The Darwin Incident Anime Unveils Release Window With Trailer & Promo: Watch

Toho Animation has published a new trailer for the highly anticipated The Darwin Incident anime by Bellnox Films. The upcoming anime stars a human and chimpanzee hybrid named Charlie. The new creature is labeled as the first “humanzee” in existence. The trailer features plenty of Charlie’s daily life, including attending an all-human school and climbing like an ape with his feet and hands. The footage also shows Charlie saving Lucy, a teen girl who becomes his closest friend. The video shows Bellnox Films’ impressive animation, highlighting Charlie’s fluid motion and striking use of color. The series is scheduled to release in January 2026, forcing people to wait until the new year to experience Charlie in animated form.

Bellnox Films released a new poster alongside the trailer for The Darwin Incident, featuring a mysterious man in a suit playing chess. Charlie is one of the chess pieces and the suited man is cloaked in darkness. While the trailer appears light-hearted, something sinister lies underneath the surface. Charlie’s uncanny appearance as an ape and human is off-putting, but the footage makes it clear Charlie is a good person. The insidious vibe stems from how all the other students look at Charlie and the arrival of the suited man, underscoring an inherent ominous atmosphere.

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What Is The Darwin Incident?

The Darwin Incident is based on Darwin’s theory of evolution, hinting Charlie may be the next stage of evolution for the chimpanzee race. A chimpanzee mother gave birth to Charlie through mysterious circumstances. A nefarious animal rights organization wants to champion Charlie as an ally and encourage terrorist actions for animal liberation. Lucy acts as Charlie’s only human friend and one of his few allies, alongside his adopted human parents.

The Darwin Incident manga is written and drawn by Shun Umezawa, beginning publication in the Monthly Afternoon magazine in June 2020. The manga series has recently released its eighth volume at retail and is currently published in English territories by Kodansha USA. The manga has received positive reviews, selling over 1.6 million copies worldwide. The manga has also received the 15th Manga Taisho achievement and won the Excellence Award at the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2022. Bellnox Films announced it was working on the anime adaptation in May 2024. The studio is part of the Kadokawa Corporation, a Japanese conglomerate that has worked on publications, films, animation, and technology.

H/T: Oricon USA