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In a groundbreaking move, Kyoto Animation, the iconic anime studio renowned for crafting beloved series like K-On! and Lucky Star, is stepping into new territory with its first-ever Shonen Jump adaptation. This marks a significant milestone in the studio’s illustrious 40-year history.
The studio has revealed that it will be bringing to life RuriDragon, a fantasy coming-of-age series penned by Masaoki Shindo. This exciting announcement came in the form of a heartfelt thank-you video dedicated to fans who have supported Kyoto Animation through the years, specifically highlighting their appreciation for the years 2025, 2026, and the upcoming 2027. Fans can look forward to the release of the RuriDragon TV anime sometime in 2027.
The story of RuriDragon is centered around a young girl who is part dragon, offering a humorous and endearing narrative as she navigates the challenges of adolescence. According to the official Manga Plus description, the series humorously portrays “the story of a young dragon girl being lazy, doing her best… and being lazy again.” This ongoing digital series in Shonen Jump has garnered widespread acclaim for its witty and relatable depiction of a teenager embracing her unique heritage.
Kyoto Animation’s First Shonen Jump Adaptation Confirmed for 2027 Release
“The story of a young dragon girl being lazy, doing her best…and being lazy again,” the official Manga Plus description for RuriDragon reads. The ongoing Shonen Jump digital series continues to receive countless praises for its hilarious adolescent depiction of a young girl coming to terms with her dragon-half side.
Kyoto Animation’s RuriDragon announcement marks the first time the company will adapt a Shonen Jump series as an anime in its 40-year history. Typically, KyoAni sticks to either original anime projects or ones based on properties from its light novel publication, KA Esuma Bunko, which includes Free!, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Beyond the Boundary, Tamako Market, and Violet Evergarden.
Although Kyoto Animation has adapted manga or light novel series owned by other publishers, such as City the Animation, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, or Sound! Euphonium, it has become rarer throughout the studio’s rich four-decade history. Leading to some losing hope for future continuations based on Kyoto Animation’s early anime hits, such as K-ON!, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, or Full Metal Panic!
From Tragedy to Triumph: Kyoto Animation Moves Forward in 2026 and Beyond
Most notably, the RuriDragon anime TV announcement comes as Kyoto Animation continues to overcome the massive tragedy of 2019, where a dangerous individual who believed the studio was plagiarizing his work committed arson, killing 36 people and seriously injuring dozens of others. The horrifying attack wasn’t just shocking because of the studio’s prestigious reputation and well-known history for treating its employees right, but also because it’s one of the few anime studios that actively recruits women into the anime business.
The 2019 Kyoto Animation arson attack inspired Look Back, Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot masterpiece that was initially released on Shōnen Jump+ in July 2021. The story has now become an award-winning 2024 anime film, which will soon receive a live-action adaptation in 2026.
Despite the devastating setback, Kyoto Animation has continued on thanks to the incredible support of its fans worldwide and from its peers in the anime industry. This included donations of over 3.3 billion yen being raised for the victims and for the families of those lost in the arson attack.
Following the arson attack, Kyoto Animation has gone on to produce Sound! Euphonium Season 3, City the Animation and Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to Be Loved. Soon, the studio will release Sparks of Tomorrow in 2026. The upcoming anime adaptation of Hiro Yuki’s light novel series, 20 Seiki Denki Mokuroku, will officially mark the end of an era, as the adaptation was initially announced in 2018, one year before the tragic arson attack.
New and previous chapters of RuriDragon can be read on the Viz Media and Manga Plus apps.
