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Manga Anime

One Piece Chapter 1188 “Void” Spoilers — Imu Stabs Luffy, Zoro vs Sommers, Break After This Chapter

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Early spoilers for One Piece Chapter 1188 are circulating ahead of the official release on 12 July 2026 (~10 pm SGT on MangaPlus and Viz). The chapter is titled “Void” — a name that lands with full weight once you see what Imu does with it.

Imu One Piece Elbaf arc Toei promotional art
Image courtesy of Toei Animation

Imu’s Void Sword Hits Luffy

The chapter’s centrepiece: Imu drives the Void Sword directly into Luffy. Luffy is in Gear 5 genie form — the towering rubbery giant he debuted against Kaidou — and the strike lands anyway. The Void Sword, consistent with its established ability to erase whatever it cuts from existence, appears to interact with Gear 5’s reality-bending properties in a way that is left deliberately unresolved at chapter’s end. Whether Luffy’s Devil Fruit can heal or resist a conceptual erasure is the cliffhanger the chapter hangs everything on.

Imu’s line as the blade connects: “Joyboy could never be this weak.” It’s a pointed dismissal — Imu has been hunting the meaning of Joy Boy across centuries, and whatever they found (or didn’t find) in Luffy, this moment reads as contempt.

Luffy Gear 5 Elbaf arc One Piece Toei Animation
Image courtesy of Toei Animation

Joy Boy Flashback

Chapter 1188 includes a brief Joy Boy flashback — a smile, shown in silhouette. No dialogue, no context given beyond the visual. Oda has deployed this device before (Laugh Tale, the Void Century panels) to signal mythological weight without committing to explanation yet. Placed directly against Imu’s dismissal of Luffy, the juxtaposition is doing heavy lifting for whatever revelation is being built toward.

Subplots: Zoro, Sanji, Robin

Zoro One Piece Elbaf arc Toei anime screenshot
Image courtesy of Toei Animation

Three other fights and plot threads advance in parallel:

  • Zoro vs Sommers — the Elbaf commander introduced earlier in the arc, whose weapon set mirrors a giant-scale sword style. The exchange is brief this chapter but confirms Zoro is still in the thick of it on the battlefield.
  • Sanji vs Killingham — another World Government figure. Sanji’s fight has been building since Killingham’s entrance; chapter 1188 moves the confrontation forward without resolving it.
  • Robin at the Owl Library with Saul — Robin’s reunion with Giant Saul (alive, as revealed in the Elbaf arc) continues in a quieter register. She reaches what spoilers describe as the Owl Library — a repository within Elbaf carrying records the World Government missed in its historical purges. Given Robin’s entire arc is about recovering the true history, this location is significant. A rescue team is also shown moving toward Gunko, the imprisoned giant girl whose storyline has run alongside the main Elbaf conflict.

For context on how Luffy reached this confrontation with Imu, see our recap of One Piece Chapter 1186.

Official Release & Break Notice

One Piece — via ONE PIECE Official – ENG on YouTube

Chapter 1188 releases officially on 12 July 2026 on MangaPlus (free) and Viz / Shonen Jump (subscriber). After this chapter, One Piece goes on break — the next chapter is currently scheduled for 26 July 2026. That’s a two-week gap, so chapter 1188 will need to carry a lot of weight before the wait begins.

More manga and anime coverage on GameTrader.SG

Manga Anime, News

Red River Anime Hits Crunchyroll — Classic Shoujo Arrives After 25 Years

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If you spent your early teens sneaking chapters of a time-travel shoujo epic when you were supposed to be studying, your wait is finally over. Red River — the beloved manga that gripped Shojo Comic readers from 1995 to 2002 — has its first-ever anime adaptation, and it landed on Crunchyroll this week. Twenty-five years after the final chapter ran, Yuri and Prince Kail are animated at last.

Red River anime 2026 wide key visual — Tatsunoko Production
Image courtesy of Tatsunoko Production

What Is Red River (Anatolia Story)?

For anyone who missed the manga: Red River (天は赤い河のほとり, Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori — also published in English as Anatolia Story) follows 15-year-old Japanese schoolgirl Yuri Suzuki, who is summoned against her will to the Hittite Empire in 1500 BC Anatolia. Queen Nakia plans to use Yuri as a human sacrifice to curse the royal princes and clear the path for her own son’s succession. The one who intervenes is Nakia’s stepson, the charming and politically savvy Prince Kail Mursili, who mistakenly — and then very deliberately — passes Yuri off as the reincarnation of the war goddess Ishtar.

What follows across 28 volumes is a dense mix of Bronze Age political intrigue, large-scale battles, and a romance that earns its slow burn. Creator Chie Shinohara packed an enormous amount of historical detail into the series — it remains one of the most meticulously researched shoujo manga ever written — and the story’s reach showed: over 20 million copies sold in Japan, an English-language licence from VIZ Media, a Takarazuka Revue stage production in 2018, and the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shoujo category. The one thing it never had was an anime. Until now.

Red River | Official Trailer — via Crunchyroll on YouTube

The Studio, Staff, and Commitment to Historical Accuracy

The adaptation is being produced by Tatsunoko Production — the studio behind classics like Gatchaman, Yatterman, and Casshern Sins — a choice that fits a story this rooted in craft and ambition. Kōsuke Kobayashi directs, with Yoriko Tomita handling series composition and Kenji Fujisaki designing the characters.

Particularly notable is the production’s approach to historical authenticity: the team brought in historians from the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology to advise on ancient Hittite architecture, clothing, weapons, and court politics. For a story built on the real bones of a Bronze Age civilisation, that kind of scholarly input matters — and it suggests the team understands what made the source material special.

The Voice Cast — Including a 30-Year Reunion

Mirai Tachibana voices Yuri, with Wataru Kato as Prince Kail. Hiroki Nanami — who also performs the opening theme, “Akatsuki no Sora” (暁の空; Dawn Sky) — takes the role of Yuri’s present-day boyfriend Satoshi Himuro and serves as the series narrator. Aya Uchida plays the villain Queen Nakia; the wider ancient court features Shoya Chiba (Zannanza), Tomoaki Maenon (Ilbani), Koji Yusa (Urhi), and Kohsuke Toriumi (Mattiwaza), among others. Miisha Shimizu performs the ending theme, “Reunion.”

Red River anime 2026 voice cast visual — Tatsunoko Production
Image courtesy of Tatsunoko Production

The casting announcement that generated the biggest reaction came on July 8, one day after the series premiere: veteran voice actors Minami Takayama and Kazuhiko Inoue have been cast as Yuri’s parents. The two originally voiced the series lead couple in the original Red River drama CD — released some thirty years ago. Their return to the franchise, now a generation older in-universe, is exactly the kind of easter egg that rewards long-time fans. It is a small creative decision that communicates something important: the people behind this adaptation know the fandom they are making it for.

Red River anime 2026 — Tatsunoko Production
Image courtesy of Tatsunoko Production

Where Singapore Fans Can Watch Red River

Red River is streaming on Crunchyroll for international audiences. In Japan the series airs on NTV’s AnichU block on Monday nights (technically 1:35 AM Tuesday JST), with Crunchyroll carrying the simulcast. The show premiered on July 7, meaning there are episodes already waiting if you’re jumping in right now.

If you haven’t read the manga, VIZ Media’s English edition — all 28 volumes — is the ideal companion. The anime has a lot of ground to cover, and the source material rewards time with it. For longtime fans who read it in serialisation or in collected volumes as kids, this adaptation is something that didn’t seem certain to ever happen. Check out our manga and anime coverage for more on this summer’s anime season.

Manga Anime

Hunter x Hunter Volume 39 Is Out — First New Tankōbon in Nearly Two Years

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The long wait is finally over. Hunter x Hunter Volume 39 — titled Negotiation — hit shelves in Japan today, 3 July 2026, marking the series’ first new tankōbon in nearly 22 months. Volume 38 shipped in September 2024, and in the time since, many fans wondered whether another release was coming at all. It is — and the manga is showing no signs of stopping there.

Yoshihiro Togashi, creator of Hunter x Hunter, with series protagonist Gon Freecss
Image courtesy of Shueisha

What’s Inside Volume 39

Negotiation collects chapters 401 to 410, continuing the Succession Contest Arc deep inside the Dark Continent storyline. The volume’s cover puts Hisoka front and centre — a striking close-up in Togashi’s more realistic cover style, hand obscuring half his face with the number ’39’ inscribed on it, directly mirroring Chrollo Lucilfer’s Volume 11 cover in a visual call-and-response that fans have been quick to dissect online. The ten chapters inside push several of the arc’s political and psychological threads forward — hence the title, which fits both the literal card-game negotiations depicted in the pages and the broader chess match playing out between the Succession Contest contestants.

Hunter x Hunter manga panel from Volume 39 — negotiation card game scene
Image courtesy of Shueisha

Togashi’s Health and What Comes Next

Yoshihiro Togashi’s relationship with Hunter x Hunter has always been inseparable from his ongoing health battles — a spine condition and related complications have forced repeated hiatuses since 2006, turning every new chapter into a minor news event in itself. Volume 38 took almost two years to follow Volume 37, and Volume 39 has taken the same amount of time to follow Volume 38. But the signals for the future are more encouraging than they’ve been in a long time. On his social media, Togashi confirmed completing the manuscript for Chapter 421 in late May 2026, and had already penned character layouts for Chapter 430 back in April. That means chapters 411–420 are already complete and waiting for publication, and work on the following batch is well underway — an unusual cushion for a series that once went years without a single chapter.

Gon Freecss from Hunter x Hunter 2011 anime
Image courtesy of Shueisha

Where Singapore Fans Can Read It

Volume 39 is a Japanese physical release for now. Singapore manga readers can pick up the Japanese edition at Kinokuniya (Ngee Ann City and Bugis+ branches both stock Japanese manga) — stock tends to arrive within a week or two of Japan’s release date for popular Shueisha titles, so check the shelves or call ahead. Digital readers should check MANGA Plus by Shueisha (manga.plus), the publisher’s free global simulpub platform, for digital availability. An English edition from VIZ Media has not been announced yet — Volume 38 appeared in English in January 2026, roughly 16 months after its Japanese release, so a localised Volume 39 is realistically a late-2026 or early-2027 arrival at the earliest. For more manga and anime coverage, head to our Manga Anime section.

Manga Anime

MARRIAGETOXIN Season 2 Confirmed for January 2027

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MARRIAGETOXIN Season 2 is officially locked in for January 2027 — and the announcement arrived at the best possible moment: the instant Season 1’s final episode finished airing in Japan on 30 June 2026. Studio BONES Film’s breakout Spring anime returns for a second run, streaming on Crunchyroll globally, Singapore included.

The Show That Made Spring 2026 Worth Watching

If you slept on this one, the setup is deceptively simple: Hikaru Gero is heir to a family of poison masters and has zero interest in marriage — except that if he doesn’t find a bride and secure the bloodline, his younger sister gets forced into a political arrangement instead. His fix is to recruit Mei Kinosaki, a professional marriage swindler, to help him navigate the hunt. What unfolds is an action-comedy where both leads are competent at very different kinds of manipulation, and the chemistry earns the rom-com label.

The manga, written by Joumyaku and drawn by Mizuki Yoda, runs in Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+. BONES Film adapted it across 13 episodes covering three arcs — the Water Master, Sound Master and Beast Master storylines — directed by Motonobu Hori with Kohei Tokuoka handling character design and chief animation direction.

MARRIAGETOXIN official anime key art featuring Hikaru Gero, Mei Kinosaki and the full cast
Image courtesy of SHUEISHA / MARRIAGETOXIN Project
Season 2 Announcement PV — via バンダイナムコフィルムワークス チャンネル on YouTube

Season 2 — What the Creator Said

Story author Joumyaku shared a personal message with the Season 2 announcement, as published by Anime Corner. Floored by the news, the author wrote that they were “beyond grateful” — crediting the fans directly for making it happen. On what’s ahead: Season 2 will bring in, in Joumyaku’s own words, “charming and wildly unpredictable new characters” alongside the returning leads.

Joumyaku's official Season 2 announcement comment card from the MARRIAGETOXIN Project
Image courtesy of SHUEISHA / MARRIAGETOXIN Project

January 2027 gives the production roughly six months of runway from the Season 1 finale — a brisk but entirely workable turnaround for a Shonen Jump+ adaptation with an established team already in place.

What Made Season 1 Stand Out

Hikaru Gero in an intense emotional moment from MARRIAGETOXIN Season 1
Image courtesy of SHUEISHA / MARRIAGETOXIN Project

Season 1’s reputation rested on execution as much as premise. Series composition by Kimiko Ueno kept the pacing tight across all three arcs, and the score by Taisei Iwasaki and Yuma Yamaguchi gave each tonal shift — comedy to action to genuine stakes — its own texture. Opening theme Kill or Kiss by Yurina Hirate and ending Shake Na Baby by AKASAKI were well-matched to the show’s chaotic-romantic register.

Where Singapore Fans Can Watch

MARRIAGETOXIN streams on Crunchyroll with English subtitles and an English dub, fully available in Singapore and across Southeast Asia. Season 1’s 13 episodes are up now — plenty of time to catch up before January. For more anime and manga coverage, check our full archive.

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

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

Fool Night Anime: Sunrise x SHAFT Join Forces on Netflix

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One of the most striking manga you’ve probably never heard of is about to become one of the most visually distinct anime on Netflix — and it’s arriving in 2026. Fool Night, Kasumi Yasuda’s acclaimed dystopian thriller serialised in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Superior, has been confirmed as a global Netflix anime, backed by a studio pairing that has literally never happened before.

Toshiro Kamiya walks through a neon-lit dystopian city in Fool Night
Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Filmworks

What Is Fool Night About?

The premise is instantly arresting. Sunlight hasn’t reached Earth in a century — thick clouds have locked the planet in perpetual winter and darkness. Plant life has collapsed, oxygen is critically scarce, and humanity’s response is a morally fraught technology called transfloration: a procedure that implants seeds into the bodies of people near death, gradually transforming them into oxygen-producing plant beings. It is presented as a choice, but one driven entirely by economic desperation.

At the centre of it all is Toshiro Kamiya, a young man struggling with poverty and his mother’s illness, confronting the question the series keeps asking: is life worth preserving if it means ceasing to be human?

Yasuda’s manga has earned serious recognition in Japan — it ranked in the prestigious Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2023 list and took home best suspense manga at the Japan Expo Daruma Awards 2023. But outside Japan it remains largely under the radar, which makes this Netflix adaptation a genuine discovery moment for anime fans in Singapore and across Southeast Asia.

A Historic Studio Pairing: Sunrise Meets SHAFT

A transflorated being cradles a dying flower in a scene from the Fool Night Netflix teaser
Image courtesy of Netflix

The production story is, on its own, something anime fans won’t forget quickly. Fool Night marks the first-ever collaboration between Sunrise and SHAFT — two of anime’s most storied studios, working together for the first time in their respective histories.

Sunrise built its legacy on the scale and ambition of Mobile Suit Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, and Code Geass. SHAFT built theirs on the visually singular, avant-garde craft of Puella Magi Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series — shows defined by daring direction and unforgettable aesthetics. The Fool Night teaser already hints at what this union looks like: Sunrise’s epic scope filtered through SHAFT’s precise, intimate visual instincts.

The Creative Team Behind Fool Night

A close-up of the Fool Night protagonist from the official Japanese teaser PV
Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Filmworks

The assembled team is a who’s-who of recent prestige anime:

  • Director: Atsuyuki Yukawa, who served as unit director on Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume
  • Series Composition: Jin Tanaka (Oshi no Ko, Kowloon Generic Romance)
  • Character Design: Robert Sato
  • Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka (A Silent Voice)
  • Composer: Tatsuya Kato (Dr. Stone)

The voice cast is equally compelling: Koki Uchiyama — the voice behind My Hero Academia’s Tomura Shigaraki and Genshin Impact’s Xiao — takes the lead as Toshiro Kamiya. Minako Kotobuki (K-On!’s Tsumugi Kotobuki) voices Yomiko Horai.

Watch the Official Fool Night Teaser

Fool Night | Official Teaser | Netflix Anime — via Netflix Anime on YouTube

Streaming on Netflix in 2026 — No Singapore Wait

Fool Night is confirmed as a Netflix worldwide exclusive debuting in 2026. An exact premiere date has not been announced yet. Netflix’s global simultaneous release model means Singapore subscribers will get it day-and-date with the rest of the world — no waiting for a regional rollout.

Given the creative pedigree, the unprecedented studio collaboration, and a story with genuinely rare ambition, this is one to add to your watchlist now. For more anime and manga news, check out our Manga Anime coverage.

Manga Anime

Record of Ragnarok Season 4 Confirmed — Battles 10 and 11 Are Coming

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Warner Bros. Japan officially confirmed on Friday that Record of Ragnarok is returning for a fourth season — and if you’ve been waiting for a particular clash to finally hit the screen, the wait just got a whole lot more real.

Record of Ragnarok IV — Season 4 Production Confirmed Special PV — via Warner Bros. Japan Anime on YouTube

Record of Ragnarok Season 4: What We Know

The announcement landed on 26 June 2026 through Warner Bros. Japan’s official channels, alongside a short production announcement video, the new Record of Ragnarok IV logo, and commemorative messages and art from the original creative team. Season 4 will animate the 10th and 11th battles of the gods-versus-humanity tournament. That’s all the timing information we have for now — no premiere date has been set.

Returning in the director’s chair is Koichi Hatsumi (Season 3 director, known also for Tokyo Revengers), with Yasuyuki Muto back as series composer. Animation production stays with the same pairing of Yumeta Company × MARU Animation that handled all three previous seasons.

What the Creators Are Saying About Battles 10 and 11

Azychika's hand-drawn commemorative illustration for Record of Ragnarok Season 4 featuring two characters from the upcoming battles
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Japan

Illustrator Azychika dropped a celebratory manga illustration alongside the announcement, teasing the style of what’s ahead: “That incredible sword fight in the upcoming match is finally coming to life in animation! There’s even a gunfight!” as reported by Anime Corner.

Story writer Shinya Umemura added: “Season 4 will focus on the 10th and 11th battle. From an all-out, authentic sword-fighting battle to a strategic showdown reminiscent of the Jack the Ripper match…” And structure writer Takumi Fukui summed it up: “I can’t wait to see battles so intense they burn into your memory, and souls that shine with blinding passion.”

Between sword fights, gunfights, and a matchup compared to one of the series’ most psychologically tense bouts, the creative team isn’t underselling this one.

Season 3 Was a Netflix Hit — and Confirmed the Formula Works

Record of Ragnarok III official Netflix key visual showing multiple fighters including the main cast in dramatic poses
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Japan / Netflix

Record of Ragnarok III arrived on Netflix on 10 December 2025 with 15 episodes and immediately posted up in Netflix’s weekly TOP 10 across 83 countries and regions. Singapore was part of that wave — the series has been one of Netflix’s consistent anime performers in Southeast Asia, and all three seasons are streaming there right now.

While Netflix has not yet formally announced distribution for Season 4, the existing relationship makes it the obvious home for the new instalment when it’s ready. We’ll be watching for that confirmation.

Close-up of a dark-haired Record of Ragnarok character with piercing green eyes from the Season 4 announcement PV
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Japan

For more anime announcements worth tracking, head to our Manga & Anime section — there’s been no shortage of them this week.

Manga Anime

Hunter x Hunter Is Back — Chapter 411 Arrives 29 June on Manga Plus

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After one of manga’s most famous hiatuses, Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter is officially returning this Sunday. Chapter 411 arrives in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #31 on 29 June, with simultaneous free access on Manga Plus for Singapore and international readers. The Succession War is about to get a lot more complicated.

Hunter x Hunter manga promotional artwork
Image courtesy of Yoshihiro Togashi / Shueisha

Where the Story Left Off

The Succession War has been unravelling in spectacular fashion aboard the Black Whale cruise ship. Prince Benjamin is desperately fighting to survive after being poisoned, while the declaration of martial law on Tier 1 has completely changed the power dynamics among the royal families. In the lower tiers of the ship, the Phantom Troupe is hunting Hisoka, while the growing influence of Morena and the Heil-Ly Family has introduced one of the arc’s most unpredictable factions. Borksen’s shocking decision to join the Heil-Ly as a double agent only added another layer of tension to an already chaotic situation.

With so many plot threads running at once, Screen Rant’s coverage of the return puts it well: this comeback could not be arriving at a better time.

Why This Hiatus Return Feels Different

Togashi’s hiatuses are legendary — his chronic back problems have disrupted Hunter x Hunter’s publication more times than most fans care to count. But this time around, there is genuine reason for optimism. Over the past several months, Togashi has been sharing regular progress updates, and according to those posts, he has already finished inking through Chapter 431 — giving the series a healthy buffer of 20-plus completed chapters before serialisation even resumes. That kind of stockpile is unprecedented for this series.

His health also appears to be improving. A recent Instagram post featuring him alongside his wife, manga legend Naoko Takeuchi (creator of Sailor Moon), showed Togashi looking well and relaxed. Combined with the growing backlog of finished chapters, this comeback feels more structurally stable than anything Hunter x Hunter fans have seen in years.

Volume 39: Negotiation — Out 3 July

Alongside the serialisation return, Shueisha is releasing Volume 39, collecting Chapters 401 to 410 under the title Negotiation. It arrives in Japan on 3 July 2026 — the first new physical volume of Hunter x Hunter in 22 months. International readers who prefer print editions will need to wait for their regional releases, but it is a significant milestone regardless.

How to Read in Singapore This Sunday

Singapore fans have a clean, legal, free option right at their fingertips. Manga Plus by Shueisha makes the three most recent chapters of Hunter x Hunter available at no charge, with a premium subscription option for the full archive. Chapter 411 will appear on Manga Plus the moment it goes live on 29 June. The app is available on iOS and Android, or via browser — no VPN required.

If you want to catch up first, Chapters 409 and 410 are already sitting there waiting for you on the platform right now.

Last Words

For Singapore manga readers, the message is simple: bookmark Manga Plus, catch up on the last two chapters before Sunday, and settle in for what could finally be a sustained run of new Hunter x Hunter. The Succession War has been building towards something monumental, and with a 20-chapter buffer already in the bank, there’s reason to believe Togashi is going to see it through. We’ll be watching closely — check our manga and anime coverage for updates as the arc develops.