Arc System Works has revealed singer Nowlu is performing the ending theme song for the upcoming anime series Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers. We unfortunately didn't get to listen to a preview of the song, but over on the show's website, it's confirmed that the ending is titled "Arika" ("Whereabout").
A finalist in The Oversea Treasure 2021 audition held by Namco Bandai Arts, Nowlu made her major debut from Lantis with "Rasen" ("Spiral") in June 2022. The song was featured as the ending theme of the second cour of the Requiem of the Rose King anime. Nowlu has also provided the ending themes for 2023's The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague and 2024's More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers.
Below is the translated message Nowlu had for fans following the announcement:
I am Nowlu and I am in charge of the ending theme song. A game that has been loved by many people for many years is now going out of its world and being made into an anime. I am very happy to have been given this wonderful opportunity. Writing lyrics from a perspective I have never had before was filled with difficulty and freshness, and the days were full of rolling emotions, but I am certain that the song turned out to be strong and warm. I hope I can add a small star to the story. I believe that this is a work in which we can encounter important things that we should be aware of in our lives. I would be happy if I could enjoy the story together with you. Thank you for your support.
Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers is an anime adaptation of Arc System Works' long-running fighting video game series. The anime series will take place shortly after the events of the game, with a synopsis that reads:
After the decline of the once robust fields of science and technology, a new energy source known as magic fuels the modern era.
Humanity creates forbidden biological weapons: Gears.
Those Gears eventually stand against humanity in a rebellion.
Although they manage to overcome in the struggle for survival known as the Crusades,
humanity’s losses are so great that even after several decades pass, their emotional wounds remain unable to fully heal.
Sin Kiske, the child of a human and a Gear, heads to his father Ky and mother Dizzy’s wedding ceremony. Their wedding breaks the ultimate taboo: a union between a human and a Gear. Even with the world at peace, it took many years for such a ceremony to come to fruition.
Despite the complex array of emotions surrounding it, the wedding ceremony is met with blessings. When suddenly, a mysterious girl appears…
The fated child inheriting Gear blood–and the mysterious girl who despises Gears. Their meeting would shake the world.
A promo video for the series was shared last month, revealing the opening song for the series. Title d"AXCLUSION," the opening theme is performed by the four-member rock band ulma sound junction.
Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers is directed by Shigeru Morikawa (Chrono Crusade) at studio Sanzigen alongside Shinpei Ishikawa and Hiroshi Morita as assistant directors. The series composition is by Norimitsu Kaiho, with animation character design by Takuya Chanohara, Ykua Hachimori, and Joseph Shin. Original Guilty Gear -Strive- voice actors are returning for the series with Issei Miyazaki reprising the role of Sin Kiske, and Joji Nakata returning as Sol Badguy.
Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers will premiere in Japan on April 5, 2025, at 22:30 JST. Crunchyroll will stream the series to members worldwide excluding Japan, China, and Korea.