Anime Expo 2025: Revelations
Anime Expo 2025 in Los Angeles was a key event for anime fans, with announcements that promise a future full of great productions. Among these, four series stand out, promising impactful stories and high audiovisual quality: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners II, Sugar Sugar Rune, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run, and GATE 2: Tides of Conflict.
In this article, we review the planned dates, creative teams, and essential synopses so you don't miss any details of these highly anticipated releases.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners II
Revenge and Redemption in Night City
One of the biggest bombshells at Anime Expo 2025 was the confirmation of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners II, an independent series that returns to the futuristic and dystopian universe of Night City.
Produced by Studio TRIGGER, the second season features a revamped creative team with Kai Ikarashi as director, Masahiko Otsuka on musical composition, and Ichigo Kanno on character design.
This new installment, consisting of ten episodes, will focus on an untold story that will explore themes of redemption and revenge, moving beyond the original narrative of the first season.
Although it does not yet have a specific date, it is expected to premiere sometime in 2026, exclusively on Netflix.
The overwhelming success of the first season, winner of the Best Anime of the Year 2023 award, confirms the franchise's popularity and the high expectations for this continuation.
Sugar Sugar Rune
The Magical Return of Chocolat and Vanilla
To mark the 20th anniversary of Moyoco Anno's original manga, Sugar Sugar Rune returns to life with an innovative and modern project produced by Studio Khara, famous for its work on Evangelion.
The presentation at Anime Expo included a special short film, Sugar Sugar Rune: Les deux sorcières, a prequel supervised by the author and created by Yusuke Matsui, who will also be at the helm of the future series.
This new anime is neither a direct sequel nor a remake, but a visually innovative reinterpretation in CG animation. The project aims to captivate both the new generation and long-time fans, maintaining the magical and charming essence of protagonists Chocolat and Vanilla.
The release date is scheduled for sometime in 2026.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run
The Wildest Race Begins
The anime series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure continues with the highly anticipated adaptation of Part 7 of the manga, Steel Ball Run, officially announced at Anime Expo 2025.
Set in 1890, this saga narrates the frantic race across the American West starring Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli.
David Production is in charge of the production, with Yasuhiro Kimura and Hideya Takahashi as directors and Toshiyuki Kato supervising the project. The script is adapted by Yasuko Kobayashi, while the music is by Yugo Kanno. The character design, by Daisuke Tsumagari, was shown in the official promotional image.
Although no release date has been set yet, a special global broadcast event was announced for September 23, 2025, where more details and possibly the official date will be revealed.
GATE 2: Tides of Conflict
A Sequel to Celebrate a Decade
Ten years after the first season, GATE returns with a new season titled Tides of Conflict.
The official announcement was made at Anime Expo 2025, where it was confirmed that the creative team will include Toru Takahashi as director, Tatsuhiko Urahata for script composition, and Shigeru Fujita for character designs.
This sequel will delve deeper into the original story based on Takumi Yanai's novels, focusing on the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the gate connecting Tokyo to a medieval world full of magic, mythical creatures, and renewed conflicts.
Although there is no definite release date, production is underway, promising to once again mix action, fantasy, and geopolitics in an expanded universe.
Great and Promising Returns
The revelations at Anime Expo 2025 anticipate promising years for anime. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners II returns with a darker and more mature tone; Sugar Sugar Rune revives magic with a modern vision; JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run continues its epic saga with new challenges; and GATE 2 resumes its mix of fantasy and action with renewed conflicts.
Each project demonstrates the creative and technical diversity of Japanese anime, generating great anticipation for 2025 and 2026.
Do you want to watch any of these anime?
Don't forget to check out our store; we have a collection of anime products especially for you.
