Kumo Kagyu and so-bin's Blade & Bastard is getting the anime treatment. An adaptation of the "supreme dark fantasy" light novel series was announced today.
Unfortunately, the details are light at the moment. There was no production information, such as the staff or studio involved with the project, or when it may release.
We did, however, get a teaser promo video along with some teaser art illustrated by so-bin.
"What if at the end of your adventure, you were to lose your soul one day?
When that time comes, then the next adventurer will take care of it.
Deep in the unexplored reaches of the dungeon, a corpse is discovered—one that shouldn’t exist. After Iarumas is resurrected, his memories of life before death are gone, and he spends his days delving into the dungeon to retrieve the bodies of dead adventurers. Can they be revived as well? Or will God reduce them to piles of ash on the altar? Either way, Iarumas collects his finder’s fee. And though his skills earn him some grudging respect, he’s also scorned for this cold, utilitarian attitude. The living keep their distance—Iarumas consorts primarily with the dead. That is, until he meets Garbage, a feral young swordswoman who’s the sole survivor of a massacred party. With Garbage by his side, Iarumas ventures deeper, scouring the dungeon for clues to his past, avoiding monsters, traps, and the inevitability of a permanent ashen demise."
Blade & Bastard is based on the role-playing video game series Wizardry. Written by Kumo Kagyu and illustrated by so-bin, the series began publication under Drecom's DRE Novels imprint in December 2022. Four volumes have been released as of July 2024.
There was also a manga adaptation illustrated by Makoto Fugetsu, who also shared a congratulatory image for the announcement.
With no release window announced, it's unclear how long we'll have to wait for the Blade & Bastard anime adaptation to arrive. In the meantime, J-Novel Club publishes an English-language version of the series, while Yen Press publishes an English-language version of the manga adaptation. It may be worth checking those out before jumping into the anime when it's released.
As always, keep it tuned to Anime Mojo for all the latest news, including any additional information about Blade & Bastard as it comes in. Have you read the light novel series? If so, are you excited for the anime adaptation? Let us know in the comments below!