An announcement inShogakukan’s Weekly Shōnen Sundayrevealed thatCase Closedauthor Gōshō Aoyama’sLegend of Samurai Yaiba(stylized as “Y∀IBA”)manga is getting a new anime adaptation courtesy of WIT Studio, the studio behind the first three seasons of the anime adaptation of Hajime Isayama’sAttack on Titanwith the director ofMob Psycho 100 III.Yaibajoins a long and illustrious list of classic anime getting remakes, and Aoyama-sensei will be supervising the production of the upcoming adaptation.
A release date has not been revealed as yet, but a teaser visual and trailer have been released, giving viewers their first taste of what the upcoming series has to offer, boasting some very crisp, eye-catching visuals.
What Is Yaiba About?
Plot, Background and What We Know About The Anime Production at WIT Studio
The originalYaibamanga by Gōshō Aoyama was serialized in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shōnen Sunday, running from September 1988 to December 1993, culminating in 24 volumes. It won the 38th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category in 1993, and had 17 million copies in circulation as of May 2024. Shogakukan re-released the 24 volumes of theYaibamanga from July 2004 to April 2005. The story follows a boy named Yaiba Kurogane, who lives with his father in the forest and knows nothing butthe life of a samurai. A series of events seeYaibaand his father, Kenjurō, transported into the city, where he encounters his rival, high school swordsman Takeshi Onimaru, and also learns that he is a legendary warrior. Takeshi possesses a legendary demon sword that’ll make him a tough opponent for the samurai-in-training.
The originalYaibaanime, titledKenyū Densetsu Yaiba(The Legend of Swordmaster Yaibain English) was produced by Studio Pastel(Initial D Second Stage), running for 52 episodes from April 1993 to April 1994, and directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, with Norihiko Sato serving as chief director. The upcoming adaptation by WIT Studio is titledShin Samurai-den Yaiba,produced by Maiko Okada. Takahiro Hasui will serve as director, with scripts by Tōko Machida (series composition,Amnesia), character designs by Yoshimichi Kameda (character designer,Mob Psycho 100), music by Yutaka Yamada and Yoshiaki Dewa, with background art by Bamboo (backgrounds,Bakemonogatari). The cast announced so far includes original series voice actor Minami Takayama reprising her role as Yaiba Kurogane, Manaka Iwami (Tōru Honda,Fruits Basket 2019) as Sayaka Mine and Yoshimasa Hosoya (Reiner Braun,Attack on Titan) as Takeshi Onimaru.
What’s The Significance of This Adaptation?
Another Classic Revival In An Era of Anime Reboots
This upcoming adaptation is the first in 30 years for the series, putting incredible company in this reboot era of anime. It stands alongside titles like Rumiko Takahashi’sUrusei Yatsurareleased in 2022, produced by David Production (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure), andRanma 1/2,produced by MAPPA (JUJUTSU KAISEN); which is set to be released in October. Buronson’sFist of the North Star, which was announced late last year and commemorates 40 years;Yasuhiro Nightow’sTrigun, returning after 25 yearsand serving as a triumph in 3D animation courtesy of Studio Orange and Riyoko Ikeda’s groundbreaking shojo manga,The Rose of Versailles, is getting a new anime in 2025 courtesy of MAPPA, over 40 years since the end of the original anime. The visuals of the upcomingYaibalook crisp and unique, giving the series immense character which oozes from the teaser visual, character designs and the trailer. No release date has been announced yet.
