COLOGNE, GERMANY – Fans of FromSoftware’s critically acclaimed action-adventure game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice can rejoice as an anime adaptation, titled Sekiro: No Defeat, has been officially announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025. The series is set to stream exclusively on Crunchyroll in 2026.
From Game of the Year to Animated Series
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, released in 2019, garnered significant critical acclaim, including winning Game of the Year at The Game Awards. Developed by FromSoftware, the same studio behind the Dark Souls series and Elden Ring, Sekiro carved its own niche with its unique “resurrection” mechanic, emphasis on posture-based combat, and a captivating narrative set in a fictionalized Sengoku-era Japan infused with Buddhist mythology. The game follows the journey of Wolf, a shinobi tasked with protecting a young lord with divine lineage.
Rumors of a Sekiro anime adaptation have circulated for some time, with industry leakers hinting at the project as early as May 2023. These speculations intensified with domain registrations closely matching the Sekiro title, suggesting an official reveal was imminent. The official announcement at Gamescom 2025 confirms these long-standing whispers, bringing the “one-armed wolf’s” tale to a new visual medium.
Key Production Details and Creative Team
The Sekiro: No Defeat anime is a collaboration between Kadokawa Corporation, Crunchyroll, Qzil.la, and ARCH. Crunchyroll will serve as the exclusive streaming home for the series worldwide, with exceptions for Japan, China, Korea, Russia, and Belarus.
The production team boasts an impressive roster of talent:
- Director: Kenichi Kutsuna will helm the series. Kutsuna expressed the monumental task of animating Sekiro‘s beauty, aiming for a memorable experience for both game fans and newcomers.
- Screenwriter: Takuya Satou is responsible for adapting the game’s narrative.
- Character Designer: Takahiro Kishida, known for his work on Durarara!!, is handling the character designs.
- Music Composer: Shuta Hasunuma is composing the score for the anime.
Additional staff members include Shunsuke Fukui as Deputy Director, Kaito Moki as Chief Animation Director, Takashi Mukoda as Action Animation Director, Yuji Kaneko as Art Director, Azusa Sasaki as Color Designer, Keisuke Nozawa as Cinematographer, and Yoshinori Murakami as Editor, with Yasushi Nagura as Sound Director. The animation will be fully hand-drawn, promising a visually stunning adaptation.
Voice Cast and Storyline Expectations
Several key voice actors from the Japanese version have been confirmed for the anime, bringing familiar voices to the beloved characters:
- Wolf: Voiced by Daisuke Namikawa.
- Kuro/The Divine Heir: Voiced by Miyuki Satou.
- Genichiro Ashina: Voiced by Kenjirō Tsuda.
The anime is expected to faithfully adapt the game’s unforgettable story, described as “a tale of loyalty and blood.” A short clip shown at Gamescom Opening Night Live featured an iconic moment: Wolf battling Genichiro in a field of reeds, hinting at the series capturing key events from the game. The narrative will follow Wolf, an orphaned shinobi, as he seeks to protect his lord, Kuro, who possesses the Dragon Heritage bloodline, granting immortality. The story will delve into Wolf’s conflict with Genichiro, who aims to harness Kuro’s power, and Wolf’s subsequent quest for revenge and loyalty.
The announcement marks a significant expansion of the Sekiro universe, following the trend of successful video game to anime adaptations such as Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Arcane, and Castlevania. Fans can anticipate a deep dive into the rich lore, intense combat, and compelling characters that made Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice a global phenomenon when Sekiro: No Defeat arrives in 2026.
