Tag Archives: Weekly Shonen Jump

Manga Anime

Horikoshi’s Horror One-Shot Hits Shonen Jump on 10 August — Read It Free in Singapore

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Two years after wrapping up one of Shonen Jump’s most celebrated runs, Kohei Horikoshi is heading back to the manga page. His new work, Warawanaideyo Shijima-san (Don’t Laugh, Shijima-san), is a 61-page horror one-shot landing in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #37/38 on 10 August 2026 — and it is already one of the most anticipated manga releases of the year.

Warawanaideyo Shijima-san horror composite showing the eerie horror face and the two protagonists
Image courtesy of Kohei Horikoshi / Shueisha

What Is Warawanaideyo Shijima-san?

Officially described by Shonen Jump News as a “boy-meets-girl horror” story, the one-shot centres on two high-school-age characters: a sharp-eyed blonde boy and a smiling black-haired girl who share a battered scooter. The official key visual pairs their deceptively ordinary school-uniform design with a horror close-up that makes clear this is no feel-good romance. Spanning 61 pages with a centre colour spread, the story runs roughly the length of three standard manga chapters — enough room for a complete self-contained narrative.

The title is a play on words: warawanaideyo (笑わないでよ) translates loosely as “don’t laugh” or “don’t smile,” while Shijima could be read as a character name meaning something like “silence” or “stillness.” The tension between the instruction not to laugh and the girl’s unsettling grin in the key visual says plenty about the tone Horikoshi is going for.

Horikoshi’s First New WSJ Manga Since MHA Concluded

My Hero Academia finished its multi-year Weekly Shonen Jump run in 2024, leaving a genuinely enormous gap in the magazine’s lineup. Horikoshi had spoken in interviews about his longstanding interest in horror — a genre that surfaced throughout MHA’s darker arcs — and Warawanaideyo Shijima-san represents that ambition finally reaching the page.

Kohei Horikoshi holding a Deku sketch alongside the Warawanaideyo Shijima-san promotional art
Image courtesy of Kohei Horikoshi / Shueisha

The one-shot arrives while the My Hero Academia 10th anniversary celebrations are still in full swing — a special popup shop opens in Japan on 28 August — making it a memorable return moment for fans who have been waiting to see what Horikoshi does next. Whether Warawanaideyo Shijima-san is a standalone exercise or a proof-of-concept for a longer horror series remains to be seen.

How Singapore Fans Can Read It

Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #37/38 goes on sale in Japan on 10 August 2026. Singapore readers’ best bet is Manga Plus by Shueisha, Shueisha’s free global platform, which has published major WSJ one-shots and new chapters simultaneously with Japan at no cost. Check Manga Plus on 10 August for the one-shot’s availability — no subscription is required to read chapters when they go live.

For collectors who want a physical copy, Japanese import editions of Weekly Shonen Jump typically arrive at local hobby and game retailers in Singapore within a few weeks of the Japan release date, though no confirmed SG distribution has been announced. Keep an eye on our manga coverage for any local retail news as August 10 approaches.

Manga Anime

Kagurabachi Is Back 27 July — Chapter 126 in Weekly Shonen Jump

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Kagurabachi is coming back sooner than expected — Shueisha has confirmed that Chapter 126 will run in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 35 on 27 July 2026, wrapping up Takeru Hokazono’s rest break roughly a week ahead of the August window fans had been told to anticipate.

Kagurabachi Chapter 126 Drops 27 July — Day-One Simulpub Confirmed

Kagurabachi protagonist Chihiro Rokuhira in a colored manga panel
Image courtesy of Shueisha / Kagurabachi

Chapter 126 lands in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 35 on 27 July 2026, confirmed via Siliconera and Viz Media’s updated simulpub schedule. When creator Takeru Hokazono announced the break in late June following Chapter 125, the original messaging pointed to a return sometime in August without giving a specific date. The Issue 35 confirmation moves that forward by a week or more.

Hokazono explained the break simply, as reported by ComicBook: “I’ll be taking a small break. Please wait patiently while I work on making Kagurabachi even better!”

Singapore readers can read Chapter 126 free on Manga Plus (manga.plus) the same day as the Japanese release — no regional delay. Paid subscribers on the Viz Media Weekly Shonen Jump platform get access on the same schedule.

Where the Story Left Off Before the Hiatus

Kagurabachi Volume 9 manga cover art showing Chihiro in an intense battle close-up
Image courtesy of Shueisha / Kagurabachi

Chapter 125 left the story mid-tension, with Chihiro Rokuhira and Subaru Urita working through the mounting pressure of the Datenseki arc. The series has been drilling into the origins of the Seitei War and the history of Enchanted Blades — lore-heavy territory that has kept the stakes feeling substantial even as the action ramps up.

Physical edition readers have two release windows to note. Volume 12 of the Japanese edition arrives on 4 September 2026. For English readers, Viz Media’s Volume 8 (chapters 66–74) is due on 4 August 2026 — look for it at Singapore bookshops carrying the Viz Manga range.

The April 2027 Anime Keeps Rolling While the Manga Rests

Kagurabachi anime official teaser still from Crunchyroll
Image courtesy of Shueisha / Project Kagurabachi
Kagurabachi | Official Teaser | Crunchyroll — via Crunchyroll on YouTube

The anime side of Kagurabachi has been moving along while the manga took its break. Produced by studio Cypic (also behind Umamusume: Cinderella Gray and The Summer Hikaru Died), the adaptation is locked for an April 2027 debut on Crunchyroll with worldwide simulcast confirmed, Singapore included.

The cast announced so far: Taihi Kimura as Chihiro Rokuhira, Tomokazu Seki as Kunishige Rokuhira, and Katsuyuki Konishi as Togo Shiba. A global World Tour of early episode screenings kicked off at Anime Expo in July 2026 and continues at Japan Expo, AnimagiC, Otakon, and Anime NYC. No Singapore or SEA screening has been announced yet — we’ll update as dates emerge closer to the Spring 2027 premiere.

For more on what’s new in manga and anime, check our latest coverage while you count down to 27 July.

Manga Anime

Blue Box Manga Ends After Five Years — Chapter 250 Is the Final Chapter

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Five years, 250 chapters, and ten million copies later, Kouji Miura’s Blue Box (Ao no Hako) has reached its final page. Chapter 250 landed in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33 on July 13, 2026, concluding one of the most quietly beloved manga serializations in recent Jump history. If you have been reading, today is that bittersweet last chapter. If you have been waiting, the complete story is now there for you.

Five Years, Ten Million Copies, One Final Chapter

Blue Box manga final chapter — Ao no Hako ends in Weekly Shonen Jump
Image courtesy of Shueisha

Blue Box kicked off in April 2021 with a deceptively simple premise: Taiki, a first-year high school student training hard as a badminton player, develops feelings for Chinatsu, a basketball prodigy who happens to move in under the same roof. Kouji Miura built something genuinely warm from there — sports discipline, teenage awkwardness, and slow-burn romance woven tightly together across the Jump pages for over five years.

The series hit 10 million copies in circulation, a milestone that puts it comfortably in the higher tier of Jump’s modern roster. It never traded in the flashy power-scaling that dominates the magazine, and that restraint was exactly what made it resonate with its audience. Singapore and SEA fans who have been following along on Manga Plus can read the final chapter there now, free of charge — Shueisha makes the latest chapters available globally through the platform.

Blue Box by Kouji Miura concludes its Weekly Shonen Jump serialization
Image courtesy of Shueisha

Anime Season 2 Arrives on Netflix This October

Blue Box Season 2 | Official Teaser | Netflix — via Netflix Anime on YouTube

The manga ending does not slow the anime train. Blue Box Season 2 premieres on Netflix on October 4, 2026, announced at AnimeJapan 2026 back in March. Production has shifted to studio Electric Circus under new director Daisuke Sako, taking over from Season 1’s team at Telecom Animation Film. Series composition writer Yuko Kakihara and character designer Miho Tanino are back, so the visual and storytelling feel should stay consistent with what Season 1 established.

Blue Box Season 2 key visual — Chinatsu
Image courtesy of Shueisha / Blue Box Anime Production Committee

Where to Read and Watch Blue Box Now

Blue Box Season 2 promotional visual for Netflix 2026
Image courtesy of Shueisha / Blue Box Anime Production Committee

With the source material now complete, Season 2 will be adapting manga chapters that have a known, finished ending — which is actually a good position for an anime to be in. The production team knows exactly where the story goes.

If you want to read ahead of the anime, the full run is on Manga Plus (Japanese; free globally) and the Viz/Shonen Jump app (English). Season 1 is already on Netflix, and Season 2 follows on October 4. For those new to the series, you have got roughly three months to catch up — which, at 25 episodes, is genuinely manageable. For everyone who has been here since 2021: it has been a good five years. Check out our manga and anime coverage for more on what is airing this 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

Kagurabachi Anime Makes Its World Premiere at Anime Expo 2026

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The Kagurabachi anime is making its global debut this week: the first 20 minutes of Episode 1 are being screened at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles today, Thursday 3 July — a full nine months before the series premieres on television in April 2027.

Episode 1 World Premiere at Anime Expo 2026

The world premiere screening takes place at JW Marriott Diamond from 4:45 to 6:05 PM PDT on 3 July (7:45–9:05 AM SGT on 4 July). Alongside the screening, a special panel features Taihi Kimura (voice of protagonist Chihiro Rokuhira), Takuro Imamura (Editor of the Kagurabachi manga at Weekly Shonen Jump), and Koichi Yasuda (Producer of the Kagurabachi anime). For those who can’t make it to LA, the world tour continues — Paris, Germany, and New York are next in line before the series begins its regular broadcast.

Kagurabachi Anime World Tour premiere screening at Anime Expo 2026 on July 3
Image courtesy of Project Kagurabachi / Shueisha
KAGURABACHI｜Official Teaser Trailer — via SHOCHIKU anime チャンネル【公式】 on YouTube

Chihiro Rokuhira: A Swordsmith’s Son on a Path of Revenge

Kagurabachi follows Chihiro Rokuhira, the son of a legendary swordsmith who sets out on a blood-soaked quest for vengeance after tragedy strikes his family. Armed with one of his father’s famed Enchanted Blades — a sentient weapon that manifests as a black goldfish when dormant — Chihiro navigates a world of sorcerers, criminal syndicates, and supernatural threats. The manga was created by Takeru Hokazono and has run in Weekly Shonen Jump since September 2023, selling over 4 million copies and winning the Next Manga Award 2024. The anime announcement trailer crossed 6 million views in under 24 hours — a number that signals just how long this fandom has been waiting.

Chihiro Rokuhira character design for the Kagurabachi anime, voiced by Taihi Kimura
Image courtesy of Project Kagurabachi / Shueisha

The Studio and Creative Team

Animation is handled by Studio Cypic — the recently rebranded Cygames Pictures — with Tetsuya Takeuchi as director. Takeuchi is known to long-time anime fans as the person behind the legendary Rock Lee vs Gaara fight episode in Naruto, so expectations for the action choreography here are sky-high. Character design is by Keigo Sasaki (Blue Exorcist, The Seven Deadly Sins). The confirmed cast includes Tomokazu Seki as Chihiro’s father Kunishige Rokuhira and Katsuyuki Konishi as Togo Shiba.

Kagurabachi Anime World Tour Schedule

Kagurabachi Anime World Tour Part 1 banner featuring Anime Expo, Japan Expo, AnimagiC, and Anime NYC
Image courtesy of Project Kagurabachi / Shueisha

The Anime World Tour Part 1 hits four major conventions before the full series rolls out:

  • Anime Expo, Los Angeles — 3 July 2026 (world premiere, first 20 min of Ep. 1)
  • Japan Expo, Paris — 9 July 2026 (3:30–4:30 PM, Yuzu Stage)
  • AnimagiC, Mannheim — 1 August 2026 (10:30–11:00 AM, Monorheinhalle)
  • Anime NYC, New York — 22 August 2026 (Main Stage)

A Japan-exclusive tour finale is also confirmed, where the complete first episode will be screened ahead of the broadcast — the only way to watch it in full before April 2027.

Streaming on Crunchyroll — What Singapore Fans Need to Know

Crunchyroll is the confirmed global streaming home for Kagurabachi, covering worldwide territories including Singapore when the series premieres in April 2027. There’s no Singapore-specific event or early screening date announced yet — for now, catching up on the source manga on Shonen Jump is the way to go while the wait ticks down. Browse more anime news on GameTrader for everything else landing on Crunchyroll this season.

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

Kill Blue Season 2 Confirmed — Fujimaki’s De-Aged Hitman Is Back

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The Spring 2026 anime season just delivered one of its best end-credits moments: Kill Blue Season 2 is confirmed. The second season was announced at the close of the Season 1 finale, which aired on 27 June 2026 — meaning the wait for more Juzo Ogami starts right now.

Kill Blue — Juzo Ogami, 39-year-old assassin in a 13-year-old's body
Image courtesy of CUE / Kill Blue Production Committee

The Kuroko Creator Returns to Jump

Kill Blue is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, the mangaka behind Kuroko’s Basketball — a series that still sells out in Singapore’s Japanese bookstores and ran a hugely popular anime adaptation from 2012 to 2015. After Kuroko wrapped, Fujimaki took his time on a new series, and when Kill Blue debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in April 2023, it immediately stood out: darker premise, sharper comedy, and the same gift for ensemble character dynamics that made the basketball team so beloved.

The manga concluded in Jump in September 2025 across 13 collected volumes, and the anime adaptation kicked off in April 2026. It proved popular enough that a second season was greenlit before the final episode even finished airing.

Anime KILL BLUE – Main Trailer No.2 — via DMM pictures on YouTube

A Hitman in the Wrong Body

The premise is gloriously absurd. Juzo Ogami is 39 years old, a legend in the Z.O.O. assassin syndicate, and very good at his job. On a routine hit at a genetics company, he is stung by an experimental wasp that rewrites his DNA — and wakes up in the body of a 13-year-old. His mind, memories, and considerable killing instincts are all intact. His frame is not.

His handlers assign him a new mission: go undercover at a middle school, scope out whether it is safe for the syndicate boss’s daughter to enrol. Juzo intends to treat it as a quick op. What he does not count on is discovering that he genuinely likes studying — or that the school’s cast of students, teachers, and lurking threats will drag him into something far messier than a reconnaissance job.

The comedy of a cold-blooded professional navigating homeroom and PE class is played straight enough to stay funny, while the action sequences (Juzo does not stop being lethal just because he is now small) give the show real bite. The ensemble — particularly Noren Mitsuoka, whose family’s company created the wasp that de-aged him — gives Season 1 its emotional core.

Kill Blue — Juzo and Noren Mitsuoka
Image courtesy of CUE / Kill Blue Production Committee

What We Know About Season 2

The announcement was made in the end-card of Season 1’s final episode. No premiere date or episode count has been announced for Season 2, and no new visual or teaser was released alongside it — just the confirmation that the story continues.

Season 1 covered 12 episodes directed by Yasunori Ide at Studio CUE, with series composition by Hiro Kaburagi. The production team is expected to return, though this has not been formally confirmed. Given the manga is already complete at 13 volumes, Season 2 will have a full roadmap to work from.

One thing worth noting for fans of the music: the opening theme “ATTITUDE” is performed by aespa, and the ending theme “KILL SHOT” is by RIIZE. Whether the K-pop pairings carry over into Season 2 is one of the more interesting open questions.

Kill Blue — Juzo Ogami in class, textbook in one hand and gun in the other
Image courtesy of CUE / Kill Blue Production Committee

Where to Watch Kill Blue in Singapore

Season 1 is fully available now on both Crunchyroll and Netflix in Singapore, with English subtitles and a full English dub produced by Bang Zoom! Entertainment. If you have not started yet, all 12 episodes are up and a second season is already on the way — there has never been a better time to catch up. Check out our other anime coverage for more from the Spring 2026 season.

No Season 2 premiere window has been announced. Keep an eye on the official Kill Blue English site (kill-blue.us) and the official @KillBlue_en social accounts for updates.

Manga Anime

Kagurabachi Anime Coming to Crunchyroll April 2027 — Singapore Confirmed

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Crunchyroll has officially confirmed it will stream the Kagurabachi anime adaptation starting April 2027 — and Singapore is in the streaming territory. The series will be available on Crunchyroll worldwide, excluding Japan, Mainland China, North Korea, and South Korea, putting it within reach of fans here from the first episode.

Kagurabachi | Official Teaser | Crunchyroll — via Crunchyroll on YouTube

Why Kagurabachi Has Shonen Fans Excited

Based on the manga by Takeru Hokazono, serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump since 2023, Kagurabachi follows Chihiro Rokuhira — a young swordsman driven by revenge, wielding the enchanted blade Enten. The series built a devoted readership unusually quickly for a new Jump title, drawing fans in with its striking visual style and a lean, unrelenting revenge narrative that wastes no time on filler.

Chihiro Rokuhira character visual for the Kagurabachi anime
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll

The Studio and Creative Team

The adaptation is directed by Tetsuya Takeuchi, with character design by Keigo Sasaki. Animation production is handled by Crunchyroll-announced studio Cypic, whose previous credits include Umamusume: Pretty Derby — Cinderella Gray and The Summer Hikaru Died. The studio is relatively young, but those projects signal it can handle both high-energy action sequences and the quieter, more atmospheric moments Kagurabachi demands.

Kunishige Rokuhira character visual for the Kagurabachi anime
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll

Japanese Voice Cast — What Has Been Confirmed

Three members of the Japanese voice cast have been announced so far:

  • Chihiro Rokuhira — voiced by Taihi Kimura
  • Kunishige Rokuhira (Chihiro’s father, a master swordsmith) — voiced by Tomokazu Seki
  • Togo Shiba — voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi

The most recent addition is Katsuyuki Konishi as Togo Shiba, announced alongside a new character visual and dedicated character trailer. Further casting is expected to be revealed closer to the April 2027 premiere.

KAGURABACHI | Official Character Trailer: Chihiro Rokuhira — via CyberAgent ANIME Global on YouTube
Togo Shiba character visual for the Kagurabachi anime, voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll

World Tour Screenings Before the Premiere

Ahead of the April 2027 broadcast debut, a global Kagurabachi Anime World Tour of early episode screenings has been confirmed. Part 1 of the tour takes in:

  • Anime Expo (Los Angeles, July 2026)
  • Japan Expo (Paris)
  • AnimagiC (Germany)
  • Otakon (Washington D.C.)
  • Anime NYC (New York)

No stops in Singapore or Southeast Asia are confirmed for Part 1. Full tour details are at the official Kagurabachi World Tour site.

When Can Singapore Fans Watch Kagurabachi?

Kagurabachi is confirmed for Crunchyroll in Singapore when it premieres in April 2027. A precise episode schedule and simulcast details have not been announced yet. For more upcoming anime heading to the platform, check our Manga Anime coverage.