Tayyab Shah
Akudama Drive is a Japanese Cyberpunk like anime that was written by Norimitsu Kaihō, and Tomohisa Taguchi. The story takes place in an anti-utopian future where criminals known as Akudama act as mercenaries while evading the civil force as well as any bounty hunters roaming about. The anime was televised between October 8 and December 24, 2020. Oddly enough the anime was an original idea which was later adapted into a manga that now spans several volumes. It’s been a rather long time since Studio Pierrot released any new information regarding Akudama Drive, so in this article we will discuss all the possibilities of a second season of the series.
The first season of Akudama Drive received immense praise for its setting, and main cast. The anime is an originally crafted story by Too Kyo Games, and as such there is no manga featuring the post season one story. But since release Akudama Drive has gained a hefty size of a devoted fanbase that remains ever still hopeful. Considering its popularity, and fan following, a second season of Akudama Drive being released seems likely.
We’ll further indulge you about the rumours surrounding the second season of Akudama Drive. All we know about the release date, the cast, critical reception, news to when a season two trailer may drop, and the potential of where the story could end up now after most of the main cast is gone will be discussed next.
Akudama Drive Season 2 Release Date
The original anime was conceptualized by Kazutaka Kodaka, after the original draft idea written by Tomohisa Taguchi came in for approval to Too Kyo Games. This led to an anime series which was animated by Studio Pierrot, and was directed by Taguchi himself. The anime aired from October to December of 2020, after facing an initial delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It aired on BS NTV, SUN, and Tokyo MX. Crunchyroll officially licensed the series, as well as broadcasted it in dub and sub during that period.
The anime consists of 12 episodes in season one, which were later compiled and released as 6 volumes. The opening for Akudama Drive is STEAL!! by SPARK!!SOUND!!SHOW!!, and the ending Ready is done by Urashimasakatasen.
It has been a frustratingly long wait since Akudama Drive season one came out, but there still remains an ever loyal fanbase. Also, Studio Pierrot has been burning the midnight oil animating the upcoming Bleach: 1000 Year Blood-War Arc, so a season two seems unlikely to release in 2022. Still the likelihood of a season two of the series is expected to debut in winter 2023, or 2024 at the earliest.
Akudama Drive Season 2 Trailer
Considering all the above mentioned facts, it’s easy to deduce that no trailer for an Akudama Drive Season 2 has been released by Studio Pierrot. Yet, as the anime remains ever-dynamic amongst the pop-culture fanatics, the feasibility of a trailer for the second season seems possible.
Due to Studio Pierrot is busy on other projects, it feels as if a trailer won’t be arriving this year. At the foremost we can expect a trailer in Autumn 2023. Though it is possible that we may get to witness a trailer at the Anime Expo, 2022 being held between 3 and 6 July.
Akudama Drive Season 2 Plot
As you know the first season was an original story which was animated into 12 episodes. This sheds light on the fact that there aren’t any manga chapters from which the story can continue. Season one was very self contained of Akudama Drive, the main cast like Swindler, Courier, Brawler, and Hoodlum all met their untimely ends. So taking that into account, the original cast doesn’t seem likely to return for season 2. We can’t confirm any leaks regarding the plot as well, but here’s an overview of the season one plot.
The story takes place in a cyberpunk like Japan, where uniquely skilled individuals called Akudama run rampant. Four Akudama respond to an anonymous bounty for anyone who saves the death-row prisoner Cutthroat. This turned out to be a ruse, as the client actually wanted a cargo to be retrieved aboard from the Shinkansen. With a twist of fate, an ordinary woman is dragged into this, now called Swindler. Furthermore, Hoodlum, a low-level prisoner is saved by mistake as well.
This sets the stage for a ragtag group to finish the job in hopes of a giant payday, while trying to evade the deadly police force’s Executioners.
Akudama Drive Season 2 Reception
The first season was host to generally favourable reviews, many critics had pointed out similarities of themes between Akudama Drive and Kodaka’s Danganronpa series. Some inspiration could be seen being derived from the 1982 film Blade Runner. Whereas others compared it to a cyberpunk-like Suicide Squad. The writer Taguchi had stated that he got most of his ideas from Quentin Tarantino’s movie Reservoir Dogs.
The depiction of Swindler as a strong female lead was mention to a lot of praise. Generally this earned the series a rating of 7.62 on MyAnimeList, based on 163,707 votes.
If a season two of Akudama Drive does debut, it will surely build further upon the foundation of season one. The ability of the series to question the civil system’s rule, and the moral depictions of every character so far have made the series a favourable contender for a much anticipated return.
Akudama Drive Season 2 Cast
It’s certainly too early to start speculating who’ll be making up the main cast, as not only aren’t there any rumours of a second season of Akudama Drive but also most of the main cast of season one has died. This implies we’ll get to witness a fresh cast, with only a handful of recurring roles. Though some of the cast does look bright on returning if a second season does end up happening, which include;
• Doctor
Voiced by: Megumi Ogata (Japanese); Brittany Lauda (English)
• Execution Division Junior
Voiced by: Taiko Katono (Japanese); Eddy Lee (English)
• Boss
Voiced by: Yoshiko Sakakibara (Japanese); Veronica Taylor (English)
• Execution Division Pupil
Voiced by: Yumiri Hanamori (Japanese); Jenny Yokobori (English)
• Black Cat/Brother
Voiced by: Maaya Uchida (Japanese); Daisy Guevara (English)
• Sister
Voiced by: Kana Ichinose (Japanese); Laura Stahl (English)
Where to watch Akudama Drive ?
As of this moment there is no way of watching Akudama Drive Season 2 as it has not been released yet. The first season of Akudama Drive was licensed by Crunchyroll, and it is still available to stream there right now. Crunchyroll had first merged with Funimation, and then it was bought by Sony. It seems established that if a second season does debut, then it will surely stream on Crunchyroll as well.
Conclusion
The season one of Akudama Drive definitely portrayed controversial themes when it came to depicting the laws and nature of society, but that is one aspect that surely made it stand apart from the rest. The chances for a second season seem vibrant, as its fandom’s size certainly keeps on increasing with every passing moment.
