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Axel: “Was it really a good thing that we found you [Skinner]? Or would it have been better for humanity to get wiped out?”
Skinner: “You tell me, how do you see the world, young man?”
Axel: “I’d say the world’s a pretty screwed up place. But it’s still got some redeeming qualities.”
– Lazarus (Ep. 13)
The Toonami Trending Rundown is a double feature for the weeks of June 21-22 and 28-29, 2025 as Lazarus reached its dramatic finale.
For the night of June 21-22, on Twitter, #Toonami trended in the United States alongside Lazarus, Dragon Ball Daima, and Bleach TYBW. #Toonami also trended on Tumblr. For the night of June 28-29, the night of Lazarus’ finale, the trends list would be similar to the previous week, though the word “Daima” also trended in the US, and Bleach trended on Tumblr in place of Toonami.
In anticipation for the final episode, Studio MAPPA released this key visual of the Lazarus Five trying to escape the rain.
And following the release of the final episode, Studio MAPPA released another Lazarus key visual featuring the Lazarus Five advancing across a city crosswalk.
In an interview with the Toonami Faithful Podcast, Jason DeMarco revealed some interesting tidbits regarding Toonami for the first time since he left social media.
During Lazarus’ run, fans gave Jason flack over a (mistranslated) interview of Shinichiro Watanabe from Mantan Web in April 2025, where fans got this from a Google Translated version of the article: “When I asked if something like ‘Space Dandy’ would be okay [『スペース☆ダンディ』みたいなやつでいい？と聞いたら], he said, ‘No, something more serious. [ノー、もっとシリアスなやつで]’ The only thing that mattered was that the order was ‘serious,’ so we were given freedom in our production.“
In response, Jason DeMarco clarified: “And by the way, I want to use this opportunity to just say: No, he did not suggest to me to do Space Dandy Season 2. […] If he had suggested it, I would have said absolutely yes, let’s do it. That article was a mistranslation of what he said in that article. I did not prevent Space Dandy 2 from happening. If ever he were to come to me and say, ‘I want to do Space Dandy Season 2,’ I would kill myself to try to make that happen. He asked me, ‘Do you want a comedy or a drama?’ And I said, ‘A drama.’ So I’m guilty of that, but I’m not guilty of killing Space Dandy, and I refuse to take [responsibility!]“
Given that Space Dandy didn’t do so well in Japan during its original run back in 2014, it’s understandable that both Watanabe and Toonami wanted to take a different direction for what would become Lazarus. However, Space Dandy’s popularity and acclaim (outside of Toonami viewers) has improved in recent years, and Jason has said he would be open to a continuation of Space Dandy, and possibly any other future production Watanabe has in mind.
Amongst the reasons Toonami is facing difficulties with acquiring programming, Japanese distributors are increasing having more rights, and thus having more of a say, to how their shows are being marketed. Meaning for stuff Toonami produces to promote a show, such as promos, topicals, and music videos, Toonami needs to get final approval from the respective show’s producers, which of course takes additional time and money. This may also be a reason why the likes of Netflix, Hulu, and Crunchyroll don’t promote their shows as often as fans would want them to, especially given that those services are often time constrained by simulcast schedules. Which to the eyes of a fan, seems a bit counterintuitive, given that overall promotion of anime to casual and more mainstream audiences has historically been a weak point for the industry overall. Though given how other anime broadcasters and streamers have historically not been as good at promoting and presenting anime titles, it’s probably understandable that anime producers might want a bit more of a say.
Regardless, combined with the massive layoffs and overall upheaval at Warner Bros Discovery (meaning that there is less manpower to get these licensing deals done), to say nothing about the ongoing upheaval in the anime industry in general, the increasing costs to license a show, and exclusivity holds for a program (aka. Netflix jail and the like) amidst the ongoing streaming wars, and you can see why Toonami is having a tough time trying to get programming right now.
Jason also mentioned that Bleach eventually returned to Toonami thanks to persistence from the Toonami crew after being repeatedly told no. As with any show, if you do wish to see a particular show join or rejoin Toonami, we always recommend to keep watching and showing your support to the block and send your show requests to Toonami’s Facebook (as Jason DeMarco has recently closed all of his social media accounts) as well as letting the respective licensors know through their respective social media outlets. As we’ve seen time and again throughout Toonami’s history, nothing is impossible, persistence is key, and good things come to those who wait.
Next week will be the 4th of July weekend, and for anime fans in particular, Anime Expo will also take place in Los Angeles. I’ll be covering AX (as well as SDCC later in July) for Toonami Squad once again, so be sure to follow @AnimeSavior and @ToonamiSquad on Twitter and Bluesky for any news that will be coming about during the con.
Notable panels and events that will be of interest for Toonami viewers include:
- To commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Demon Slayer anime, and in anticipation for the upcoming Infinity Castle movie trilogy, Aniplex will host a Demon Slayer event on July 4th at 10:30 a.m. in the Peacock Theater “celebrating the music of the Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc performed live, plus a special performance from Natsuki Hanae the Japanese voice of Tanjiro Kamado!”
https://x.com/AnimeExpo/status/1929591414670721408
- For those who are watching Bleach via the simulcast, the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War panel will be a must attend. Viz Media plans to “showcase exclusive content, including special commentaries, plus exciting new announcements about the final part” in addition to Bleach-related games, prizes, and swag. The panel will take place on Friday, July 4 at 4:45 pm on the JW Platinum Ballroom.
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- After a nearly six-year hiatus, One-Punch Man is set to make its anime return with its long awaited third season scheduled to premiere on October 2025. The One-Punch Man panel will take place on Saturday, July 5 at 12:00 p.m. at the JW Marriott Diamond Ballroom, featuring Saitama voice actors Makoto Furukawa and Max Mittelman, Garou voice actor Greg Chun, Manga Editor Toshiaki Oshima, and producer Chinatsu Matsui. In addition to some new information regarding season 3, as part of the panel, everyone in attendance will get the chance to participate in a Guinness World Record attempt performing Saitama’s killer move, the Maji Naguri/Serious Punch.
https://x.com/opm_anime/status/1935504081562619985
- With Lazarus coming to an end, the next Toonami original series on the dock (that we know of) will be Shu Sakuratani’s Rooster Fighter. During the Viz Media panel on Saturday, Viz is teasing some “cluckin’ exciting Rooster Fighter news AND a sneak peek at episode 1.” The panel will take place on Saturday, July 5 at 12:30 pm in Room 403AB.
Rooster Fighter on X (formerly Twitter): “BAGAWK ❗🐔Join us at @AnimeExpo for a flockin’ amazing SNEAK PEEK from Ep. 1 of the upcoming Rooster Fighter anime 👀@VIZMedia @shu_sakuratani @niwatorifighte1 pic.twitter.com/14wfqMABiM / X”
BAGAWK ❗🐔Join us at @AnimeExpo for a flockin’ amazing SNEAK PEEK from Ep. 1 of the upcoming Rooster Fighter anime 👀@VIZMedia @shu_sakuratani @niwatorifighte1 pic.twitter.com/14wfqMABiM
Finally, for the 4th of July weekend on July 5, Toonami will have a My Adventures with Superman marathon of all 10 episodes of Season 2 to coincide with promotion for the upcoming theatrical release of James Gunn’s Superman (2025).
And the following week on July 12th, Toonami will marathon all 13 episodes of Lazarus starting from 11:00 p.m. EDT, this time in Japanese (with English Subtitles).
Not much else to say other than we hope you have a great 4th of July, congratulations to the Oklahoma City Thunder for winning their first NBA Championship, and see you again next time as always.
Legend: The shows listed are ordered based on their appearance on the schedule. Show trends are listed in bold. The number next to the listed trend represents the highest it trended on the list (not counting the promoted trend), judging only by the images placed in the rundown. For the Twitter tweet counts, the listed number of tweets are also sorely based on the highest number shown based on the images on the rundown.
June 21-22, 2025 Trends
United States Trends:
- #Toonami [#18]
- #Lazarus [#24]
- #DragonBallDaima [Trending with #Toonami]
- #BleachTYBW [Trending with #Toonami]
Tweet Counts:
- #Toonami [3,229 tweets]
- #Lazarus [1,605 tweets]
Tumblr Trends:
- #Toonami [#5]
June 28-29, 2025 Trends
United States Trends:
- #Toonami [#12]
- #Lazarus [#8]
- #DragonBallDaima [Trended with #Toonami]
- Daima [#21]
- #BleachTYBW [Trended with #Toonami]
Tweet Counts:
- #Toonami [3,829 tweets]
- #Lazarus [2,613 tweets]
- Daima [7,188 tweets]
Tumblr Trends:
- #bleach [#6]
If you wish to send me a tip for the work on the trending rundown, donations can be sent to PayPal.Me/DanielLimjoco.
This is what I’m talking about, people. Only Toonami on [adult swim] on Cartoon Network.
