One-Punch Man Artist Kickstarts Epic New Anime Project

By now, Yusuke Murata hardly needs introduction with anime fans. From Eyeshield 21 to One-Punch Man, the manga artist has done it all. When it comes to skill, there are few manga artists more talented than Murata, and netizens have gifted him his own fanbase as such. Of course, this means all eyes are on Murata right now as the One-Punch Man artist just revisited his epic original anime project.

The update comes from Murata directly as the artist loves dropping gifts on social media. It was there the One-Punch Man artist revived Zaiyuki. The original anime got its start back in March 2023 if you will recall. It was there Murata posted two clips of the original anime with English subtitles, and fans were left amazed by the project. And with the help of Village Studio, Murata is carrying on the series.

As you can see above, the clips of Zaiyuki are impressive to say the least. The original story features a bunch of colorful characters including a froggy lead. According to Murata, the anime focus on a boy named Zaiyuki who doubles as a young kappa. The protagonist doesn’t fit in with his community as he can’t swim and hates eating cucumbers. Eager for a change of pace, Zaiyuki ends up winning a grand tour of India, but he winds up in big trouble not long after his journey begins.

Loosely based off Journey to the West, Zaiyuki is a delicious story, and its anime looks promising. There is no telling whether Murata will carry on the series beyond these clips, but it does seem the idea has carved a niche within the artist. After all, Murata revived Zaiyuki at the start of 2024 after months of radio silence. So hopefully, the artist will be able to put together an official anime with Village Studio.

In the meantime, Murata is keeping busy with his other projects. One-Punch Man is still in print, and its chapters go live once a month. As for Eyeshield 21, Murata is preparing to revisit the franchise for a special anniversary event. So between these projects and Zaiyuki, you can see the artist is busier than ever!

What do you think about this latest update from Murata? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!