Seinen stories are often dark, gritty, brutal, or introspective. But, sometimes, they can be truly bombastic and hilarious like One-Punch Man, or in some cases downright weird, and Adult Swim’s newest offering fits that bill (or beak, in this instance). This April saw Adult Swim release one hit anime in the form of Shinichiro Watanabe’s Lazarus. The network wants to make lightning strike twice by following that up with a series that would only work on Adult Swim. Prepare yourselves, because sometimes it takes more than a superpowered human to save the world… it takes a kung-fu rooster.
Rooster Fighter is the very appropriate title for the new anime, which has one of the best taglines of all time. The new anime adaptation showcased its first trailer at Viz Media’s Anime Expo panel over the weekend, and it looks absolutely insane for all the right reasons. The series is based on the eponymous manga by Shu Sakuratani, which was first serialized on Hero Inc’s Comiplex online platform in 2020 and is still ongoing.
Adult Swim’s Rooster Fighter Unveils Cracking First Trailer
The first trailer for Rooster Fighter is exactly as bonkers as you’d expect. The trailer shows off the epic showdowns between the titular rooster, Kaiji, and the giant demons he must fend off to save humanity (yup, that’s the plot of the show). But no action series would be complete without a heartfelt romance, and the humanity-saving rooster is still caught up over his ex, a hen named Elizabeth.
Licensed outside of Japan by VIZ, Sanzigen is in charge of the show’s production. Daisuke Suzuki directs the series, with Hiroshi Seko writing the scripts, and Joseph Chou and Sola Entertainment producing. The show also has a very strong cast, with Kenta Miyake voicing the iconic rooster fighter, Keiji, Mariko Honda voicing Elizabeth, and Shiori Izawa voicing Piyoko. At the expo, it was also announced that Matsuaki Kanuka and Tomohiro Ono are joining the show as Moio and Keisuke, respectively.
As well as the trailer and new cast members, a new poster for Rooster Fighter was also unveiled at Anime Expo 2025. Check it out below…
What the Cluck Is Rooster Fighter Actually About?
If the title didn’t give it away, Rooster Fighter is about, well… a rooster who fights. That’s about as much as you probably need to know to enjoy the wackiness of the series. For those needing a little bit more, the official synopsis reads, “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!”
Unfortunately, fans of the manga and those enticed by the trailer will have to wait a while before Rooster Fighter crosses the road to arrive on Adult Swim. The series is set to release as part of the Spring 2026 anime season. An exact release date hasn’t yet been revealed.
H/T: Press Release
