The wait is over. “War vs. Peace,” the 10th anniversary one-shot for The Promised Neverland, is out today in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 39 — and Singapore fans can read it right now for free on MANGA Plus.
Image courtesy of Shueisha
A 36-Page Story Set After the Ending
Written by Kaiu Shirai and illustrated by Posuka Demizu — the original creative team — “War vs. Peace” is a 36-page standalone story set after the events of the main series. Details have been kept tightly under wraps ahead of publication, but the title alone promises exactly what readers have wanted since the ending: a glimpse at what peace actually looks like for Emma, Norman, Ray, and everyone who survived to find it.
The Promised Neverland ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from August 2016 to June 2020, spanning 20 volumes and becoming one of the most beloved manga of its generation — celebrated for its tense psychological thriller premise, intricate plotting, and the fierce bond between its three leads.
Image courtesy of Shueisha
The Full 10th Anniversary Celebration
The one-shot is just one part of a larger anniversary push. Shueisha has also announced:
A full-color digital edition of the manga, releasing in chapters
Pop-up stores celebrating the anniversary in Japan
A stage musical planned for Tokyo in winter 2026
Image courtesy of Shueisha
Read It Now in Singapore — For Free
MANGA Plus by Shueisha offers free global access to Weekly Shonen Jump chapters — Singapore included. Head to mangaplus.shueisha.co.jp or the MANGA Plus app to read “War vs. Peace” right now. No subscription needed for the latest chapter.
We covered the announcement of this one-shot earlier this month — now that it’s actually out, go read it and come back to tell us how it hit. Promised Neverland has a way of making you feel things.
Netflix dropped four more names for One Piece Season 3 at One Piece Day ’26 on Sunday — and the Alabasta civil war just got a lot more real. Emilio Sakraya, Jamie Ward, Nabeel Khan and Omid Abtahi are joining the Straw Hats in what is widely considered one of Eiichiro Oda’s greatest arcs.
Cast Reveal | ONE PIECE Live Action Season 3 — via ONE PIECE Official – ENG on YouTube
The Four New Alabasta Cast Members
Koza is Princess Vivi’s childhood friend and the leader of the Alabasta Rebel Forces. He loves his kingdom just as fiercely as Vivi does — which is exactly what makes his arc devastating, because he and Vivi end up on opposite sides of the same civil war. Emilio Sakraya, best known for Prime Video’s Fortitude and the German series Rheingold, takes the role.
Pell is the strongest warrior in Alabasta, one of the kingdom’s head royal guards and a man whose devil fruit power makes him a formidable aerial threat. Jamie Ward (The Gentlemen, His Dark Materials) plays him.
Chaka is Pell’s fellow head guard and acting captain of the royal guard — the second pillar of Alabasta’s military loyalty. Nabeel Khan (Strike Back, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) steps into the role.
Toto is the elder of Yuba village and Koza’s father, an ordinary man whose quiet endurance threads the personal tragedy of the Alabasta conflict. Omid Abtahi, a familiar face from The Mandalorian and American Gods, takes the part.
Image courtesy of Netflix
A Season Already Packed With Big Names
These four fill in the last major gaps of an already-stacked Season 3 lineup. Joe Manganiello plays the season’s primary villain Sir Crocodile, whose underground syndicate Baroque Works is secretly fuelling the Alabasta rebellion. Charithra Chandran returns as Princess Vivi. Xolo Maridueña joins as Portgas D. Ace, and Cole Escola brings fan-favourite Bon Clay to life. Lera Abova arrives as Nico Robin, Sendhil Ramamurthy plays King Nefertari Cobra, Mikaela Hoover voices Tony Tony Chopper, Awdo Awdo is Mr. 1, and Daisy Head takes Miss Doublefinger.
Image courtesy of Netflix
What Is the Alabasta Arc?
The Alabasta arc — dubbed The Battle of Alabasta for Season 3 — sends the Straw Hats into the desert kingdom of Vivi’s homeland, where a full-scale civil war is brewing. A rebel army fights to overthrow the king, but the real architect of the chaos is Crocodile, who is using Baroque Works to destabilise Alabasta from the shadows so he can seize the kingdom for himself. The Straw Hats must expose the conspiracy and stop the war before everything collapses. It is a season defined by impossible loyalty tests and genuine sacrifice — and it is the arc that cemented One Piece as something more than a shonen adventure.
One Piece: The Battle of Alabasta is set to debut on Netflix sometime in 2027. No specific premiere date has been confirmed yet. For Singapore fans, the good news is that Netflix releases globally and simultaneously — no regional delay. The show streams on Netflix Singapore from day one.
The God Valley Incident is finally getting the big-screen treatment it deserves. At ONE PIECE DAY ’26 this weekend at Makuhari Messe in Japan, Toei Animation and Shueisha officially announced ONE PIECE FILM: GOD VALLEY — the franchise’s 15th anime film — for a 2027 theatrical release. And that wasn’t the only bombshell: a 16th film, ONE PIECE FILM: BAAD, was also confirmed for 2029, giving fans two new One Piece movies to mark on their calendars.
ONE PIECE DAY’26 | YouTube Livestream Trailer — via ONE PIECE Official – ENG on YouTube
Roger, Garp, and Rocks — the Battle ONE PIECE Fans Have Been Waiting Decades For
If you’ve followed One Piece at all, you know the God Valley Incident’s reputation. It was the clash where Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp — bitter enemies on opposite sides of the law — put aside everything to fight together against Rocks D. Xebec and the most fearsome pirate crew the world had ever seen. The fallout from that battle shaped the balance of power that defines the entire series.
The anime flashback arc that covered God Valley in 2025 drew enormous viewership and critical praise for finally animating one of the most talked-about events in the manga’s history. A dedicated theatrical film gives the incident the full scope and budget it always deserved.
Image courtesy of Toei Animation
What Is the God Valley Incident?
Set roughly 38 years before the main story, God Valley was an island that mysteriously vanished from the world’s maps — and the reason is that one of the most catastrophic battles in pirate history took place there. The Rocks Pirates, led by Rocks D. Xebec and counting a young Kaido, Big Mom, and Whitebeard among their ranks, descended on the island where Celestial Dragons and their slaves had gathered.
What stopped them was the unlikely alliance of the Pirate King and the future Hero of the Marines. Garp, unable to get World Government authorisation in time, accepted Roger’s help — a collaboration that both men would keep quiet for decades. The battle ended with Rocks dead and God Valley erased from existence.
Image courtesy of Toei Animation
A theatrical film means a bigger canvas for that confrontation — more time for the Rocks crew’s individual fights, the political intrigue around the Celestial Dragons, and the moment the alliance between Roger and Garp was forged. The anime episodes were well-received; a movie can go deeper.
ONE PIECE FILM: BAAD — 2029’s Mystery Entry
The second announcement was short on details. ONE PIECE FILM: BAAD was confirmed for 2029, with no plot information or character reveals attached to the title. “BAAD” doesn’t map to any obvious arc or character name in the current manga, so this one is firmly in speculation territory for now. Given where the manga’s Elbaf arc is heading, there’s plenty of story to draw from — but Oda has kept this one firmly under wraps.
What This Means for Singapore One Piece Fans
Image courtesy of Toei Animation / Shueisha
The last One Piece film, FILM RED, was a theatrical event for Singapore fans — it screened here in late 2022 and pulled huge opening-weekend audiences at local cinemas. GOD VALLEY, covering a story that resonates with long-time fans who have followed Roger and Garp’s histories from the very beginning, should land at least as strongly.
Specific Singapore release dates and local distributor details are to be confirmed — they typically follow Japan’s theatrical window by a few weeks. We’ll update as those details come in. For now, 2027 is the target, and based on today’s announcement the production appears to be well under way.
The votes are in. Monkey D. Luffy has won the second ONE PIECE WORLD TOP 100 global character popularity poll — better known as WT100 — with 2,378,519 points, clinching first place in a final tally of 13,086,239 votes cast across 1,567 eligible characters. The full top 30 was revealed live at ONE PIECE DAY ’26 on Sunday 23 August, and it came with surprises: as we previewed when the event was announced, the day promised major franchise news alongside the rankings — and the numbers delivered some genuine upsets.
The Final Top 30 — and Two Midterm Upsets Worth Talking About
Luffy, Zoro (2nd, 2,148,793 pt), and Sanji (3rd, 1,399,204 pt) held the Monster Trio podium across both the midterm and the final count. The rest of the top 10, however, shifted meaningfully. Dracule Mihawk surged to 9th place with 202,744 points — he was not in the top 10 at midterm — while Crocodile (Mr. 0) climbed from 15th at midterm to 10th (201,971 pt). Both moves pushed Uta and Chopper out of the top 10, to 15th and 13th respectively.
The other big story is Carrot, who leapt from 29th at midterm all the way to 16th in the final — the largest upward move in the top 30. Nefeltari Vivi and Charlotte Cracker both entered the top 30 in the final count, replacing Rob Lucci, Bartholomew Kuma, and Charlotte Katakuri, who were in the top 30 at midterm but finished outside it. Vivi landing at 28th is a nod to how enduringly she is loved, even after her long absence from the main story.
Oda Is Drawing New “Special Outfit” Illustrations for All 30
Every character in the final top 30 will receive a brand-new illustration by Eiichiro Oda, each drawn in a custom “WT100 Special Outfit” design created specifically for the poll. The illustrations will be published as three consecutive connectable poster inserts in Weekly Shonen Jump across three December 2026 issues, fitting together into a single large artwork. The special outfits will also reach fans through merchandise at the Mugiwara Store.
Import copies of those December 2026 Weekly Shonen Jump issues will be available through the usual anime and manga import channels here in Singapore — if you want the physical posters, that is the route to watch.
Top 15 Get Anime Eyecatches, Top 50 Enter the Card Game
The rewards scale up the chart. The top 15 characters will appear as dedicated eyecatches in the One Piece anime during 2027 — brief character highlight cards that air during episode breaks. The top 50 characters are slated to become Leader Cards in the One Piece Card Game in a Summer 2027 expansion. For Singapore players who follow the card game competitively — the ONE PIECE Card Game has a real presence here across hobby shops and regional events — that means Luffy, Zoro, Mihawk, and Crocodile are all confirmed incoming Leader options to watch.
“Tell Us, Oda!!” — Fan Q&A Opens Today
Also launched at ONE PIECE DAY ’26 is a new fan Q&A programme: “Tell Us, Oda!!” invites fans worldwide to submit questions about any of the top 30 characters directly to Eiichiro Oda. Submissions open today, 23 August, and run through 30 September 2026, via the official WT100 website. Oda’s answers will be published in Weekly Shonen Jump and ONE PIECE Magazine Vol. 022.
The WT100 poll ran from 4 March to 11 June 2026, launched in celebration of ONE PIECE reaching 600 million circulating copies worldwide — the largest such milestone in the series’ history and the reason this second poll felt bigger in every way. With 30 new Oda designs incoming and a card game wave following in 2027, Luffy’s coronation at ONE PIECE DAY ’26 is the kind of result that keeps paying out for months. Keep an eye on the manga and anime feed here as those December Jump issues get closer.
It’s happening tonight. After weeks of escalating clashes at Wahr Welt, BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War drops Episode 45 — “Defend You” — and the official promotional art has already broken fans’ brains. Ichigo Kurosaki has a new Bankai form, and it looks absolutely terrifying.
The promotional visual for Episode 45 finally puts a face to something manga readers have been holding their breath about: Ichigo’s Blood Chains Bankai. The form sees Tensa Zangetsu wrapped in pulsing crimson chains of spiritual pressure — an evolution that appears to fuse Ichigo’s Shinigami and Hollow heritage into something the Soul King himself probably wasn’t expecting.
Based on what the promo material shows, this isn’t just a visual upgrade. The form connects directly to Ichigo’s Horn of Salvation — the Hollow crown fragment that’s been looming as an incomplete power ever since the Hueco Mundo arc. Watching it finally click into place against the Almighty is the kind of payoff TYBW fans have been hunting for all season.
This is Episode 5 of The Calamity arc (Part 4 of TYBW overall), and the title “Defend You” hits different knowing who Ichigo is protecting. The episode picks up the Ichigo vs Yhwach confrontation at Wahr Welt — the Wandenreich’s floating fortress above Soul Society — with stakes that couldn’t be higher.
Episode preview material confirms we’ll see Ichigo deploy Gran Rey Cero fused with Getsuga Tensho — a combination technique that draws on both his Arrancar-level hollow energy and his Shinigami blade instincts simultaneously. It’s the kind of move that only makes sense from someone who stopped trying to keep those two sides of himself separate.
But the episode isn’t all Ichigo. The preview also gives us Orihime in what looks like a desperate, defiant stand — reaching forward into the red-drenched battlefield in a moment that carries all of her character’s quiet ferocity.
VIZ Media dropped the official subtitled trailer for this arc and it’s the best hype video TYBW has had in months. Watch it before Episode 45 hits:
How and When to Watch in Singapore
Episode 45 airs tonight, 22 August 2026, at 11:00 PM JST — which lands at approximately 10:00 PM Singapore time (SGT). For Singapore fans, the easiest legal watch is Disney+ Singapore, which carries BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War with English and Japanese audio plus subtitles.
If you’re planning a watch party, make sure you’re caught up through Episode 44 (the Adult Hitsugaya debut from last week) — the momentum going into tonight’s episode is relentless and you will not want to be pausing mid-episode to explain context to your friends.
We’ll have our episode breakdown up after broadcast. Stay locked in — Blood Chains Bankai night is a big deal.
The Holy Grail War in Snowfield isn’t over. Aniplex confirmed today that Fate/strange Fake will return for a second season, dropping a teaser visual with the tagline “Rise Against the Rules” and the words “New Season Confirmed.” The announcement caps off a first season that quickly became one of the standout anime of early 2026.
Image courtesy of AniplexFate/strange Fake | TV SERIES TRAILER — via Aniplex USA on YouTube
What We Know About Fate/strange Fake Season 2
The teaser visual spotlights three of Season 1’s most compelling characters — Ayaka, Daber (a Servant manifested as Richard the Lionheart), and the mysterious Sigma — all framed against imagery that suggests the Snowfield Holy Grail War is about to escalate significantly. The tagline “Rise Against the Rules” fits right in with the series’ premise: an irregular war that has been breaking every convention of the Fate franchise since page one of Ryohgo Narita’s light novels.
The full Season 1 production team is back. Directors Shun Enokido and Takahito Sakazume, character designer Yukei Yamada, and composer Hiroyuki Sawano are all confirmed to return. No premiere date has been announced — expect that news once production scheduling is confirmed, likely sometime in 2027.
Image courtesy of Aniplex
Recapping Season 1 Before Season 2 Arrives
If you haven’t caught up — or if you’re still recovering from that finale — here’s the quick summary. Fate/strange Fake premiered on December 31, 2024 with a special first episode, then launched its full run on January 3, 2026, produced by A-1 Pictures (the studio behind Solo Leveling). The 13-episode season wrapped on March 28, 2026, and immediately ended on a “To Be Continued” note that made the wait for this confirmation feel endless.
The story is set in Snowfield, Nevada, where an unofficial Holy Grail War erupts years after the Fifth Holy Grail War in Japan. Because the ritual isn’t sanctioned by the Mages’ Association or the Church, the Servants summoned are more unpredictable, the Masters more dangerous, and the rules — such as they are — even easier to break. Opening theme “PROVANT” was performed by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Jean-Ken Johnny (MAN WITH A MISSION) & TAKUMA (10-FEET), landing perfectly alongside Sawano’s typically explosive orchestral score.
Image courtesy of Aniplex
Where to Watch and What Singapore Fans Should Note
Season 1 streamed on Crunchyroll. Availability in Southeast Asia depends on regional licensing — it’s worth checking your Crunchyroll app directly to see if it’s in your library. The original light novel series by Ryohgo Narita (known for Baccano! and Durarara!!) just released its final tenth volume in summer 2026, so Season 2 will have a complete source to draw from — no dangling adaptations here.
For Singapore fans who’ve been sleeping on this one: with the complete Season 1 now available and Season 2 confirmed, there’s never been a better time to binge. Fate/strange Fake arguably offers the freshest take on the Holy Grail War formula since Fate/Zero, and with a locked-in second season, it’s not going anywhere. Keep an eye on the anime category — we’ll cover the premiere date announcement when it drops.
Two of the most iconic names in Japanese pop culture just announced a collab nobody knew they needed — and the result is a whole lot of chaotic cute. Spike Chunsoft’s Danganronpa series and Sanrio have officially revealed a major merchandise crossover featuring 16 brand-new character pairings drawn by illustrator Kei Mochizuki, rolling out at Loft stores across Japan from 11 September 2026.
Image courtesy of Spike Chunsoft / Sanrio
Who Gets Paired With Who?
The collab pulls characters from all three mainline games — the original Danganronpa, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, and Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony — and matches each with a Sanrio character that, in many cases, fits a little too well. Makoto Naegi lands with the ever-cheerful Cinnamoroll. Kyoko Kirigiri is paired with the understated Marroncream. Celestia Ludenberg gets Kuromi. Junko Enoshima — naturally — is with Hello Kitty. Kiyotaka Ishimaru ends up with Ahiru no Pekkle, which honestly makes perfect sense. Over in V3, Kokichi Oma gets Kuromi, Shuichi Saihara gets Pochacco, and Kaede Akamatsu is matched with the musical My Sweet Piano.
Image courtesy of Spike Chunsoft / Sanrio
The Merchandise Lineup
Kei Mochizuki’s new character art appears across more than 20 product types, from entry-level collectibles to premium home goods. The lineup includes trading acrylic keychains (¥770), instant photo-style cards, matte badges, acrylic stands with glitter variants, clear files, sticker sheets, mugs, pouches, tote bags, T-shirts, towels, and long tapestries (up to ¥8,250). Each piece of merchandise leans into the pairing theme — expect Kuromi colour palettes on Celestia items and Cinnamoroll motifs woven through Naegi’s merch. Fans who spend ¥2,000 or more on eligible collab products will also receive one randomly selected illustration card from the full 16-design set, while stocks last.
Image courtesy of Spike Chunsoft / Sanrio
When and Where — and What About Online Orders?
The limited-time pop-up runs from 11 September to 16 October 2026 at Loft stores in Shibuya, Kyoto, Omiya, Tenjin, Sakae, Sapporo, Niigata, Machida, Umeda, and Sendai. Singapore fans won’t be able to walk in, but this is a Japan-exclusive retail pop-up — the good news is that Spike Chunsoft has indicated online ordering details are on the way. Until then, the usual forwarding services and proxy-buying routes are your best bet for grabbing any must-have pieces. Given how quickly Danganronpa collab runs tend to sell out, it’s worth setting up a proxy account early. Keep an eye on the official Danganronpa site for the online store announcement. The Danganronpa community in Singapore has a strong cosplay and collector presence — expect plenty of interest in the acrylic stands and tapestries especially. For more anime and game collab news, stay tuned to GameTrader.
It has been a long wait since Season 1 wrapped, but Tougen Anki is officially returning this autumn. Season 2 — subtitled the Nikko Kegon Falls Arc — is confirmed for an October 2026 premiere, with Crunchyroll handling the simulcast. The announcement dropped alongside a world premiere screening held at New York Comic Con on 22 August 2026.
The new season visual teases the Nikko Kegon Falls setting and an expanded cast of oni and hunters.
What to Expect from Season 2
The Nikko Kegon Falls Arc shifts the battlefield from the urban streets of Season 1 to a more remote, mountainous locale with deep mythological significance. Protagonist Shiki Ichinose and his oni companions will face off against a new wave of threats, and the season is confirmed to introduce several new oni and human characters that manga readers have been anticipating since the adaptation was announced.
The production team from Season 1 returns: Brain’s Base handles animation once more, keeping the kinetic fight choreography and bold colour work that made the first season stand out.
A second promotional visual from the Season 2 campaign, highlighting the new arc’s expanded scope.
Watch the Season 2 Trailer
Cast and Crew
The core cast reprise their roles. Additional cast members for the new arc have not been announced at time of writing. Director Tatsuya Yoshihara and series composition by Natsuko Takahashi both continue from Season 1. The opening and ending theme artists for Season 2 have not yet been revealed.
New York Premiere Screening
The world premiere was held on 22 August 2026 at New York Comic Con, where attendees got an early look at the first episode of the new season. No further details about the screening content have been shared publicly yet.
Where and When to Watch
Tougen Anki Season 2 premieres in October 2026 on Crunchyroll with a simulcast alongside Japanese broadcast. If you haven’t caught Season 1 yet, it’s available on Crunchyroll now — a solid 13-episode run that does a commendable job adapting Haruto Umezawa’s manga.
Worth Watching?
If you’re in Singapore and enjoy action-heavy supernatural anime with solid production values, Tougen Anki is one that deserves more attention than it got first time around. The Nikko Kegon Falls Arc is one of the stronger stretches of the manga, and with Crunchyroll simulcasting it will be easy to keep up weekly. Mark October in your calendar.
The imperial court drama that manga fans have been waiting on just got its grandest reveal yet. The TV anime adaptation of Matsurika Kanriden (茉莉花官吏传) dropped its first full main promotional video on 21 August 2026, and it comes loaded with atmosphere, palace intrigue, and a freshly announced opening theme from rock band KANA-BOON.
The series follows Matsurika Ko as she navigates the treacherous imperial bureaucracy alongside Emperor Hakuyo.
What the Main PV Shows
The new trailer runs the full gamut of what the show promises: sweeping palace corridors, political scheming, and the central dynamic between protagonist Matsurika Ko—a sharp-witted pharmacist’s daughter who earns a post as an imperial court lady—and the enigmatic Emperor Hakuyo. The animation, handled by Studio Signpost, leans into lush period-accurate visuals with warm earthy tones that suit the historical fantasy setting.
KANA-BOON’s opening theme plays across the trailer’s second half, giving the action-tinged sequences an energetic lift that fans of the band will recognise immediately. The song title has not yet been officially confirmed.
Character art from the upcoming adaptation, showing the cast’s detailed costume designs.
Watch the Main PV
About the Series
Matsurika Kanriden is based on the light novel series by Fuyu Yukari, illustrated by Shiso. The story is set in a fictional imperial court inspired by Tang Dynasty China. Matsurika Ko is a commoner from a family of apothecaries who uses her knowledge of medicine and poisons to survive—and thrive—in a world where palace politics can be lethal. Think The Apothecary Diaries energy, but with a distinct flavour of its own.
A character visual featuring the Jasmine Day celebration, one of the cultural touchstones of the imperial court setting.
When and Where to Watch
The anime is scheduled to premiere in January 2027 as part of the Winter 2027 TV season. Streaming and regional broadcast details have not been announced yet, but given KADOKAWA’s track record with international simulcasts, expect confirmation closer to the air date.
Why This Matters for Singapore Fans
Historical fantasy anime with strong female leads and court intrigue have found a very loyal audience here—The Apothecary Diaries is still trending on local streaming charts. Matsurika Kanriden is positioned to fill a similar niche when it lands in winter. Add KANA-BOON to the equation (their Naruto-era hits still get play at anime events in Singapore) and this is one to bookmark now.
We’ll keep tracking this as streaming rights and a broadcast schedule get confirmed. Stay tuned to GameTrader.SG.
