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From the finale of Attack on Titan to exciting new series to watch out for
2021 was certainly an interesting year, not the least of which when it comes to the world of anime. From much-anticipated releases like My Hero Academia Season Five, Megalobox: Nomad, and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean to offbeat new favorites like Oddtaxi, Pui Pui Molcar, and Ranking of Kings, not to mention high-profile feature films like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train and Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time, last year boasted an impressive selection of anime to watch. The good news: 2022 looks to offer just as many if not more in the way of exciting new series.
From Mob Psycho 100 Season Three, Vinland Saga Season Two, Chainsaw Man, Uzumaki, Bleach Thousand Year Blood War and more, there’s a veritable embarrassment of riches for long-time anime fans and first-time viewers to choose from this year. You don’t have wait until later in the year to get excited though, as the Winter season is bursting with its own assortment of new and returning anime to enjoy.
Here’s our list of the 10 most exciting anime you should keep an eye on this season.
Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
The fourth season of Attack on Titan finally brings the popular dark fantasy epic to its long-awaited climax. With Eren Jaeger’s followers having taken control of the Walled City and the Marleyan military within striking distance, Eren will have to use all of his Titan powers to face off with Reiner Braun to decide the fate of all humanity. Jun Shishido and Yūichirō Hayashi return as co-directors for the second half of the final season, along with Hiroshi Seko as lead writer adapting Hajime Isayama’s original manga.
Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 premieres on Jan. 9 and will stream on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Season 2)
Season 2 of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba found a last minute spot on our Best of 2021 list, despite its first seven episodes being a re-edited version of the events depicted in feature-length Mugen Train movie. The second arc of season 2, Entertainment District, is finally hitting its stride with Tanjiro and co. facing off against the malevolent upper ranked demon Daki. With a consistent string of solid episodes, interesting new characters, and beautiful animation, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba season 2 is already one of the must-watch anime of the Winter 2022 season.
Season 2 of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt
If you were a fan of 2021’s How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, good news: the second half of the series premieres on Jan. 9! If you happen to be looking for a new fantasy anime this season with a similarly irreverent vibe, The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (what a mouthful) is sure to be up your alley. The series follows Wein, the so-called “Genius” prince in question who seeks to abandon his responsibilities as a ruler by auctioning off his country so he can retire. His plans, however, don’t pan out the way he wanted them to, resulting in a slew of mishaps, accidental victories, and perhaps most surprising of all – a newfound popularity among his people.
The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt premieres on January 11 and will stream on Funimation.
Miss Kuroitsu from the Monster Development Department
Remember Finster, the wizened leprechaun craftsmen who created the many monsters and weapons used by the villainous Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd in 1993’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers? No? Well I do, and I think that sounds like a fantastic premise for a comedic anime! Miss Kuroitsu from the Monster Development Department follows the work-life of Touka Kuroitsu, an employee for a company that secretly manufactures creatures for an evil organization bent on taking over the world. What’s more nefarious than world domination? Ineffectual bureaucracy and pointless office politics, of course!
Miss Kuroitsu from the Monster Development Department premieres on January 9 and will stream on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
The Orbital Children
The first original production from acclaimed animator-director Mitsuo Iso (Den-noh Coil, Neon Genesis Evangelion) in over 15 years follows a group of kids in the year 2045 who are stranded on a newly opened commercial space station in the wake of a catastrophic accident. With no hope of rescue from their parents, the children must use their wits and technology to avert a crisis which threatens their lives, but the collective fate of humanity itself. Conceived as a two-part film series, The Orbital Children will be released on Netflix as a six-episode miniseries, with the first three set to premiere on Jan. 28.
The Orbital Children premieres on Jan. 28 and will stream on Netflix.
Ranking of Kings part 2
Ranking of Kings quickly became one of the must-see anime of 2021 when it premiered last year, and the trailer for the second half of the season looks about as impressive as the first. Picking up immediately following the conclusion of his training with Desper, part 2 of Ranking of Kings finds Bojii and his companion Kage en-route back to rescue his step-brother Daida from the clutches of the nefarious underworld knight Ouken. With the ongoing mystery behind Miranjo and the late King Bosse’s machinations and Queen Jiling’s attempted coup, tensions are escalating to a fever-pitch in the kingdom of Bosse!
Ranking of Kings returned on Jan. 6 and streams on Funimation and Crunchyroll.
Sabikui Bisco
Set in a post-apocalyptic far future where a mysterious blight known as “rust” has transformed Japan into a barren desert, Sabikui Bisco follows Bisco Akahoshi, a notorious criminal known as the “Mushroom Protector” who wanders the remnants of civilization in search of the fabled “Sabikui,” a mushroom said to devour any and all forms of rust. The trailer certainly looks about as wild as the series’ outlandish premise, with villainous henchmen clad in pink rabbit masks firing missiles that explode into mushrooms while Bisco and his partner Milo ride a giant pincer crab into battle.
Sabikui Bisco premieres on Jan. 10 and will stream on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man
Based on the light novel series of the same name, She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man is an isekai fantasy drama centered on Sakimori Kagami, a 27-year-old gamer who awakes to find himself transported into the world of his favorite game as a little girl. With no clue as to how he got there and no other recourse, Sakimori adopts the name of “Mira,” posing as the apprentice of a powerful sorcerer named Dunbalf who disappeared 30 years ago. In order to find a way home, Mira will have to solve the mystery of how Dunbalf’s disappearance and their own mysterious arrival in this new world are linked.
She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man premieres on Jan. 11 and will stream on Funimation.
Tokyo 24th Ward
Directed by Naokatsu Tsuda, known for his work as a director on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Tokyo 24th Ward is an original anime series set on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay. The series follows the story of Shuta, Ran, and Koki; three childhood friends from different backgrounds whose lives are irrevocably changed by the loss of a dear friend. At a memorial service one year later, the three receive a message from their supposedly dead friend, urging them to make a decision that will shape the future of the 24th Ward and all who live there.
Tokyo 24th Ward premieres on January 5 and will stream on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Tribe Nine
Tribe Nine, the anime based in a media franchise created by Kazutaka Kodaka (Danganronpa, Akudama Drive), follows a group of gangs who vie for supremacy and survival in the futuristic metropolis of “Neo Tokyo Country.” How do these cutthroat youth settle their disputes? Through the elaborate fictional deathsport known as Extreme Baseball (XB), of course! The anime certainly looks like a series from the creators of Danganronpa with Rui Komatsuzaki contributing character designs, and the premise itself sounds characteristically off-the-wall and intriguing. Akudama Drive was a hit back in 2020, and if Tribe Nine is anything similar, audiences are sure to be in for a wild time.
Tribe Nine premieres on January 10 and will stream on Funimation.
