Anime Week brings you a roundup of the week's anime news. From September 21st to 27th, news of the worldwide release of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Castle Arc Chapter 1 - Akaza Returns" breaking the box office record for the highest grossing Japanese film of all time, and the end of "Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt" after 13 years of serialization, were hot topics.
On the 21st, it was announced that the latest work by Hikawa Hekiru, known for "Pani Poni" and other works, "Kaori-san Wants to Fight Even After Reincarnation," will be made into a TV anime in 2026.
On the 22nd, it was announced that the TV anime "Though I Am an Inept Villainess," based on the popular light novel by Nakamura Souki, will be broadcast in 2026. The main cast was also announced, with Manaka Iwami playing Huang Linglin and Kawaida Natsumi playing Zhu Huiyue.
On the 22nd, it was announced that the TV anime "Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games -sama wa Kakutou Game Nante Shinai," based on the manga by Eri Ejima currently serialized in "Monthly Comic Flapper" (KADOKAWA), will be postponed to 2026. The series was originally scheduled to air in 2025, but it was announced that "after coordinating schedules with all parties involved, we have decided to change the broadcast start date."
On the 22nd, it was announced that the anime film " Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc," a sequel to the TV anime "Chainsaw Man Man" based on Tatsuki Fujimoto 's popular manga, had grossed over 1.25 billion yen in the three days since its release on September 19th. The film recorded an audience of approximately 807,000 people, taking first place in the film attendance rankings for September 19-21 (according to the Box Office Information Company). Until last week, " Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Yaiba the Movie : Infinity Castle Arc Chapter 1: Akaza Returns" had held the top spot for nine consecutive weeks, but "Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc" has now taken the top spot.
On the 23rd, it was revealed that Toei Animation will be producing a completely new movie based on the original anime "Girls Band Cry." In an interview, Toei Animation producer Masashi Hirayama, who worked on the film, said about the new movie, "We want to try new things."
It was revealed on September 23rd that the popular game "DEATH STRANDING" by game creator Hideo Kojima will be adapted into an anime. A Hollywood co-production anime film project, "DEATH STRANDING MOSQUITO," has begun.
On the 24th, it was announced that the new Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Castle Arc Chapter 1: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Returns, based on the popular manga by Koyoharu Gotouge Gotouge, had attracted a total of 67,022,040 viewers worldwide, including Japan, and grossed 82,359,488,100 yen (calculated at 145 yen to the dollar). It set a new box office record for a Japanese film released worldwide. In the US, where it was released on the 12th, it became the first Japanese animated film to top the box office for two consecutive weeks, grossing over $100 million and drawing a cumulative audience of over 8.91 million.
On the 25th, it was announced that the third and final season of the fourth season of the TV anime "Dr. Stone," based on the manga serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha), "Dr. Stone Science Future," will be broadcast in 2026.
On the 25th, it was announced that the fifth season of the TV anime " The Rising of the Shield Hero, " based on a popular light novel on the novel submission site " Shosetsuka ni Naro, " will be produced.
Issue 20 of the manga magazine Big Comic Superior (Shogakukan), released on the 26th, featured the final chapter of Yasuo Ohtagaki's manga Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, bringing the series to a close after 13 years of serialization. The issue was titled a "Completion Memorial Issue" and featured Thunderbolt Gundam on the cover, with the final chapter, "Deployment! Thunderbolt Gundam," running across 24 pages in full color.
On the 26th, it was announced that the second season of the TV anime " Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, " based on the manga currently being serialized in "Weekly Shonen Sunday" (Shogakukan), will be broadcast on Nippon Television's anime slot "FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT (Furaani)" every Friday at 11:00 PM starting from January 16, 2026.
On the 27th, it was revealed that the second season of the new TV anime "Shin Samurai Den YAIBA," based on the manga "YAIBA" by Gosho Aoyama , who is known for " Detective Conan " and other works, entitled "Kaguya Arc," will be produced.
On the 27th, MegaHobby EXPO 2025, a figure exhibition hosted by MegaHouse, was held at AKIBA_SQUARE in Akihabara UDX (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo). New figures from series such as "ONE PIECE," "Gundam," and " Future GPX Cyber Formula" were all on display.
