Shenmue the Animation Confirms Release Date With New Trailer, Poster

Shenmue the Animation has officially set its release date with Crunchyroll and Adult Swim in a new trailer and poster for the series! Crunchyroll and Adult Swim have been collaborating on a number of projects that have released to great fan acclaim thus far such as Fena: Pirate Princess and Blade Runner: Black Lotus, and fans have been eager to see more of one of the most wild announcements of their team up, the new anime based on SEGA’s Shenmue series of video games. Not only have they revealed the best look at the new series yet, but have also confirmed it’s not that far off.

Shenmue the Animation will officially be premiering with Crunchyroll and Adult Swim on Saturday, February 5 at 9:30 PM PST. Crunchyroll will be streaming the English subtitled version of the series in worldwide regions outside of Japan and China, and it will be simultaneously airing on Adult Swim as part of the Toonami block. This new trailer and poster for the series gives fans the best look at Shenmue’s anime transformation yet, and you can check them both out below to get an idea of what to expect: 

The central cast of Shenmue the Animation has been revealed as well (with more to be revealed at a later date), and breaks down as such: 

• Ryo Hazuki voiced by Masaya Matsukaze (Japanese) and Austin Tindle (English): A high school boy and heir to the Hazuki style martial arts. When his father is murdered by a mysterious man named Lan Di, Ryo begins a journey to polish his martial arts and uncover the truth behind his father’s death. 
• Lan Di voiced by Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese) and Scott Gibbs (English): A high-ranking member of the underground organization Chi You Men who murders Ryo’s father and steals the Dragon Mirror.
• Shenhua voiced by Natalie Rial (English): A young girl who lives in a rural village in Guilin under the care of her foster father. Pure and simple, she has vast knowledge of plants, animals, and other natural survival skills.
• Nozomi Harasaki voiced by Cat Thomas (English): Ryo’s classmate who has secretly admired him ever since he saved her from bullies in middle school. Strong and considerate, she usually spends her time helping in her grandmother’s flower shop. 
• Guizhang Chen voiced by Jeremy Gee (English): Guizhang was born in Yokohama and taught martial arts by his father from a young age. Since Ryo has a similar upbringing, although Guizhang acts cold he feels close to Ryo.
• Chai – voiced by Greg Ayres (English): A member of Chi You Men. He has a unique condition allowing him to do superhuman-like moves. After Lan Di has taken the Dragon mirror, he begins looking for the second mirror. 
• Wong voiced by Bryson Baugus (English): A member of Heavens. He looks up to Ren like a brother and aspires to be like him.
• Joy voiced by Luci Christian (English): Joy is a young woman who loves motorcycles. Her father runs a trade business and is highly trusted by many. Like Ryo, Joy has also lost her mother at a young age. 
• Xiuying Hong voiced by Christine Auten (English): Her priest name is Lishao Tao. Although she is young, she is known as the grand master of Bajiquan. Her facial expression is always calm, but her clear eyes look like she can see through people’s hearts and intentions. 
• Ren voiced by Cody House (English): The charismatic head of Heavens, a street gang that operates in Beverly Hills Wharf. He is obsessed with money and does not trust anyone other than his friends. Ren is rivals with the Yellow Heads gang and plans to beat them one day. 
• Dou Niu voiced by Joe Daniels (English): While being the boss of Yellow Heads, Dou Niu is also part of Chi You Men. To gain trust from Lan Di, he also begins looking for Yuanda Zhu. Dou Niu has a large bear-like body, which puts Ryo and his friends in a difficult situation when fighting him.

Shenmue the Animation is officially described as such, “1986, Yokosuka. Ryo Hazuki has trained to master the Hazuki Style Jujitsu under his strict father in the Hazuki Dojo from his childhood. However, one day a mysterious man named Lan Di murders his father and takes the “mirror” his father was protecting. Ryo is determined to find the truth behind his father’s murder, but soon finds himself getting stuck in a war between the underground organizations…. Traveling from Yokosuka to Hong Kong, Ryo’s long journey begins!”

What do you think? How do you like this newest look at Shenmue’s anime debut? What are you hoping to see from the new series when it drops next month? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!