Bleach: Brave Souls Reveals New Year Special Thousand-Year Blood War Event

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Soul Kiwami
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Bleach Brave Souls New Year Special 2026

KLab has announced Bleach: Brave Souls will be hosting a New Year Special – Thousand-Year Blood War Zenith Summons: Unity event on December 31. The Bleach: Brave Souls  event features Thousand-Year Blood War 2026 versions of Shunsui Kyoraku, Sosuke Aizen and Ikkaku Madarame as the new 5-star characters.

The New Year Special – Thousand-Year Blood War Zenith Summons: Unity event will be ongoing in Bleach: Brave Souls until January 15, 2026, at 15:59 (JST/UTC+9). The draw rate for each of the new characters is 6%. On Step 25 and 50 of the x10 Summons, players will receive a “Choose a ★5 Summons Ticket,” allowing them to pick one of the three characters they want. 

Moreover, the 10th Anniversary Finale: Free 5-Star Summons event is now live through January 1, 2026 at 15:59 (JST/UTC+9). Players will get free daily Summons once per day of the event with one guaranteed 5-star character for each pull.

What’s more, the New Year 2026 Choose a 6-Star Summons event will kick off on December 31, allowing players to summon a free guaranteed 6-star character. This event will last through January 31, 2026 at 15:59 (JST/UTC+9).

In 2026, Bleach: Brave Souls will host another collaboration with Burn The Witch. Characters from Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4 – The Calamity will also appear next year.

Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4 – The Calamity will premiere in July 2026, and it’s expected to run for at least 13 episodes, with a grand one-hour grand finale. This will be the final part of the ongoing Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War anime series. 

Bleach: Brave Souls is currently available now on Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.

Inti Creates is Preparing New Developments for Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX Series

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Soul Kiwami
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Gunvolt Chronicles Luminous Avenger iX

In 4Gamer’s annual end-of-year interviews with Japanese developers, Inti Creates president and CEO Takuya Aizu teased that the company is preparing new developments for the Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX series. These “surprising” new developments for Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX will be revealed in the second half of 2026.

“In the second half of 2026, we’re preparing to announce new developments in the Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX series, and we’re also moving forward behind the scenes on new titles that we can’t yet talk about here,” Takuya Aizu said in the 4Gamer year-end feature. “We’ll continue pushing ahead with development every day so that we can deliver some surprising announcements in 2026, so please look forward to further updates!”

Inti Creates previously released Azure Striker Gunvolt Trilogy Enhanced, a complete collection featuring Azure Striker Gunvolt 1 through 3 with all available DLC, on July 24, 2025 for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. The collection features polished gameplay and adjustments, updated and improved music, and additional content that wasn’t present in the original release. For example, previously separate items, including voice drams, will now be included in-game in Library Mode. 

An Azure Striker Gunvolt Trilogy Enhanced 10th Anniversary Complete Box was sold physically in Japan. Complete Box contents include the “Azure Striker Gunvolt Series Official Complete Works” A4-size art book, 6-CD original soundtrack album, an instrumental album CD, and B2-size tapestry with exclusive art.

Detective Conan Anime is Getting a New Two-Hour Special

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Soul Kiwami
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Detective Conan two-hour special

The Detective Conan anime staff have announced a new two-hour special to celebrate the anime’s 30th anniversary in 2026. The special, titled Detective Conan: 30-gō Satsujin Jiken (#30 Murder Case), will feature an original story written by Takeharu Sakurai (Detective Conan: One-eyed Flashback, Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet).

Fans can also look forward to the Detective Conan Episode “ZERO” Shinichi Kudō Aquarium Incident one-hour TV anime special, which premieres on January 3 at 4:30 p.m. JST / 2:30 a.m. EST. The special’s premiere is 90 minutes earlier than the TV anime’s regular 6:00 p.m. JST timeslot. Crunchyroll will stream the special as well.

Detective Conan Episode “ZERO” takes place before high schooler Shinichi Kudō became Conan Edogawa. Shinichi and Ran Mōri go to the aquarium to figure out a plan to reconcile Kogoro Mōri and Eri Kisaki, who were separated. However, a murder happens during the visit, and Shinichi works to find the culprit.

The Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway anime film will follow up in theaters on April 10, 2026 in Japan. The cast includes Miyuki Sawashiro as Chihaya Hagiwara, replacing the late Atsuko Tanaka. Hagiwara is the leader of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police’s motorcycle division.

Gōshō Aoyama’s manga made its debut in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine in 1994. Lastly, VIZ Media releases the manga in English and describes it as follows:

Ghastly beheadings, bloody murders, and coldhearted child abductions–

Precocious high school student Jimmy Kudo uses his keen powers of observation and astute intuition to solve mysteries that have left law enforcement officials baffled. Hot on the trail of a suspect, Jimmy is accosted from behind and fed a strange chemical that physically transforms him into a grade schooler! Taking on the pseudonym Conan Edogawa, he attempts to track down the people who did this to him. However, until he finds a cure for his bizarre condition, Jimmy continues to assist the police in solving their most challenging cases.

Can you crack the case before Conan does?

Pikmin 3 Deluxe Has Been Rated for Switch 2

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Soul Kiwami
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Pikmin 3 Deluxe

A Nintendo Switch 2 version of Pikmin 3 Deluxe has been rated in Europe by Pan European Game Information—commonly referred to as PEGI. Despite being rated by PEGI, it’s worth noting that Nintendo has not announced a Switch 2 version of Pikmin 3 Deluxe. 

Pikmin 3 Deluxe is available for Nintendo Switch alongside a free demo, which supports save data transfers to the full game. As an added bonus, defeating the first boss in the demo and transferring save-data to the full version of Pikmin 3 Deluxe will immediately unlock the “Ultra-Spicy” difficulty option in the game. Both the game and demo are backwards compatible on Switch 2.

Here’s an overview of the game, via the Nintendo eShop:

Grow a squad of adorable, plantlike Pikmin to traverse a strange world and save your planet

Command a capable crop of different types of Pikmin™ to strategically overcome obstacles, defeat creatures, and find food for your famished home planet! You can even bring a second player along to divvy up tasks as you explore a world that seems larger than life from a pint-sized perspective.

Pikmin at your pace

Return to your ship before time runs out, or you (and your Pikmin) could be in big trouble. If you prefer a more casual approach, a variety of difficulty settings, lock-on targeting and optional hints have been newly added. With less pressure, you have more time to strategically command your Pikmin and take in the lush scenery.

Play side-story missions, head-to-head matches and more!

This deluxe version of the Pikmin 3 game includes new side-story missions featuring Olimar and Louie, the ability to play Story mode with a friend and all DLC stages from the original release. Feeling competitive? Enjoy fierce head-to-head Bingo Battles against another player!

Three brave explorers land on planet PNF-404 on a mission to find food for their starving home planet. After a crash landing, these explorers must work with Pikmin to reunite and complete their mission.

Direct, toss and grow Pikmin with different abilities and strengths—winged Pikmin can fly, while blue Pikmin can breathe underwater. By strategically choosing the right Pikmin for the job at hand and changing between the three captains (or coordinating with a second player), you can work efficiently to collect fruit and grow your Pikmin squad.

When you aren’t busy collecting fruit and saving your planet, try out Mission mode to accomplish set requirements like defeating enemies or collecting items. You can also compare your Mission mode scores with the rest of the world via online leaderboards*. Looking for some friendly competition? In Bingo Battle you must use Pikmin to retrieve items on your bingo card before your opponent does.

With more options for cooperative play, settings that make it easy for newcomers to start their Pikmin journey, new side stories and more, these tiny Pikmin are in for their biggest adventure yet.

Granblue Fantasy is Coming to Steam on March 10, 2026

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Soul Kiwami
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During Granblue Fantasy Fes 2025, Cygames announced a Steam version of Granblue Fantasy will be released on March 10, 2026 in the west. The Steam version will not be available in certain regions, including Japan, and the game cannot be played with existing Granblue Fantasy accounts from mobile and PC browsers. 

Granblue Fantasy is available in English and Japanese via web browsers, and the iOS and Android versions are available in Japan. The upcoming release of Granblue Fantasy on Steam will be the game’s first-ever western release on PC, nearly 12 years after the game’s mobile launch on March 10, 2024.

Granblue Fantasy Fes 2025 was a special two-day event held from December 27 to December 28 (December 26 to December 27 EST) at the Tokyo Big Sight West and South Exhibition Halls in Japan. The event revealed the latest information about the Granblue Fantasy mobile game, including upcoming events, banners, and initiatives.

Fans can also look forward to more new content for Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising., which is available now for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam. Ilsa will be making her playable debut in Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising as the next DLC character some time in early 2026. Sandalphon, Galleon, Wilnas and Meg are currently available with Character Pass 2, and players who purchase the pass will receive Ilsa right when she launches. 

RuriDragon Manga is Getting an Anime Series

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Soul Kiwami
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RuriDragon anime

Kyoto Animation has announced that a TV anime adaptation of Masaoki Shindō’s RuriDragon manga series is in the works. The announcement was made with a video released to celebrate protagonist Ruri’s birthday on December 28, and more details about the RuriDragon anime will be revealed at a later date. A new illustration by Shindō was also released.

RuriDragon manga illustration
© Masaoki Shindō, Shueisha

Shindō launched the RuriDragon manga in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in June 2022, and four compiled book volumes have been released thus far in Japan, as of November 4, 2025. Originally, the manga debuted as a one-shot in Shueisha’s Shonen Jump GIGA magazine in December 2020. The manga is being serialized digitally on Shonen Jump+ in Japan, and fans can read it in English on VIZ Media and MANGA Plus. 

RuriDragon went on two one-week breaks in July 2022 due to the author’s “sudden illness” at the time, and the manga would go on an extended break shortly after. The manga also went on a short break this past May and returned on July 28, 2025.

Lastly, here’s an overview of the manga series, via MANGA Plus:

The story of a young dragon girl being lazy, doing her best…and being lazy again. A new series begins!

Oedo Fire Slayer -The Legend of Phoenix- Anime Reveals Opening Theme Song by Porno Graffitti

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Soul Kiwami
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Oedo Fire Slayer -The Legend of Phoenix- anime opening theme song

Amuse Creative Studio has released a new promotional video for the Oedo Fire Slayer -The Legend of Phoenix- anime, revealing the opening theme song “Hamidashi Gomen” by Porno Graffitti, who previously performed the theme song of My Hero Academia Final Season.

Oedo Fire Slayer -The Legend of Phoenix- will premiere on January 11 during the “Agaru Anime” programming block at 11:30 p.m. JST. The anime will be airing on CBC, TBS, and 28 other channels in Japan.

Hiroshi Yasumi directs the anime at Synergy SP alongside “head director” Hajime Kamegaki. Ryūsuke Mori is in charge of the series scripts, and Mori writes the scripts alongside Shōhei Fukuda, Yoriko Tomita, and Kōhei Nishimura. BILBA is credited for the original character designs, Takeshi Sanada is the CG director, Akiyoshi Tanaka is the sound director, and Yasuharu Takanashi is the music composer.

The anime’s cast includes:

  • Yūichirō Umehara as Gengo Matsunaga
  • Shūichirō Umeda as Shinnosuke Torigoe
  • Subaru Kimura as Torajiro
  • Nobunaga Shimazaki as Hikoya
  • Kenshō Ono as Kaji Seijuro
  • Kent Itō as Jinsuke
  • Naoya Uchida as Rokuemon Hōjō
  • Kōji Yusa as Samon Orishimo
  • Yasuaki Takumi as Renji
  • Shinpachi Tsuji as Kingorō
  • Aya Hisakawa as Akiyo
  • Shinnosuke Ogami as Moriemon Dategasaki
  • Kana Ichinose as Osuzu
  • Tetsuo Komura as Heizō Nobuo Hasegawa
  • Shinichirō Miki as Tōgorō
  • Ayaka Miyoshi as Miyuki
  • Junichi Suwabe as Kankurō Ōto
©今​村​翔​吾​／​祥​伝​社​／​ぼ​ろ​鳶​組​一​同

Shōgo Imamura released the Ushūboro Tobigumi novel series in 2017. Shodensha has published 12 volumes of the novel, as well as a spinoff short story collection, which was released in 2022.

Amuse Creative Studio describes the story as follows:

The fire extinguishing samurai who stopped the great fire was called “The fire-eating bird”. Matsunaga Gengo, once known as the “Fire-eating Bird”, was the best fire-fighting samurai in Edo.

He had resigned from the fire brigade for a reason, but suddenly received an invitation to serve in the Shinjo clan. The Shinjo clan’s fire-fighting team had neither money nor personnel and was looked down upon by those around them.

With the encouragement of his wife, Miyuki, Gengo decides to rebuild the collapsed fire-fighting clan as its chairman. Gengo and his friends, all of whom have their own peculiarities, struggle to “save any life”, despite being ridiculed as “ragged steeplejacks”(= the ‘Boro-Tobi-Gumi’). In Edo, a mysterious series of suspicious fires, known as “foxfires,” continues.

Dark Moon: The Blood Altar Anime Reveals Theme Songs by ENHYPEN

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Soul Kiwami
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Dark Moon The Blood Altar trailer

The staff of the TV anime adaptation of HYBE and ENHYPEN’s Dark Moon: The Blood Altar webtoon has released a new promotional video, revealing the opening and ending theme songs. ENHYPEN will perform the opening theme song “One In A Billion (Japanese Ver.)” and ending theme songs “CRIMINAL LOVE” and “Fatal Trouble.”

The Dark Moon: The Blood Altar anime premieres on January 9 at 12:00 a.m. JST / 10:00 a.m. EST on Tokyo MX, BS11, Gunma TV, Tochigi TV, and other channels. Crunchyroll will stream the anime in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and CIS.

The cast of the anime includes:

  • Kikunosuke Toya as Heli
  • Shugo Nakamura as Jino
  • Shunichi Toki as Shion
  • Chiaki Kobayashi as Noa
  • Hiroto Shimizu as Jaan
  • Jin Ogasawara as Solon
  • Yūto Uemura as Jukah
  • Fūka Izumi as Sooha

Shōko Shiga is directing the anime at TROYCA. Tōko Machida is handling the series scripts, Masami Inomata is designing the characters, and Naoki “naotyu-” Chiba is the music composer, and Takatoshi Hamano is the sound director.

The webtoon launched in English in January 2022 and ended in October 2023 with the 71st chapter. Yen Press licenses the series, and it describes the story as follows:

The seven most popular boys at Decelis Academy all share a secret—they’re vampires. Keeping their identities concealed and dealing with their werewolf rivals is trouble enough, but the appearance of a mysterious new student only further complicates things. The girl, Sooha, also has hidden powers, and the boys can’t help but feel an inexplicable attraction to her. As Sooha and the vampires find themselves increasingly drawn toward each other, murky pasts and intertwined futures threaten to turn their world upside down. Just what fate awaits them under the dark moon…?

Oshi no Ko Season 3 Reveals Opening Theme Song

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Soul Kiwami
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Oshi no Ko Season 3 opening theme song

The staff of Oshi no Ko Season 3 released a new promotional video, revealing the opening theme song “Test Me” by CHANMINA. A new key visual for the “Mainstay Arc” of Oshi no Ko Season 3 was also revealed.

Oshi no Ko Season 3 new key visual
©赤坂アカ×横槍メンゴ/集英社・【推しの子】製作委員会

Oshi no Ko Season 3 premieres January 14 at 11:00 p.m. JST on Tokyo MX, and Crunchyroll will stream the anime. natori performs the ending theme song “Serenade.”

Chief animation directors for the third season include Kanna Hirayama, Ayaka Muroga, Kimiaki Mizuno, Shuri, Rina Morita, Haruka Inade, and Hirono Nishiki. Kenji Sawada is the main animator.

The cast of the first two seasons, including Takeo Otsuka as Aqua, returns in Oshi no Ko Season 3. New cast members include Mamoru Miyano as Hikaru Kamiki, Hina Kino as Tsukuyomi, Yuto Takenaka as Shun Yoshizumi and Yōji Ueda as Tetsu Urushibara. 

What’s more, the virtual live Oshi no Ko event “B Komachi Live Tourー2026 -Beyond the Brilliance VirtualLive-” will be held on April 25 and 26, 2026. There will be a total of 12 performances in Aichi, Osaka, Tokyo.

The final volume of the Oshi no Ko manga series by Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari released on December 18, 2024 in Japan. All chapters are available to read right now on Manga Plus in English.

Lastly, here’s an overview of the series, via Manga Plus:

“In the world of showbiz, lies are weapons.” Goro works as an OB-GYN in the countryside, a life far removed from the entertainment industry. Meanwhile, his favorite idol, Ai Hoshino, has begun her climb to stardom. The two meet in the “worst possible way,” setting the gears of fate in motion! The amazing Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari team up to depict the world of showbiz from a completely new perspective in this shocking series!

One Punch Man Season 3 Part 2 Premieres in 2027

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Soul Kiwami
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Bandai Namco Filmworks has announced that One Punch Man Season 3 Part 2 will premiere in 2027, skipping out on the new year entirely. One Punch Man Season 3 Part 2 will pick up on episode 37, and a new trailer was released.

One Punch Man Season 3 premiered with a recap special on October 5 at 11:45 p.m. JST on the TV Tokyo, TV Hokkaido, TV Aichi, TV Osaka, TV Setouchi, and TV Kyushu channels. The anime is streaming on Hulu in the U.S.

JAM Project and BABYMETAL perform the opening theme song “Get No Satisfied!”. Saitama voice actor Makoto Furukawa performs the ending theme song “Soko ni Aru Akari (The Light, That’s There).”

J.C. STAFF animates the anime with Shinpei Nagai as director. Further, Chikashi Kubota, Shinjiro Kuroda, and Ryōsuke Shirakawa are the character designers. Tomohiro Suzuki is in charge of series composition, and Makoto Miyazaki is the music composer. 

Additional staff members include:

  • Art Director: Sakura Murakami
  • Color Designer: Mayumi Tanahashi
  • Director of Photography: Yuki Hirose
  • Editor: Masahiro Gotō
  • Sound Director: Yoshikazu Iwanami

Yūsuke Murata and ONE first launched the One Punch Man manga in 2012. VIZ Media releases the series digitally and in print in English.

The first two seasons of the One Punch Man anime series are streaming on Hulu, Crunchyroll and Netflix. Lastly, here’s an overview of the anime, via Crunchyroll: 

Saitama started out being a hero just for fun. After three years of “special” training, he became so powerful that he can defeat opponents with a single punch. Now, alongside Genos, his faithful cyborg disciple, Saitama is ready to begin his official duties as a professional hero working with the Hero Association.

However, the frequency of monster appearances is surging and it increasingly appears as if the Great Seer Madame Shibabawa’s prediction about the Earth’s doom is coming true. In the midst of this crisis, the “hero hunter” Garou makes his own appearance.

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