The upcoming Rooster Fighter anime adaptation was in the spotlight at Anime NYC, where five new cast members were revealed along with their star-studded voice actors.
The new additions to the cast include:
- Kugone voiced by Yuko Kaida (Isabella from The Promised Neverland)
- Yuji voiced by Jun Kasama (Wilibald Koenig in Isekai Quartet)
- Hikari voiced by Natsumi Fujiwara (Damian Desmond in Spy x Family)
- Sara voiced by Hikaru Tono (Matikanetannhauser in Uma Musume)
- Keizan voiced by Akio Otsuka (Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid)
These cast members join Mitsuaki Kanuka, Tomohiro Ōno, Kenta Miyake, Mariko Honda, and Shiori Izawa, who joined the cast in October.
The Anime NYC event also treated fans to an exclusive screening of the first episode as part of VIZ Media’s Industry Showcase, featuring special appearances from manga author Shū Sakuratani and anime writer Koji Seko. The show is set to make its debut in Spring 2026 on Adult Swim, as confirmed by VIZ. Additional streaming partners are to be announced in the future.
About Rooster Fighter
Created by manga artist Shū Sakuratani, Rooster Fighter debuted in December 2020 on the manga website Comiplex. The series, published by Hero’s Inc. in Japan, has reached ten volumes as of July 2025. VIZ has licensed the English transcription of the manga, with eight volumes currently out since August 19th. Before Rooster Fighter, Sakuratani had only published one other series, the 2015 sci-fi manga T-Dragon.
“The neighborhood cock of the walk is more than just an ordinary rooster—he’s humanity’s greatest defender! His opponents may be ten stories tall, but nothing is bigger than his stout heart and his fearsome battle cry—cock-a-doodle-doo!”
The anime was first teased at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, then announced officially at Anime Expo 2025. After a year of anticipation, lucky fans at the con got to watch the first trailer, key visuals, and initial cast members. Since then, updates have rolled out steadily, with each convention revealing more of what’s to come leading up to the highly anticipated Spring 2026 premiere.
While the anime may still be in the coop, the manga is available to read on VIZ now.
Wow, I can’t wait to see the series once it airs!!! I especially like the chicken coop line this article ends on.