Studio MAPPA Announces Return of Its Strangest Anime With Season 2 Confirmation

Studio MAPPA has made a name for itself in the anime world with some heavy hitters over the years. Anime adaptations of Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan’s final season, Chainsaw Man, and Hell’s Paradise not only have explored interesting territory, but they have also ventured into strange storytelling. Recently, the production house confirmed that it will be returning to a series that might far exceed these anime examples in the bizarre category. MAPPA is returning to a world of magic and the supernatural after over five years from said anime adaptation, and Dorohedoro is confirmed to return.

When it comes to bizarre anime, there is no other series out there quite like Dorohedoro. Focusing on a lizard-headed sorcerer seeking the person responsible for his current affliction, many anime fans believed that the series would never return for a season two following its debut in 2020. Along with a new visual, here’s how MAPPA describes the next chapter in Kaiman’s bizarre adventure,

“The wizard’s magic has turned Kaiman’s half body into that of a lizard, revealing his internal organs like a human model, and the wizards’ masks hanging from a meat hook – all shocking elements included. Kaiman’s slightly deflated expression, along with a lively pop feel create a ‘chaotic’ visual that is characteristic of Dorohedoro. Furthermore, the release date has been set for Spring 2026! It will be released simultaneously worldwide. Just like the visuals released, you can look forward to a chaotic worldview that is shocking, stylish, and comical, just like the previous work!”

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The Lizard Head Returns

If you haven’t had the chance to check out Dorohedoro, here’s how the franchise describes its wild story, “In a city so dismal it’s known only as “the Hole,” a clan of Sorcerers have been plucking people off the streets to use as guinea pigs for atrocious “experiments” in the black arts. In a dark alley, Nikaido found Kaiman, a man with a reptile head and a bad case of amnesia. To undo the spell, they’re hunting and killing the Sorcerers in the Hole, hoping that eventually they’ll kill the right one. But when En, the head Sorcerer, gets word of a lizard-man slaughtering his people, he sends a crew of “cleaners” into the Hole, igniting a war between two worlds.”

Dorohedoro isn’t the only big release that MAPPA has planned for next year, as the anime studio has been keeping busy. On top of Dorohedoro’s big comeback, the anime studio will also release the second season of Hell’s Paradise and the highly anticipated third season of Jujutsu Kaisen. While Kaiman’s story might not be the most popular in MAPPA’s arsenal, it might just claim the prize for the weirdest anime not only for the studio, but for 2026 in general.

What do you think of the surprising return of Kaiman and his creepy world? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!