Sekiro: No Defeat Anime Will Debut in 2026

Sekiro: No Defeat, the anime based on FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, will premiere in 2026. Announced on Aug 19, 2025, at Gamescom’s Opening Night Live, the project brings the 2019 game with a fully hand-drawn 2D animation series.

The anime adaptation is one of the highly anticipated debuts of 2026, marking a renewed interest in the Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice game. The title has already sold over 10M copies worldwide and won multiple year-end accolades, including Game of the Year 2019.

The project’s director, Kenichi Kutsuna, positioned the adaptation as a “monumental task” and “to be a truly memorable experience.” Shun Fukudome, the CEO of the anime’s production company, Qzil. la Inc., echoed the sentiments of Katsuna and highlighted that the production committee is working to capture the visual beauty of the original Sekiro game.

Shortly after the project announcement, Crunchyroll confirmed that it will stream the No Defeat anime globally, except for Korea, Russia, Belarus, Japan, and China. Since then, there have been no changes in the distribution strategy, nor has it released a confirmed release date. However, Crunchyroll’s Winter 2026 anime slate doesn’t include No Defeat, meaning the anime will debut later in the year, possibly in Spring or Summer.

Production Details of Sekiro: No Defeat

Director Kenichi Kutsuna, who previously worked in key animation and direction on prominent series such as Naruto: Shippuden, Bleach, and One-Punch Man, leads Sekiro: No Defeat. Studio Qzil. la is producing the adaptation, in collaboration with KADOKAWA and ARCH Corporation. The production committee has also stressed that Gen-AI will not be used in production.

The broader creative team includes screenwriter Takuya Satou, known for Steins; Gate and Haikyuu!!, character designer Takahiro Kishida, and action animation director Takashi Mukoda, hinting at a production team of industry veterans that aims to translate Sekiro’s intense combat and complex themes to animation.

Kaito Moki, famed for My Dress Up Darling and Jojo’s Golden Wind, will serve as Chief Animation Director. Yuji Kaneko, known for Heavenly Delusion and Azusa Sasaki, will handle art direction and color design. Composer Shuta Hasunuma, who is also working on the A New Dawn anime movie, and sound director Yasushi Nagura will handle the music and sound effects of the anime.

According to the initial update, three main character casts from the game will reprise their role in the anime. Wolf will be played by Daisuke Namikawa, Kenjiro Tsuda will voice Genichiro Ashina, and Miyuki Satou will play Kuro (aka The Divine Heir).

The anime adaptation of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice arrives amid a marked increase in high-profile video game media expansions. Adaptations like Netflix’s Castlevania, Devil May Cry, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners have illustrated demand for cross-platform storytelling that leverages established intellectual properties across formats.