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This past week, the 2024 edition of San Diego Comic-Con took place. As one of the world’s premier comic book and pop culture conventions, no less than 130,000 attendees converged into the San Diego Convention Center and surrounding areas around Downtown San Diego, to get some swag and buy some exclusives, attend the panels of their favorite topics, meet their favorite creators and celebrities, and more.
Toonami fans got to enjoy several announcements during the convention, as we got a brand-new show announcement in Rooster Fighter by Shū Sakuratani. We also got some new announcements and information, including premiere dates, of several upcoming Toonami original productions and acquisitions, including Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village arc joining the lineup on August 10, Rick and Morty: The Anime on August 17, Uzumaki on September 28, and Lazarus in 2025.
Here’s a quick roundup of some of the news that came from Downtown San Diego this past week.
Perhaps what caused the biggest buzz on social media in regards to Toonami related content at SDCC may well be the announcement of a new original production about…cockfighting? Yes, at the Viz Media Panel on Thursday night, it was announced that Rooster Fighter a web manga written and illustrated by Shū Sakuratani, serialized on Hero’s Inc.’s Comiplex manga website since December 2020 and distributed stateside by VIZ Media, will be adapted into an anime series.
The series will be airing on Toonami upon its release, though VIZ is also presently working on having the series available on other streaming platforms. A release date is to be announced.
Rooster Fighter creator Shū Sakuratani posted on Twitter his excitement that his manga is getting an anime adaptation, saying: ““Rooster Fighter” will be made into an anime!!!!!!!!! Finally, I can let you know this great news!!!!!! My long-cherished dream has come true. It’s all thanks to everyone who supported me. Thank you so much.”
桜谷シュウ 『ニワトリ・ファイター Rooster Fighter』第8巻 発売中！ on X (formerly Twitter): “”Rooster Fighter” will be made into an anime!!!!!!!!!Finally, I can let you know this great news!!!!!!My long-cherished dream has come true.It’s all thanks to everyone who supported me.Thank you so much.😊🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/MIqFqCiSun / X”
“Rooster Fighter” will be made into an anime!!!!!!!!!Finally, I can let you know this great news!!!!!!My long-cherished dream has come true.It’s all thanks to everyone who supported me.Thank you so much.😊🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/MIqFqCiSun
“Thank you so much for all your comments and likes for the anime adaptation announcement. You really made my day. I wish I could reply to every one of you but it seems difficult, so I would like to express my gratitude with this post. Rooster Fighter will be made into an anime because of your continuous support. The best staff are producing the best anime right now. Please look forward to it!!”
桜谷シュウ 『ニワトリ・ファイター Rooster Fighter』第8巻 8月5日発売！！ on X (formerly Twitter): “Thank you so much for all your comments and likes for the anime adaptation announcement. You really made my day.I wish I could reply to every one of you but it seems difficult, so I would like to express my gratitude with this post. Rooster Fighter will be made into an anime… / X”
Thank you so much for all your comments and likes for the anime adaptation announcement. You really made my day.I wish I could reply to every one of you but it seems difficult, so I would like to express my gratitude with this post. Rooster Fighter will be made into an anime…
According to Toonami creator Jason DeMarco, “When Christy Karacas sent me this manga and said “you HAVE to make this into a TV show” I knew immediately upon reading it that he was right. I reached out to Viz the very next day. Always listen to Christy!”
NUNEKIN KAMUI DEMARCO on X (formerly Twitter): “When Christy Karacas sent me this manga and said “you HAVE to make this into a TV show” I knew immediately upon reading it that he was right. I reached out to Viz the very next day. Always listen to Christy! / X”
When Christy Karacas sent me this manga and said “you HAVE to make this into a TV show” I knew immediately upon reading it that he was right. I reached out to Viz the very next day. Always listen to Christy!
In the weeks prior to Comic-Con, Adult Swim announced that the English dubbed version of Rick and Morty: The Anime will premiere on Thursday August 15 @ midnight, while the Japanese (with English subtitles) version will air on Toonami on Saturday, August 17 @ midnight.
With that announcement, Adult Swim would put out all the stops in promoting this upcoming Rick and Morty side story, although given the show’s multi-universe nature, one can’t necessarily say that this is a side story in the traditional sense as even the panelists have pointed out. On Friday afternoon, Adult Swim hosted a panel at Comic-Con, featuring Toonami creator Jason DeMarco alongside show producers Joseph Chou, Takashi Sano, and Takanari Kanada.
Adult Swim also revealed the cast of Rick and Morty: The Anime. Of note that while the cast of the original Japanese dub of Rick and Morty will be reprising their roles, the English dub on the other hand will see a completely new cast and crew, with the dub being recorded by Sentai Filmworks. The Japanese and English cast members respectively are:
- Rick: Youhei Tadano / Joe Daniels
- Morty: Keisuke Chiba / Gabriel Regojo
- Summer: Akiha Matsui / Donna Bella Litton
- Jerry: Manabu Muraji / Joe Daniels
- Beth: by Takako Fuji / Patricia Duran
The panel showcased some exclusive never-before-seen footage of the upcoming anime, but they saved the first episode premiere for the “Night of Premieres” event later that night on the Adult Swim Pirate Party on the Green. This came alongside world premieres of other Adult Swim original productions including Common Side Effects, Women Wearing Shoulder Pads, Invincible Fight Girl, as well as Previews of Rooster Fighter and Uzumaki.
Comic-Con would also be the first stop of the Rickmobile and Mortymobile “Anime-rican” tour, a nine-city tour where fans can see advanced screenings of the first episode of Rick and Morty: The Anime before its August 15 premiere, get a photo-op of the Rickmobile and score some exclusive merch. Check out www.adultswim.com/rickmobile for a showcase near you.
Towards the end of the Rick and Morty panel, Jason had a couple of Toonami announcements. Alongside confirming that Toonami will be airing Rooster Fighter, we finally have a release date for Junji Ito’s Uzumaki after several years of delays: September 28, 2024 at 12:30 a.m. EDT/PDT, following premiere episodes of Rick and Morty: The Anime. Back during Anime Expo 2024, the Uzumaki cast was revealed by Production I.G, with Abby Trott as Kirie Goshima and Robbie Daymond as Shuichi Saito.
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The panelists also showcased some new exclusive footage of Lazarus, the newest anime production by Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Space Dandy fame. Unfortunately, SDCC regulations forbid attendees from livestreaming or recording panels, and the preview wasn’t shown on the Green, so fans who weren’t in the room during the Rick and Morty Panel will have to wait till a later date to see said footage. They did however announce that the series is scheduled to premiere sometime in 2025.
With the season 2 finale of My Adventures with Superman on Toonami airing back on July 20, the cast and crew are already hard at work at producing the show’s third season.
Due to the writers and actors strike last year, none of the cast and crew attended last year’s panel. But this year, the panel was headlined by Executive producers Jake Wyatt, Josie Campbell, and Brendan Clogher and voice cast members Jack Quaid (Clark), Alice Lee (Lois), Ishmel Sahid (Jimmy), and Kiana Madeira (Kara). The panelists discussed their favorite moments from season 2 as well as their anticipations and announcements for Season 3.
jake_wyatt.fdx on X (formerly Twitter): “Just wanna say thanks to everyone who’s supported the show, and those who came to see us this weekend. It was amazing to hear y’all cheer the artists, writers, and actors who bring Superman’s adventures to life. We’re SO lucky to have such a generous, enthusiastic audience <3 pic.twitter.com/Hhy7X5GHoZ / X"
Just wanna say thanks to everyone who’s supported the show, and those who came to see us this weekend. It was amazing to hear y’all cheer the artists, writers, and actors who bring Superman’s adventures to life. We’re SO lucky to have such a generous, enthusiastic audience <3 pic.twitter.com/Hhy7X5GHoZ
No word yet on regards to a potential release date, though during the panel, the actors have mentioned that they have recorded their lines for the first episode, while Jake Wyatt is presently working on the script for Episode 9. In regards to some of the big announcements from the panel, the panelists revealed that a new character, Super Boy will be making his debut in the upcoming season; in addition to new villains as well as returning villains with new looks (including bald Lex Luthor). Also, our protagonists in cute civilian outfits.
Finally, during the Demon Slayer panel on Saturday night, Aniplex announced that Demon Slayer’s third season, the Swordsmith Village arc, will begin airing on Toonami this August 10.
Toonami has just completed rerunning the Entertainment District arc on July 20 (after its original run ended on March 24), and will host a marathon of the Mugen Train Arc the week after SDCC on the night of August 3rd.
The day after Comic-Con, Toonami revealed the schedules for August 10 and 17, 2024. The first episode of Swordsmith Village will be an hour long, so Demon Slayer will kick off the block on August 10 from midnight to 1:00 a.m. During successive nights starting from August 17 through September 21, Demon Slayer will air weekly at 12:30 a.m, with Rick and Morty: The Anime kicking off the lineup at midnight.
In addition, My Hero Academia will return to the lineup for reruns at 3:00 a.m. We’re still waiting on when Season 7, which is presently premiering in Japan and on Crunchyroll, will also be premiering on the block, but its return to the lineup could signify a good sign.
Meanwhile, Crunchyroll hosted two different concert series at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park which were free to attend for Comic-Con badgeholders. On Friday night, famed J-Pop and anime artist LiSA performed some of her hit songs, including Gurenge (the first opening of Demon Slayer), Homura (the theme of Demon Slayer: Mugen Train arc), and Crossing Field (the first opening of Sword Art Online). While on Saturday night, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra performed some pieces for the One Piece 25th Anniversary: Symphonic Voyage.
Crunchyroll on X (formerly Twitter): “A memorable night at the Crunchyroll Concert Series at The Rady Shell at San Diego Comic Con 🤝 #SDCC2024 #SDCC pic.twitter.com/pxIevDd9VD / X”
A memorable night at the Crunchyroll Concert Series at The Rady Shell at San Diego Comic Con 🤝 #SDCC2024 #SDCC pic.twitter.com/pxIevDd9VD
We’ll have a more in-depth review of SDCC 2024, including a pair of interviews we made at Comic-Con in the weeks ahead. This includes one with Jason DeMarco and the Rick and Morty producers, along with one with Deneen Melody and Kimberly Woods, known best as the voices of Ronye and Tiese in Sword Art Online.
What were your favorite news and announcements from this year’s San Diego Comic-Con? Sound off in the comments below or on our social media outlets.
