This year wasn’t something anyone predicted to be. With the ongoing pandemic and lockdowns, many studios faced delays and breaks in production. Anime studios aren’t mammoth companies like those of Disney and DreamWorks in the US. Already understaffed, cramped studios, thin profit margins, and overworked, any Anime production studio is a midsize business at best. And the commencement of the pandemic and work from home orders only made it worse as the studios faced multiple problems, including bandwidth and cancellation of voice dubbing sessions.
All these issues led to many production houses delaying their Anime by months. A few of them include One Piece, Pokémon, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Black Clover, Haikyuu!!: To the Top and Attack on Titan. But, as the situation became better and there were fewer restrictions, the studios adapted to the new nature of work and resumed to put out their Anime for us to watch. Now that the end of the year is near, many of the production houses have announced the Anime that will be airing in 2021, and here are a few we think you should definitely check out:
The Promised Neverland (Season 2)
Studio: Cloverworks
Release Date: January 7, 2021
Airing on: Funimation, Hulu, Netflix
Promised Neverland follows the story surrounding Grace Field, an orphanage where all the kids were looked after by their “Mama” Isabella. The kids are free to do what they want as long as they don’t venture far away from the orphanage. Every few months, one of the kids is adopted and taken away and is never heard of again. Things take a different turn when the three oldest kids realize what really had been happening in Grace Field. Determined to save everyone, the three plan out a way to get across the walls. By the end of season 1, they succeed in their mission and are finally in the world outside.
Doctor Stone: Stone Wars (Season 2)
Studio: TMS Entertainment
Release Date: January 14, 2021
Airing on: Crunchyroll, Funimation
Just when high schooler, Taiju is about to confess his feeling to Yuzuriha, a blinding green light strikes the earth, which petrifies all of humanity and turned them into stones. Some millennia later, Taiju wakes up to find that their world has turned to that of the Stone Age. Soon after, he finds his science-loving friend Ishigami Senku who has been active for a few months now, working on finding a cure and reviving the old world back. During their attempt to rebuild the world using Taiju’s brawns and Senku’s brains, they are stuck in a situation where they revived another human, Tsukasa. This new companion, Tsukasa believes that the old world was corrupt and opposes Senku. Season 2 will focus on this war between Science and Power to see whose ideals will shape the new world.
Read: Chivalry of a Failed Knight Anime Will Get Season 2, New Specials
Beastars (Season 2)
Studio: Orange
Release Date: January 5, 2021
Airing on: Netflix
In a civilized society full of anthropomorphic animals, there is ever-existing tension between the Herbivores and Carnivores, which elevates due to the predation of one Alpaca from Drama Club, Tem. Legoshi, a quite grey wolf who was a friend of Tem, falls in love with a dwarf Rabbit, Haru. Haru is the secret girlfriend of the Drama club leader- a red deer, Louis. Conflicted by his predatory nature and love for Haru, Legoshi is put to another test when Haru is kidnapped by the Lion Mafia Shishigumi. He saves Haru when Louis comes and puts a bullet into Shishigumi’s boss’s head. This season will follow more on Legoshi and Haru’s dynamic and what fate fell upon Louis.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2
Studio: 8bit
Release Date: January 12, 2021
Airing on: Crunchyroll, Funimation
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime follows the story of a typical worker, Satori Mikami, who is killed after being stabbed. When he gains back consciousness, he has been reincarnated as a slime in a cave. He now has the power to swallow something and mimicking it. In the cave, he befriends a dragon Veldora who bestows him the name, Rimuru Tempest.
Embarking on a new journey, Rimuru starts getting accustomed to his new body, the ripples of which gradually start altering his fate.
My Hero Academia (Season 5)
Studio: Bones
Release Date: March 27, 2021
Airing on: Funimation, Crunchyroll, Hulu
My Hero Academia is the story of Izuku Midoriya “Deku,” who is born without a quirk. Being a lifelong fan of Number One Hero, All Might, Izuku still wants to become a hero. During an attack by a villain, Deku finally gets to meet All Might, who, impressed by his bravery, transfers his power to him. He does this because, in his previous battle against a villain, “One for All,” he is injured and will soon lose all his powers. Over time, this battle again takes place, and All Might loses his power. Being the next heir of All for One, Izuku works on developing himself. Now, in season 5, he continues on his journey as we are about to see a training fight between Class 1A and 1B as suggested from the trailer.
Bleach (Season 17)
Studio: TBA
Released Date: TBA, 2021
Airing on: TBA
Ichigo Kurosaki is a normal high schooler until one day; he comes back from school to find out that his family is being attacked by a Hollow, a monstrous soul-eating spirit. It is then that he meets a soul reaper, Rukia Kuchiki, who fights the Hollow but gets injured and thus transfers her powers to Ichigo. Now given the daunting task of hunting down hollows, we follow Ichigo on his journey alongside his friends.
The Anime aired 16 seasons from 2004 to 2012 only to stop before its final season. Now, it has been announced that the Bleach Anime is confirmed to return in 2021 and will begin the 17th Season – Thousand-Year Blood War arc for its 20th anniversary. Having previously produced by Studio Pierrot, there is no official announcement as to which studio will be working on its production.
Fruits Basket (Season 3)
Studio: TMS Entertainment
Release Date: TBA, 2021
Airing on: Funimation, Crunchyroll
The remake of the 2001 Anime, Fruits Basket is the story of 16-year-old Honda Tooru, who loses her mother to an accident and, due to some circumstances, starts living with the mysterious Souma family. Soon after, she finds out about a curse that certain members of the Souma family are inflicted by. The curse turns them into a zodiac animal when hugged by a person of the opposite sex. All of these members are always to follow the family head, Akito. The story continues as Tooru meets other zodiac members and helps them deal with their inner conflicts. Now, heading into the third and final season, we will see the different relationships develop, along with which we are eager to find out if there is a way to cure this age-old curse.
Also Read: Attack on Titan Season 4 Episode 4 Preview, Episode 3 Recap
Uzumaki
Studio: Toonami, Production I.G.
Release Date: TBA, 2021
Airing on: Crunchyroll, Toonami
Written by Junji Ito, Uzumaki follows the story of Kirie Goshima, a girl living in the town of Kurouzu-cho. One day while going to meet her boyfriend, Shuuichi Saito, she sees his father staring at a snail. Finding it strange, he tells this to Shuuichi, who then mentions that his father has been acting peculiar for quite some time. Soon after, Shuuichi wants to leave the town with Kirie as the town was infected with Spirals, a condition in which people were going insane over spiral shapes, be it hair, insects, skin, etc.
The Rising of the Shield Hero (Season 2)
Studio: Kinema Citrus, DR Movie
Release Date: TBA, 2021
Airing on: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu, Netflix
Summoned to a parallel world, Naofumi Iwatani was an easygoing Japanese Man who has now been bestowed the role of a legendary hero alongside three others to fight off interdimensional monsters called waves. Having procured the shield, Naofumi goes through various troubles in his journey while also gaining trusted party members. Going into season 2, we find out that all four of the heroes were to be summoned at different locations. But interference from the King leads them all to be summoned to a single place. Therefore, Naofumi sets off on his journey anew alongside Raphtalia, Filo, and new member Lecia.
The Seven Deadly Sins: Dragon’s Judgement (Season 4)
Studio: Studio Deen
Release Date: January 6, 2021
Airing on: Netflix
Meliodas has been working on stopping his and Elizabeth’s cyclic curse. He knew about this curse from the start, but it was revealed to the audience in Season 3. And now it appears, it may finally happen. After defeating the 10 commandments, the sins are tasked to get stronger to stop them altogether. But during this, the sins come to know much more about each other and their past and how certain events came into the fold due to their previous actions. At the end of season 3, we are left at a cliffhanger, where Estarossa loses control due to consuming three commandments and declares his love for Elizabeth. It is also expected that the Holy War will continue in the upcoming season.