With Dragon Ball Daima officially coming to an end with Episode 20, “Maximum,” fans of the series might be looking for something to fill the void for the remainder of 2025. Luckily, WIT Studio has a brand-new series right around the corner that succeeds in scratching that old-school shonen anime itch with the same level of cheeky slapstick humor and action-packed fight scenes – even better, it is part of the already stellar spring 2025 seasonal lineup, with its first episode set to air on April 5th.
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Yaiba: Samurai Legend, a brand-new adaptation of Gosho Aoyama’s original manga and reimagining of Studio Pastel’s original anime adaptation, Kenyū Densetsu Yaiba is everything that fans of retro anime could ask for. Complete with an art style and color grading reminiscent of anime from the 1990s, Yaiba: Samurai Legend promises to be a proper jolt of nostalgia that stands on its own against other modern shonen adaptations.
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Dragon Ball Daima‘s Finale & Post-Credits Animator Shouts Out a ’90s Classic Remake
Following the February 28th finale of Dragon Ball Daima, Takashi Kojima, one of the key animators responsible for the final episode, turned fans’ eyes toward Spring 2025’s Yaiba: Samurai Legend being adapted by Wit Studio. Kojima reposted Yoshimichi Kameda’s work on Yaiba mere days after Daima’s finale, including the trailer for the upcoming anime, for which Kameda is credited for character design and as the Chief Animation Director.
Beyond simply sampling Kameda’s work in the animation department here, which certainly exudes ’80s and ’90s vibes, one can observe his striking rendition of Gosho Aoyama’s original characters. This is especially notable as Kojima also previously shared the Yaiba key visual, which Kameda himself drew, where fans can sample his designs firsthand. Aside from generally hyping an adaptation of a hit 1988-1993 original manga, the vibes within the series may be just what the doctor ordered for those craving Dragon Ball-like action.
Yaiba: Samurai Legend Embraces Old-School Cool With a New-Era Spin
Yaiba follows the titular Yaiba Kurogane, a young, aspiring samurai who grew up being trained by his father in the woods before relocating to the city. After making an enemy out of a rival swordsman named Takeshi Onimaru, whose initial spar with Yaiba ends in a stalemate, humiliating him into villainy, Onimaru finds a magic katana that allows him the power to form an army of demons set to conquer the world. To combat this new evil, Yaiba and his friends band together to put a stop to Onimaru’s sinister plans. In classic old-school samurai shonen fashion, Yaiba also ends up running into famous figures from Japanese history and mythological tales throughout his journey.
Aside from just having WIT Studio produce the new Yaiba anime, something that will inevitably cause this new spin on the series to be a hit, is that the premise and execution are fun. Yaiba also shares similarities with Dragon Ball‘s latest anime in how much it’s able to be self-aware about and embrace many of its silly absurdities that make the action-packed moments in the show so entertaining. Yaiba has an incredible sense of humor, and the team at WIT Studio working on the show has done a phenomenal job bringing Gosho Aoyama’s original work to life for the first time since 1993. With the original manga having over 17 million copies in circulation, it’s been far too long since anime fans have had the chance to see Yaiba Kurogane in action – and this upcoming show is the perfect way to re-introduce the Weekly Shonen Sunday icon to anime fans.
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