To celebrate the 5th anniversary of Umamusume: Pretty Derby, Cygames released a new collaboration visual with HoYoverse’s popular turn-based RPG Honkai: Star Rail. The Umamusume: Pretty Derby and Honkai: Star Rail collaboration visual, shown above, features Mejiro McQueen and Sparxie.
We've received a gorgeous illustration featuring #HonkaiStarRail's Sparxie and Mejiro McQueen commemorating the upcoming 5th anniversary of Umamusume: Pretty Derby's Japanese launch.
Umamusume Pretty Derby: Beginning of a New Era premiered on May 24, 2024 in Japan. Ken Yamamoto directed the anime film at Cygames, and Kiyoko Yoshimura wrote the script. Tetsuya Kobari is the scenario director, and Jun Yamazaki is the character designer and chief animation director. TOHO distributed the film in Japan.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is available now for Android, iOS, and PC via Steam. Fans can also catch up with the Umamusume: Cinderella Gray anime, which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and the It’s Anime YouTube channel in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Ireland, and Australia.
Honkai: Star Rail is available now for Android via Google Play Store, iOS via App Store, PlayStation 5, and PC via Epic Games Store. A Honkai: Star Rail and Fortnite collaboration will launch on February 26, with Kafka and Blade set to arrive as new Ouftits (compatible with LEGO styles) in the in-game shop.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Tears of the Azure Sea premieres in Japanese theaters on February 27, and Sony Pictures Entertainment and Crunchyroll are bringing the movie to theaters worldwide, excluding most Asian territories. The film has an original plot that wasn’t featured in the manga and novel series. 8-Bit is the studio behind the movie’s animation.
Cast members for the film include:
Inori Minase as Maribel (Mariabell) Rosso
Kenji Nojima as Renard (Leonard)
Eiji Takemoto as Arnaud
Hajime Iijima as Bacchus
Haruka Aikawa as Ritus
Wataru Komada as Garde
Taishi Murata as Fritz
Shōya Chiba as Saare
Mari Hino as Glenda
Masashi Yamane as Grigori
Saori Ōnishi as Yura
Koichi Domoto as Zodon
Kōji Yusa as Djeese
Hinatazaka46 members Nao Kosaka and Kaho Fujishima will voice shrine maidens and original characters Mio and Yori, respectively.
Saori Ōnishi performs the new insert song “Sōkoku (Blue Moment),” and the six-member unit ARCANA PROJECT sings the insert song “Renainō (Talent for Romance).” STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION and ASH DA HERO member ASH perform the insert song “Harmonics.” These songs, along with the theme song “Utopia” by TRUE, will go on sale February 28 in a limited first edition and regular edition release.
Fuse initially serialized the That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime light novel from 2013 to 2016. Over the years, it has garnered several video games, anime, and more adaptations, alongside several collaborations. Lastly, the That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime anime series is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Crunchyroll.
The official website for the TV anime adaptation of Kazuma Kamachi’s Toaru Anbu no ITEM (A Certain ITEM of the Dark Side), the spinoff novel series for A Certain Magical Index, confirmed the anime will premiere in 2026. The main staff of the anime was revealed alongside a new key visual, and a Toaru Anbu no ITEM stage event will be held at AnimeJapan 2026 on March 28.
A Certain Scientific Railgun anime director Tatsuyuki Nagai is directing the new anime at J.C. Staff. Chief animation director Shigeki Kimoto also returns to design Toaru Anbu no ITEM’s characters.
The cast of the Toaru Anbu no ITEM anime includes
Ami Koshimizu as Shizuri Mugino
Aya Suzaki as Rikou Takitsubou
Maaya Uchida as Frenda Seivelun
Chinatsu Akasaki as Saiai Kinuhata
The Toaru Anbu no ITEM novel series received a manga adaptation in fall 2023, and Kadokawa shipped the first compiled book volume on June 26, 2024. The Dengeki Bunko imprint will release the fourth volume on March 7.
Fans can also look forward to A Certain Scientific Railgun Season 4, which is coming soon. The cast of A Certain Scientific Railgun Season 4 includes:
Rina Satō as Mikoto Misaka
Satomi Arai as Kuroko Shirai
Aki Toyosaki as Kazari Uiharu
Kanae Itō as Ruiko Saten
Tatsuyuki Nagai will return to direct the anime series at J.C. Staff. Kiyotaka Haimura is credited with the original character designs as well.
Yen Press is releasing the original light novel series in English. Moreover, Seven Seas Entertainment releases the Motoi Fuyukawa’s manga adaptation in English.
Funimation released the anime series in North America with the exception of the OVA. All three seasons of the A Certain Scientific Railgun anime are streaming now on Crunchyroll with English and Japanese voice-overs.
A new trailer for the TV anime adaptation of Petit Depotto’s social deduction RPG Gnosia has confirmed that the anime’s three new epilogue episodes. The new epilogue episodes for the Gnosia anime will begin airing weekly on February 28.
MAISONdes performs the opening theme song “Bake no Kawa feat. Kobo Kanaeru, Kasane Teto, Giga & Teddyloid.” Umeda Cypher performs the ending theme song “Floor Killer.”
Ling Tosite Sigure performed the previous ending theme song “Loo% Who%.”
The Japanese cast includes:
Hiroki Nanami as Racio
Ikumi Hasegawa as Setsu
Chika Anzai as Yūri
Akari Kitō as SQ
Asami Seto as Jina
Saori Hayami as Stella
Aoi Yūki as Yuriko
Ayane Sakura as Comet
Yūichi Nakamura as Chipie
Kenjirō Tsuda as Jonas
Kana Hanazawa as Otome
Takeo Ōtsuka as Remnan
Takuya Eguchi as Sha-Ming
The English dub cast includes:
Anjali Kunapaneni as Yuri
Morgan Berry as Setsu
Jenny Yokobori as SQ
Joshua A Waters as Racio
Natalie Van Sistine as Jina
Aaron Dismuke as Shigemichi
Kelly Greenshield as Stella
Molly Zhang as Yuriko
Cat Protano as Comet
Kamen Casey as Chipie
Jason Douglas as Jonas
Yuuki Luna as Otome
Landon McDonald as Remnan
Ryan Negron as Sha-ming
Kazuya Ichikawa is directing the Gnosiaanime at studio Domerica. Jukki Hanada writes and oversees the series scripts. Arisa Matsuura adapts Kotori’s original character designs from the game for animation. Hideyuki Fukasawa is the music composer.
Gnosia is a social deduction game where the player character must determine who is the “Gnosia” among them in a massive space ship drifting across the cosmos. The game is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
Shu Sakuratani’s Rooster Fighter manga made its debut on Hero’s Inc.’s Comiplex back in December 2020. 10 volumes of the manga have been released in Japan as of July 4, 2025. Lastly, VIZ Media licensed the Rooster Fighter manga in English and describes the story as follows:
The neighborhood cock of the walk is more than just an ordinary rooster—he’s humanity’s greatest defender! His opponents may be ten stories tall, but nothing is bigger than his stout heart and his fearsome battle cry—cock-a-doodle-doo!
SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio have released the version 1.13 update for Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties on all platforms with fixes to progression-blocking bugs. One of the fixes from Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties update 1.13 addresses a save data issue in Chapter 9 that changes in-game time to night, blocking story progression.
Patch notes for the new update can be read below:
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Update 1.13 Patch Notes
All Platforms
Fixed an issue in Chapter 9 where loading save data in Purgatory would change the in-game time to night and block story progression.
If this issue is occurring, applying Patch 1.13 and then saving/loading in Kamurocho will allow the story to progress normally.
If you are currently in Downtown Ryukyu, please go to Kamurocho and save/load to fix the issue.
Fixed an issue in Downtown Ryukyu where triggering another event during the Okinawa Soba Delivery substory would make it impossible to progress.
Dark Ties
Fixed an issue in Chapter 2: Head to Hell’s Arena, where beating the Trial of Demise in Survival Hell for the first time would prevent further progression.
Fixed an issue where the game could crash when placing large bets at the casino roulette.
Improved text subtitles and localization issues.
Various other bug fixes improving stability and overall quality.
For Steam
Fixed an issue where repeated play of certain minigames under specific environments could cause performance drops.
Fixed Steam-specific issues and improved overall stability.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is available now for $59.99 on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. There are physical and digital editions, and early purchases include the Ichiban Legendary Lad DLC. A Digital Deluxe Edition costs $74.99 and includes several DLC packs (also sold separately).
Bandai Namco has announced that soundtracks from the Ridge Racer franchise are available now on music streaming services. This includes Apple Music and Spotify.
Last year, HAMSTER Corporation released Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. It is a port of the original 1993 Ridge Racer game with a completely redesigned user interface and new features. The game features a Time Attack Mode, multiple save slots, a new rewind feature, a quick start feature, and variable refresh rate (VRR) support, according to HAMSTER Corporation’s official website. Arcade Archives 2 Rave Racerwill also release soon.
Before playing the remastered Ridge Racer game, Nintendo fans may try out Ridge Racer 64 on the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service. The game initially released on the Nintendo 64 in 2000. The game joined the Expansion Pack service alongside The Legend of Zelda:Ocarina of Time, Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, and countless other games. Here’s a description of the original game from its box art, via Gematsu:
It’s got all the fast-paced arcade action you’ve come to expect from the Ridge Racer name. Plus extra features you’ve never seen before! Race with up to four players simultaneously on the same screen. Compete on never-before-seen tracks and witness amazing special effects. You’ve never seen a Ridge Racer like this!
Key Features
Up to four players can race simultaneously on the same screen-a first for the Ridge Racer series!
Incredible special effects, such as skid marks, smoking tires, working headlights. lens flares and more!
Choose from 25 cars and race on nine different courses, including four never-before-seen tracks!
Arc System Works has released a new “Making of” video for DAMON and BABY, which provides details about the game’s origins. A demo is available now on PC via Steam, as part of Steam Next Fest, until March 3.
The “Braving the Unexplored – The Making of DAMON and BABY” video provides information on how Arc System Works created this game out of a new experimental phase for the studio. It features the input of general director Daisuke Ishiwatari, among others. Check out the full video below:
Recently, Arc System Works announced that pre-orders for new action adventure game DAMON and BABY are now available in the PlayStation Store, Nintendo eShop, and on PC via Steam. The Standard Edition of DAMON and BABY costs $19.99, which is discounted to $17.99 while pre-orders are live. A Deluxe Edition is available for $24.99 ($22.49 with discount), featuring the game, digital artwork, and the soundtrack.
DAMON and BABY launches March 26 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam. Lastly, here’s an overview, via the official Steam page:
An unlikely pair, an unforgettable journey.
An exciting new style of action adventure fusing shooting action with exploration.
A New Take on Shooting Action and In-Depth Exploration
Experience a new type of action adventure, featuring a fusion between exploration within an expansive world and highly technical twin-stick shooting. At your home base, power up the demon king Damon and make purchases. During the exploration phase, defeat enemies to complete each area. The story progresses as you alternate between the two phases.
Strategic Battles With a Vast Arsenal of Weapons and Gimmicks
Battles include both close-ranged attacks with handguns and long-ranged attacks with machine guns and more. As you explore, players can find more powerful weapons. Each boss battle allows for a strategic approach with area gimmicks.
Customization and Outfit Changes
Damon grows throughout the adventure, learning to master various weapons and skills. Customize your skills set to match your play style. Change Damon’s appearance with a variety of outfit choices.
Journey Together With Two-Player Co-Op
Take control of Damon’s canine companion to help in combat in various ways like collecting items.
Capcom has released a new trailer for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, titled “Go Forth.” Alongside it, Capcom also released a developer walkthrough from lead gameplay designer Wakahara.
The new trailer for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection focuses more on the story. The developer walkthrough provides more information about the game’s protagonist, mechanics, and exploration, among other details. Check out both below:
Go Forth Trailer
Developer Walkthrough
Pre-orders for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflectionare now live. The Standard Edition of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection costs $69.99. Further, the Deluxe Edition and Premium Deluxe Edition copies will be available for $89.99 and $99.99, respectively. Those who pre-order the game will get the special Layered Armor for Eleanor the Skyscale Queen, which is equippable using the Change Companion Outfits option once it’s unlocked in-game.
The Deluxe Edition includes the full game and the Deluxe Kit with the Rudy’s Tale additional side story. The side story launches in fall 2026. It also features the Special Outfit Set featuring layered armor for companions, additional Rudy outfits, and hair options for the player character. Premium Deluxe Edition contents include all Deluxe Edition content and an additional special cosmetic DLC pack.
Capcom will release new amiibo for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, which launches on March 13, 2026 alongside the game for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam, and Nintendo Switch 2. A free demo for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is now available, allowing players to customize their protagonist, experience the combat mechanics, and grapple with the responsibilities of being a ranger. When the game releases on March 13, players may transfer their progress to the full game.
Once again, Razer drops another collaborative headset, this time with Sanrio and Hello Kitty. I’ve reviewed many Razer products recently, and this one is likely to be their biggest yet. There is no questioning the popularity of Hello Kitty; it’s one of the biggest media franchises in the world. With Razer already having the Kraken Kitty line of gaming headsets, this was inevitable.
This headset is not new in design, function, or capability, but it is new in colorway. Exclusive to Target, it’s quite a bit more than the standard version at $139.99, but I do not doubt that this will sell extremely well. Especially for those who stream, I expect to see many heads adorned with it.
The Iconic Design
Razer did not reinvent the wheel with this collaborative headset. This is the same exact design as the previous Hello Kitty Kraken Kitty V2. This Kraken Kitty V2 is multiple shades of salmon pink, with no other color present anywhere on the headset. My favorite detail here is the metallic texture, making it feel more premium than other variations of this same design. This is clearly designed to be a higher-tier option than the currently offered white and pink version. The Razer logos, unfortunately, remain on the ears, which seems like a missed opportunity to put Hello Kitty logos, considering the Gengar Edition put Gengar logos on the ears.
Otherwise, the build quality is premium and within expectations for Razer, with plush padding and tactile headband sliders that feel like they won’t break anytime soon. They’re somewhat large, but don’t feel heavy whatsoever. These are both solid in build quality and light in weight, which is a combination that few can pull off. These are shockingly robust and feel substantial when equipped, even with them being so light. Overall, Razer did a fantastic job with the design; they’re not too minimalist or too maximalist. A tasteful balance of cuteness and function.
Features and Functionality
The Kraken Kitty V2 comes equipped with Razer’s HyperClear cardioid microphone, which is clear and has little background noise. I wouldn’t replace my dedicated desktop microphone with it, but for talking to your friends, it works just fine. The microphone isn’t detachable, but it’s fairly flexible, so you can position it to your liking. Within this price point, it’s decent enough, and it’ll work for most use cases.
Razer’s TriForce 40mm drivers power the sound of these cans, and they’re pretty good. I wouldn’t suggest these to audiophiles, but for the average consumer or gamer, they get the job done. Luckily, there is an equalizer in the software, so you can tune it to your liking. There is no distortion when maxing out the bass, even when cranking these to their max volume. I think even leaving the headset on its default equalizer profile will do just fine, and I imagine that most people won’t feel the need to tinker with it.
The 7.1 surround sound is impressive and works great for competitive shooters, especially when listening for footsteps or gunfire. This can only be activated with Razer’s 7.1 Surround Sound software, which also requires using the activation code that the headset comes with. I find it a bit ridiculous that this feature needs an activation key to use, but it’s a one-time use. This also means that you cannot use 7.1 surround sound with anything but Windows, meaning that PlayStation and Xbox gamers won’t be able to experience it.
For the connectivity, these only have USB-A, and don’t seem to come with an adapter for USB-C in the box. The lack of a wireless option is a hard no for me, as I won’t ever be going back to being tethered to my computer. I leave my room far too often for me to consider any wired headset, as I would have to pause my game and put my Discord calls on hold. In the big 2026, this is a huge let-down, especially considering how there are many great options around this price point that are wireless. Even though they’re not themed, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 and HyperX Cloud III Wireless offer very compelling options around this price point.
A Hello Kitty Fan’s Dream
As I said in my Kraken Kitty V2 Gengar Edition review, this headset is meant to be seen by people other than yourself. Like every Razer Chroma product, the lights on the headset react to stream alerts. Because of this, the Kraken Kitty line of headsets feels purposefully tailored towards streamers with their webcam on.
At $139.99, the Hello Kitty Edition of Razer’s Kraken Kitty V2 isn’t exactly a budget option, especially with this one being wired. Especially in 2026, wireless should be the standard at this price point. I personally don’t have any connection to the brand, but for Hello Kitty and Sanrio fans, I believe that it’s a good collector’s piece and would serve as a great gift. I do feel like the metallic finish helps justify the price gap between this and the standard white version. It feels like a step above, and that matters, especially when you’re paying a premium for what is otherwise the same headset. Whether or not it’s worth the extra cash comes down to how much the Hello Kitty branding means to you.
Collaborative products like this tend to have a limited shelf life. Once they’re gone, they’re gone, and the exclusivity to Target only makes that reality more likely. Of course, that all depends on how much this collaboration sells and when this collaboration expires. For Sanrio merchandise collectors, waiting too long may mean paying more for this headset, so I’d recommend grabbing it sooner rather than later.
Final Verdict
The Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Hello Kitty Edition knows exactly who it’s for. This is a headset for Sanrio fans, streamers, and tech collectors. The audio is decent, they’re fairly comfortable, and the design is iconic.
Even with the Target exclusivity, this could be one of Razer’s most commercially successful headsets yet. Hello Kitty has a staggering global reach, and pairing that with the Kraken Kitty Line, which was already designed with kitty ears, it feels like a match made in heaven. I do not doubt that this collaborative headset will do extremely well, especially with the all-pink colorway.
Disclaimer: Razer provided the Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Hello Kitty Edition for review purposes.
