NHK announced Tuesday that Tomohiro Hata will perform "Fragments," the theme song for the live-action series of Yuki Kodama's Ao no Hana, Utsuwa no Mori. Rena Matsui plays Aoko Baba, a ceramics painter, and Hayate Ichinose plays Tatsuki Manabe. The series debuts on NHK's Yorudora block on October 26. The manga ran in Flowers from March 2018 to March 2022, ending at ten volumes.
Paramount Pictures began streaming a new trailer for Legendary Entertainment's live-action Street Fighter film on Monday, built around Ken and Ryu's relationship and rivalry. The film opens October 16. Andrew Koji plays Ryu and Noah Centineo plays Ken, with Callina Liang as Chun-Li, Jason Momoa as Blanka, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, and Cody Rhodes as Guile. Kitao Sakurai directs; the shoot began in Australia in August 2025.
The 19th issue of Shogakukan's Big Comic announced Friday that Tetsuya Chiba's Hinemosu Notari Nikki will go on hiatus because of his poor health. The editorial department said it will prioritize his health and recovery. In a separate statement, Chiba said severe summer heat may be the cause and that he will focus on recovering. He apologized to readers and asked for patience.
Sankaku Head announced in a Saturday livestream on Niconico that Umaru-chan 100, a new series in the Himouto! Umaru-chan manga, will start on Shueisha's Young Jump+ platform on October 1. The original manga ran in Weekly Young Jump from 2013 to 2017 and inspired a 12-episode television anime in July 2015, plus a second season, Himouto! Umaru-chan R, in October 2017.
LEGO Japan began general sales of the LEGO PlayStation set on October 4, 2026. The adult-oriented build recreates Sony's original PlayStation console, priced at 27,980 yen with tax included, using 1,911 LEGO pieces. The completed model is roughly the same size as the real console, measuring about 6 by 26 by 19 centimeters. Buyers can attach the brick-built controller to the body and press working Open and Power buttons. The set includes a diorama hidden inside the casing: a miniature Gran Turismo course from the 1997 game and a scene from Ape Escape, released in 1999, featuring the red and blue monkey helmets. The diorama pieces can be stored in the console or displayed separately. The set carries product number 72306 and is recommended for ages 18 and up. Sales run through the LEGO official online store, LEGO Stores, the Benelic LEGO Store Rakuten Ichiba shop, Legoland Japan Resort, and the Legoland Discovery Center locations in Tokyo and Osaka.
One Peace Books will release Ei Ikaguchi's manga My Life Turned Around: After I Was Betrayed and Framed, I Won the Heart of the Most Beautiful Girl at School in English, starting with volume one on July 20, 2027. The manga adaptation launched on Kadokawa's Comic Newtype site in June 2025, with the first book volume shipping in November 2025 and the second on June 10.
MIXI announced a new Monster Strike anime, Mera x Death: Shinigami to Boku no Ijo na Koi, for January 5, 2027 on TOKYO MX and 10 other channels plus streaming. Kenta Kushitani directs at Qzil.la and studio keel, with Daisuke Ohigashi on series scripts, Tadashi Sakazaki designing characters, and music by Masaru Yokoyama, Kana Hashiguchi, and Natsuki Hamada.
Starbucks Japan and Pokemon announced a collaboration on Thursday, starting with tumblers on September 30. The line includes a Pikachu Honey Cream Latte priced at 690 yen (about US$4.50) and merchandise from 1,500 to 6,600 yen (about US$10 to US$42), among them tumblers, bottles, mugs, drip coffee maker pots, kettles, aprons, and tote bags. No end date was announced.
The official website for the Hell Mode anime announced on Saturday that the series is getting a third season covering the "S-Rank Dungeon Conquest Arc." Masato Tamagawa returns to direct at Yokohama Animation Lab, with Daishiro Tanimura on series scripts and Kei Tsushima on character designs. The second season ended on Friday. HIDIVE streams the anime as it airs in Japan.
Yen Press announced six new licenses on Friday: the light novels Kafka's Journey, Oh Boy, Was I Wrong About Her, and The Returned Tyrant Princess Rewrites Her Dark Past, plus the manga Lilies in Love for 101 Days, Lord Hades's Vernal Honeymoon, and Desire of the Untouchable Flower. Kafka's Journey is written by Chizuru Mizushina with illustration by Haruyuki Morisawa.
Viz Media announced on Thursday that it is publishing Nao Iwamoto's The Seven Knights of the Marronnier Kingdom manga in English. The company uploaded the first two chapters digitally the same day. The fantasy romance centers on seven brothers who are knights of the Marronnier Kingdom. The kingdom sits at the center of eight kingdoms, and each brother is dispatched to a different one as an ambassador on a quest to find his fated partner. The manga launched in Shogakukan's Flowers magazine in 2016, and Shogakukan shipped the 11th compiled volume on June 10. It topped the list of manga for female readers in the 2018 edition of Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook. A television anime adaptation debuted on October 3 on the NHK Educational channel at 6:25 p.m. JST, and Amazon Prime Video added the series on the same day with English subtitles and an English dub.
The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the 2026 International Emmy nominees on Wednesday. Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 is nominated in the Short-Form Series category and the My Melody & Kuromi stop-motion series in Kids: Animation. Winners are announced in New York City on November 23. Both are also prize holders elsewhere: two 17-26 shorts went to Bucheon, and My Melody & Kuromi took Best Animation at Singapore's Asian Academy Creative Awards.
Monochrome Corp. and Good Smile Company announced Ignisphere, a mixed media franchise, on Friday. Its first title is Dawngazer, an action RPG directed by Takafumi Noma, the director and character designer of Unicorn Overlord, at Ignisphere Studio. Good Smile Company is publishing. It launches for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam in 2028, with Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese support.
The staff for the Mission: Yozakura Family anime released a new promotional video on Friday naming five cast members: Hochu Otsuka as Alexandryu, Miku Ito as Shura, Yumiri Hanamori as Cyber Demon Lord Giga, Sumire Uesaka as Dr. Mozu, and Naomi Shindoh as Hulang. The video also introduced the character Kosmos Akizakura without naming a voice actor. Part 2 premieres October 11 on MBS, TBS, and 26 other channels.
The Bless television anime added two cast members in a character promotional video on Thursday. Yoshino Aoyama voices Oroka Sumeragi and Momoka Terasawa voices Shitataka Sumeragi. The series premieres in January 2027 on Fuji TV's Noitamina block, with Shoutaro Kitamura directing at A-1 Pictures. Tomohiro Oono, Chiyuki Miura and Nobuhiko Okamoto are already set as Aia Udagawa, Jun Sumisaki and Ginga Yoyogi.
The Star Detective Precure! movie opened at #3 in Japan, selling 358,000 tickets and earning 446 million yen in its first three days, then 606,000 tickets and 746 million yen through September 23. Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu stayed at #1 in its ninth weekend, and Cosmic Princess Kaguya! returned at #6.
MANGA Plus added four titles between late August and early September: KAKAKAKA by Mukade Makino, The Ura Files by Shun Numa and Yushin Kuroki, Noisering by Kanya Aki and Tsubasa, and Morino-san Just Won't Leave Me Be by Barako. The Ura Files launched simultaneously in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump and on MANGA Plus on August 31. KAKAKAKA is set in 17th-century Ming China; Noisering follows a sonarman after the Great Shizuoka Earthquake.
Manga artist Eiji Hashimoto confirmed on his pixiv Fanbox page on September 15 that he has fully lost hearing in his right ear, after being diagnosed with sudden sensorineural hearing loss in April. He said treatment began within a week of onset and that two months of rehabilitation followed. He can now sit at his desk and work, and plans to resume activities while limiting strain on his mind and body.
War Mouth Games announced Tower Tanks on October 3, a roguelike tank action game for PC via Steam. It supports solo play and local or online co-op for up to four players. Players stack room parts on a tank hull to expand its interior and mount turrets, striking weapons, and defensive installations. In battle, tanks trade fire one-on-one and are destroyed part by part, so crews adapt with whatever equipment remains. Between fights, players repair and rebuild using resources, and new parts unlock as they progress. Early access is planned for Q2 2027, with an estimated one-year early access period. The initial early access version includes the building and modification systems plus an endless mode with auto-generated stages. A campaign mode, online multiplayer support, and a possible PvP mode are planned or under consideration for later development.
The foundation Kuramoto So Kaiwai announced that screenwriter So Kuramoto died on September 18 from multiple organ failure. He was 91. A private funeral with close relatives took place, and a memorial service is set for November 3 at the Furano Theatre Factory in Hokkaido. Born Kaoru Yamaya in Tokyo in 1935, he joined Nippon Broadcasting System in 1959 after graduating from the University of Tokyo, went independent in 1963, and took the pen name So Kuramoto. His drama credits include the original story of the 1975 series Zenryaku Ofukuro-sama, the screenplay of the 1980 series Sayonara Oryu-san, and the original story and screenplay of Kita no Kuni kara, which aired from 1981 to 1982. In anime, he wrote the script for the 1964 series Zero-sen Hayato with Akira Kono and Tomio Sagisu.
Bandai Namco Filmworks will host GUNDAM-Con2027 SIDE MAKUHARI at Makuhari Messe from January 9 to 11, 2027. The company confirmed stage details and opened the second ticket lottery, which runs from October 2 to October 12, 2026. Adults pay 5,000 yen and children 3,000 yen. DAY1's headline stage covers the RG Project, the Gundam series' new cross-media initiative. It will reveal the latest information on the action game Gundam Rogue Orbit, which releases March 5, 2027. Kenji Kamiyama, director of the TV anime Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO, and voice actor Takuya Otsuka, who plays protagonist Azumi Rei, will appear. The anime begins airing in April 2027. DAY2 hosts the finale of the Gundam GWX 30th Anniversary Project, with Tomokazu Seki, Hikaru Midorikawa, and Wataru Takagi on stage. The Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM ZERO stage is also planned. A giant Mighty Strike Freedom Gundam balloon will appear in the venue.
A mod creation support tool called Universal Modder has been released, and it builds mods from plain instruction sentences. A user gives a line such as "I want to do XX in game OO," and an AI agent handles the work from there. The agent searches a knowledge base, runs analysis, verifies the result inside the actual game, and packages the finished mod. Because the tool specializes in mod creation, the AI also identifies the game engine in use, analyzes binaries, decompiles code, finds compatible mod loaders, and creates assets. It can generate 3D models and pixel sprites from a single concept image, which the tool's description says leaves most of the specialized skills that mod creation previously required to the AI. Several sample mods are published on the distribution site, including a pairing of a script extension tool with a ReShade add-on, original sprites made with the tool, and use of a reverse-engineered sprite writer. Universal Modder is available on its official GitHub.
Project Moon implemented the final part of Limbus Company's Main Story Chapter 10 on October 1, 2026, completing a staged rollout that began September 17. The chapter introduces a top-down perspective exploration system, a departure from the visual novel format the game previously used, and was released in three parts over three weeks: the first on September 17, the second on September 24, and the third on October 1. Within 24 hours of the third part's release, the Steam version reached 151,455 peak concurrent players as of around 17:00, according to the unofficial database SteamDB. That figure is second only to the all-time high of 157,444 recorded on July 9 during the game's 9th Walpurgis Night event. Chapter 10 can be accessed early by clearing Chapter 1, a design choice intended to let new players experience the new exploration system sooner. A September 24 update also adjusted enemy attack speed in specific stages, shortened input delay, and added a key-rebinding feature for the Steam version.
Microsoft held a Tokyo media presentation and joint interview for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, set for release on October 23. Infinity Ward narrative director Jeff Negus and studio multiplayer creative director Jeff Smith both appeared. Negus said gameplay comes first and that the campaign splits across a three-act structure: South Korean private Park's patrol upended by a North Korean attack, John Price acting alone on a revenge hunt for a figure called Archer and allying with cartel leader Valeria, and a North Korean side led by Ri, sister of a new supreme leader, and her adjutant Ko. Settings extend past the Korean Peninsula to Mumbai, New York, Paris, and Russia. Graves and Makarov return among hostile forces. New footage ended with Mads Mikkelsen appearing. Smith described multiplayer as polished and grounded, with reactive map objects and faster movement. He presented DMZ as a game within a game, set in the irradiated town of Hajin.
Bandai will release a new gashapon figure brand called CAPSULEVERSE in the fifth week of October 2026, starting with two sets priced at 800 yen per play. The first set, CAPSULEVERSE Mobile Suit Gundam 01, has four types: the Gundam, Char's Custom Zaku II, Amuro Ray, and Char Aznable. The second set, CAPSULEVERSE Godzilla, also has four types: Godzilla (1974), Mechagodzilla (1974), Godzilla (1954), and Godzilla (2023). Each figure comes with a relief-style background that shows the world of its work, and the figure stands against that backdrop. Placing two figures from the same set back to back lets their battles cross over inside the capsule. Bandai has not yet announced further sets beyond these two. Both sets are scheduled for the same release window.
NEXT MODELERS EXPO 2026 was held on September 22, 2026 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center Taito Hall, where modelers from across Japan brought their own builds to display. The exhibited works increased over the previous year, and the organizers expanded the exhibition space by one floor to hold them. The hall carried character models based on anime and games alongside scale models and original pieces, with finish and paint work drawing attention. Inside published a two-part photo report on September 26, 2026, and both parts describe the same event the same way: same date, same venue, same added floor. The second part collects works that did not fit in the first. The expo runs under the NEXT MODELERS EXPO name, shortened to NEXPO, and keeps official accounts and a website for announcements.
atmos has announced a collaboration with PERSONA Memoria, the Persona series 30th anniversary event that begins October 9. The collaboration T-shirts will go on sale the same day at PERSONA Memoria venues and on the atmos online store. The lineup splits into two versions. Two color versions will be sold only at the PERSONA Memoria venues in Tokyo, Osaka, and Hakata. Two monochrome versions will be sold at atmos. Each shirt is priced at 7,700 yen. The shirts feature protagonists from across the Persona series, according to the announcement. atmos and the event organizers have not stated how long the collaboration will run or whether the shirts will restock. The shirts are one of several Persona tie-ins scheduled around the event's opening, alongside a Persona 5 Royal collaboration with the fashion brand beautiful people that launches October 2.
Banpresto is adding the Strike Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED to its Genkitoppa prize figure series. The figure stands approximately 28cm tall and is set to roll out sequentially to game centers and amusement facilities nationwide starting Friday, September 25, 2026. It is the first protagonist mobile suit from the series to appear in this line, which is built around the concept of "exceeding the limits of robot prize figures." The Strike Gundam is rendered in a form that conveys its defining silhouette. Product details are listed on the Banpresto Navi page. Reactions online include "Seriously!?", "I absolutely want it," and "This is so my taste." Some commenters are asking for a Deactivate Mode version and a Strike Rouge release.
Shimamura will begin selling Lil ala mode merchandise at its stores nationwide on September 26, 2026. The same day, the lineup will arrive on Shimamura Park, the retailer's online store, from 3:00 PM. The designs use artwork of Mousse on her own and Mousse drawn with Latte, Cami, and other characters. The lineup spans women's socks and room shoes, towels, triangular cushions, storage cases, and multi-cases. Bags make up a large share of the range: shopping bags, mini totes with drawstrings, shopping bags with pouches, and shoulder bags. All items are scheduled to go on sale at Shimamura stores from September 26, 2026, with the online store opening at 3:00 PM the same day. Prices and stock status for the goods are listed as of the time of publication. The release follows other Shimamura group character collaborations, including Pokemon, Snoopy, Sanrio Characters, and a Dragon Quest lineup.
Premium Bandai opened preorders for the Pokemon Scale World Miare City Set on September 24 at 1:00 PM. The set is priced at 4,488 yen including tax and is scheduled to ship in January 2027. It contains painted figures of six kinds, counted as 11 figures in all, plus six pieces of soda-flavored gum. The lineup pairs the three starter Pokemon Chikorita, Tepig and Totodile in one set, Mawile with Pignite, Mega Sableye with Absol, and Espurr with Zygarde 10% Forme. The trainers Seika and the detective Matiere each come as their own figure. Sales are by box only, and one box holds every kind. Premium Bandai says preorders may close early if the prepared quantity is reached. A second set, Pokemon Scale World Lumiose City Gai and Emboar and Meowstic (Male Form), opened preorders on September 25 at 1:00 PM for 6,380 yen including tax, also shipping January 2027.
Nippon Ichi Software's 2D side-scrolling action game GOBBLE releases on September 24, 2026 for PC via Steam and Windows, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PS5. The game follows Luto, a boy who dreams of becoming a hero, and Kamel, an arrogant bird-like monster who speaks human language and treats Luto as a servant in exchange for his help. Combat centers on preying: after Luto defeats an enemy, its corpse remains, and approaching it lets players gain prey hearts that act as health. Preying at the moment an enemy attacks triggers counter prey, which swallows the enemy whole regardless of remaining health. Certain enemies also yield traits that can be stolen, such as Flame, Stick, and Jet, and these traits serve as attacks and as tools for navigating stage traps. Players can hold only one trait at a time, so acquiring a new one means trading away the current one.
Jotoyo released a new trailer and a playtest advance guide for Monster Fantasy on September 21, 2026, ahead of a playtest that opens September 23 at 0:00 JST. The game combines hunting action against large monsters with a slow-life simulation set in the Kingdom of Eldras, where the player is a hero who has lost their memories and spends time fishing, cooking, and talking with villagers. Four classes are in place for the test: Samurai, Warrior, Mage, and Archer. The trailer shows Mage guarding, Samurai swinging a katana, Warrior using a charged slash, and Archer breaking monster parts. The guide names three bosses: the Squirrel Bear, which spits poison and flash acorns and has a breakable tail; the Beetle Turtle, which is covered in rock and yields horn materials after its head armor breaks; and the Griffin, which is hard to hit until it crashes, with a stronger Flame Griffin appearing at certain times of day.
Aniplex released the 90-second final trailer for the theatrical anime Mahoyo on September 30, confirming Soujuurou Shizuki, voiced by Yusuke Kobayashi, among the cast. The same day, a special program announced the theme song: "Yoru to Ao" by supercell, with lyrics, composition, and arrangement by ryo and vocals by Yanagi Nagi. Mahoyo is based on the TYPE-MOON visual novel written by Kinoko Nasu and is animated by ufotable. The film opens in Japanese theaters on November 20, with screenings set for 347 theaters nationwide and an overseas rollout beginning with a U.S. release on January 29 that covers more than 45 countries and regions. Advance tickets go on sale October 2 in two versions: a newly drawn character visual by original character designer Hirokazu Koyama and a special key visual, with an A5 acrylic plate bonus offered through Aniplex Online.
Innersloth added a new ghost role called the Influencer to Among Us in update v19.0.0, released September 20. A trailer for the role appeared alongside the update. Players killed by an Impostor take on the Influencer role as a ghost, then send up to three images to living Crewmates from a set presented at random, using a special camera near a player to track that player automatically. The images can flag an Impostor's identity, warn that one is nearby, or vouch for a Crewmate under suspicion. Redraws of the image options are limited, so a message that does not land can cause an innocent player to be ejected. The ability works during a blackout and can be used while tasks are in progress. The update also adjusts a Judge sound effect, fixes duplicate login pop-ups, and adds a rewards button in the account menu.
A prize figure of Saki's Nodoka Haramura is appearing in arcades nationwide from Friday, September 25, 2026, under the GLITTER&GLAMOURS brand. The figure stands about 27cm tall and reproduces the inside-cover illustration from volume 26 of Ritz Kobayashi's manga. According to Magmix, the figure's proportions have drawn social media reactions including "It's too huge," "Isn't it bigger than her face?," and "It's faithfully reproduced from the manga." The GLITTER&GLAMOURS line is described as pursuing a glossy finish. Saki has run in Young Gangan since 2006 and has 27 collected volumes as of the Amazon Manga Weekend Festival coverage, with volume 27 still ongoing in the Inter-High finals taisho match. The Magmix report notes Nodoka is depicted in the work as a "beautiful girl" with a weapon-like bust, and that the figure's motif is the volume 26 inside cover.
Koei Tecmo Games released the free Happy Halloween update for Dead or Alive 6 Last Round on October 1, 2026. The update adds pumpkin headwear in four colors that all 32 characters can wear, selectable from the glasses category. It also includes bug fixes covering replay data version changes and battle-related issues. Replay data saved on the previous version can no longer be played back after the update. The same announcement laid out the October 2026 DLC roadmap. Minato gets a new costume set in the second week of October and a debut costume set in the third week. Nyotengu gets a new costume set in the fourth week, and Kasumi in the fifth. Koei Tecmo says the DLC contents and release periods may change. The game is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows via Steam, with a free-to-play version on each platform.
Mojang Studios brought Minecraft to Tokyo Game Show with its first dedicated booth, built around the action RPG Minecraft Dungeons II, which launched on September 29. The booth combined hands-on demos with a campaign called Battle for Tokyo, Tokyo-set footage, and participation routes through the main Minecraft game, YouTube, and social media. Mojang Head of Marketing Tabitha Hayes said the booth is a way of giving back to Japanese players and creators, whose builds, stories, and communities have shaped the game. She cited Minecraft's more than 425 million copies sold worldwide. Hayes said Japan's creative culture was an important source of inspiration for the art style of Minecraft Dungeons II, pointing to Japanese entertainment's imagination and visual storytelling. She framed Japan's culture around the linked acts of creating, watching, and playing, and said the campaign lets fans worldwide contribute to a shared goal. No future Japan activities were announced.
Sony Interactive Entertainment will hold PlayStation Festival on October 24 at Grand Front Osaka North Building 1F Knowledge Plaza, running from 11:00 to 19:00. Attendees can play PS5 titles that appeared at the PlayStation booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026 in September. Advance trial reservations opened October 2 for PlayStation Plus subscribers and close October 21 at 23:59, handled first-come, first-served through the event's special site. The reservable titles are Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance from Capcom, Final Fantasy VII Revelation from Square Enix, ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE from Bandai Namco Entertainment, and GUNDAM ROGUE ORBIT from Bandai Namco Entertainment. The day also includes a PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! special stream, sales of PlayStation goods with limited-quantity Astro Bot items, hands-on time with the PlayStation Portal Remote Player, and novelty giveaways tied to trying a game, posting at the venue, or adding the official PlayStation LINE account.
Mob Entertainment opened the open beta for Escape From Playtime on October 2 at 2:00 JST, with the test running until October 5 at 10:00 JST. The co-op survival horror game is set in the Poppy Playtime universe, and players control the Smiling Critters, the plush characters introduced in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3, inside the abandoned Playtime Co. toy factory. The beta builds a shifting factory layout with failed experiments as enemies. Teams collect scrap, carry it back to the cart Barry, and meet a quota to escape. The store page lists 1 to 4 players, but the beta allows up to 8, and the most balanced count is stated as 4. Registration runs through FirstLook, and linking a Steam account and a Discord account is required. The playable content is limited to the first four shifts, with much of the story-focused material held back for release.
Yuki Yaku announced on X on September 30 that the Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki light novel series will end with its 12th volume, due October 16. Shogakukan has published the novels through its Gagaga Bunko imprint since May 2016, with illustrations by Fly. The series entered its "last stage" with the 11th volume in March 2023. Yen Press releases the light novels and the manga adaptation in North America. Eight Chida drew the manga for Square Enix, serialized in Monthly Gangan Joker from December 2017 to February 2021. Project No. 9 produced two anime seasons, directed by Shinsuke Yanagi, with Gen Satou as Fumiya Tomozaki and Hisako Kanemoto as Aoi Hinami. Crunchyroll streams the anime in multiple languages, and Funimation streamed the first season and its English dub. Two short story compilation volumes were released as volumes 6.5 and 8.5.
Gokurakuyu Holdings is running a collaboration between the Gokurakuyu and RAKU SPA bathhouse chain and the film Detective Precure! The Mysterious Garden and the Two Secrets, scheduled from October 1 to October 20. The tie-in uses newly drawn illustrations of four Detective Pretty Cure members, including Cure Arcana and Cure Eclair, who appear in their movie-only Future Form. Merchandise includes a muffler towel that costs 1,100 yen on top of the admission fee, a random trading sento key acrylic carabiner at 1,100 yen, trading can badges at 550 yen, acrylic stands at 1,980 yen each, acrylic hair clips at 990 yen each, flake stickers at 1,100 yen per eight-sheet pack, and a clear file set at 1,100 yen. Buyers get a mini illustration card for every 2,000 yen of goods purchased. The menu runs the widest, from Anna's Hanamaru Naruto Ramen at 1,650 yen to Ruruka's Chicken Steak Plate at 2,200 yen.
Universal Studios Japan will hold its Universal Cool Japan 2027 event in stages starting December 2, 2026. The first lineup announcement is a Sailor Moon collaboration tied to the park's 25th anniversary. Sailor Moon the Miracle 4-D ~Moon Palace Edition Deluxe~ returns as a theater show, and Sailor Moon x Story Ride runs for the first time. Both run December 2 to April 5, 2027. The second announcement is The Apothecary Diaries, which returns for a second USJ collaboration after 2025. Its new program runs February 10 to June 30, 2027 and is a full renewal of the 2025 Mystery Walk, tied to the film The Apothecary Diaries: The Secret Treasure of the Departed Consort, which opens December 11. Universal Studios Japan says original food and goods are planned, with details to be announced later.
Grasshopper Manufacture announced that it became independent from NetEase Games as of October 1, 2026. The Tokyo studio, founded in 1998 and led by representative director Goichi Suda, has more than 25 years of development experience and more than 25 titles, including killer7, The Silver Case, and the No More Heroes series. It became a subsidiary of GungHo Online Entertainment in 2013 and came under NetEase through a share transfer agreement in 2021. Grasshopper Manufacture released its latest title, ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN, in February 2026 and marked its 28th anniversary in March. The studio said the decision followed sufficient discussion with NetEase Games and its cooperation, and that it will keep a good relationship and cooperate mutually if opportunities arise. It said it has built up self-publishing know-how and will keep planning and developing titles with its own style. Procedures such as changes among officers are underway.
Bandai Spirits will release the Ichiban Kuji Naruto Shippuden Hidan and Kakuzu Edition on October 26, priced at 790 yen per draw including tax, sold through Ichiban Kuji ONLINE and the official Ichiban Kuji shop. Online sales open at 5:00 p.m. the same day. Prizes A through D are MASTERLISE figures of Shikamaru Nara, Asuma Sarutobi, Hidan, and Kakuzu. Prize E is a rug mat themed after the Jashinism religion. Prize F is a Chokonokko Figure Akatsuki Ver. with ten kinds total, Prize G is a Pokotto Charm in six kinds, Prize H is a NARUTO 72 series acrylic charm in nine kinds, and Prize I is a variety sticker in ten kinds. The Last One Prize is a Naruto Uzumaki Wind Style: Rasenshuriken MASTERLISE figure.
Alliance Arts released the music video for "DEMON'S SHOT (feat. DEMONDICE)" on September 30, the theme song for its drinking survival game PUKEY GODDESS SHOT TRICK. The track went up on services including Apple Music and Spotify the same day. Aiobahn +81 composed and arranged the song, with lyrics and featured vocals by DEMONDICE. Until now the only audio was the April 2026 trailer, where the song sat under dialogue and sound effects. Aiobahn +81 said in a statement that "DEMON'S SHOT" was first meant to be part of the game's soundtrack before he realized it would be released as an original song, adding that he polished it for half a year. The game has passed 400,000 Steam wishlist registrations ahead of a fall/winter 2026 release window on PC. The heroine is the yandere demon Femme Soeur, voiced by Nanahira, with art direction and character design by odyk.
Shochiku Games will handle Japanese publishing for Hela: of Mice & Magic, the open-world adventure in development at Windup Games, and the Japanese title is set as Hela: Chiisana Nezumi to Mahou no Mori. The release date is December 1, 2026. Platforms named across the cluster are Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Players take the role of a small mouse crossing a Nordic natural world to save a wizard who has fallen ill, using a magic frog backpack to hook onto branches and glide. Materials gathered in the field go into magic potions that help the animals of the forest. The game supports solo play, local two-player split-screen, and online multiplayer for up to four players. Preorders for the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 packaged versions are open. The download version costs 3,500 yen and the packaged version 4,400 yen, both with tax included.
GEO is accepting lottery applications for the Pokemon Card Game MEGA "30th CELEBRATION Card Set (9-type set)." The price is 10,791 yen including tax. Applications run from September 28 at 11:00 to October 1 at 17:59, and entries are taken only through GEO's lottery sale website, with in-store pickup only and some stores excluded. The set holds full-art cards of the first partner Pokemon of the nine regions plus two packs of the 30th CELEBRATION expansion and a card stand. Each applicant may enter once for one set, and individual card sets are not sold. Winners are notified by email on October 14 and must buy between October 16 and October 18. Resale is banned for one year after winning, and GEO refuses future lottery entries to applicants caught listing items on auction sites. Buyers must hold a Ponta card with the store rental membership function linked to their GEO ID and show identification at purchase.
TiMi Studio Group is developing the smartphone title Monster Hunter Outlanders under an official license from Capcom, with a worldwide release set for October 29, 2026 in regions outside mainland China. The game is free to play with item-based microtransactions and runs on iOS and Android. At Tokyo Game Show 2026, outlets played a hunt against the game's original Elder Dragon, Luga Earda, a monster whose design concept TiMi producer Don Huang described as a holy knight clad in golden armor, drawing on swordplay and shield imagery. Players sortie in a four-person party, and in the demo three NPCs joined. The demo offered two control schemes: Starting Mode, played with attack, special, and evade buttons that connect combos automatically, and Hunting Mode, which hands players multiple buttons for manual combos and skills. Capcom producer Akio Sekino said the core cycle of hunting, gathering materials, and crafting equipment is preserved, with adventurers added as an Outlanders-specific element.
The official X account for Kyosuke Kamishiro and illustrator Takayaki's My Stepmom's Daughter Is My Ex (Mamahaha no Tsurego ga Moto Kano Datta) announced on Wednesday that the light novel series will end with its 14th volume, scheduled for release on December 1, 2026. Kamishiro began the story on the Kakuyomu website in August 2017, and Kadokawa started print publication with Takayaki's illustrations in December 2018. The 13th volume shipped in October 2025. Rei Kusakabe's manga adaptation has run on Kadokawa's ComicWalker since December 2019, with Udon Entertainment handling the English manga license and J-Novel Club holding the light novel license. The novels follow Mizuto Irido and Yume Ayai, former middle school partners who become stepsiblings after their parents remarry. An anime adaptation aired on AT-X and Tokyo MX in July 2022, with Crunchyroll streaming it as it aired.
Pathea Games announced Seikyu: Let's Go! on September 28, 2026, a co-op camping car road trip game developed by ACE Entertainment. The title is planned for PC via Steam in the fourth quarter of 2026 and will support Japanese text. Up to four players take the roles of cute yokai who travel around Seikyu Island in a handmade camper van, with no fixed role divisions such as driver or navigator. Players can stop at roadside points of interest, solve challenges together, lower a suspension bridge, operate a Ferris wheel, set up camp, and cook. The game carries on the worldview of the slow-life RPG Seikyu Monogatari, which ACE Entertainment also developed and which officially released on June 11, 2026. Mishaps such as the car getting stuck in a ditch or rolling over happen along the way. A playtest has also begun alongside the announcement, letting players experience the first map.