lab — equipment everywhere, staff in various states of crisis — suggesting a show that can be funny and frightening in the same scene.

LONA — second key visual showing a character reaching toward a glowing orb inside the synchrotron facility
Image courtesy of WIT Studio

The People Behind It

Every credit here is a genuine reason for excitement.

Original concept and screenplay: Akiko Nogi. Her breakthrough came writing Unnatural (2018), a forensic mystery series celebrated for its meticulous plotting and deep empathy. She then wrote Last Mile (2024), a logistics-thriller film that earned widespread acclaim for its tight structure and humane core. LONA is her first anime original. Nogi’s instinct is to build genre tension out of institutional truth — the way real systems handle (and mishandle) death — and a premise involving brain-scanning the dead lands squarely in that territory.

Director: Takashi Katagiri, whose work on SPY×FAMILY CODE: White demonstrated a sure hand with large ensemble casts and tonal range. Character design: Posuka Demizu — the artist behind The Promised Neverland manga — whose work gives even mundane expressions an uncanny interior quality, perfectly matched to a show about reading what people leave behind. The teaser poster alone, a hyper-stylized eye close-up bathed in neon purple, shows Demizu operating in full Promised Neverland mode.

Studio: WIT Studio (Attack on Titan Seasons 1–3, SPY×FAMILY, Vinland Saga). Animation producer Kazuki Yamanaka (SPY×FAMILY, Bubble) and composer Yūko Sébu complete the lineup. Director Katagiri’s words in the announcement, as reported by Anime Corner, capture the energy well: “Something that happens only once in a lifetime happened to me. I got to create an anime from a script written by Akiko Nogi.”

Watch the Teaser PV

TVアニメ 『LONA』 Teaser PV — via WIT STUDIO on YouTube
Ao, head researcher at LONA, grinning in the lab — animation still from the teaser PV
Image courtesy of WIT Studio

For Singapore Fans: What to Watch For

No streaming arrangements for Southeast Asia have been announced — Spring 2027 is still months away and rights deals typically follow closer to air date. But WIT’s recent original projects have landed in Singapore without issue: SPY×FAMILY on Crunchyroll, Vinland Saga on Netflix, Bubble on Netflix. A WIT original with this profile and this creative team is likely to attract strong platform interest, and a deal covering the region would be the expected outcome — though nothing is confirmed yet.

Singapore fans who have followed Nogi Akiko’s live-action work will have the clearest sense of what tone to expect: character-driven, procedurally exact, and willing to get dark. Combined with Demizu’s instinctively unsettling character design and WIT’s production quality, LONA is looking like the most anticipated original anime of early 2027. Follow our anime coverage as more details emerge.

Manga Anime

Hunter x Hunter Is Back: Chapter 411 Out Now After 567 Days

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After one of manga’s most agonising waits, Chapter 411 of Yoshihiro Togashi’s HUNTER×HUNTER is finally here — available to read right now on Manga Plus and Viz Media’s Shonen Jump, completely free. The chapter lands in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 31 (dated June 29, 2026), ending a 567-day hiatus that kicked off when Chapter 410 was serialised in December 2024. For Singapore fans who grew up with Gon and Killua, this return feels like more than just a new chapter — it’s a small miracle.

Hunter x Hunter 2011 anime key visual featuring Gon, Killua, and the main cast
Image courtesy of Yoshihiro Togashi / Shueisha

The Long Wait Ends — What to Expect from Chapter 411

Chapter 411 resumes the Succession Contest Arc, the manga’s most complex and politically layered storyline yet. The action is set entirely aboard the Black Whale, a colossal ship where Kakin’s royal princes — each backed by Nen-powered bodyguards and hidden agendas — are fighting a secret war for the empire’s throne. Kurapika is deep undercover, attempting to protect a royal infant while managing his own deteriorating Nen condition. The Phantom Troupe lurks somewhere on the vessel, and Hisoka — who adorns the cover of the upcoming Volume 39 — has his own blood-soaked plans in motion.

The chapter ships with colour pages, a rare treat in Weekly Shonen Jump typically reserved for a series’ most significant moments. That alone signals just how much Shueisha wants this return to land right.

Togashi Has a Buffer — And It’s Real This Time

For the many fans who feared this would be another single-chapter cameo before another disappearance, there’s genuine cause for optimism. Togashi has confirmed via his X account that he has completed inking through Chapter 421, meaning at least 11 unpublished chapters are already sitting in the vault. Shueisha has been clear, however, that HUNTER×HUNTER will not return to a traditional weekly schedule — the cadence stays flexible to protect the author’s health. Togashi has battled chronic back ailments since the 1990s, and the irregular release pattern is the price of keeping one of manga’s most ambitious series alive at all.

One of the most enduring facts in the manga world: his wife is Naoko Takeuchi, creator of Sailor Moon, who has been a key support through every hiatus. Two icons of the artform, propping each other up.

Hisoka close-up from Hunter x Hunter Volume 39 promotional visual
Image courtesy of Yoshihiro Togashi / Shueisha

Volume 39 “Negotiation” Arrives July 3

If you’ve been holding off to read the Succession Contest Arc in collected form, the timing is perfect. Volume 39, titled “Negotiation,” goes on sale in Japan on July 3, 2026 — just four days away. It collects Chapters 401 through 410 (208 pages, ¥572 including tax) and puts Hisoka front and centre on the cover. An English edition through Viz Media is expected to follow at the standard rolling release window. Check with your local bookshop stocking Japanese import manga or hobby stores for availability; for the English tankobon, online pre-orders through major book retailers are your best bet.

How Singapore Fans Can Read Chapter 411 for Free

You don’t need to pay anything to read Chapter 411 right now. Manga Plus by Shueisha provides free global access to the first and latest chapters of all their titles — no account required. A paid Manga Plus subscription unlocks the full archive if you want to binge the previous 410 chapters. Viz Media’s Shonen Jump subscription is the other official route. Both are available to Singapore readers with no geo-restriction.

For a manga that has tested its fanbase’s patience like no other, Chapter 411 arriving with 11 chapters already banked, colour pages, and Volume 39 just days away is about as good a return as anyone had a right to expect. The hunt is back on.

Find more manga and anime coverage on GameTrader.SG.

Manga Anime

Daemons of the Shadow Realm: FMA Creator’s Anime Hits Netflix 4 July

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If the name Hiromu Arakawa means anything to you — and if you grew up watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, it absolutely should — mark this Saturday on your calendar. Daemons of the Shadow Realm (original Japanese title: Yomi no Tsugai / 黄泉のツガイ), Arakawa’s first major anime since FMA, arrives on Netflix Singapore on 4 July 2026, with the full first cour available for subscribers from day one.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm | Official Trailer 3 — via Crunchyroll on YouTube

What Is Daemons of the Shadow Realm?

Yuru, protagonist of Daemons of the Shadow Realm, with a hunter's arrow
Image courtesy of Bones Film / Project TSUGAI

The story centres on twins Yuru and Asa, separated at birth and raised in completely different worlds. Yuru grows up as a skilled hunter in a remote mountain village, while Asa is confined to a specialised role inside the same community. In this world, certain humans can bond with pairs of supernatural creatures called Daemons — and twins “born between day and night” are prophesied to wield greater Daemon power than anyone before them.

When Yuru and Asa are finally reunited, their abilities prove far beyond the prophecy’s scope, and the show quickly expands from its rural opening to reveal a modern society with its own agenda for the twins. The manga ran in Square Enix’s Weekly Shōnen Jump+ and Monthly Shōnen Gangan, and Arakawa has described the Daemon bond system as the kind of intuitive, relationship-driven power that drew her to alchemy in FMA — but taken in a new direction.

The Dream Team Behind It

The production is exactly what FMA fans have been hoping for. Bones Film — the studio behind Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Soul Eater, and My Hero Academia — handles animation. Director Masahiro Andō worked on the original 2003 FMA television series, giving him deep familiarity with Arakawa’s source material sensibility. Series composition is by Noboru Takagi, and music comes from Kenichiro Suehiro, whose recent credits include Vinland Saga and Delicious in Dungeon.

The voice cast is equally strong: Kensho Ono (Giorno Giovanna in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5) plays Yuru; Yume Miyamoto (Ochaco in My Hero Academia) voices Asa; and Yuichi Nakamura (Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen) appears as the enigmatic Dera. An English dub is available on Netflix from launch.

Netflix Arrival: Binge the Whole First Arc from 4 July

The full cast of Daemons of the Shadow Realm against a modern city backdrop
Image courtesy of Bones Film / Project TSUGAI

The anime originally premiered on Japanese television on 4 April 2026 and has been streaming simultaneously on Crunchyroll with a same-day English dub. Netflix is now bringing it to over 240 countries and territories (excluding Japan and Vietnam) starting 4 July. With the first cour of 12 episodes already fully aired, Singapore subscribers can watch the complete opening arc as a binge from day one — then pick up new episodes weekly on Saturdays as the second cour of the planned 24-episode run unfolds later in 2026.

In Southeast Asia, anime regional licensor Muse Communication holds distribution rights, and the simultaneous Netflix rollout means there are no region-lock concerns for Singapore viewers — the show will be right there in your Netflix library when you open the app on Saturday morning.

For fans who have been waiting for an Arakawa anime since Brotherhood concluded, this is the one. The combination of her world-building instincts, Bones Film’s action pedigree, and a voice cast drawn from the biggest titles of the past five years makes Daemons of the Shadow Realm the highest-stakes premiere of the Summer 2026 season. Check out our Manga & Anime section for more Summer 2026 coverage as the season ramps up.

Manga Anime

Madoka Magica: Walpurgisnacht Rising — Main Trailer Out, Opens Japan August 28

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The main theatrical trailer for Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Witch’s Rondo — Walpurgisnacht Rising (劇場版 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ〈ワルプルギスの廻天〉) dropped in the early hours of Monday morning, and it brings two headline announcements in one: a confirmed Japan theatrical opening on August 28, 2026, and the reveal that the film’s theme song — “彼方” (Kanata) — will be performed by FictionJunction, the vocal unit led by composer Yuki Kajiura. For fans who have been waiting since 2013’s Rebellion Story ended on one of anime’s most divisive cliffhangers, the wait is down to two months.

A magical girl stands beneath a starry sky in Madoka Magica Walpurgisnacht Rising
Image courtesy of Aniplex

Homura’s World, Cracking at the Edges

Walpurgisnacht Rising picks up inside the false reality that Homura Akemi built at the end of Rebellion — a world where Madoka lives as an ordinary student, shielded from the fate she accepted when she wished every witch in every timeline out of existence and became the “Law of Cycles,” a transcendent cosmic force. Homura achieved this by tearing a fragment of that power away and rewriting reality itself, a choice that cost her everything except Madoka’s presence.

The new trailer makes clear that the seams of that world are showing. A mysterious girl without a Soul Gem has been hunting Mazoku — the magical beasts that replaced witches in Homura’s version of reality — which should be impossible. Then two magical girls arrive from outside the constructed world, seeking to restore the Law of Cycles and carrying a message: “We will not forgive Homura Akemi.”

『劇場版 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ〈ワルプルギスの廻天〉』本予告 — via Aniplex Channel on YouTube
A lone figure stands before a massive statue-like entity in an impossible labyrinthine space
Image courtesy of Aniplex

The threat they carry with them is named in the synopsis as 名塚底根 (Nadzuka Sokone) — described as the “beginning of all witches,” a collective entity formed from multiple witches that tortured Homura across her many timeline loops. It is, in other words, the original Walpurgisnacht made into something even larger. The title 廻天 — roughly “the heavens revolve” — signals that the circular logic of the Madoka universe is completing another terrible turn.

Yuki Kajiura Composes the Full Score

Dark atmospheric imagery from the film — a witch-like entity against a textured orange sky
Image courtesy of Aniplex

The return of Yuki Kajiura — whose compositions for the original 2011 series are among the most celebrated in the medium — is confirmed for the complete BGM, not just the theme song. In her own words, as published alongside the trailer reveal (Dengeki Online, in Japanese): “I did not want it to be a song that simply provides the ‘answer.’ As a devoted fan of this work who has been by these girls’ sides for a long time, I wanted to send them off brilliantly.” A fragment of FictionJunction’s “Kanata” (彼方, meaning the other side or beyond) plays in the final moments of the trailer.

Kajiura’s involvement signals a full-circle return for the franchise’s sonic identity. Her earlier Madoka work introduced sounds — choral Latin fragments, baroque counterpoint over TV-static noise — that influenced scores across anime for years afterward.

August 28 in Japan — Singapore Dates Yet to Be Confirmed

Two Madoka Magica characters face each other in a golden sunset scene
Image courtesy of Aniplex

Walpurgisnacht Rising opens theatrically in Japan on August 28, 2026. No Singapore or Southeast Asia release date has been announced at the time of writing. Major Aniplex theatrical productions in recent years have generally received regional rollouts, but timelines and distribution vary — watch announcements from local cinema chains and anime distributors for confirmation. The trailer’s release this close to the Japan opening date suggests the wider rollout information may not be far behind.