Koutetsujou no Kabaneri Season 2: Premiere Date, Characters, Plot

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (also known as Kōtetsujō no Kabaneri in Japanese) is an award-winning post-apocalyptic anime series by Wit Studio, which is known for its work on Attack on Titan. Written by Ichirō Ōkouchi and directed by Tetsurō Araki, Season 1 of the show premiered on April 8, 2016, and went on to win the 2016 Newtype Anime Awards for Best TV Anime. Following the release of Season 1, two compilation anime films, titled Koutetsujou no Kabaneri Movie 1: Tsudou Hikari and Koutetsujou no Kabaneri Movie 2: Moeru Inochi, were released on December 31, 2016 and January 7, 2017, respectively, serving as compilation films for the first and second halves of Season 1.

Subsequently, Wit Studio also announced a third movie, titled Koutetsujou no Kabaneri Movie 3: Unato Kessen, and it was released on May 10, 2019, much to the delight of fans. Since then, fans have been waiting to hear news on a second season, and here’s everything we know about the prospects of Season 2 thus far.

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress Season 2 Release Date: When will it premiere?

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress Season 1 released on April 8, 2016. Although a few years have passed since then, Season 2 has not been officially announced by Wit Studio yet. This makes predicting the show’s future a bit complicated. Anime shows are usually based on manga or light novel series, and their continuity often depends on the source material. However, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is a completely original anime series, and in the absence of an official confirmation of Season 2, it becomes quite difficult to gauge what will become of the show.

That being said, on September 13, 2019, Netflix premiered its sequel anime movie, titled ‘Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato’ and instead of releasing it as a full-fledged film, the streaming platform released it in the form of an entire Season with three episodes. This could mean that if the film does well on the platform, Netflix might produce an entire sequel season of this one. As of now, it’s a bit too soon to determine what the future holds for this anime. But we are expecting a lot more of it in the coming years. Hopefully, if things go well, we might even see Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress Season 2 by the end of 2020 or later. And when that happens, we will update it right here in this section. 

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress English Dub:

You can stream the English dub of ‘Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress’ on Funimation. You can also watch it on Amazon Prime and Crunchyroll with its original Japanese audio and English subtitles. 

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Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress Plot:

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress has an intriguing plot and is set in the immediate aftermath of the industrial revolution in Japan. The show starts off at a time when a mysterious virus has spread across the world, turning the infected into aggressive, undead creatures called Kabane. Unlike zombies, however, the Kabane are nearly invincible creatures and they cannot be defeated unless their hearts, which are encased in iron, are pierced.

Forced to retreat and protect themselves from the Kabane, people in Japan live in fortress-like stations, and travel between stations using armoured steam locomotives. However, this fragile peace is completely destroyed one day when a bunch of Kabane hijack one of these locomotives and infiltrate the Aragane Station. As the city falls to their onslaught, a young engineer named Ikoma uses the opportunity to test his anti-Kabane weapon against the invaders. While his weapon turns out to be a success, he gets infected during the attack. However, instead of turning into a Kabane, Ikoma manages to resist the virus, and turns into a half-human, half-Kabane hybrid called Kabaneri. Assisted by another Kabaneri called Mūmei, Ikoma and a band of survivors manage to escape the Aragane Station on a steam locomotive, and the show follows their adventures and misadventures as they try and take the fight to the Kabane and save humanity from extinction.

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress Characters:

While Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress has dozens of characters, there are only a handful of characters who are central to the show. Below, we’ve provided you with brief backgrounds on them.

[WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD]

Ikoma: The male protagonist of the show, Ikoma is a young engineer at the Aragane Station and works as a steamsmith to earn a living. An intelligent and innovative craftsman, Ikoma develops a type of a bolt-gun, called the piercing weapon, which he believes can pierce the iron-encased hearts of the Kabane. When the Aragane Station comes under attack by the Kabane, Ikoma finally gets the chance to test his weapon, and to his delight, he is able to kill a Kabane with it. Unfortunately, he also gets bitten in the process. With the virus spreading through him, Ikoma puts in one last effort to stop himself from turning into a Kabane – he blocks his carotid arteries, and to his surprise, he stops the spread of the virus and turns into a Kabaneri, a half-human, half-Kabane hybrid. Following his transformation, Ikoma gains tremendous powers, and has superhuman strength and durability. He also becomes immune to gunfire and Kabane bites, and becomes a fearsome combatant. However, being a Kabaneri, he requires blood to keep himself from attacking humans.

Mūmei: The female protagonist of the show, Mūmei appears during the attack on Aragane Station. Born as a human named Hozumi, Mūmei was subjected to an experiment as a child and turned into a Kabaneri. She was subsequently named Mūmei, which literally means Nameless. Being a Kabaneri like Ikoma, Mūmei is an extremely strong and agile fighter, and is capable of killing dozens of Kabaneri with ease. Later in the show, Mūmei develops feelings for Ikoma.

Ayame Yomogawa: While Ayame is not a main character in the show, she is nonetheless important. The eldest daughter of the Yomogawa family which leads the Aragane Station, Ayame loses her family in the attack on the station and becomes the leader of the group of survivors who escape the station. She is shown to be reasonable and understanding, and is an adept archer who uses a steam-powered bow to devastating combat effectiveness.

Kurusu: Another important character in the show, Kurusu is a youngster who serves as Ayame’s bodyguard. An extremely skilled swordsman, Kurusu is later given a reinforced katana which can pierce the hearts of the Kabane, and he becomes a deadly fighter. As the show progresses, Ayame and Kurusu develop feelings for each other, and he always blushes when he is around her.

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