Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is an original dark fantasy anime series that is not based on a manga. The first season of the series, also known as Koutetsujou no Kabaneri, consisted of 12 episodes in total and was directed by Tetsuro Araki. The anime, licensed by Crunchyroll and Funimation, originally met viewers on Fuji TV. Created by Japanese animation studio Wit Studio, Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress was first released on April 8, 2016. Wit Studio, a renowned studio, is also the creative studio for very popular anime such as Seraph of the End and The Ancient Magus’ Bride. Shortly after the anime was released, it attracted the attention of many animation fans. The second season release date of the series, which made the season finale in June 2016 with the episode “Iron Fortress”, has been discussed for years. So is the show going on now? How will the story be completed? Here is what we have compiled for you. Let’s first take a look at the story details of the anime written by Ichiro Okouchi.
What is the plot of Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress?
Koutetsujou no Kabaneri takes us to Japan during the Industrial Revolution. More precisely, Hinomoto was an island country with its name at that time. Although we go back an average of 250 years, that period has already entered the post-apocalyptic period because the walking dead, whose origin and origin are unknown, have already surrounded the world. These zombie-like walking dead are called “Kabane” and they are faster and more agile than stereotypical zombies. Their hearts shine and they are hard to kill because they are woven with thin iron. The rifles and swords of the period can also provide some benefits against the Kabanes. In addition, they are extremely sensitive to the smell of blood and can move in a flock.
Surviving people built high-walled cities to protect themselves from the Kabenes, which invaded the whole world, especially Japan. It is possible to travel between these cities called stations by armored trains. The protagonist of the series, Ikoma, also lives in Aragane Station, which is a middle-class station. Ikoma, who works in the maintenance of the trains, wants to fight them instead of hiding from Kabaneler because of a regret he has experienced in his past. For this, he is working on a weapon of his own design, and its purpose is to pierce the hearts of Kabanes easily with this weapon.
Like all people trying to survive, Ikome and Mumei take the armored train called Koutetsujou. The destination of the train is Kongokaku, but the journey will not be easy. When everyone on the train is afraid of Ikoma, food shortages brought about by the overpopulation, nervous warfare, and of course, the constant threat of Kabane, Koutetsujou, and his contents are waiting for a long journey.
What about the Manga of Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress?
Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress anime series does not actually follow a Manga and the script is prepared directly for the animation. The first season of the series had made a suitable final for Season 2.
Will there be a second season of the anime?
As of July 23, 2022, the second season of Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress has not been confirmed. Wit Studio or any related company with the anime has not yet renewed Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress for a second season. But the good news for fans is not absent. The 81-minute, 3-episode sequel film published on Netflix on May 10, 2019, continues the story. Animated by the same studio, the sequel, titled “Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato“, is not as popular as the main series, but it partially meets the audience’s expectations. Ikoma and Iron Fort join the alliance to take back the region from Kabane forced by taking their fight to the Unato’s battlefields.
A new anime season in the future?
For anime to have a new season, it must have a strong popularity and fan base. Only in this way, a new production of the series can be profitable for the creators. When we look at the first season’s disc sales of the anime, we see that it managed to reach its financial targets by selling 6,100 copies on volume average. Besides, released in the summer of 2019 and licensed by Netflix, the film screened on a small scale nationwide, limited to 2 weeks, and the estimated box office revenue is about 70 million to 100 million YEN.
When we look at the popularity of Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress today, we see that it has an average search volume on Google. However, considering that very few of the animes have been approved for the new season, this may not be considered a success. On Twitter, 77.1k people follow the anime’s official page. This number of followers is also not insignificant for an anime, but it is not perfect enough to guarantee a new season. Bofuri, one of the anime with a similar number of followers, had recently received a renewal. In addition, we see that the successful productions of Wit Studio, a successful studio, have received new season approvals.
Since the series does not have a manga, there does not seem to be a problem in terms of the source material. On the other hand, the fact that they still generate income from the published mobile game shows that this brand is alive and that there is a possibility of a new season. The most critical point that reduces the possibility of Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress’s new season is that 6 years have passed since the last new anime season, and there is still no renewal. The director and writer of the series continued to participate in other projects after the series. Director Tetsurō Araki last appeared in the anime movie Bubble, which aired on Netflix on April 28, 2022. In addition, the author of the series, Ichirō Ōkouchi, took part in the original anime series Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, which will be released in October 2022. Hovewer, there are no announced or leaked plans for a second season of Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress.
However, it should not be forgotten that many animes have been approved years later. If there is a leak or announcement about a new season in the future, we will let you know here about the all news about Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress, but our estimates are that the probability for a new season is around 40%. If there is a renewal, we may see a new season around 2024, considering the production time.
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