Crunchyroll & Adult Swim Prep Shenmue

Crunchyroll is partnering with Adult Swim on the production of Shenmue, an original anime series based on the SEGA game franchise.

The 13-episode anime series follows the journey of Ryo Hazuki, who witnesses his father’s murder at the family dojo and dedicates his life to finding the man responsible—a mission that takes him from the streets of Yokosuka, Japan to the sprawling metropolis of Hong Kong, and beyond. This latest Crunchyroll and Adult Swim production will stream worldwide outside of Japan and mainland China on Crunchyroll and air on Adult Swim’s Toonami in the domestic U.S.

Shenmue is being directed by Sakurai Chikara with animation production by Telecom Animation Film and production management provided by Sola Entertainment. Video game creator Yu Suzuki is also onboard as an executive producer. Additional Crunchyroll and Adult Swim Productions include the recently-announced Fena: Pirate Princess and Blade Runner—Black Lotus.

Sarah Victor, head of development at Crunchyroll, said: “The first Shenmue video game was released more than twenty years ago and we’re so excited to be working again with Adult Swim to bring this franchise to life through anime. We’re eager to show our fans more of this action-packed adventure series as we move through production.”

Jason DeMarco, senior VP and creative director on-air for Adult Swim, added: “The world of Shenmue is fascinating and unique, and we are so excited to partner with Yu Suzuki to bring his epic creation to anime- and make a kick-ass martial arts epic!”