2026 has been an exciting year for anime fans so far, with the premiere of several exciting shows on Netflix, such as Love Through a Prism, Cosmic Princess Kaguya, Dandelion, and more. However, while the platform keeps bringing new series for fans, it’s also quietly removing some beloved series as well. In recent years, the streaming giant has been more involved with new anime projects as the industry continues to grow across the globe. Netflix has several incredible series available for streaming and continues to expand almost every month.
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Unlike Crunchyroll, which releases new series each quarter, Netflix has its own range of series coming and leaving the platform almost every month. This also means that fans have to bid farewell to some of their favorite shows every year. What’s on Netflix confirms that the platform is losing Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress on September 13th, 2026. It’s a dark zombie series produced by WIT Studio, the animation studio behind the first three seasons of the critically acclaimed show, Attack on Titan.
What Is Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress About?
The critically acclaimed zombie anime produced by WIT Studio and directed by Tetsurō Araki was released in 2016. Araki is best known for directing the first three seasons of Attack on Titan. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress even won the 2016 Newtype Anime Awards for Best TV Anime and eventually landed on Netflix. Based on an original story, the anime also released sequel films instead of a second season. The story is set in a chaotic world going through the Industrial Revolution, as several horrific creatures known as Kabane are created by a mysterious virus.
Not only do they eat human flesh, but getting bitten by them means rising once again to join their ranks as one of the undead monsters. Kabane can only be killed if their steel-coated hearts are destroyed, but that’s a lot easier said than done. Although humanity has created a massive wall to protect itself, the threat of these monsters is far from over. Luckily, while the anime is leaving Netflix next month, it’s still available on Crunchyroll.
Why Is Netflix Losing Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress?
While Netflix never officially announces the reason behind these unexpected removals, the main reason is often the expiration of licensing deals. Not only that, but Netflix would want to cut costs and remove less-popular titles to manage costs, which also helps them maintain the library size. The platform also removed Sirius the Jaeger this year due to the same reason, and continues its purge with yet another acclaimed original series. While there’s always a chance that the license can be renewed, there’s no way of knowing if and when a series will return to the platform. Although it’s well-received among viewers and critics, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is still underwhelmingly underrated, which is why its future looks bleak.
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