banana fish second season

Banana Fish Season 2: Will It Ever Get a Sequel?

Banana Fish is a beloved manga series that first appeared in May 1985 and ran until April 1994. Decades later, Studio MAPPA, renowned for titles like Jujutsu Kaisen, adapted the manga into an anime series that premiered on July 6, 2018. The anime concluded with 24 episodes on December 19, 2018. The anime gained a dedicated following and was well-received critically. Streaming on major streamers helped it garner an international fan base. The gripping crime-thriller storyline, set in America, and its emotional depth captivated viewers. Six years since its finale, anticipation for a potential continuation persists, even though new updates remain scarce. Despite its conclusion, fans worldwide continue to wonder: Will there ever be a Banana Fish season 2?

What Was Banana Fish About?

Banana Fish follows Ash Lynx, a 17-year-old gang leader in New York City, who stumbles upon a dark conspiracy tied to his traumatic past. Ash’s older brother, Griffin, was left mentally broken after the Vietnam War, repeatedly mumbling the words “Banana Fish.” When Ash witnesses a dying man pass him a vial and utter those same words, his search for answers begins.

banana fish
Image © Amazon Prime Video

The mystery leads Ash to Dino Golzine, a ruthless mafia boss who once controlled Ash’s life and seeks to maintain power at any cost. As Ash digs deeper, he discovers that Banana Fish is a mind-control drug, developed to manipulate people on a massive scale. Along the way, Ash meets Eiji Okumura, a gentle Japanese photographer, who becomes his closest ally and a source of emotional strength.

As Ash fights to bring the truth about Banana Fish to light, he faces betrayal, heartbreak, and relentless violence. Despite the horrors surrounding them, Eiji gives Ash a glimpse of the life he could have beyond the darkness. But escaping the past isn’t easy, and Ash is forced to confront whether freedom is truly possible in a world determined to destroy him.

Will There Be a Banana Fish Season 2?

As of January 9, 2025, neither Studio MAPPA nor the producers have announced a second season for Banana Fish. Generally, the renewal of anime for a new season is based on certain key criteria. Most anime adaptations, especially those based on written works (manga, light novels, etc.), require source material to continue for a new season.

Banana Fish is no exception, and it needs more source material. During the first season’s adaptation, the series largely stayed faithful to the manga, covering a total of 19 volumes. The bad news is that these 19 volumes encompass all the published volumes in the series, and the manga was completed in April 1994. From this perspective, the 24th episode of Banana Fish marks the end of the manga as well, leaving no source material for a new season.

However, there are five official side stories (published as Banana Fish: Another Story) that explore untold aspects of the main characters’ lives. While these side stories could potentially be adapted into OVAs (Original Video Animations) or spin-offs, they are unlikely to provide enough material for a full second season.

Some fans still speculate that Ash’s ambiguous ending might be revisited. Though the manga and anime strongly imply his fate, the lack of blood at the scene and the emotional depth of his bond with Eiji have sparked fan theories. A creative reinterpretation or a continuation exploring Eiji’s life after Ash might breathe new life into the franchise. Alternatively, Studio MAPPA could create original content inspired by the Banana Fish universe, similar to what other anime productions have done. However, these possibilities are almost non-existent.

banana fish second season
2nd Season Chance of Banana Fish
Popularity on Mynanimelist
92
Popularity on Social Media
93
Popularity on Google Searches
75
Success in Disc Sales
86
Reader Rating3 Votes
93
Positives
Perfect Reviews (8.46 on MA, 8.2 on IMDb)
Good Popularirty
Success in Disc Sales
Big Distributors Worldwide
Good Manga Sales (12+ million copies in print)
Negatives
Only One Season
No Renewal Since 2018
Manga Ended
No Enough Source Material to Adapt
5
Renewal Possibility

Anime & Manga Adaptation

Episode 1: Vol. 1 to half of Vol. 3
Episode 2: Half of Vol. 1 to 1/3 of Vol. 2
Episode 3: Half of Vol. 2
Episode 4: Half of Vol. 2 to 1/4 of Vol. 3
Episode 5: Half of Vol. 3
Episode 6: Half of Vol. 3 to Vol. 4
Episode 7: Vol. 4
Episode 8: Vol. 5
Episode 9: Vol. 5 to Vol. 6
Episode 10: Vol. 6
Episode 11: Vol. 6 to half of Vol. 7
Episode 12: Half of Vol. 7 to Vol. 8
Episode 13: Vol. 8 to 75% of Vol. 9
Episode 14: Vol. 9
Episode 15: Half of Vol. 10
Episode 16: Half of Vol. 10 to half of Vol. 11
Episode 17: Half of Vol. 11 to 1/4 of Vol. 12
Episode 18: 75% of Vol. 12 to 75% of Vol. 13
Episode 19: Vol. 13 to half of Vol. 14
Episode 20: Half of Vol. 14 to half of Vol. 15
Episode 21: Half of Vol. 15 to all of Vol. 16
Episode 22: Vol. 17
Episode 23: Vol. 17 to 3/4 of Vol. 18
Episode 24: Vol. 18 to all of Vol. 19

Conclusion about 2nd season

Even years after its release, Banana Fish still has over 200,000 followers on X page and is often listed among the best anime by many platforms. According to MyAnimeList, it ranks as the 203rd most popular anime, with an average rating of 8.46 based on 388,000 users. While Banana Fish remains popular to this day, the likelihood of a new season is mostly dependent on its popularity.

Unfortunately, Banana Fish faces a bottleneck in terms of available source material. Since the entire series was adapted in the anime’s single season, there is no original material left for a new season, and adapting the side stories into a full season would be the only option to see a new season. However, this possibility is quite slim, as the material is not sufficient for creating a season and there is no ongoing written source on the story.

For those seeking something good to watch, we recommend you to watch Sk8 the Infinity. While it can never replace Banana Fish, it belongs to a similar category and could offer an enjoyable experience.