While Kodansha's fan-favorite manga series Tokyo Revengers officially concluded in November 2022, the epic time-travel gangster saga will not be disappearing from the public's view anytime soon, especially with the anime gearing up for its second run.
Now in a trailer for season 2 released on Youtube, it's been officially announced that Tokyo Revengers is coming to Hulu in the United States and Disney+ in Japan. Fans in Japan will be able to view the new season on Disney+ Japan, beginning on Sunday, January 8, 2023, while fans in the United States will be able to see the new season on Hulu beginning on Saturday, January 7, 2023. There is precedent for this, as the streaming rights to Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War are similarly split.
The new streaming framework highlights how much the anime world has changed since Tokyo Revengers' first season streamed on Crunchyroll. Over that time, the popularity of anime has exploded. On the one hand, anime content creators like Kodansha have been eager to find and expand the markets for their stories. On the other hand, companies like Disney which lack robust anime content have been eager to get more anime into their networks as a way of attracting more customers. It was no surprise when Disney and Kodansha announced an expanded collaborative partnership that not only will lead to the co-production of original anime content but also gives Disney exclusive rights to anime adaptations of Kodansha's manga titles. In consideration of the fact that Kodansha's Shonen Weekly Magazine is perhaps the second most popular manga content generator in Japan, Disney's "anime problem" has been largely resolved. Moreover, Kodansha gets to popularize its content with a global cartoon entertainment titan. The distribution of Tokyo Revengers on Disney+ and Hulu is the first major act of the new venture.
What To Expect From Tokyo Revengers Season 2
As suggested in the announcement video, the new season of Tokyo Revengers looks like it will focus on the manga's Christmas Showdown story arc. In the arc, the series protagonist Takemichi Hanagaki once again tries to change the present timeline, where his friends still end up being killed by the same Tokyo street gang he thought he neutralized in his last return to the past. Not surprisingly, in his next time-leap, Takemichi focuses on trying to undo those past events, namely the merger of the Black Dragon and Tokyo Revengers' Tokyo Manij gangs that he previously did not know was needed to change the future. Takemichi's machinations lead to a Christmas Eve confrontation between the Black Dragons and the Tokyo Meiji gangs that has a significant impact on both the past and present timelines.
While the Christmas Showdown arc is an important chapter in the Tokyo Revengers saga, it is far from the end of the story. Judging from the popularity of the original manga and the anime's first season, it wouldn't be surprising to see a third season of Tokyo Revengers get greenlit. Indeed, Kodansha's move to make the anime it first collaboration with Disney suggests it has big plans for the anime going forward.
Look for Tokyo Revengers' second season when it releases on January 7th on Hulu!
Source: Hulu