Anime

Nippon Sangoku Anime Sequel Officially Announced

A sequel to Nippon Sangoku is now in production following the anime’s strong debut on Prime Video and a major jump in manga circulation.

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An older Aoteru Misumi appears in the Nippon Sangoku sequel announcement
The first footage from the Nippon Sangoku sequel reveals an older Aoteru Misumi. | Image: Ikka Matsuki/Shogakukan/Nippon Sangoku Production Committee ©Ikka Matsuki/Shogakukan/Nippon Sangoku Production Committee

Key Takeaways

  • A sequel to the Nippon Sangoku anime is officially in production, although its format and release date remain unconfirmed.
  • The announcement video reveals an older Aoteru Misumi following a recap of the first season.
  • Twin Engine says the anime reached Prime Video’s global Top 10 and helped the manga surpass two million copies in circulation.

The war to reunify Japan will continue. Twin Engine has officially announced that a sequel to the Nippon Sangoku anime is now in production.

The announcement was made Thursday during a Prime Video presentation in Tokyo. A new video recaps the first season before revealing an older Aoteru Misumi, who appears ready to resume his campaign for a peaceful, reunified Japan.

No release date, episode count or returning staff members were announced. Twin Engine also stopped short of describing the project as a second season, leaving its exact format unconfirmed.

Nippon Sangoku takes place in a future Japan devastated by nuclear war, natural disasters, political misrule and revolution. The country has fractured into three competing nations, creating a new period of war several centuries after Japan’s original Three Kingdoms era.

Aoteru begins the story as an unremarkable local official. Rather than overpowering his enemies through brute force, he relies on historical knowledge, political maneuvering and an exceptional talent for talking his way through dangerous situations. His goal is nothing less than the reunification of Japan.

The anime premiered in April, with Amazon MGM Studios joining the production. According to Twin Engine, Nippon Sangoku became Prime Video’s most-watched new anime series in Japan during its first month and entered the service’s global Top 10.

The adaptation also gave Ikka Matsuki’s original manga a considerable boost. Circulation reportedly climbed from one million copies when the anime premiered to two million within the following month.

That response makes the sequel announcement unsurprising, but no less welcome. Nippon Sangoku arrived with a setting far removed from the usual fantasy kingdoms and game-like power systems dominating seasonal anime. Its ruined vision of Japan and emphasis on strategy gave it room to establish an identity of its own.

Matsuki said the first season’s small spark would grow into a flame capable of changing the era and the lives of its characters. The author also expressed interest in seeing how the anime interprets the history depicted in the manga.

The first season was directed by Kazuaki Terasawa at Studio Kafka, with Teruko Utsumi handling series composition and Takahiko Abiru serving as character designer and chief animation director. Kevin Penkin composed the music.

Both Prime Video and U-NEXT currently stream the first season in Japan. International release information for the sequel has not been announced.

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