Viz Media took to SDCC this year on a completely different tack to the rest of its corporate contemporaries. Rather than rehashing its previous manga and anime announcements, or making new ones, it decided to focus on new media projects such as ROOSTER FIGHTER, which is now in production for an anime adaptation thanks to a new collaboration between Adult Swim and a new Marvel collab involving Ultraman and Spiderman. Starting with ROOSTER FIGHTER, the manga created by Shu Sakuratani will soon bring its unique blend of action, humor, and heart to TV screens in the future. The key visual and trailer can be found below.
Viz Media describes Rooster Fighter
Guaranteed to elicit deeper laughs than any upcoming comedy anime, “Rooster Fighter” is bizarre, absurd, and proudly boundary-blurring. Keiji, is the cock-about-town with superhuman strength who defends the world from giant monsters called “Demons.” Filled with hyperbolic scenes of high action and comedy, this is one
mother-clucker who delivers a showstopper.
Keiji 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—Kokekokko!
Comments have also been released by key staff members that range from excitement to genuine surprise:
Creator Shu Sakuratani:
Rooster Fighter” is finally being made into an anime! Ever since becoming a
manga artist, my biggest goal was to have my work adapted into an anime. So, I
can’t tell you how happy I am to see my dream come true! This is all thanks to my readers’ continued support and Hero’s and VIZ Media’s contributions. I extend my gratitude to all of you. I believe “Rooster Fighter” is very blessed. We have the best director, the best
writer, the best production staff, and the best voice actors all working together to
create the best anime. As the original creator, I am ecstatic! I can’t wait to see Keiji and the gang come to life on TV. I hope that everyone out there will enjoy this anime where chickens take center stage!
Series Composition – Hiroshi Seko:
In conversation a while ago, Sakuratani Sensei told me: “I grew up watching
movies from Warner Bros., like Gremlins, The Goonies, Blade Runner, Mad Max,
Lethal Weapon… To me, it feels like “Rooster Fighter” has inherited the spirit of these great classics. Our hero Keiji has a strong sense of justice, yet he’s also stubborn and mischievous, and he easily succumbs to “The Lord of the Rut.”
Still, he steadfastly follows his own path while having a certain kind of charm about
him, just like the heroes of the films I mentioned. The qualities I listed may sound outdated, but nowadays, with so much division, darkness and stagnation in the air, it gives me hope knowing there are beings like Keiji who stumble through life honestly and truthfully.
Director – Daisuke Suzuki:
Are you serious?! That was honestly my first thought when I was approached about
adapting “Rooster Fighter” into an anime. No matter how you look at it, the main
character is just a chicken…even though he has a steely look on his face. And this
chicken fights monsters for the sake of the entire world. Would anyone be interested in this? I shook my head, because I’d never been interested in chickens…except to eat them.
Can I actually direct this? With trepidation, I picked up the original manga. A few
hours later, I couldn’t hold back my tears.
W-what a passionate story about a rooster (man)! I can do it, I can definitely do this!! (peep) That’s the story about how I came to direct this anime. Fighter may be in the title, but I think you’ll still be surprised to see the intensity in all the hardcore battles. The giant demons that attack, and the powerful skills of the chickens that rise up to meet them in battle—it’s all presented beautifully in a way that only anime can communicate.
Another highlight is the drama and passion of the unique personas—or should I say, the unique avian characters and other creatures that appear. Depicting emotions like our protagonist Keiji’s secret feelings, our heroine Elizabeth’s change of heart, and Piyoko’s deep love, was challenging because it was our first anime with animals as the main characters. But the skills our staff has cultivated and developed to present human characters in anime are fully evident in these birds, resulting in an anime so full of feeling that at times it can make you laugh, and at other times can move you to tears.
All the cast members are fired up and recording is proceeding well. We’ve had a lot
of laughs, especially in scenes that switch back and forth between human and
chicken language. We have the best cast. It’s almost as if they were born to play
these characters. I really want you to see and hear the end result! I’m so glad I was able to direct this!
For the first time (?) in the history of anime I present to you a full-fledged battle-
chicken anime, Rooster Fighter! I hope Keiji’s battles thrill you, I hope you’re moved by the drama these characters weave, and I hope you will cackle at all of the silly jokes. Please watch the passionate and intense drama unfold as our heroes break down the barriers of taxonomy and the natural world!”
The complete staff list follows below, and SANZIGEN will handle animation production:
• Original Works: Rooster Fighter
• Story and Art by Shu Sakuratani
• Director: Daisuke Suzuki
• Series Composition: Hiroshi Seko
• Producer: Joseph Chou
• Animation Production: Sanzigen
• Produced By: SOLA ENTERTAINMENT
• Production: VIZ Media, HERO’s
The second announcement made panel attendees fall completely silent, as Viz Media also announced its latest collaboration with Marvel Entertainment in ULTRAMAN: ALONG CAME A SPIDER-MAN, which will debut exclusively on Viz Manga starting on August 14 alongside another Marvel collaboration in ULTRAMAN x AVENGERS.
Stay tuned for more SDCC ’24 coverage from The Beat.
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