After a decade of serialization and a sucessful ongoing anime, My Hero Academia officially came to a close. Kohei Horikoshi’s legacy has been cemented with the conclusion of the series, with the mangaka’s colleagues and fans singing his praises from the moment the final chapter dropped on Augest 5, 2024.

Horikoshi has taken notice, of course, to the compliments being thrown his way, and has responded by speaking out to his supporters.

今週発売のジャンプで漫画「僕のヒーローアカデミア」完結しました！もうずっとボロボロでしたがなんとか最後までいけました！読んでくれた皆さんありがとうございました！！！！！！… pic.twitter.com/CCySt0Pxe9

— 堀越耕平 (@horikoshiko) August 7, 2024

After the series originally ended, Horikoshi delivered a brief message as his final author’s note in Weekly Shonen Jump, which read:

“I was so glad to be in Jump! I’m so glad for everyone who read my series. Thank you so much!”

Kohei Horikoshi

The author recently came back on his X (formerly Twitter) to deliver another new message, telling fans:

The manga My Hero Academia has concluded in this week’s issue of Jump! I’ve been exhausted for a long time, but I managed to make it to the end! Thank you to everyone who read it!!!!!!

I will never forget the joy and weight of being able to battle with so many interesting manga in the coveted Jump. And above all, the fact Deku was entrusted by Luffy’s side, even if only for a short time, even if it was just luck!

I’m still drawing Deku and the others for the comics, the anime is still airing, the movie is in theaters, the games are still ongoing, the spin-off manga is still being serialized, there are events, and so many other people are keeping My Hero Academia going, so it doesn’t feel like it’s over at all.

Please continue to support My Hero Academia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plus Ultra

While it’s still a bittersweet feeling to see the series go, it is an absolute delight to see how much love is being sent Horikoshi’s way to celebrate its big finale.

Despite initial delays, Patch 7 for Baldur’s Gate 3 is right around the corner, and for players that enjoy veering on the dark side and working alongside the Absolute, Larian has provided a number of brand-new evil endings.

Larian Studios recently posted on their X (formerly Twitter) account for Baldur’s Gate 3 a sneak peak at one of the new evil endings that will be available once Patch 7 finally drops.

The New Ending Tricks Baldurian Citizens Into Living In Total Bliss

If you decided happily ever after wasn’t for you, there’s an assortment of evil ending cinematics new to Baldur’s Gate 3, arriving with Patch 7.

Here’s another sneak peek! Beware, some spoilers ahead! pic.twitter.com/1Z51dOnL2D

— Baldur's Gate 3 (@baldursgate3) August 14, 2024

While details are still sparse regarding how these evil endings will be triggered by players, the clip Larian chose to tease chose what looks like a crowd of Baldurian citizens being controlled by the same aberrant mind powers that Mind Flayers & the tadpoles possess to fill their heads with lofty daydreams about their day-to-day.

While the closed beta for Patch 7 was initially delayed due to some internal coding issues, it looks like the release of the massive patch is back on track for an early Fall 2024 release date.

With the successful release of Deadpool & Wolverine, fans of the infamous anti-hero may be wanting to find more adventures featuring Wayne, and Sanshiro Kasama, the mangaka behind Deadpool Samurai, is here to deliver.

Though relatively underrated, Deadpool Samurai is a spin on the Merc with a Mouth by taking him on various adventures, some of which feature icons of Shonen Jump manga, like All Might from My Hero Academia. While it seemed as though the manga was over, Deadpool made an unexpected appearance in a brand-new Jump Plus manga.

The Merc With a Mouth’s Return To Manga

Initially announced as a project completely unrelated to the popular Marvel character, Viz Media announced that Sanshiro Kasama would be launching a new series on their online service titled Secret Steward, a relatively standard rom-com following a girl and her butler. When the series finally launched, though, it majorly deviated from what potential fans might have expected.

At the end of Secret Steward‘s debut chapter, the main character is struck by a giant truck in classic isekai intro style, instantly killing him. The driver who committed this heinous and gorey act is no stranger, though, with Deadpool proudly sitting behind the wheel, announcing the return of Deadpool Samurai to the manga reading service.

While unexpected, the twist was insanely clever – and was even partially set up, with Secret Steward‘s description being “Love hits you when you least expect it!” This type of return is rare, too, with many manga series returning without playing any sort of tricks on their readers. Regardless, it was the most Deadpool approach possible, and gave the anti-hero the opportunity to garner some new fans, too – if they weren’t too put off by the gore.

Spice and Wolf, based on the original light novel by Isuna Hasekura has a long-standing history with anime fans from the 2000s, however, the original anime adaptation, produced by Imagin and Brainbase fell into the same trap many other series from this era did – deviating from its source material and taking on a brand-new narrative.

The latest anime adaptation of the series, handled by Studio Passione, which began airing in April, 2024, has chosen to stay faithful to the source, and has officially entered a story arc that fans of the original anime haven’t experienced before.

"Spice and Wolf" NEW ANIME VISUAL REVEAL!

The new anime will now enter a new arc that hasn't been adapted in the previous anime adaptation before.

Animation Studio: Passione

Based on the Fantasy LN Series by Hasekura Isuna about the relationship of a travelling merchant & a… pic.twitter.com/7YoAC8YuOT

— Manga Mogura RE (Manga & Anime News) (@MangaMoguraRE) August 12, 2024

Studio Passione Will Be Adapting an Arc the Original Anime Skipped

Skipped over in the original anime adaptation due to the production team not believing that the arc would be relevant, the upcoming story arc that will be adapted in 2024’s Spice and Wolf becomes crucial in the plot of the original novels. The official synopsis of the story arc from Spice and Wolf‘s English publisher, Yen Press, reads as follows:

“Continuing their journey north, Lawrence and Holo stop in the village of Tereo in hopes of finding a local abbey where they might uncover more information regarding the fate of Holo’s ancient home, Yoitsu. Soon after their arrival, though, the companions are caught up in a local dispute between Tereo and the neighboring town of Enberch that could cost Lawrence and Holo both their fortunes and their lives! With the Wisewolf’s help, can Lawrence devise a way to save an entire town from ruin – and his skin and that of his traveling companion in the process?”

The character’s that appear in this arc reappear later in the series, and serve as a pseudo-constant in Holo and Lawrence’s journey.

While some fans of Spice and Wolf are still mixed on their feelings toward the new adaptation, with many mourning the nostalgia of the original series, Studio Passione has made an effort to cut the filler from the original anime and tell a more direct, faithful story for fans of the light novels, and returning fans who are only familiar with the 2008 anime.

As revealed by voice actress Veronica Taylor (who plays Ash in the Pokémon anime), on Monday, August 12, 2024, iconic voice actress Rachel Lillis has passed away at 46 years-old after a battle with breast cancer.

We all know Rachael Lillis from the many wonderful roles she played. She filled our Saturday mornings and before/after school hours with her beautiful voice, her terrific comic timing, and her remarkable acting skills. #RachaelLillis pic.twitter.com/XOjFqY0C1L

— Veronica Taylor (@TheVeronicaT) August 12, 2024

Many other talents from the animated shared their condolences, and it has been announced that there will be a memorial service held at a later date.

Rachel Lillis had an extremely successful voice acting career, taking on a number of roles in the Pokémon franchise, including Misty and Jessie. Her repertoire extended beyond Pokémon, playing the titular Utena Tenjo in Revolutionary Girl Utena and Nagi Kirima in Boogiepop Phantom.

Content leaks have been an ongoing controversy in the entertainment sphere for decades, effecting every industry from film, television, to comic books and print novels. While fans obviously want to know everything they can about an upcoming release, it can be easy to forget just how harmful leaks can be to the people working on a project.

Dubbed one of the “biggest leaking disasters” in the anime industry’s lengthy history, the recent Netflix leaks that’s caused highly anticipated shows like Dandadan, Ranma 1/2, and Arcane Season 2, and more to be partially or fully leaked online has fans and industry professionals in an understandable outrage.

How Did So Many of Netflix’s Biggest Animated Releases Get Leaked?

While details are still sparse at this time on how the site was hacked, online sleuths have speculated the leaker may be located in Japan due to the content being recorded in Japanese and lacking subtitles. The leaked footage from these episodes are low quality and covered in watermarks, which seems to suggest that many of them were still in production when the files were taken.

This leak isn’t just a bad look on Netflix’s part, it’s also extremely harmful for the team’s involved in each of these series’ and film’s productions. Fans and professionals alike are furious over this series of events, and many are urging the streaming to giant to make an official statement.

This is our hard work.
It is meant to be released on its due date, something we, as animators, really look forward to.

It is incredibly disrespectful and just straight up annoying. You think you are doing some kind of service to the community but you are not. https://t.co/UX0lCrZbuZ

— Kass Chapa・アニメーター (@kaoyumari) August 7, 2024

At time of writing, Netflix has been silent on what happened.

VTubers – a type of content creator that uses an animated virtual avatar to represent them as opposed to using their real face – has become a cultural staple over the past few years, and are typically synonymous with the anime and manga community.

One of the largest VTuber agencies in the industry, hololive production, is famous for introducing some of the biggest talents in the space, including Sakura Miko, Houshou Marine, and Usada Pekora. One of their Gen 2 talents, Minato Aqua, recently announced through X (formerly Twitter) that she would be “graduating” – or retiring – at the end of August 2024, with her graduation stream taking place on August 28.

【お知らせ】

湊あくあはホロライブを卒業します。

卒業配信は8月28日です。

最後まで全力で走り抜けるので
応援よろしくお願いします！

最高の夏にしよう。

— 湊あくあ(本物) (@minatoaqua) August 6, 2024

Sadly, for fans of the content creator, this isn’t the only piece of heartbreaking news surrounding Minato Aqua in recent days.

Minato Aqua’s New Visual Novel, ‘AQUARIUM’, Has Officially Been Cancelled Following the Vtuber’s Graduation

Something that really made Minato Aqua stand out compared to other talents in hololive was the release of her Aquarium game, which originally dropped in 2022 for the Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch before later being ported to Steam in October 2023. During the live event, “Hololive Expo 2024”, Entergram, the company behind the first Aquarium game announced a sequel was in development in March 2024.

Tragically, following Minato Aqua’s graduation announcement, Entergram swiftly followed up by stating that the game’s production had been cancelled.

【「あくありうむ。」完全新作ゲーム】
制作中止のお知らせ pic.twitter.com/h4TYakYSUP

— ENTERGRAM / エンターグラム (@entergram_info) August 7, 2024

While fans are understandably distraught over the news, they still expressed gratitude for the team working at Entergram on all their hard work, even if they would never be able to see the finished product.

Originally beginning serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2014, Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia has finally come to an end. With 430 chapters, a successful anime adaptation, merchandise, spin-off films, and even video games – the series has become nothing short of a cultural phenomenon.

The action shonen initially became popular for its unique artstyle and zero-to-hero story that resonated with manga readers around the globe. Now, with the series having officially ended, those effected by Horikoshi’s groundbreaking series are giving thanks for his hard work over the years.

Fellow Mangaka & Other Industry Professionals Praise Horikoshi For My Hero Academia’s Impact

My of Horikoshi’s colleagues have been sharing sentiments toward the popular mangaka over the past week commending him on his newfound legacy with the conclusion of My Hero Academia, including the likes of One Piece‘s Eiichiro Oda and Gege Akutami:

So now you get to play Pokémon Go as much as you want! Congratulations on ten years, Horikoshi Sensei!

Eiichiro Oda

Jujutsu [Kaisen] would not exist without My Hero. Congratulations!

Gege Akutami

Other mangaka with newer series running in the magazine, like Koji Miura, the creator of Blue Box, also shared their love for Horikoshi on social media, stating:

Congratulations on the final chapter of My Hero! Ten years of some of the most passionate manga ever. Well done!

Koji Miura

ヒロアカ完結おめでとうございます！！！
堀越先生10年間お疲れ様でした！！

誌面でご一緒できて光栄でした…！ pic.twitter.com/JyuWR9Zni0

— 三浦 糀 (@Amzk0303) August 4, 2024

Other newly published mangaka, like Kagurabachi‘s Takeru Hokazono, shared how My Hero Academia affected them before ever pursuing manga, saying:

I still remember reading volume 17 while I was in high school. From Mirio to One For All 100 percent. What a legend!

Takeru Hokazono

Professionals within the manga industry weren’t the only ones to send Horikoshi praise, however, with the Animation Director of My Hero Academia‘s anime adaptation, Anna Yamaguchi, sending Horikoshi a special message to celebrate:

Kohei Horikishi-sensei,
Congratulations on completing My Hero Academia!!

I personally empathized with and sympathized with the villains, thought about many things, was emotionally stirred, and shed tears as I read every week. I love the world of Hero Aca where they struggle to survive.
I have gained a lot from Hero Aca.
It is an important part of my life.
Now and forever PLUS ULTRA!!
Thank you very much!

Anna Yamaguchi

and Chief Director, Kenji Nagasaki, saying:

Congratulations Horikoshi-sensei on completing the series! [My Hero Academia] is the best hero to me! Not only does the manga give me energy, but I also gained a lot of new experiences from working on the anime, and I was able to grow along with Deku and the others. I’m really glad I came across this work, which changed my life. Thank you very much!

Kenji Nagasaki

The Best Fan Contributions To #ThankYouHorikoshi

Fans of the beloved series have been pitching in to send love to the mangaka, too, with an influx of gorgeously illustrated fan art and other fan projects being uploaded to sites like X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate the series’ legacy.

#MHA430 The last chapter is finally out, and the ending is as exceptional as the whole story has been. #ThankYouKoheiHorikoshi ! I'll miss you My Hero Academia, I love you with all my heart #ThankYouHorikoshi #僕のヒーローアカデミア #Mha pic.twitter.com/UEGuHNU1cr

— Mochi (@mochicchan_) August 4, 2024

Other projects are illustrations celebrating My Hero‘s entire ensemble cast, such as this piece by @nstime23:

My Hero Academia,

fin.
お疲れ様でした！！ pic.twitter.com/dgDvEKI6du

— 野口祥汰@C104 1日目東 【モ26a】 (@nstime23) August 4, 2024

Another gorgeous illustration featuring the full cast, created by @NovaNeonDream celebrates the relationship between Bakugo and Deku:

I love you MHA and I love you Bakugou Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku with all my heart. I hope you continue to be heroes and go on many adventures side by side for the rest of your lives.#ThankYouHorikoshi #ThankYouMHA #ありがとう堀越耕平先生 #ヒロアカ #ThankyouKoheiHorikoshi pic.twitter.com/c3XUkIvIhO

— em (@NovaNeonDream) August 4, 2024

It’s clear that My Hero Academia‘s impact will be sitting with readers for years to come, and with the anime adaptation still ongoing with season 7 currently airing, and a brand-new My Hero Academia film, My Hero Academia: You’re Next releasing in the U.S. in October 2024, fans of the series still have plenty more of Deku and his friends to look forward to.

My Hero Academia is available to stream on Crunchyroll. The original manga is available on Viz Media’s Shonen Jump app.

Source: Weekly Shonen Jump volumes 36-37, Koji Miura on X, My Hero Academia’s Official Website, Shonen Jump

Kaiju No. 8 has quickly become one of the most popular new shonen anime of the year, with exciting kaiju action and an endearing underdog story at its core that makes the series relatable to just about anyone.

The anime’s first season did incredibly well, garnering a devoted fanbase and meeting the expectations held by longtime fans of Naoya Matsumoto’s original manga. While season 2 was announced right away when season 1 of the anime adaptation concluded, the budding franchise has even more in store for fans of Kafka’s journey.

Kaiju No. 8’s Anime Adaptation Is Set To Return In 2025

On Monday, August 5, 2024, the official website for Kaiju No. 8 announced that season 2 of the popular shonen series would release in 2025. At this time, there’s no confirmation on when in 2025 the new season will drop, however, the website did provide some additional news for fans: a brand-new anime original episode titled, “Hoshina’s Day Off” is currently in production alongside a feature-length compilation film meant to compile the events of season 1.

The new episode and the compilation film will be screening alongside one another in Japanese theaters sometime in 2025.

Kaiju No. 8 season 1 can be streamed on Crunchyroll. The original manga can be read through Viz Media’s Shonen Jump app.

Source: Kaiju No. 8 Official Site

Warning: The following contains major spoilers for My Hero Academia.

After ten long years, My Hero Academia has finally come to a close, and of course, the manga‘s official ending has sparked controversy among fans and non-fans of Kohei Horikoshi’s superhero-centered action manga.

While definitive endings rarely work for everyone, regardless of medium, My Hero Academia has been notorious during its run for having judgement passed on the character writing and handling of the narrative. It begs the question on whether the finale truly works to wrap up the story, or if it missed the mark.

My Hero Academia’s Ending Isn’t What Fans Expected

After defeating Shigaraki, the world is finally at peace now that the League of Villains have been thwarted, all thanks to Midoriya. This conclusion is then followed by an epilogue detailing the events and fates of the core cast now that the war is over. Chapter 430 opens with an 8-year-old time-skip, showing how much has changed after nearly a decade in My Hero‘s world. Ochaco and Deku have both been left feeling haunted and forever jaded after their experiences with Toga and Shigaraki, respectively.

During My Hero Academia‘s final arc, Deku officially lost his Quirk and is no longer a hero. Now in his mid-20s, Deku has become a teacher working in UA, teaching a brand-new generation of heroes. Despite being left Quirkless, Deku felt satisfied with the brief experiences that he had with his friends during the time of the war. Despite his being satisfied with a quiet life, his friends refused to let him retire, and it’s revealed that Deku has a special set of battle armor – making him almost adjacent to a hero like Iron Man.

Did My Hero Academia’s Ending Live Up To Expectations?

While there is beauty in an ending that prioritizes how one can be happy living a slow, average life, My Hero Academia fails to deliver its message effectively. Something Horikoshi, the creator of My Hero Academia, has struggled with over the series’ run is wrapping up story arcs in a satisfying way. One of the most glaring examples of this comes from Deku’s “rogue” or “dark” arc where the young hero very briefly goes rogue before turning around and returning to his friends shortly after.

While Horikoshi occasionally does an excellent job delivering his story to readers, the grand finale, unfortunately, just misses the mark. It doesn’t fully commit to Deku’s satisfaction with a normal life by giving him a super-powered suit, and doesn’t truly allow him to live the life as one of the most impactful heroes in the world, either. While My Hero Academia certainly has a legacy, it is unfortunate to see how the series struggled to stick the landing.

The Summer 2024 Anime season has been absolutely excellent, with big-hitters like Oshi no Ko season 2, Tower of God: Return of the Prince, Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest, and Suicide Squad Isekai leading online discussions within the anime community.

One of the resident rom-com additions to the season, Too Many Losing Heroines, has proven itself to be the perfect subversion of many of the standard tropes found in shonen rom-coms, and from everything that’s been released from the anime so far, it’s looking to be the summer season’s best.

Too Many Losing Heroines Gives Shonen Rom-Com Fans Everything They Could Ever Want

Produced by A-1 Pictures, the anime adaptation of Too Many Losing Heroines by Muru Imigi and Takibi Amamori follows Kazuhiko, a friendless and plain young man who unexpectedly catches the cool and popular Anna Yanami getting friend-zoned by her childhood friend. In an interesting domino effect, all the popular girls at Kazuhiko’s school are getting rejected left and right by the guys they like.

Kazuhiko subsequently ends up surrounded by said popular girls, and his boring, quiet high school life gets flipped on its head as he helps keep the shockingly eccentric girl-failures’ spirits up in the face of heartbreak. While the plot may initially sound pretty standard for an anime in this genre, the execution of Too Many Losing Heroines makes it stand out in an oversaturated genre for the performances delivered by the main cast and the show’s incredible writing.

Hikaru Toono, the voice actress that plays Anna, is particularly talented, perfectly bouncing between the typical “popular girl” persona and being a total eccentric when she thinks nobody’s watching. The rest of the cast feel equally lively, and when pairing this with A-1’s vivid and stylish animation, the anime has been nothing short of incredible.

Of course, for anime fans not keen on shows that delve into harem tropes, this one may be a miss. While it definitely focuses more on the struggles of the girls after being rejected and moving on, there is still just a hint of a harem brewing beneath the surface. Whether the show will commit to this or truly subvert the genre by staying removed from the harem trope has yet to be seen. Despite that, though, Too Many Heroines’ first three episodes have been infectiously fun and any fan of rom-coms should give it a try.

San Diego Comic-Con is one of the hallmark fandom events of the year that promises new and exciting announcements from just about every industry imaginable, including anime and manga.

This year’s programming was no different, and as the manga industry’s presence has become stronger at Comic-Con, so too have the influx of new series announcements from English manga publishers.

Twilight Out of Focus Box Set – Kodansha USA

Originally created by Jyanome, Twilight Out of Focus is a popular Boys’ Love romance manga Mao Tsuchiya and Hisashi Otomo, two second-year high school students sharing a dorm. The pair of them have three core rules: Mao can’t tell anyone that Hisashi is gay, Hisashi will never look at Mao as a romantic partner, and that they must always knock before entering – just in case one of them is having a private moment. While their plans seem airtight initially, things slowly fall apart as the two grow more attached to one another over time, developing into a steamy relationship.

The new box set from Kodansha USA will contain all four volumes of the original manga as well as a special U.S.-exclusive art book, a short story that has never been translated in English, and brand-new, full color illustrations.

The POOL – Kodansha USA

From the creator of Ajin: Demi-Human, The POOL is Gamon Sakurai’s next sci-fi thriller that follows Chief Yugi Oishi, who’s tasked with leading her men on an alien planet after finding themselves barricaded in an abandoned mine as alien threats close in around them. While the series only has a handful of chapters currently, each new release has been absolutely spine-tingling.

Plus, Sakurai’s signature artstyle really brings the story to life, with horrific looking alien beasts that add a particular eeriness to the paneling.

Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze – Kodansha USA

From the creator of the classic Blade of the Immortal, Hiroaki Samura’s Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze is an award-winning political drama making it to English-speaking bookshelves beginning in 2025. The series follows Bielka, a young woman in a wheelchair, and Schenok, her companion, who must keep their true identities concealed in the harsh political climate of the Soviet Union.

Weaving together events between the Romanovs and Rasputin alongside Hiroaki’s knack for historical fiction, the series is absolutely incredible and something that every fan of manga and comic books should pick up.

Sailor Moon Naoko Takeuchi Collection Manga Box Set – Kodansha USA

Naoko Takeuchi’s Sailor Moon is a hallmark shojo and a magical girl staple whose popularity and influence can still be felt across the industry today. While the series is no stranger to English releases, Kodansha unveiled a special box set edition of the latest print edition of the series, dubbed the “Noako Takeuchi Edition” which is packaged in a special holographic box with 16 art cards and the first 6 volumes of the Sailor Moon manga.

While there’s no updates on when the second box set will release, the box set announced by the publisher will be available for purchase during the Holiday season.

Issak – Kodansha USA

One of the American Manga Award nominees for 2024 that up to this point had only been released digitally, Taking place in 1620, Catholics and Protestants have been in conflict right at the crux of the Thirty Year War. Amid the battlefield is a lone Japanese soldier named Issak, who’s come to Europe in pursuit of the man who killed his master. The physical release of the series will be in a 2-in-1 omnibus format that will begin publishing in Spring 2025, but the series is available digitally through Kodansha right now.

Great Runes are an additional consumable that players can use to give themselves a rather significant buff in Elden Ring. The only downsides to them are that you’ll need to use Rune Arcs to activate one every time. They are also lost on death, so reckless players may benefit the least from them.

6. Mohg’s Great Rune

It’s unfortunate that the Lord of Blood is perhaps one of the hardest bosses in the game and his blessing is nothing particularly rewarding. Mohg’s Great Rune, according to the game’s description, “grants a blessing of blood to phantoms.” In short, this is a PvP item. It’s not yet known if this affects Spirit Ashes, but it works on summoned players when playing online.

The aforementioned “blessing of blood” heals players when their summons kill an enemy. It’s basically a lifesteal Rune that works when the summons do the work. It’s too niche to really recommend for single-player use.

Mohg’s Great Rune is rewarded to you after you defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood at the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum, not to be confused with Mohg the Omen in the lower sections of Leyndell. It is to be activated at the Divine Tower of East Altus.

5. Malenia’s Great Rune

Malenia is another extremely brutal boss to fight in Elden Ring. Unfortunately, her Great Rune isn’t all that useful. It grants lifesteal for a short time after taking damage. Lifesteal is extremely strong, but the effect is not permanent. You only have about five seconds before that “short time” runs out. Most of the time, unless you’re playing a tank build, five seconds only gives you enough time to hit an enemy once.

Within five seconds of taking damage, a smart player waits until there’s a safe opening to attack. Being reckless after getting attacked may not be enough to restore enough HP to take the next hit. The life restored cannot exceed that of which you lost, making this not a great choice either. Unless you’re using other equipment to give you passive health regen, this Great Rune can be skipped.

You can obtain Malenia’s Great Rune by defeating her at Miquella’s Haligtree. The Rune itself can be activated at the Isolated Divine Tower.

4. Rykard’s Great Rune

This is where the Great Runes start to be useful. Rykard’s Great Rune is a better variant of Malenia’s Great Rune because you restore 185 health per enemy killed. This works extremely well when clearing mobs. It may not be the best when it comes to bosses, but sometimes, when farming enemies for drops, XP, or getting through tough dungeons, this can be a lifesaver.

Pair this with his signature Blasphemous Blade and a Taker’s Cameo to maximize HP gains. You can basically charge through hordes of enemies without burning through your Crimson Flasks. Of course, you still shouldn’t play recklessly or else you have to pop another Rune Arc to get the effect.

To get Rykard’s Great Rune, you must defeat him at the end of the Volcano Manor questline. You then need to activate the Rune at the Divine Tower of West Altus.

3. Morgott’s Great Rune

Morgott’s Great Rune serves a better purpose in being an all-rounder choice if you use Rune Arcs. This Rune “greatly raises maximum HP” If your Vigor stat is high, this can possibly prevent getting one-shotted by the next boss you fight.

Morgott’s Great Rune is obtained after defeating him in Leyndell. You’ll have to activate it at the Divine Tower of East Altus.

2. Radahn’s Great Rune

Starscourge Radahn’s Great Rune is very similar to Morgott’s, but it sacrifices some health gained and allocates that to FP and Stamina. If you’re an all-rounder and need a boost in every other bar you have, this is a strong pick to use your Rune Arcs on.

To obtain this, you’ll have to defeat Radahn, a boss who is considered to be the toughest in the game. Bring his Rune over to the Divine Tower of Caelid to activate it.

1. Godrick’s Great Rune

Godrick’s Great Rune provides the best benefit to the Tarnished when in use. It’s extremely strong and useful for basically any build. This Great Rune adds 5 levels to each stat of your player level. This includes things like Vigor, Mind, Faith, Dexterity, and so on. It’s essentially a +40 to your character’s level for free.

You’ll need to defeat Godrick the Grafted and bring his Great Rune to the Divine Tower of Limgrave to activate it.

Elden Ring is out now for the PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series S/X, and PC.

Red Dead Redemption Cheat Codes are back, and just like the last game, they’re scattered across the world for players to locate.  Some can be found in newspapers, and others can only be found by exploring the world.  Cheats have been discovered in newspapers, scrawled on buildings, in drawers, and on other structures.  The cheats can do things like spawn weapons, replenish energy, spawn horses, and offer players other helpful boons.

The code entry screen is tucked away in the settings menu for the game.   Just press the pause button in the game at any time, head to settings, press Y (Xbox) or Triangle (PlayStation) and enter the cheat exactly how it appears. Using cheats in Red Dead Redemption 2 does give you access to some things that you would otherwise have to earn, but there are downsides, too.

Turning on cheats in Red Dead Redemption 2 means that you can no longer save your single player progress.  Also, using cheats will lock you out of earning the game’s Achievements.  At any point, if you restart the game after turning on a cheat, you will spawn in the game the moment before you turned them on.

Infinite Ammo Cheat

Name: Infinite Ammunition

Cheat Code: Abundance is the Dullest Desire

Activating the Infinite Ammunition cheat will grant access to Infinite Ammunition for all Weapons and Ammunition types.

Spawn Basic Weapons

Name: Basic Weapons

Cheat Code: A Simple Life, a Beautiful Death

Activating the Basic Weapons cheat will grant access to a loadout of Basic Weapons.

Spawn Heavy Weapons

Name: Heavy Weapons

Cheat Code: Greed is American Virtue

Activating the Heavy Weapons cheat will grant access to a loadout of Heavy Weapons.

Spawn Stealth Weapons

Name: Stealth Weapons

Cheat Code: Death is Silence

Activating the Stealth Weapons cheat will grant access to a loadout of Stealth Weapons.

Spawn Gunslinger Weapons

Name: Gunslinger Weapons

Cheat Code: History is Written by Fools

Activating the Gunslinger Weapons cheat will grant access to a loadout of Gunslinger Weapons.

Unlock All Outfits Cheat

Name: Own all outfits

Cheat Code: Vanity. All is Vanity

Activating the Own All Outfits cheat will grant access to all outfits.

Reveal Map

Name: Fog of War

Cheat Code: You Long For Sight and See Nothing

Activating the Fog of War cheat will reveal the full map before discovery.

Get Fast Money Cheat

Name: Add $500

Cheat Code:  Greed is Now a Virtue

Activating the Add $500 cheat will grant increments of $500 per activation.

Unlock All Recipes Cheat

Name: Learn all Recipes

Cheat Code: Eat of Knowledge

Activating the Learn All Recipes cheat will grant access to all crafting Recipes.

Unlock All Camp Upgrades

Name: Purchase All Camp Upgrades

Cheat Code: Share

Activating the Purchase All Camp Upgrades cheat will give all ledger upgrades and increase max supply levels.

Max Honor Cheat

Name: Increase Honor

Cheat Code: Virtue Unearned is Not Virtue

Activating the Increase Honor cheat will max out your Honor.

Minimum Honor

Name: Decrease Honor

Cheat Code: You Revel in Your Disgrace, I See

Activating the Decrease Honor cheat will decrease your Honor to the minimum amount.

Reset Honor Meter

Name: Reset Honor

Cheat Code: Balance. All is Balance

Activating the Reset Honor cheat will reset your Honor to neutral.

Infinite Stamina Cheat

Name: Infinite Stamina

Cheat Code: The Lucky Be Strong Evermore

Activating the Infinite Stamina Cheat will grant Infinite Stamina for you and your horse.

Infinite Dead Eye Cheat

Name: Infinite Dead Eye

Cheat Code: Be Greedy Only For Forsight

Activating the Infinite Dead Eye cheat will grant Infinite Dead Eye.

Automatic Dead Eye Level 1

Name Set Dead Eye to Level 1

Cheat Code: Guide Me Better

Select Dead Eye Level to Use.  Activating Dead Eye Level 1 will give you basic Dead Eye functionality.

Automatic Dead Eye Level 2

Name: Set Dead Eye to Level 2

Cheat Code: Make Me Better

Select Dead Eye Level to use.  Activating Dead Eye Level 2 will allow you to manually mark targets with Dead Eye.

Automatic Dead Eye Level 3

Name: Set Dead Eye to Level

Cheat Code: I Shall Be Better

Select the Dead Eye Level to use.  Activating Dead Eye Level 3 will allow you to remain in Dead Eye after firing your weapon.

Automatic Dead Eye Level 4

Name: Set Dead Eye Level 4

Cheat Code: I Still Seek More

Select the Dead Eye Leve to use. Activating Dead Eye Level 4 will highlight fatal areas while in Dead Eye.

Automatic Dead Eye Level 5

Name: Set Dead Eye Level 5

Cheat Code: I Seek and I Find

Select the Dead Eye Level to use.  Activating Dead Eye Level 5 will highlight critical areas in addition to fatal areas while in Dead Eye.

Refill All Bars

Name: Set Health, Stamina, and Dead Eye Bars to Full

Cheat Code: You Flourish Before You Die

Activating the Set Health, Stamina and Dead Eye Bars to Full will refill all your bars.

Increase Bar Levels

Name: Increase Health, Stamina and Dead Eye Bar Levels

Cheat Code: Seek All the Bounty of This Place

Activating the Increase Halth, Stamina and Dead Eye Bar Levels cheat will increase the level of all your bars.

Refill All Bars and Fortify

Name: Fortify Health, Stamina and Dead Eye Bars

Cheat Code: You Seek More Than The World Offers

Activating the Fortify Health, Stamina and Dead Eye Bars cheat will refill and Fortify all of your bars.

Increase Horse Bonding

Name: Increase Horse Bonding

Cheat Code: My Kingdom is a Horse

Activating the Increase Horse Bonding cheat will increase your bonding with all your owned Horses.

Increase Whistle Range

Name: Increase Whistle Range For Horse

Cheat Code: Better Than My Dog

Activating the Increase Whistle Range For Horse cheat will allow your Horse to find you, regardless of distance.

Instant Drunk

Name: Drunk

Cheat Code: A Fool on Command

Activating the Drunk cheat will force you to become Drunk.

Spawn Superior Horse

Name Create Superior Horse

Cheat Code: You Want More Than You Have

Activating the Create Superior Horse cheat will create a Superior Horse for use.

Spawn Race Horse

Name: Create a Race Horse

Cheat Code: Run! Run! Run!

Activating the Create Race Horse cheat will create a Race Horse for use.

Spawn War Horse

Name: Create a War Horse

Cheat Code: You are a Beast Built For War

Activating the Create War Horse cheat will create a War Horse for use.

Spawn Random Horse

Name: Create Random Horse

Cheat Code: You Want Something New

Location: Found in broken building north of Clemens Point

Activating the Create Random Horse cheat will create a Random Horse for use.

Spawn Stagecoach

Name: Create Stagecoach

Cheat Code: The Best of the Old Ways

Activating the Create Stagecoach cheat will create a Stagecoach for use.

Spawn Wagon

Name: Create Wagon

Cheat Code: Keep Your Dreams Simple

Activating the Create Wagon cheat will create a Wagon for use.

Spawn Buggy

Name: Create Buggy

Cheat Code: Keep Your Dreams Light

Activating the Create Buggy cheat will create a Buggy for use.

Spawn Circus Wagon

Name: Create a circus wagon

Cheat Code: Would You Be Happier as a Clown

Activating the Create Circus Wagon cheat will create a Circus Wagon for use.

Increase Wanted Level

Name: Increase Wanted Level

Cheat Code: You Want Punishment

Activating the Increase Wanted Level cheat will increase you Wanted level.

Decrease Wanted Level Cheat

Name: Decrease Wanted Level

Cheat Code: You Want Freedom

Activating the Decrease Wanted Level cheat will decrease your Wanted Level.

Clear All Bounties Cheat

Name: Clear All Bounties and Lockdown Areas

Cheat Code: You Want Everyone To Go Away

Activating the Clear All Bounties and Lockdown Areas cheat removes all bounties on the player and removes lockdown areas.

Viz Media’s SDCC 2024 panel has given anime fans a lot to look forward to in the next year, including the release of a Rooster Fighter anime adaptation on Adult Swim. One of the biggest manga announcements made during the event, though is a collaboration between two iconic heroes.

Officially announced to release in August 2024, Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man is set to bring together the two heroes in an epic battle against Doctor Doom and Alien Mefilas.

Everything We Know About Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man

The upcoming Ultraman team-up manga will be written by Shigenobu Matsumoto and Shinji Oishi, with illustrations by Tomo Hirokawa (Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris). The series is getting a simultaneous English and Japanese release beginning on August 14, 2024.

The plot of Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man has been described as:

On Marvel Earth, Spider-Man joins forces with the Avengers to battle Doctor Doom in New York City, but when several civilians are killed in a building collapse as a result, Spider-Man becomes demoralized and finds himself whisked away in a strange spacecraft called the Interdimensional Train. Doctor Doom stows aboard and both find themselves in the Tokyo of the Ultraman universe! Witnessing Ultraman battle a giant Kaiju, Doom craves the Giant of Light’s power and joins forces with Alien Mefilas and his army of Kaiju from the Monster Graveyard to steal it.

Viz Media

While Ultraman has teamed up with Marvel heroes in the past – like Ultraman x Avengers, which will also be dropping on August 14, this is the first time the kaiju-fighting tokusatsu legend will be teaming up with the world’s favorite neighborhood hero.

After over a decade, the sparkly, gorey, and action-packed hack-and-slash title Lollipop Chainsaw is finally coming back in the way of Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP, a remake of the original game that promises QOL improvements without sacrificing the original story.

In addition to all the shiny new features in the remake, Limited Run Games is delivering the perfect collector’s edition for fans that just can’t wait to see Juliet back in action.

The Special ‘Cheerleader Edition’ Gives Diehard Lollipop Chainsaw Fans the Perfect Accessories To Take Zombie Hunting

The new collection from Limited Run Games includes a variety of goodies, including a 10″ statue of Juliet Starling in her signature cheerleading uniform with Nick Carlisle at her hip, a San Romero Knight medal, a Nick keychain, an artbook, and the official soundtrack as a physical CD. All of the items are bundled with a physical copy of the game in an adorable box that looks like a locker.

According to Limited Run Games’ official website, Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP is described as:

LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW RePOP is a remake of the original LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW (2012), on which Yoshimi Yasuda lead development as producer. RePOP is a definitive version of the game which leaves the story unchanged, with the focus on quality-of-life improvements and additional gameplay content.

Watch Juliet, a descendant of zombie hunters, as she fights alongside her boyfriend and family to stop a zombie apocalypse starting in her high school in “Juliet’s 18th Birthday.”

Limited Run Games

As far as what distinguishes RePOP from the original 2012 version, Limited Run Games provides the following information:

Quality of Life Improvements

• The resolution of the game has been increased to full HD, and load times have been greatly shortened.
• The chainsaw action has been sped up with the introduction of the Chained Hits Hunting system, in which chaining multiple hits in succession increases the player’s attack speed.
• The input timings for Combo Actions have been adjusted, to better fit players’ expectations.
• Chainsaw Blaster action has been improved with the addition of auto-lock and auto-fire modes that can be toggled, and an increased maximum ammo count of 99.
• The player can now immediately use Combo Actions at the start of the game.

Additional Gameplay Content

• Separate from Original Mode, RePOP adds “RePOP mode”, which uses a unique and colorful pop art-inspired art style for damage effects.
• Unique new chainsaws with distinctly different features have been added.
• There are 30 costumes, more than the original game’s costume count. Combined with the addition of 4 new hair colors and 4 new chainsaws, this adds up to 750 different possible combinations.
• JULIET’S ROOM has been expanded with more features.
• A Time Attack mode with ranking feature has been added.

Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP will be available on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.

SDCC 2024 has given fans from every corner of the world something to be excited about – especially anime fans. As part of Viz Media’s panel, one of the biggest news the publisher shared with fans was the official anime adaptation announcement for Rooster Fighter by Shu Sakuratani.

After beginning serialization in 2020, Rooster Fighter quickly went viral for its hilarious premise, and its self-aware humor.

Rooster Fighter’s Anime Adaptation Helped Sakuratani Fulfill a Lifelong Dream

After announcing that the Rooster Fighter anime would be airing on Adult Swim, being produced by Sanzigen and Sola Entertainment, the mangaka shared his thoughts on the adaptation, stating:

Ever since becoming a manga artist, my biggest goal was to have my work adapted into an anime. So, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see my dream come true! This is all thanks to my readers’ continued support and Hero’s and VIZ Media’s contributions. I extend my gratitude to all of you.

Shu Sakuratani

He continued, saying this about his action comedy series:

I believe Rooster Fighter is very blessed. We have the best director, the best writer, the best production staff, and the best voice actors all working together to create the best anime. As the original creator, I am ecstatic! I can’t wait to see Keiji and the gang come to life on TV. I hope that everyone out there will enjoy this anime where chickens take center stage!

Shu Sakuratani

The upcoming anime will be directed by Daisuke Suzuki, previously known for his work on D4DJ Double Mix and 009 Re:Cyborg. Series composition will be handled by Hiroshi Seko, whose credits include Attack on Titan, Mob Psycho 100, and Jujutsu Kaisen.

While fans are still waiting on an official release date, the mangaka’s enthusiasm has the community excited to see what’s to come from the series when it finally airs on Adult Swim.

After what feels like forever, the team behind the anime adaptation of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki have finally dropped a new trailer and an official release date for the project.

The New Trailer Shows Off How Hard the Team Worked To Adapt Ito’s Unique Style

Come into the spiral Sept 28th – next day on @StreamOnMax @UzumakiAnime1 #uzumaki pic.twitter.com/Xzxe7ThQAS

— adult swim (@adultswim) July 26, 2024

In the official post from Adult Swim, it’s officially been confirmed that Uzumaki will begin airing on September 28, 2024, with episodes landing on the streaming service Max the day after.

the new trailer shows a number of updated visuals in the latest trailer, and it’s obvious the studio behind the upcoming adaptation, Studio Drive, have put a lot of love, care, and passion into the adaptation.

Defeating a main boss in Elden Ring will get you a new Great Rune to use in the game.  These runes bestow great power on your character, but for each rune you collect you will need to climb different towers to activate the rune itself. Once you’ve beaten the first main boss of the game, Godrick the Grafted, you will need to take his Great Rune to the Divine Tower of Limgrave in order to use it.  In this guide we’ll explain how to get to this area in the game.

How To Open the Divine Tower in Limgrave and Activate Godrick’s Rune

The route to the Divine Tower of Limgrave in actually within Stormveil Castle where you origianlly defeated Godrick. To get to the Tower, you’ll need to take a portal from the castle to the tower bridge. For the purpose of this guide we’re going to explain how to get back to this area by backtracking from the Godrick boss fight.  You’ll need to head back to the areas that you just  fought though to make it to the castle gates.  Hopefully you unlocked the Liftside Chamber Site of Grace while making your way to Godrick in the first place.  This one was near the ogre and open area with many soldiers. Backtrack past the ogre in the courtyard area and instead of heading due south which would’ve been the way you approached this area the first time, instead, go left (east) and head down the stairs toward the main courtyard and Stormveil Castle Gate.  At the bottom of the stairs you’ll come to another open area with a ton of guards as well as a Vanguard Lion.  At the bottom of those stairs hook a left and head through the main door past the lion.

How to Open the Divine Tower of Limgrave Path

The easiest way to do this is to try and run past these enemies but it’s also a good opportunity to collect runes so choose to approach it how you wish.  Once you get to the room with the knight statues kneeling you should be safe if noone is on your tail.  Keep heading straight and you will be at the Limgrave Tower Bridge.  Rest at the Site of Grace and then head onward to the tower. You’re not quite out of the clear yet, the long stretch is a straight run to a teleporter that will actually take you to the tower.  You’ll need to make your way past three giants: two wielding axes, and one with a bow and arrow.  The easiest way to get past them is to run straight ahead until you see the teleporter and then use it to go to the Tower.  If you choose to fight, the ranged giant (closest to the teleporter) is going to be able to hit you while you’re fighting the first and second giants – so be prepared for a tough encounter. If you chose not to fight, and you took the teleporter you are in the clear and you are now at the Divine Tower of Limgrave.  You are in the clear for the time being.  Head up the lift and activate Godrick’s Rune.

Using a bow and arrow or crossbow in Elden Ring can sometimes be a little tricky to understand for new players figuring out the mechanics for the first time.  However, it’s important to know the controls for these weapons as they have the ability to aim and zoom for precision shots.

In this guide we’re going to explain how to aim and zoom with bows and crossbows in Elden Ring.

The Basics of Bows and Crossbows in Elden Ring

In order to use a bow or crossbow in Elden Ring you’ll need to have one equipped, obviously. This can be in your left or right hand as your primary or secondary item.  If you are using a bow you will not be able to use any of your secondary weapons like shields in-between your attacks, however, with the crossbow, shields are a bit easier to use.

While it may be obvious to some players, for either of these items you need to also have bolts, arrows, or great arrows equipped so that you have something to shoot.

Assuming that you’ve got all this down: You can shoot the bow, great bow, or crossbow just like you’re using any other weapon.  You can either manually aim a shot or you can lock on to the target and the shot will track the target automatically.

How To Aim With the Bow & Crossbow

To properly aim using base PC controls:
Press and hold E and right click to two hand, then hold right click to aim.

To properly aim using a controller:
PS4/5: Press and hold “triangle” to two hand and then use L1 to aim.
Xbox Controller: Press and hold Y and use the right bumper to two hand, then use your left bumper to aim.

Once you bring up the crosshair, you can line-up your shots to take down enemies or shoot down hidden items.

That’s all you need to know about aiming bows and crossbows in Elden Ring.  For more tips on the game, check out our Elden Ring Guides section.

In a surprising announcement from Blizzard Entertainment, it seems as though the team behind Overwatch 2 is experimenting with and looking into ways to finally bring 6v6 match types back to the game.

The news has been met with resounding positivity from fans of the game, but according to the game’s director, Aaron Keller, could pose some complications.

The Shift Back To 12-Player Matches Would Be a Big Change For Overwatch 2

In a Director’s Take Blog written by Aaron Keller, the game director goes into details on the sudden idea to explore the potential for bringing a 6v6 game mode back to Overwatch. While the team’s primary focus is balancing the game’s 5v5 mode, Keller added that they’re, “…looking at running a series of events to try out different core team composition formats in Overwatch 2.” which includes testing out 6v6.

He also stated that the urge to explore this option comes from community feedback: “The community has, juuuust once or twice, suggested a test… Why not put various forms of 6v6 in the game in order to gauge the results? We agree, and based on your feedback, we’re exploring how we can test different forms of 6v6 in the game to gauge the results.”

While there is no confirmation on a potential 6v6 game mode becoming a core part of the game any time soon, just the idea of returning to Overwatch‘s original format has made a lot of players excited, especially now that the game is more widely available than ever before. With the release of Juno right around the corner, it seems the Overwatch team is finally earning a positive relationship with their audience.

While Elden Ring‘s base game is a masterpiece on its on, the recently released Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has introduced fans of the series to a brand-new environment with new locations, NPCs, weapons, and perhaps most importantly – new bosses.

Building off the lore from the base game and introducing a variety of challenging new mechanics for players to navigate, memorize, and strategize around, the boss roster in Shadow of the Erdtree is nothing to scoff at; but of these new additions, which of these new adversaries stands out for being the best?

Honorable Mention

Unfortunately, Bayle the Dread is not a remembrance boss in Shadow of the Erdtree, but he’s become such a cultural icon thanks to Igon’s iconic quote: “CURSE YOU, BAYLE!” in addition to the boss fight just all around encompassing the feeling of fighting an ancient, mighty dragon that it’s hard not to give him a shoutout. Not to mention, Bayle has one of the best themes in the entire DLC and excellently written lore than makes felling him all the more satisfying.

10. Scadutree Avatar

Despite the fact that the Scadutree Avatar has a very well-designed arena a perfectly orchestrated battle theme, the creature is lacking in the lore department, with what is known about it being mostly left up to presumption.

With three separate phases, the Scaduetree Avatar’s moveset and mechanics can feel clunky, as many of its abilities fail to truly flow with the beast or capture what makes its design so interesting. While being an interesting challenge to go up against, it’s by far the DLC’s weakest Remembrance fight.

9. Putrescent Knight

Located in the Fissure Depths, the Putrescent Knight is a hulking mass of rotting flesh dedicated to serving St. Trina. While lacking in the lore department, the Putrescent Knight has an amazing accompanying track when fighting him, and his mechanics can be really fun to learn and strategize around.

Unfortunately, though, the hulking undead knight is overshadowed by the DLC’s other boss battles with fleshed out lore. While fun, the Putrescent Knight lacks the substance to make him a truly memorable foe.

8. Commander Gaius

A friend to Messmer who was once noted as a legendary military strategist and warrior, Commander Gaius was once a rival to Radahn, and similarly to his friend, is a rather tragic figure in the lore; cursed from his heritage as an Albinauric to someday lose the use of his legs who accompanied Messmer when he left for the Land of Shadow on Marika’s orders.

Gaius’ fight is no joke – it’s easily considered one of the most difficult and frustrating in Shadow of the Erdtree due to his relentless combos. However, despite how frustrating it can be to go against him and his hulking boar companion, his arena looks incredible, and perfectly fits Gaius’ story – even if weaving around the abandoned weaponry can add to potential frustrations when trying to evade his attacks. Plus, the flashy flavor in his abilities make him a memorable foe to take down.

7. Divine Beast Dancing Lion

Easily possessing one of the best designs and battle themes in the DLC, as well as an incredible introductory cutscene, the Divine Beast Dancing Lion fight is unforgiving mechanically, and at times can feel a bit clunky, even on repeat attempts. Unfortunately, despite the Dancing Lion’s incredible design, the arena the boss is placed in is relatively bland.

Filled with potential due to Divine Beasts being seen as “Messengers of the Heavens” in Elden Ring‘s lore and other intricate bits of design flavor, there were unfortunately too many aspects of the Divine Dancing Beast that caused it to fall flat when compared to other bosses encountered in the DLC.

6. Romina, Saint of the Bud

A horrific amalgamation of different insects and humanoid features, Romina can pose a challenge for unprepared players while still being relatively well-balanced. The fight against her is unavoidable, and her lore is condensed compared to other encounters in the DLC.

Something particularly interesting about Romina despite her condensed origin story and lore is how seamlessly she’s integrated with her environment. Located in the Church of the Bud, Romina is an incredibly well-planned boss that clearly had a lot of care put into her design and battle mechanics.

5. Metyr Mother of Fingers

One of the more grotesque bosses appearance-wise, Metyr is a visual spectacle of a battle with lore implications that run deep into Marika’s backstory. Thanks to Ymir’s questline, players are finally able to face off against the Mother of Fingers, and it delivered.

Located in an ethereal arena in the Finger Ruins of Miyr, Metyr moves rather slowly, but is capable of creating distance to deliver devestating magic attacks against the player. While her battle is far from being the most difficult in the DLC, the visual flair she provides in addition to being arguably one of the most lore-relevant encounters in the game makes her one of the most memorable.

4. Promised Consort Radahn

The official final boss fight of the DLC, the culmination of every quest and encounter the Tarnished has accomplished on their adventure through the Land of Shadows, the battle against the Promised Consort Radahn is nothing to scoff at. In a cinematic confrontation, Miquella, after enchanting Mohg and putting Radahn’s soul into his body, uses him as a “puppet” to fight back against the Tarnished to further his plans to create an “ideal” world using his charms.

Capable of using the same Bloodflame and Gravity Magic, this fight is an uphill battle to say the least. With a flashy moveset in the first phase that morphs into an epic battle against both Radahn and Miquella in the second, the fight is excellently designed, with only a few drawbacks for how overloaded some of the pair’s abilities are.

3. Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame

Midra Lord of Frenzied Flame is an incredibly interesting and challenging boss fight in Shadow of the Erdtree. After previously attempting to become a Lord of Frenzied Flame and failing, Midra finally succeeds in ascending after coming into contact with the Tarnished. The encounter also provides more insight on the Frenzied Flame from the base game.

The fight poses a good challenge for players, with a strong mixed of ranged and melee abilities that forces players to try and fight him in close-quarters combat. All-in-all, it’s a solid fight that, despite being optional, every player should try at least a few times.

2. Rellana Twin Moon Knight

Despite being an optional boss in the DLC, Rellana is a battle that every player should experience. Heavily tied to Messmer the Impaler’s lore – even being known as “Messmer’s Sword”. Rellana was once a princess of the Carrion family and is the younger sister of Rennala, who left behind her life to remain at Messmer’s side once he was sent to the Land of Shadow.

The fight against Rellana is one of the game’s flashiest and feels incredibly rewarding. Her abilities and moveset boast incredible visuals that excellent precursor to the battle against Messmer the Impaler.

1. Messmer the Impaler

Widely considered the secondary antagonist in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, Messmer is a Demi-god and the son of Queen Marika, who was used as a weapon to wage war on any who opposed his mother before being sent to the Land of Shadow. In the lore, Messmer is a shockingly tragic figure who was used by his mother to become a detestable warlord – but he realized this truth too late.

Mechanically, the fight against Messmer is a very fair but extremely challenging fight that tests the player’s ability to memorize his fiery combos. He has two phases, each of which offer insight on his tragedy and his relationship to Marika. His arena is hauntingly gorgeous, and the music that accompanies the fight against him is absolutely perfect, making Messmer hands-down the best Remembrance boss in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

Blue Lock has quickly become one of the biggest sports anime in the world, and after the success of the Episode Nagi film, fans all around the world were excited to see new updates regarding the 2nd season’s release.

In an exciting new teaser trailer uploaded by EMOTION Label Channel and a post made on the official X (formerly Twitter) accounts revealed that Unison Square Garden will be returning to perform the new opening song, as well as showing off some flashy new footage from Blue Lock season 2.

When Will Blue Lock Season 2 Release?

The second season of Blue Lock is slated to release during the Fall 2024 Anime Season, on October 5, 2024. Just like the first season, season 2 will be streaming on Crunchyroll, subbed and dubbed. The new season will be featuring some new additions to the voice cast, including Satoshi Hino as Oliver Aiku, Kakeru Hatano as Nijiro Nanase, Eiji Mikami as Yo Hiori, and Akihisa Wakayama as Shuto Sendo.

The Summer 2024 Anime season has introduced anime fans to a variety of new and returning series that have more than lived up to the hype. With obvious heavy-hitters that were guaranteed to draw in fans

My Deer Friend Nokotan

My Deer Friend Nokotan brings back the same style of comedy anime that the community had been missing out on once the 2010s came and went, filled with slapstick reference humor that resonates with fans of every genre. Poking fun at properties like Dark Souls, the original Spider-Man trilogy, and other anime, it seems as though there’s no limit to the different places My Deer Friend Nokotan will draw inspiration from. Plus, the opening theme is infectiously catchy and hard to avoid.

The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies

Based on the manga series of the same name by the late Cocoa Fujiwara, The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies is a light-hearted spin on the classic Magical Girl – or mahou shojo – genre. The series takes place in a world where the villains have taken over, spearheaded by the son of the evil overlord, named Mira. Their plans for domination begin to struggle when the organization is contested by a magical girl named Byakuya, who turns Mira’s world upside-down when he finds himself falling in love with the enemy. As the two begin growing closer, their relationship becomes more complicated.

Perfectly capturing the classic enemies-to-lovers trope without all the angst but plenty of pining, The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies may not have had a proper serialized ending, but the unlikely adaptation from Studio Bones may give the series the closure it deserves after all these years.

Twilight Out of Focus

One of the biggest BL releases in the last year, Twilight Out of Focus is a wonderfully well-produced anime that, despite some issues with its initial release in the west, has been met with overwhelming positivity from fans of the genre. Opening by following a school film project that blossoms into young love, the series’ two leads are easy to care about and root for as their relationship develops. The build up is done perfectly throughout the show, and each episode is laden with romantic tension.

Senpai is an Otonoko

Anime that explore nuanced LGBTQ concepts aren’t a rarity in today’s landscape, it is rare when one comes along that’s able to captivate an audience beyond its target demographic. Senpai is an Otonoko is a show that’s hit how with anime fans around the globe for discussing the complex journey that comes with navigating one’s gender identity and how we choose to present ourselves to the world. The show is filled with incredibly heartfelt moments discussing the topic of gender expression and learning to accept oneself despite what society may think, and it’s truly stood out this season because of that.

Wistoria Wand & Sword

The non-isekai high fantasy anime of the season, Wistoria has, so far, managed to draw in a sizable audience with a bright, colorful artstyle and high quality magic battles. Adapted from the original series written by the creator of Is It Wrong To Try and Pick Up Girls In a Dungeon?, Wistoria has an arguably stronger premise while still holding on to the same “dungeon crawl” inspiration that made the creator’s first series so successful.

Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest

Fairy Tail was a long-running shonen series that got popular for its world-building and characters, but it’s been a while since the series received any new anime content, with the final season of the original series coming to an end in 2018. However, the shonen fantasy has made a big comeback with the release of the 100 Years Quest anime adaptation, and to the delight of longtime fans, Fairy Tail hasn’t lost any of the charm that made it so popular when it originally released.

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a (Cour 2)

Video games being adapted to anime have always had a dicey track record, with other A-1 Pictures’ attempts at this, like Persona 5: The Animation missing the mark on what makes the source material so special. Luckily, the studio has been taking back their reputation with their animated adaptation of NieR: Automata, which has done a decent job at adapting the game’s storyline and bringing its complicated characters to life. The first cour performed excellently among fans, and Cour 2 has, so far, been a strong sequel that keeps up the same quality and consistency as its first half.

Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!

While the anime is gaining a solid audience, Too Many Losing Heroines is absolutely the Summer Season’s sleeper hit anime. Despite its initial set-up being the typical “plain male lead surrounded by cute girls”, Too Many Losing Heroines! succeeds in actually shaking up this formula in a compelling way. The leading lady of the show, Anna, is a hilarious subversion of the standard “popular girl” trope, and the anime’s sense of humor perfectly encapsulates what makes these characters so fun to follow. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this show receive a 2nd season once the season comes to a close.

Oshi No Ko Season 2

After the unprecedented success of Oshi no Ko‘s first season around the world, it shouldn’t be surprising that a second installment was quickly greenlit and thrown into production. Oshi no Ko season 2 keeps the same level of quality from the first, and is focused on adapting one of the manga’s best story arcs, which has its audience absolutely enthralled. As the anime begins to dig deeper into its psychological crime thriller themes, fans are more devoted than ever to follow Aqua’s journey to unmask his mother’s killer.

The Elusive Samurai

The anime adaptation for The Elusive Samurai was initially met with a small level of excitement from longtime fans of the original manga, but from the moment episode 1 released, the series exploded in popularity. Complete with CloverWorks’ signature colorful animation style and striking color palette, and paired with an extremely well executed story, the anime has seen an extreme amount of success with only a handful of episodes currently available to stream.

Pokémon is a franchise with a loaded history that’s managed to stand the test of time with video games, a solid anime adaptation with multiple spin-offs, a manga, a TCG – the list goes on.

The heart of this series lies in its games, of course, and while there have been a few misses – there are a plenty of key standouts in the franchise, especially with its spin-off titles, that have helped it stay relevant for so many years.

Pokémon Red & Green (1996)

It May Seem Cliche, But Red & Green Deserve Recognition For Starting It All

While the first game in the Pokémon franchise may be lacking in all the features that have kept the game popular today, it will always and forever be iconic for being the game that started it all. There’s hardly any Pokémon more iconic than the original 151, and many still hold the game in high regard today.

Approachable to young gamers at the time, bugs and glitches that are still talked about today, and still managing to tell compelling environmental stories in the way of Lavender Town, Pokémon Red & Pokémon Green will always and forever be one of the best entries in the franchise.

Pokémon X & Y (2013)

The First 3D Mainline Pokémon Game Introduced New Mechanics & Franchise Staples

The first fully 3D mainline Pokémon title, Gen 6’s X & Y introduced a number of new mechanics, gimmicks, and story beats that are still beloved by modern Pokémon fans a decade later. This batch of mainline games were the first to introduce full character customization, and also included the Mega Evolution mechanic.

While its storytelling isn’t as strong as other mainline titles, X & Y still had a umber of compelling lore implications for the series, tying its main trilogy back to Norse Mythology. Plus, plenty of diehard Pokémon fans interested in the franchise’s greater lore are still waiting to learn more about the mysterious Zygarde.

Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness (2005)

The Heavily Underrated Sequel To Pokémon Colosseum Deserves More Love as One Of the Franchise’s Best Spin-Offs

The heavily underrated sequel to Pokémon Colosseum is an absolute must-play to any Pokémon fan that has access to a GameCube system. Despite the tragedy that the game is doomed to become more obscure than it already is with the passage of time, Gale of Darkness was a unique entry in the franchise and a bold departure to the standard approach to Pokémon‘s formula. Mechanically, the game operates in a similar fashion to other mainlines titles, but allows the player to find wild Pokémon in specific locations, which is a huge improvement on Colosseum‘s gameplay.

Taking place five years after the events of Colosseum, Gale of Darkness opens with the Orre Region’s criminal organization, Cipher, after creating “Shadow Lugia”, a sinister Pokémon immune to purification that’s meant to wreak havoc on the region. You, the player, embark on a journey with your trusty Eevee at your side to purify different Shadow Pokémon around the region and get to the bottom of the Cipher organization’s schemes.

Pokémon Snap (1999)

The original Pokémon Snap Gave Players a Low-Stakes, Adorable Experience With Their Favorite Pokémon

Pokémon Snap holds a fond place in many Pokémon fans’ hearts thanks to its laid back gameplay and adorable snapshot into the normal activities of Pokémon out in the wild. With a completely different gameplay loop compared to what’s in the mainline titles, Pokémon Snap just focuses on the player exploring the world and trying to get the best possible photograph of whatever Pokémon they can stumble across.

That’s not to say it’s that simple, though, as there are specific Pokémon evolutions and encounters that players can only find after triggering specific, timed events in the world as they explore.

Pokémon Emerald (2003)

Gen 3 Introduced a Number of Fan-Favorite Pokémon

The capstone of Gen 3, Pokémon Emerald ties together what makes Ruby & Sapphire so iconic and builds on specific mechanics to improve the overall gameplay. In addition to shaking up the resolution of the game’s main story by showing off the omnipotent Rayquaza, the game also allows players to catch Ruby & Sapphire‘s respective exclusives with no need for trading with friends.

There were also massive redesigns to many of the locations players can access across the Hoenn regions that improves exploration and makes the world feel more alive. As far as battling goes, Emerald built on the double battle mechanic, allowing players the opportunity to re-challenge gym leaders and participate in double battles against them. Gen 3 was a huge turning point in the franchise by introducing massive changes that would effect all of the mainline titles going forward.

Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver (2009)

Gen 2’s Remakes Rival Newer Games In Content & Quality

Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver were gorgeous reimaginings of Gen 2’s Gold & Silver titles, and combined some elements from Pokémon Crystal as well. Using many of the new core features introduced in Gen 4 and adding beautiful new scenery to iconic locations, HeartGold & SoulSilver stood out as being the first batch of mainline remakes to add just as much as they restored.

Additionally, HeartGold & SoulSilver added the adorably fun overworld mechanic of having whatever Pokémon in the player’s first slot follow them around. This was paired alongside the admittedly gimmicky pedometer called the Pokéwalker that was sold alongside the games to track player’s real-world steps and earn “watts” tht could be exchanged for in-game rewards, and the ability to catch Pokémon.

Pokémon Sun & Moon (2016)

Despite Some Spotty Mechanical Adds, Gen 7 Explored a Deeper Narrative That Hit Close To Home For Many Players

While Gen 7 sometimes gets a bad rep from disgruntled Pokémon fans, Sun & Moon had a stellar story that dove into surprising depth for a mainline Pokémon game. With Lusamine being a more than compelling villain, especially factoring in the storylines following her two children that become a rival and companion to the player, Sun & Moon has more than enough to keep players entertained, and earns it a high spot amid other titles in the franchise.

While the games does have its misses mechanically, its still incredibly fun, and also shook up the traditional Gym Leader dynamic found in past Pokémon games.

Pokémon Black & White (2010)

Gen 5 Bookends the End Of an Era For the Franchise With One Of Pokémon’s Best Stories

Pokémon Black & White was the final 2D mainline entry in the franchise, and ended that era of Pokémon on an incredible note. While Gen 5 does suffer from a few questionable mechanics that never permanently carried over to other games, it did bring some of the liveliest sprite’s in the franchise’s history, and hands down has the most compelling story in a mainlines Pokémon game.

The game’s villains were also compelling, with the dynamic between N and Ghetsis remaining iconic now, with many players voicing their desire to see more complex antagonists like N in the future. From its character and Pokémon designs, to the infectiously catchy OST, Pokémon Black & White will always be beloved entries in the series.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (2009)

The Mystery Dungeon Series Is Known For Tear-Jerking Stories, & Explorers of Sky Delivered

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon is a unique take on the Pokémon franchise that sees players being transported to a world inhabited only by Pokémon as a Pokémon, and going on dungeon crawling adventures as members of a guild trying to discover what caused them to become a Pokémon in the first place. While the gameplay is fun, the storyline of Explorers of Sky is absolutely iconic, and an absolute tear-jerker.

Despite being a spin-off title, Explorers of Sky has some of the best storytelling in the entirety of the franchise, with many fans wishing to see the spin-off series make a comeback after a handful of lackluster entries since Explorers of Sky dropped.

Pokémon Platinum (2006)

The Final Mainline Entry of Gen 4 Gave Pokémon Fans Everything They Want Out of the Franchise

Pokémon Platinum is hands-down the best Pokémon game. Not only is Gen 4 well-regarded for adding many of the series most iconic Pokémon, including Giratina and Arceus – the literal God of Pokémon – Platinum also introduced a variety of upgrades from Diamond & Pearl that truly made it stand out.

Of these, some of the best additions included the game running faster – Diamond & Pearl chug along far more than players might remember – story improvements, with many of the core themes surrounding creation and time, culminating in Platinum‘s box-art showcase Pokémon, Giratina, representing anti-matter and chaos. Platinum also marks the return of the beloved Battle Frontier, and much like Emerald, allows for a broader Pokédex that’s easier for players to complete.

On Monday, IGN officially announced what a few leakers had been speculating over the weekend: Naruto and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are joining forces in a collaborative crossover comic consisting of four issues between IDW Publishing and Viz Media.

When Does the Naruto x TMNT Comic Release?

The first issue of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto is set to release on November 13, 2024.

IDW has said the following about the collab:

“It’s the coolest ninja matchup you could have ever dreamed of, had you dared! The Heroes in a Half-Shell meet the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox in the crossover everyone will be talking about.

When teenage reporter April O’Neil has a clandestine meeting with Tsunade, the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village, it garners the attention of Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi. They aren’t the only ones who are wondering what the two women were discussing, though. The sinister Foot Clan have their own interest in April’s visit, as they think she might hold the valuable information on mutation research being conducted by the scientist Baxter Stockman. With April caught between the forces of the Hidden Leaf Village and the Foot Clan, it can’t be long before the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show up to lend her a hand!”

Who Is Working On Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto?

There’s an incredibly talented staff working on the upcoming collab, including Caleb Goellner (known for his previous work on Sonic the Hedgehog) is writing the story, Hendry Prasetya (known for his work on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) will be handling the drawing, Raúl Angulo (known for his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will be coloring, and Ed Dukeshire (known for his work on Irredeemable) is lettering the issues. The cover artwork for Issue #1 is being handled by Hendry Prasetya and Jorge Jiménez.

The last time Naruto and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collaborated was for a merchandise line through BoxLunch.

The anime adaptation of Naruto can be streamed on Netflix, the original manga by Masashi Kishimoto can be purchased through retailers like Amazon.

Warning: The following is a developing story and contains mentions of sensitive topics such as death and domestic violence.

Former Kodansha editor Jung-hyun Park, known for his work on Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan and Seven Deadly Sins has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for the murder of his wife.

Everything We Know About the Jung-hyun Park Case

On July 18, 2024, the former Kodansha editor was sentenced to 11 years in prison following a retrial for the murder of his wife, which had originally been investigated during August 2016. He was initially arrested for the horrific event back in January 2017, with prosecutors initially pursuing a 15 year sentence.

When the investigation began, Park gave a series of unreliable stories. Initially, he told investigators that his wife had committed suicide, and then changed his story, stating that she had fallen down a flight of stairs. Once the ambulance arrived, her body was found at the base of the stairs with the cause of death ruled as suffocation. In the court proceedings, when Park’s claims of suicide were challenged, he claimed that his wife has been acting violently before taking her own life. He continued to tell Tokyo Reporter that the reason for the inconsistencies in his story was to avoid their children learning of what happened with their mother. The judge concluded on July 18 that Park’s story had too many inconsistencies, stating, “It is too sudden and unnatural that the wife lost consciousness and then moved around so much that she made a noise, and then committed suicide.”

Park has announced that he intends to pursue an appeal on the decision. Park had been working for Kodansha since 1999, and had worked on the Bessatsu Shonen magazine as the editor for Attack on Titan, and later moved to begin work as an editor for Weekly Morning.

Source: Tokyo Reporter

Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter is a staple shonen series, with both the manga and 2011 anime adaptation having a huge impact on the industry. Due to the original creator’s health, though, the series has struggled to continue, but it looks as though Gon and his troupe of friends will finally be making a comeback.

With frequent updates from Togashi, an upcoming 3v3 fighting game, and a brand-new tankoban release confirmed by Shueisha, Hunter x Hunter is making a huge comeback in 2024.

Hunter x Hunter’s Indefinite Hiatus May Finally Be Coming To an End

With a record of taking multiple breaks due to his health, Togashi placed Hunter x Hunter on an indefinite hiatus in early 2023 due to his ongoing health and personal issues after the release of chapter 400. Though saddening to many fans, they’ve regained hope that the series could potentially begin serializing again after Togashi’s X (formerly Twitter) account had begun putting out multiple updates from the end of 2023.

pic.twitter.com/hAMV71EHdM

— 冨樫義博 (@Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp) July 22, 2024

These increasingly frequent updates have featured page numbers, and even fully-colored artwork. His most recent post at time of writing is a full color illustration of Chrollo from the Phantom Troupe.

No.410、背景指定書作成完了。 pic.twitter.com/wrzcDYC6vr

— 冨樫義博 (@Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp) July 22, 2024

In addition to this, Shueisha recently volume 38 of the manga for a Fall release on September 4, 2024. Togashi has also made posts stating that the new chapters are ready to hand off chapters 409 and 410 to his assistants, and has teased progress all the way through hapter 416. Despite the long break Togashi has taken, fans are elated for any potential updates, and are rooting for the mangaka to continue monitoring his health while working hard on the upcoming chapters.

The Upcoming Nen x Impact Game Has a Lot of Promise

While anime fighting games are often hit or miss with critics, the upcoming Hunter x Hunter video game project, Nen x Impact, looks incredibly promising, and the promotional videos showing of the game’s roster have been anything but bland.

From Arc System Works and Bushiroad Games, Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact features a variety of iconic characters from the series, including the core protagonists, and most recently announced the addition of Feitan and Meruem to the roster. While anime tie-in fighters often have lower budgets, it’s still interesting to see the amount of marketing Nen x Impact is receiving, so hopefully the project will have something for hardcore Hunter x Hunter fans to enjoy.

Hunter x Hunter‘s anime adaptation can be streamed on Netflix, the official manga can be purchased from retailers like Amazon.

The Summer 2024 Anime Season has introduced a variety of exciting new shows to the community, including the zany comedy My Deer Friend Nokotan, and shows like Suicide Squad ISEKAI the reimagine classic characters in a new way.

A surprising hit from this season, however, has come in the way of CloverWorks’ adaptation of The Elusive Samurai, which has a remarkably high score on MAL despite only having one episode available at the time of writing.

What Makes The Elusive Samurai So Sensational?

While CloverWorks has solidified themselves as a solid and reliable studio, producing standout hits like Horimiya, Black Butler -Public School Arc- and My Dress Up Darling, from time-to-time their new releases can get buried amid a season filled with other promising titles. While there weren’t many anime fans talking about The Elusive Samurai before episode 1 dropped, it’s now become hard to avoid seeing Tokiyuki’s face all over the internet.

It’s clear that CloverWorks is putting a lot of love into this adaptation, with many fans of the original manga commenting on how well the studio has done to re-contextualize small details that were left in dialogue boxes in the source material, as well as offering the studio’s signature fluid animation to the show.. The characters and setting are fun and refreshing, with the series taking place during Japan’s Nanboku-cho period (1333), and following the up-and-coming successor of the Kamakura Shogunate. Historical fiction isn’t uncommon in anime, but it is rare to see something that sticks so closely to the era it’s attempting to portray.

Not to mention, watching the first episode, it’s fun to see child characters that actually behave like curious children, instead of having their personalities aged up. All around, The Elusive Samurai is a gem of a series, and we can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

Fans interested in getting caught up with The Elusive Samurai can stream the show on Crunchyroll.

The latest installment in the Dragon Ball franchise, Dragon Ball Daima, was originally announced during the Dragon Ball Special Panel during New York Comic-Con in 2023, and we finally have confirmation for when fans will be able to enjoy the late Akira Toriyama’s final project.

Toei Animation recently dropped a new trailer filled with details about the anime, including its official release date.

Dragon Ball Daima Will Officially Drop In October 2024

The trailer shows of Daima‘s flashy animation style and high-energy vibe, once again showing a child version of Goku taking on the upcoming anime’s biggest threats. In addition to the new trailer, the official Dragon Ball X account dropped a new key visual for the anime.

Dragon Ball DAIMA
Unveiling new characters & a main visual
Plus a highly anticipated new trailer!#DAIMA #DragonBallhttps://t.co/ExyuvZ8HPN pic.twitter.com/AnsPvwPZKU

— DRAGON BALL OFFICIAL (@DB_official_en) July 19, 2024

The new visual is reminiscent of early Dragon Ball manga cover artwork, injecting the project with a rush of nostalgia.

My Deer Friend Nokotan gained online notoriety rather quickly thanks to its unapolegitcally silly marketing tactics and relatively wholesome comedic delivery, the series ticked a lot of boxes for anime fans before it began streaming on Amazon Prime and Crunchyroll.

Based on the original manga by Oshioshio, My Deer Friend Nokotan follows an ex-delinquent-turned-honor student named Torako Koshi, who, after rescuing a human-deer hybrid on her way to school becomes plagued by the presence of her “new” friend Noko. The worst part of her dilemma is that it seems as though nobody else around her sees anything wrong with their new classmate.

The First Two Episodes of ‘Nokotan’ Live Up To Wit Studio’s Zany Marketing

Something that’s noticeable from the opening animation in My Deer Nokotan is how much this series loves reference humor. Including hilarious tidbits like a nod to Dark Souls and other famous properties, the series wears its love for other media like a badge of honor, and takes every opportunity to fit some referential gag into the story. While this, understandably, isn’t every anime fan’s cup of tea, My Deer Friend Nokotan feels so genuine with its humor, that its hard not to crack a smile when a gag like this pops up.

In many ways, the series feels reminiscent of some of the 2010s best comedy anime, like Nichijou, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, and Mr. Osomatsu. The show’s humor isn’t limited to poking fun at other anime and video games, however, with episode 2 dropping a reference to Peter Parker’s iconic dance sequence in Spider-Man 3.

Wit Studio’s signature animation prowess can be seen even in Nokotan‘s silliest moments, proving once again that the studio has a broad range outside of more action-oriented productions like Vinland Saga and Spy x Family. Not to mention – the voice acting performances from the two female leads, Megumi Hand and Saki Fujita (as Noko and Koshi, respectively) add to the show’s persistent style and charm.

While this is an early take away of the series’ quality, episode 3 drops on July 21, 2024, and fans will know for sure if My Deer Friend Nokotan is one to keep on their watchlists for the remainder of the Summer 2024 Anime season.

Overwatch has officially announced the latest hero coming to the Overwatch 2 roster – and she’s way cuter than a ybody could have anticipated.

The support hero, officially dubbed Juno, is coming to the game soon, and for a limited time players will be able to try out the new support hero for free.

Everything We Know About Juno the Space Ranger

3, 2, 1, blast off with our newest Support hero, Juno!

Hop in and play as her for a limited-time July 19 through July 21 pic.twitter.com/NFAt0wThAp

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) July 18, 2024

In addition to being voiced by Xanthe Huynh of Persona fame, in the official release trailer showing off the new support hero, players got a chance to check out Juno’s abilities.

The hero’s kit is filled with fun new abilities that compliment her space ranger-persona, including being able to use her primary fire to heal allies while dealing damage, a secondary fire that that can lock on to fire homing projectiles that heal allies and do damage, and an ultimate that calls down a ray to heal her allies and provide a damage buff.

Juno’s other abilities include Glide Boost, which allows her to glide horizontally, increasing her movement speed; Hyper Ring, that deploys a ring increasing the movement speed of her allies; and Martian Overboots – a super fun looking passive that gives Juno the ability to glide and hover while airborne.

The limited time trial to check out the hero for free will be taking place from July 19 to July 21, 2024.

Studio Trigger’s anime adaptation of Ryoko Kui’s high fantasy dungeon-delving fantasy series Delicious In Dungeon was iconic, and its fanbase has skyrocketed ever since.

While its great to see more people talking about the series, its even more incredible to see the vast number of fan projects pop up following the anime’s success, with many of the perfectly capturing the underlying themes of the series.

@mihaelillustrates Captures a Heartwarming Meal Shared By Laios’ Party

hotpot with the gang :DD#dunmeshi #dungeonmeshi pic.twitter.com/wD9lbsHgP9

— chii ( ´ ▽ ` ) (@mihaellustrates) July 15, 2024

This gorgeously illustrated fanart features Laios, Marcille, Chilchuck, and Senshi sharing hotpot together. The color palette chosen for the piece gives it a warm and cozy feel – even with Marcille’s disgruntled expression. It beautifully captures one of Delicious In Dungeon‘s core themes: the importance of taking the time to share a meal with the people you care about.

With the tense season 1 finale ramping things up leading into the already announced second season, it can be easy to forget that some of the show’s best moments come from Laios and the rest of the party connecting with friends new and old through the power of home cooking, even if they are making their meals with monsters.

Delicious in Dungeon is available to stream on Netflix.

The award-winning Baldur’s Gate 3 has become an instant classic, and made it to the top of many players’ best of 2023 list – including myself. When the game launched, I found myself instantly enthralled by the “Dark Urge” character origin, and in my first playthrough, dived into learning as much as I could about my – as Astarion would put it – “precious little Bhaal Babe.”

While Act 1 was relatively tame in giving away information about the Dark Urge’s backstory, Act 2 hits like a truck – and as I continued playing noticed something undeniable: the Dark Urge and Enver Gortash absolutely had “something” going on before the events of the main game.

I’m not the only person picking up on the tension between the Dead Three’s chosen either, but Larian Studios is determined to try and run away from the possibility of “Durgetash” being made canon.

Larian Studio’s Continuous Denial Of Durgetash Is Funny, But Continues To Stoke the Flames

Plenty of fans are excited for the release of Patch 7. Larian recently dropped the patch notes on their social platforms, and it introduces a number of incredible changes, bug fixes, and the official modding toolkit. Also featured on Community Update #28, though, is this excerpt:

Clearly, Larian Studios has heard pleas from the desperate Durgetash community for any crumbs of content or making the doomed ship canon, but the studio has decided to instead choose violence. This isn’t the first time the studio has made jabs at fans of the ship either, as they regularly engage with fans of the villainous Lord Enver Gortash on Twitter/X.

These aren’t the only examples, of course, but Larian does seem to love the banter. The bigger question on this issue, though, is why they’re so dedicated to shooting down the hopes of Durgetash fans when there are clearly nods to the pair having some kind of “more-than-enemies-less-than-friends” dynamic before the Dark Urge got tadpoled.

Analyzing the Relationship Between Gortash & the Dark Urge: Partners In World Domination, Or Something More?

Analyzing what once was between Enver Gortash and Dark Urge is tricky at best, partially due to the fact that many of the references to the pair’s relationship can only be found in books, letters, and journals scattered throughout the game that are incredibly easy to miss for a player barreling through the main story. Regardless, observant Durgetash fans have done their research and have scoured every corner of the Sword Coast to find evidence that these two used to be involved with one another.

Posted by u/AgitatedMango9695 on Reddit, the following letter can be found in game – including a note added by Balthazar at the end making a jab at Dark Urge – of Bhaal’s chosen lamenting about being unable to ignore Gortash’s inherent genius.

Called a “Prayer of Forgiveness” in-game, this is the first concrete piece of evidence that the two had a much deeper relationship other than uniting the chosen of the Dead Three to take over Faerûn. Once the player makes it to Act 3, there are even more hints scattered throughout alluding to something going on – including a unique piece of Gortash dialogue when he’s speaking to Orin in an early cutscene, giving a shocked, “They live?” after hearing that the Dark Urge is making their way to the city.

When the Dark Urge finally makes it to Wyrm’s Crossing and goes to speak to Gortash during the coronation ceremony, he seems genuinely elated to see them – something that he does not do for a regular Tav. His body language in the cutscenes that follow are notably different, darting his eyes away and even smiling. If you have Karlach in your party, he even says this, “To think you and Karlach travelled together all this time, and she hadn’t the faintest you were one of my nearest and dearest.” and with specific dialogue choices will later add, “You and I always knew we could only stand against the world united.”

Then, when Orin begins invading the player’s camp, she makes a pointed statement directed at the player that they have always been easily influenced by the “Lordling”.

This isn’t what ultimately sold me on the two having involvement, believe it or not. What really sealed the deal for me as a player was learning about the heist on Mephistopheles vault, and what Gortash says to the player as they enter the The Iron Throne to rescue Ulder Ravengard, and their final conversation in a “good” aligned run if the player chooses to betray him. Surprisingly, much of this evidence was introduced in Patch 6 – one of the very few breadcrumbs that Larian has tossed to players to fuel speculation.

If the player chooses to betray Gortash and rescue Duke Ravengard from The Iron Throne, upon entering Gortash’s chambers in Wyrm’s Crossing, he will reprimand the Dark Urge for going against him, saying that the two of them could have been partners in crime had they chosen differently. To this, the player is presented with a series of dialogue options with one of them standing out, stating, “For what it’s worth, I think I always liked you, too. But this is how it must be.” Selecting this option, the player is hit with this narrative piece of pining: “There is hesitation in his eye for one moment. A passing thought of all times spent together you’ll never remember.” Gortash quickly interjects with, “Is that what you–” before being dramatically cut off by the rumbling of the Elder Brain.

While this is an overt bit of fanservice being thrown at Durgetash fans, this isn’t the only special dialogue shippers have decided to run with. When the player begins their descent into The Irone Throne, Gortash will send a clear message for them to stop what they’re doing or threaten to kill everyone imprisoned inside. While not the most concrete, the Dark Urge does get an interesting unique response to this, saying that Gortash is theirs to take from. Any fan of doomed or toxic ships can read between the lines with this one, even if it may seem like a stretch at a glance.

One of the most interesting pieces of evidence that players can find about the pair’s past is the plot to raid Mephistopheles Vault. While this can, of course, be read as nothing more than two evil individuals plotting to unite for a common goal, it also opens the gates for a great deal of analysis and implication regarding just how much Gortash and the Dark Urge have relied on one another in the past. It also confirms that the two were well acquainted before the “Absolute” plot, and that despite their patron Gods being fierce rivals, moving past that in order to truly care for each other.

References to the raid can be found by speaking with Helsik in the Devil’s Fee while playing Dark Urge before traveling to the House of Hope in Act 3. Helsik will recognize the Dark Urge right away, but, as per usual, the Dark Urge has amnesia and can’t remember anything about interacting with Helsik in the past. She’s willing to enlighten you on a bit of your history, telling the player that she had opened a portal for the Dark Urge and Lord Gortash to enter the Hells. She doesn’t provide much else aside from this, but players can also find a note written by a spy hired by Orin, and one written by Gortash corroborating this information.

While a reach, the pair must have had a great deal of respect and trust for one another in order to band together to attempt to rob Mephistopheles – the most powerful Archdevil next to Asmodeus. Gortash and his favorite assassin have undeniable history, and while many players could understandably read these interactions as being the result of a deep-rooted trust, it’s impossible to look at this evidence without also seeing clear nods to doomed, romantic pining.

Our read on these interactions is that it’s almost undeniable that the feelings Gortash and the Dark Urge have for one another are anything but platonic. Even if it’s toxic, Archduke Enver Gortash is pining for the Dark Urge, and it’s time for Larian to stop avoiding the writing on the wall. Even if we can never ultimately save Gortash if we decide to side with him in Act 3, we should at least have one last chance for an angst-filled goodbye between the two – and maybe that kiss that Larian keeps insisting he’s too busy for.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is available on PC (Windows & macOS), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Off the heels of the new Urusei Yatsura anime adaptation’s success, fans of Rumiko Takahashi were delighted to learn that another one of the iconic mangaka’s series was coming back with a fresh new anime.

Rivaled in popularity only by her massively popular shonen series Inuyasha, Ranma 1/2 is by far one of Takahashi’s most recognizable works around the globe, and now even newer anime fans will have an opportunity to experience it.

The New Ranma 1/2 Trailer Perfectly Captures the Manga’s Energy

It’s been officially announced that the new anime will be produced by Studio MAPPA (Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuri!!! On Ice, Chainsaw Man) and is set to air on October 5, 2024 in Japan, with Netflix picking up the series for a worldwide release on October 6, 2024. It’s also been announced that much of the original voice cast will be returning to reprise their roles from the original Ranma 1/2 anime from the 80s and 90s, including Kappei Yamaguchi, Megumi Hayashibara, and Noriko Hidaka.

In addition to the exciting cast announcement, ano will be performing the opening song for the new series, also known for performing the 7th Chainsaw Man ending song, “Chu, Tayousei”. One Piece anime director Konosuke Uda will be directing the upcoming anime alongside Kimiko Ueno (Delicious In Dungeon) handling series composition, Kaoru Wada (Inuyasha) handling music composition, and character designs by Hiromi Taniguchi (FLCL Alternative).

Of Baldur’s Gate 3‘s many irresistibly romanceable companions, Karlach is one of the best. She’s full of energy, loving, and ready to throw herself in a rage to protect those she cares about. While many have found themselves charmed by the Tiefling and, in turn, have charmed her – others aren’t so lucky.

Theo Solomon, who plays Wyll Ravengard and Bernard in the smash-hit RPG, recently found himself on the receiving end of being not-so-subtly rejected by the fiery Barbarian during his playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3 on Twitch.

Theo May Have Been Rejected, But He Shook It Off

In the hilarious Youtube Short, Theo decides to shoot his shot to spend some one-on-one time with Karlach during the Tiefling party at the end of Act 1. In a tragic twist, Karlach shoots him down with her classic “let’s not ruin a good thing” voiceline. Theo plays it off, though, putting on a pair of sunglasses and moving on with the party.

Not to fear – as Theo did manage to score a romantic night with Shadowheart instead. For fans of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Theo Solomon, the actor streams on Twitch at theosolomon1 and posts clips from his streams on Youtube @TheoSolomon1.

The anime and manga industry have always been huge in the Western world, but there’s no denying that over the last decade the two mediums have absolutely exploded. While plenty of mainstream fans are familiar with their favorite anime series, and even some of the best-selling manga titles, there’s a vast array of content that tends to be overlooked and under appreciated despite the immense amount of hard work that goes into translating, localizing, and bringing these titles to English-speaking audiences.

That’s where AnimeNYC and the Japan Society come in, uniting to create the American Manga Awards. Aiming to celebrate and acknowledge the dedicated and hard-working individuals making our favorite titles more accessible, the American Manga Awards have finally revealed their nominees for 2024.

Every American Manga Award Nominee

The American Manga Awards are shaping up to be a huge event, and the committee in charge have selected a number of stand-out titles to join the ranks of their nominations for 2024.

Best New Manga:

• The Darwin Incident by Shun Umezawa | Kodansha
• #DRCL Midnight Children by Shin’ichi Sakamoto, based on Dracula by Bram Stoker | Viz Media
• Just Like Mona Lisa by Tsumuji Yoshimura | Square Enix Manga & Books
• Mothers by Kusahara Umi | Glacier Bay Books
• Soara and the House of Monsters by Hidenori Yamaji | Seven Seas Entertainment

Best Continuing Manga Series:

• Blood on the Tracks by Shuzo Oshimi | Kodansha (Vertical)
• Delicious In Dungeon by Ryoko Kui | Yen Press
• Dinosaur Sanctuary by Itaru Kinoshita | Seven Seas Entertainment
• She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat by Sakomi Yuzaki | Yen Press
• The Summer Hikaru Died by mokumokuren | Yen Press

Best New Edition of a Classic Manga Series

• Minami’s Lover by Shungiku Uchida | Fantagraphics
• My Name Is Shingo by Kazuo Umezz | Viz Media
• Okinawa by Susumu Higa | Fantagraphics
• UFO Mushroom Invasion by Marina Shirakawa | Living the Line / Smudge
• Neighborhood Story by Ai Yazawa | Viz Media

Best Translation

• Kevin Steinbach – for Issak by Shinji Makari & DOUBLE-S | Kodansha
• David Evelyn – for Doll-Kara by Kazuyoshi Ishii, Hanamura, and Kei Ryuzoji | J-Novel Club
• Stephen Paul – for Akane Banashi by Yuki Suenaga & Takamasa Moue | Viz Media
• Stephen Kohler – for Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama | Kodansha
• John Neal – for Bocchi the Rock! by Aki Hamaji | Yen Press

Best Lettering

• Vadim K. – lettering for They’ll Make a Man Out of You by Shiwasu no Okina | J18 Publishing
• Rebecca Sze – lettering for Tokyo Interstellar Immigration Volume 3. by Mado Guchimoto | VAST Visual
• Tomoko Saito – for letteing & retouch for Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Edition Volume 10 by Hiroaki Samura | Dark Horse
• Lys Blakeslee – lettering for Witch Hat Atelier | by Kamome Shirahama | Kodansha
• Phil Christie – lettering & retouch for Search & Destroy Volume 1 by Atsushi Kaneko, based on Dororo by Osamu Tezuka | Fantagraphics

Best Publication Design

• Nicky Lim & Sandy Grayson – box set design for Orange Complete Box Set
• Nicky Lim & Karis Page – cover design, lettering, & interior design for My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness: Special Edition by Nagata Kabi | Seven Seas Entertainment
• Phil Balsman – design for Initial D Omnibus by Shuichi Shinego | Kodansha
• Andrea Miller – cover design for Tokyo Aliens by NAOE | Square Enix Manga & Books
• Adam Grano – design for My Name Is Shingo by Kazuo Umezz | Viz Media

The American Manga Awards Aim To Celebrate the Individuals That Make the Industry What It Is

The Western manga industry – and the manga industry in general – have faced a number of challenges over the last few years due to struggles with AI generated translations and publishers underpaying staff for work on a medium that is nothing short of lucrative. It can be easy to forget that there are very real, very passionate individuals that work on manga in the process of bringing it to English-speaking bookshelves, and that social media echo chambers discussing the industry often lack an ounce of empathy when it comes to understanding the workload.

INTRODUCING THE AMERICAN MANGA AWARDS

Set to take place at the @JapanSociety in New York on August 22, the @MangaAwardsUSA will celebrate the outstanding achievements of professionals in the world of Japanese comics.

Learn more at https://t.co/31kdgRHAN4 pic.twitter.com/AosdZMXBwD

— Anime NYC (@animenyc) June 3, 2024

That’s where the American Manga Awards come in – the committee seem dedicated to celebrating and acknowledging the behind-the-scenes folks that work hard every single day to bring the community’s favorite books to the West. The judging committee are all longtime members of the industry, and have been very vocal for their love of the medium.

Our Favorite Picks From the Nominees List

Obvious favorites from this year’s American Manga Awards are of course big-hitters like Delicious In Dungeon that have recently broken into the mainstream thanks to its impeccable anime adaptation on Netflix. The series is a wonderful high fantasy romp that wears its Dungeons & Dragons influence on its sleeve, as well as pulling from other major fantasy properties.

Something else we’ve loved seeing on this years nominations list is the recognition of smaller publishers, like Glacier Bay Books – which made it onto the list for their work on bringing Mothers to English readers. Mothers by Kusahara Umi is a debut work compiling fifteen years of self-published short stories. As described by the publisher:

“Mothers is Kusahara Umi’s debut English title, collecting and translating 15 years worth of self-published short stories developed on themes of love, family, and loss. Offset printed on a luxury cream paper stock, with a sewn binding. The cover will feature gatefold flaps spot printed with a mix of red and blue inks on uncoated paper, showcasing brand new artwork created by Umi specially for this, their first collected edition. Mothers contains 12 short stories that encapsulate different facets of the human experience.”

There’s also been a return of many iconic classics becoming more accessible for new manga fans, like the gorgeously designed Initial D Omnibus collection. One of the biggest series we’re rooting for is The Summer Hikaru Died, a haunting supernatural mystery that beautifully discusses the nature of loss and its relationship with grief.

While we’re still waiting for final results, in our eyes, this event marks everyone working in the industry as a winner. Those interested in voting for their favorite series and supporting their favorite publishers can find the link through AnimeNYC’s official website, here.

Demon Slayer has been nothing short of a cultural phenomenon, with the original manga being a smash-hit in terms of sales and the anime adaptation produced by Ufotable made the series a mainstream success around the world.

Despite having a dedicated fanbase, mountains of merchandise and record-breaking sales, fans have grown exhausted with the franchise – but why?

Despite Its Success, the Anime Is Drawing the Story Out Too Much

The original Demon Slayer manga, which was created by Koyoharu Gotouge and began running in Shonen Jump magazine from February 2016 to May 2020, with its chapters being collected into 23 single volumes, or tankobon. The series was an instant success, and in 2020, the year that the manga concluded, had an estimated ¥1 trillion ($8.75 billion USD) in annual revenue. According to Shonen Jump‘s editor-in-chief, Hiroyuki Nakano, the series’ sales began skyrocketing after the first season of the anime had concluded.

This makes total sense – Demon Slayer season 1 was nearly flawless. Featuring Ufotable’s signature animation style and introducing audiences to the main cast in a way that made it easy to get invested in their stories, the series had something for everyone. While action-packed and filled with terrifying demons, the anime also boasted one of the most endearing takes on the “found family” tropes in the industry.

The praise continues when the Mugen Train arc’s animated adaptation released – a feature length film that pushed the boundaries of modern anime cinema in terms of animation quality, storytelling, and hype. The film became an absolute sensation, and the perfectly orchestrated beats throughout the film highlighting the pivotal Hashira Rengoku is something that’s still discussed today. However, from this point onward, the anime starting facing controversies for something unexpected: “canon” filler.

Demon Slayer’s Reliance On Reusing Story Arcs Is Hurting the Series’ Reputation

While there are plenty of criticisms to be made about Demon Slayer being a shorter series and debates on whether or not it stuck the landing with its final arc, one thing is clear – the anime adaptation’s reliance on reusing content is a massive problem that’s causing fans to feel a lot of burn out.

As previously mentioned, the Mugen Train film was absolutely incredible – but then, when the subsequent televised season released afterward, Ufotable returned by retelling the film’s plot all over again. While the studio did add a precursor to provide extra Rengoku content which many fans of the series enjoyed, they proceeded to release an episodic “cut for television” version of the film. This was easy to overlook at the time with the addition of the new content, but this was an unfortunate trend that persisted into the Entertainment District arc and the Swordsmith Village arc, which saw a theatrical release of what ultimately culminated in a compilation film of the Entertainment District’s final episode, and the first episode of Swordsmith Village.

While marketing efforts made the formula seem as though it was doing well – and financially, it was – fans began to sour on this approach to the anime’s release. This happened again with the initial release of the Hashira Training arc, which has undoubtedly been the series’ lowest point.

Everything Wrong With the ‘Hashira Training arc’

The Hashira Training arc is relatively short in the manga, acting as a very brief montage that leads directly into the manga’s grand finale: the ‘Infinity Castle’ arc. Despite maintaining a good chunk of its popularity due to audience investment, the consensus is clear: this is the Demon Slayer anime’s lowest point, and fans of the show are exhausted.

While the animation quality is still solid, the arc added quite a bit of filler to pad out its run time, and had a record number of exposition dumps between characters that could have easily been cut for time. Why the team behind the anime made this choice is unclear, but grim speculation from fans are obviously accusing the team behind the anime of stretching out its length for money.

Not to mention, Demon Slayer is an easy money maker. The manga was the first series to ever take every single top 10 slot in Oricon’s weekly manga charts, and occupied the top 10 for an entire month. Even with the popularity boom of anime and manga in the last decade, those kinds of numbers are almost unheard of. Hopefully the anime adaptation can win its fans over and stick the landing with the adaptation of the final arc, which, in classic Demon Slayer form, will be split into an entire feature-length film trilogy. We just hope that they’re capable of sticking the landing and that the series won’t go out with a disappointed community.

Demon Slayer is available to stream on Crunchyroll. The original manga is published in English by Viz Media.