Kyoto Animation is adding another title to its 2026 slate with the upcoming anime adaptation of Yuki Ikeda’s sci-fi action manga, THUNDER 3. The announcement, made on December 12, 2025, has already generated excitement among fans, with a new visual and teaser PV released alongside the news.
The series is slated to air in Japan beginning in , broadcasting on the Fuji TV “+Ultra” block. The story centers around “Ssmall 3”—a trio of ordinary middle school students, pyon-taro, tsubame and hiroshi—and their adventures with pyon-taro’s younger sister, futaba. The narrative unfolds as the group embarks on a quest to find futaba after she goes missing.
The voice cast has been partially revealed, bringing key characters to life. Suzumiya Sayo will voice pyon-taro, Kawaiida Natsumi will portray tsubame, Akiyama Eri will voice hiroshi, and Mitsubachi Honoka will take on the role of futaba. Teaser audio featuring these voice actors has been released alongside the visual.
Yuki Ikeda, the creator of the original manga, expressed his surprise and gratitude for the anime adaptation. “When the serialization started, I didn’t know what would happen, but it miraculously made it to an anime adaptation!” Ikeda stated. “I’m really looking forward to the broadcast! Thank you to all the readers! I can support my parents!”
The cast members themselves have also shared their enthusiasm. Suzumiya Sayo described landing the role of pyon-taro as a long-held dream. “In my voice acting career, I’ve always had a big dream of playing a male protagonist! The original work is incredibly interesting, and I was hooked from the unexpected twists and turns. I was thrilled when I was offered the role of pyon-taro, a character I’d always hoped to play. I was so happy I cried!” she said.
Kawaiida Natsumi, who will voice tsubame, noted the unique direction she received during the audition process. “I was asked to play tsubame with a ‘more sullen’ tone, which was a first for me in my voice acting career,” she explained. “Tsubame has opened up a new range for me, and I’m excited to see what kind of story unfolds as I record.”
Akiyama Eri, cast as hiroshi, expressed her joy at landing her first main character role. “I’m very happy to be playing hiroshi in THUNDER 3, which has been a long-term goal of mine to play a boy. I’m grateful to the cast and crew for their support, and I’m having fun with every recording session! I’ll do my best to portray hiroshi as a character loved by many. Please look forward to the adventures of Ssmall 3!”
Mitsubachi Honoka, voicing futaba, shared her excitement about portraying pyon-taro’s beloved younger sister. “Hello everyone! I’m Mitsubachi Honoka. I’m very happy to be playing futaba-chan, who loves her older brother pyon-taro very much. Playing futaba-chan has reminded me of my own childhood memories, and it’s a feeling like various colors have been mixed into the blank space of my heart. I still don’t quite feel it’s real, but I want to deliver an expression that is unique to me. Thank you very much!”
The manga THUNDER 3 is currently serialized in Monthly Shonen Magazine and has eight volumes in circulation as of December 12, 2025. The series is published by Kodansha.
Elsewhere in anime news, Netflix is set to release the first season of Baki-Dou on . The action series features Takuya Eguchi among its cast. The Akane-banashi anime is scheduled to broadcast in , with new cast additions including Masaki Terasoma and Akio Otsuka joining Anna Nagase and Takuya Eguchi.
