The anime adaptation of Nazuna Miki and Tsukasa Araki's So What's Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? manga revealed its main promotional video, more staff, theme songs, and an October 5 premiere on Tokyo MX. Sou performs the opening song "Hello," while AHUB performs the ending song "Chiisana Bokura."
The Odoru Daisousasen THE MUSEUM exhibition opens September 9 at Ginza Mitsukoshi, relocating from its summer run in Odaiba with new displays tied to the September 18 film Odoru Daisousasen N.E.W. A press preview on September 8 showed costumes for the new generation cast, Aoshima's current free-address desk, and Seven Bear plush figures. Director Katsuyuki Motohiro and producer Chihiro Kameyama led the tour and explained the design choices.
The film Odoru Daisousasen N.E.W. Metropolis wo Kakenukero! opens September 18. A Seven-Eleven fair starting September 17 sells a canelé based on the one Miki Mizuki's character Yuki Mashita makes in the film, priced 226.80 yen. A receipt serial campaign offers a Blu-ray set in a Frog Express box for 50 winners, three of whom get a signed poster by Yuji Oda, plus pin badge sets for 250 and sweets coupons for 1,000.
Kyroware Games released co-op Souls-like action game Soul Chained on Steam. Players are chained to a former enemy and wander purgatory, with the chain serving as both a hindrance and a weapon for tripping bosses. The game was delayed in August after Steam review flagged a naked boss despite mosaic censoring. It now passed review and launched. It costs 905 yen, with a 30% discount to 633 yen until September 22.
UniVIRTUAL virtual singer Shiraku Utano will hold "Shiraku Utano ACOUSTIC SPECIAL LIVE at Yamaha Sound Crossing" on October 10 at Yamaha Sound Crossing Shibuya STAGE. The event runs in two parts, at 13:00 and 17:00, with free admission. Each part offers 20 reserved seats through a lottery open from September 3 to September 6. The second part will stream on her YouTube channel.
MAGES. will release the mystery adventure Fukakutei Sekai no Tantei Shinshi ~Akyou Souma no Jiken Fairu~ on Nintendo Switch and PS4 on September 10. The download-only release costs 2970 yen, with a launch sale at 1990 yen. The game is Hiroyuki Kanno's first Detective Gentleman series work, originally a 2000 PC title. The port adds a new opening movie and keeps the Proof Target and Time Limit systems.
Orange Inc. announced on September 3 that its emaqi e-bookstore will release eight manga titles in English throughout September. Additions include Bloody Sugar Laughs at the Night, Misato Is a Little Too Strict with Her Pushover Boss, and The Witch's Soup, with several available through emaqi Premium.
Kyroware Games set a new release date of September 7 for co-op souls-like action game Soul Chained, after the game was delayed when a naked boss failed Steam's review process even with mosaic censorship. The game features chain physics combat, chaining players to former enemies, and up to four-player co-op in Havoc Mode. It launches on PC via Steam, with wishlist registrations exceeding 50,000.
Voxel Bytes announced Zero To South, a driving survival game set in an America where civilization collapsed after the Y2K problem. Players take the role of a taxi driver crossing the continent, managing fuel, repairs, and food while scavenging buildings for supplies. Cars can be upgraded with armor and reinforcement. Passengers offer stories and rewards, and armed groups may attack. The game is planned for PC via Steam.
Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency said on September 1 that a fire occurred in July involving the recalled Soundcore 3 rechargeable speaker. The incident happened on July 26, 2026, in a store while the product was in use. Abnormal noise preceded the fire, which burned the speaker and its surroundings. The cause remains under investigation as of September 1, and whether it relates to the recall reason is unknown. Anker Japan is recalling the affected units and urging users to stop using them.
Individual developer MikaDev released Pawned Souls, a chess-themed souls-like action game, for free on itch.io on August 29. The player controls a pawn on an 8x8 chessboard, moving one square in any of four directions and attacking only diagonally forward, with a stamina-based roll that covers several squares. Enemies are chess pieces that follow their real rules: 8 pawns, 2 knights, 2 bishops, 2 rooks, 1 queen, and 1 king, some attacking from range and several appearing at once. Defeating enemies and landing parries earns souls, which buy stat upgrades or healing items from a menu, though upgrades reset on game over. Two modes are included: PATH TO QUEENDOM, which asks the player to defeat every piece up to the queen, and THE KING'S GAMBIT, which targets the fleeing king. The game runs on Windows and Linux, with a Mac version planned. It does not support Japanese as of writing.
BANDAI SPIRITS has revealed the A prize for Ichiban Kuji BLEACH Stirring Souls vol.5, a MASTERLISE figure of Ichigo Kurosaki in the new Bankai form that appears in the final cour of the TV anime Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Conflict. The image was released early on the official Ichiban Kuji X account. The lottery also includes a B prize Toshiro Hitsugaya figure in his adult form, a C prize Yoruichi Shihouin figure in her Shunko Black Cat Warrior form, and a Last One prize Kenpachi Zaraki figure in his red ogre-like appearance during Bankai. The remaining D through H prizes and the Double Chance Campaign reward are still unannounced. Ichiban Kuji BLEACH Stirring Souls vol.5 will be released sequentially from September 19, 2026, at Seven-Eleven, Ito-Yokado, and Youme Town stores. Each draw costs 850 yen including tax. The series is credited to Tite Kubo, Shueisha, TV Tokyo, dentsu, and Pierrot.
The second cour of the TV anime Red River will air from September 29, with Soma Saito voicing User Ramses, Kyle's greatest rival, and Shun Horie voicing Judah Hasphaslupi, the sixth prince of the Hittite Empire. A two-volume Blu-ray BOX is also confirmed, with Volume 1 on December 9 and Volume 2 on April 14, 2027.
Qooland Games and CampFire Studio set the 'Soulmask' 'Shifting Sands' DLC update 'Beyond Gravity' for August 31 overseas time. The update adds the Burning Highland area, a dungeon with a mechanical boss, three new masks, the final battle against the Central Core, floating islands, and water devices. A two-week sale at the lowest price ever is also planned.
Kyroware Games delayed the co-op Souls-like action game 'Soul Chained' because Steam's review is incomplete. The boss 'Grundle the Defiler' appears fully naked, with key parts hidden by pixelation. Steam is investigating whether the character contains inappropriate content. The release date, previously August 31, is now unknown.
RENGAME announced a new game for the anime 'Keroro Gunso☆', airing fall 2026. Titled 'Keroro Gunso☆ Hachamecha TV Show ~Shoukin Getto Daisakusen de Arimasu!~', it is a casual mini-game collection for Nintendo Switch and Steam. It launches in December 2026 for 1,800 yen. The main visual and teaser PV were released August 26.
Hiroko Shimabukuro appeared at a pop-up opening for Netflix's "Love Joto" Season 2 in Tokyo on August 26. She recalled the music video shoot for SPEED's "Body & Soul" at age 12, saying she sang and danced at full strength over 50 times each take. She praised the TeddyLoid remix used in the show.
Cinema Today introduces the main cast for Bayside Shakedown N.E.W. Escape Through the Metropolis!, the new film in the series. Yuji Oda reprises his role as Shunsaku Aoshima, now assigned to the First Investigative Division. The story follows Aoshima as a kidnapping case and a virus threat escalate.
Pioneer will release two SOUND TECTOR portable gaming speakers, the TQ-PG400K in black and the TQ-PG400WB in white, in mid-September. They work with Nintendo Switch 2, Switch, and USB Type-C smartphones. The battery-less units draw power directly from the connected device and include a charging-only port so the console can charge while in use. The price is open, estimated around 12,000 yen including tax.
NHK announced on August 28 that its game culture program "Game Genome" will be distributed sequentially on NHK On Demand starting September 1 at 17:00. The service will carry 11 episodes covering the 2021 pilot and Season 1, which aired in 2022. The program treats the emotions and values players gain from play sessions as "game genomes" and analyzes classic titles with guests. The pilot episode, an extended version focused on "Death Stranding," features creator Hideo Kojima, host Tsubasa Honda, artist Gen Hoshino, and former Famitsu editor-in-chief Katsuhiko Hayashi. Season 1 episodes cover "Shadow of the Colossus" and "The Last Guardian," "Persona 5," "Ace Attorney," "Dark Souls," "Resident Evil," "Romancing SaGa 2," "Life is Strange" and "Life is Strange 2," "Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin," "This War of Mine," and "Tokyo Jungle" and "Stray." Honda hosted the pilot and first half of Season 1, while singer and dancer Daichi Miura took over for the second half.
On August 23, 2026, the official GameCenter CX YouTube channel aired the 'Wii & PS3 Unsealed!? Live Stream,' during which Shinya Arino, known on the show as Section Chief Arino, decided to officially treat Wii and PlayStation 3 software as retro games. The show's definition of retro software is 'games for hardware that has been out for more than 20 years,' and both consoles, released in 2006, reach that milestone this year. The decision followed two viewer polls and a 'taste test' where Arino played New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Fit, and Demon's Souls. The first poll, with about 14,000 votes, favored unsealing at 71 percent, and the second, with about 17,000 votes, saw that rise to 80 percent. Arino raised the 'unseal' card after deliberating, saying the show wants to attract new fans in their 20s. The specific timing for tackling these games and which titles will be chosen remains undecided, and viewer requests are being solicited.
Bandai Spirits is launching a new Gundam figure brand called ABSOLUTE ACT, built around the ABSOLUTE ACTION SYSTEM for articulation. The first entry is the Strike Freedom Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY, which received its world first display at TOKYO Toy Show 2026, running from August 27 to August 30, 2026. The approximately 185mm tall ABS/PVC figure features movable mechanisms in the neck, shoulders, and waist, plus a waist rail mechanism and shoulder pull-out mechanism for dynamic posing. It includes a high-energy beam rifle, two beam sabers, a connected saber handle, two beam shields, interchangeable wrist parts, and a base with a bendable support rod. Reservations begin August 27, 2026, at general retail stores, with release scheduled for March 2027 at 16,500 yen including tax. TOKYO Toy Show 2026's first two days are trade-only, with public access on August 29 and 30. The show also featured other Gundam items at the Bandai Spirits booth, including Gundam Miximize Gundam Zero and HG 1/144 Gundam Zero.
Arc System Works producer Takeshi Yamaguchi and director and lead battle designer Kazutoshi Sekine gave interviews about MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls, the Marvel fighting game published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and released in August 2026 on PS5 and PC. The game uses a 4v4 tag battle system, and Sekine said the format was chosen to express the Marvel team-up world and to deepen team tactics through many character combinations. The game supports both traditional command inputs and simple one-button controls such as Quick Skills and Link Attacks, so players can start with a single character. The team confirmed Phoenix Cyclops as the first Year 1 DLC character, currently in development. The interview also covered Deadpool's parody easter eggs, which Sekine said are not all discovered yet, and PC performance. Yamaguchi said two emergency patches were released on August 10 and August 21 to reduce CPU load and frame drops, and the team considers the CPU load now comparable to or lighter than other Arc System Works fighting games.
Yostar will hold the final tournament of the Mahjong Soul Corporate Tournament 2026 on Sunday, August 30, and live-stream it on the official Mahjong Soul YouTube channel. Eight companies compete: four from a 104-company qualifying round and four special invitation seeds. The stream runs from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
Microsoft acknowledged that the August 12, 2026 Windows update (version 26100.9168/KB5121003) may cause crashes, freezes, and system restarts in some games, including ARC Raiders, The Finals, and MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls. The company is investigating whether the issue is caused by Microsoft and asks users to report problems via the Feedback Hub.
The original soundtrack for 'Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid Island' reached number one on Billboard JAPAN's Hot Albums chart released August 19. It climbed from 12th on July 29 to the top spot in its fourth week, the first movie soundtrack to lead the chart in about seven years.
On August 17, independent developer Hokuto released a Spanish version of the free short romance ADV 'Kobayakawa-san wa Soulslikesque.' The localization was proposed directly by translator Facundo Seghezzo, who discovered the game through an overseas let's play. The game now supports Japanese, English, and Spanish, and has been played about 77,000 times on PLiCy.
GENEPOP Studio published the Steam store page for Steel Soul Shaper, a cyberpunk repair simulation game. Players run a secret clinic as an underground doctor, repairing and modifying cyberware like prosthetics and drones. The game also includes decoration options and story choices that affect the world.
Chaomoon launched the 2D platformer MMORPG Soul's Remnant in early access on Steam on August 13. The free-to-play game, built over 10 years by two developers, has reached a 'Very Positive' rating with 80% positive reviews from 490 reviews and a peak of 4,367 concurrent players. Developer Chaomoon discussed the project on Reddit.
Konami Digital Entertainment announced on August 17, 2026, that Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls, the side-scrolling action RPG available exclusively on Apple Arcade, will end its service on September 3, 2026. Distribution on Apple Arcade will cease earlier, on August 20. The game launched on Apple Arcade on September 17, 2021, marking about five years of availability. Players control series characters such as Alucard, Simon, and Charlotte, using their unique weapons and skills to battle demons across various stages. The title involved familiar series staff, including artist Ayami Kojima and composer Michiru Yamane, and was formally announced in 2018 before its Apple Arcade debut in 2021. Konami's official statement thanked players for their support but did not specify a reason for the shutdown. Whether the game will receive an offline version or release on other platforms remains unclear. The game is available on iOS, iPadOS, Mac, visionOS, and tvOS through Apple Arcade until August 20.
In an interview with Real Sound Anime, director Abel Gongora and animation producer Mitsuru Triangle discussed Science SARU's approach to the Tentai no Jardugal TV anime. The studio took on the project not to extend its history anime legacy, but to pursue new visual expression. The team consulted Mongolian and Persian experts to balance historical fidelity with animation.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, the 4v4 tag fighting game from Arc System Works and publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment, launched on August 7, 2026 for PC (Steam) and PS5. Western critics have largely praised the title, with the PS5 version holding a Metacritic score of 86 based on 22 reviews at the time of writing. Destructoid, DayOne, and Hobby Consolas each awarded 90/100, with reviewers calling it a new standard for the genre and crediting Arc System Works for taking over the mantle of Marvel tag fighters from Capcom. Game*Spark's own review praised the animation quality, deep combo system, and character roster, but noted the game's high complexity and lack of beginner-friendly guidance as weaknesses. VTuber NewsDrop's Vinz Vektor echoed the praise for the game's presentation and mechanics, but highlighted significant PC performance issues, mandatory PlayStation Network account requirements, and the game's unavailability in 114 countries. The PC version's performance problems have led tournament organization Tampa Never Sleeps to limit its weekly to PS5-only until fixes arrive.
Bandai's Premium Bandai store is selling the RG 1/144 RX-178 Gundam Mk-II (Keroro Spec), a collaboration gunpla with a color scheme inspired by Keroro Gunsou. The kit costs 4,180 yen including tax and ships in October 2026. It includes a full-color package illustrated by Mine Yoshizaki and an original marking sticker sheet.
Arc System Works and SIE published a patch for MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls on August 11 that reduces CPU load, improves responsiveness, fixes a bug that caused sudden performance drops, and improves backend crash reporting. The update follows a rough Steam launch that saw the game drop to a 'mostly negative' rating.
A writer for CloseBox and TechnoEdge documented building a personal DiffSinger vocal synthesis model, recording about an hour of his own singing over two days, then training it on an NVIDIA DGX Spark. The goal is to convert his recordings with an RVC voice changer to recreate his late wife's voice for new songs.
Banana Hardsoft released the retro-style FPS immersive sim PARKSIDE: DECAYED SOUL MANIPULATION on Steam for PC at 1,800 yen. Set in a dystopian 2038 California, players control Alexander Petrovich, an unemployed hacker abducted by a cult worshiping the entity Divine Rod. A 10% discount runs until August 14.
A developer building a personal vocal synthesizer reports progress on SoulX-Singer, a zero-shot singing synthesis tool that can sing from tens of seconds of vocal data. The project aims to let a composition algorithm generate MIDI and lyrics that directly drive a singing voice model, bypassing Suno and RVC.
At CEDEC 2026, Shuhei Yoshida delivered a keynote recounting his nearly 30-year career, from joining Sony Computer Entertainment in 1993 as employee number 32 to founding yosp Inc. He discussed his involvement with 'Crash Bandicoot' and 'Demon's Souls,' and stated his career-long stance of choosing the creator over IP.
Takara Tomy's Tomica Premium unlimited line adds two Mini 4WD cars from Bakusou Kyoudai Let's & Go!!: Proto Saber Evolution and Spin Cobra. Reservations are open on Amazon.co.jp. Both are scheduled for release on September 19, 2026, priced at 1,144 yen and 1,430 yen respectively.
Independent developer Stuffed Wombat announced MARBLE SOULS on August 6. The open-world exploration game fuses soulslikes with ball-rolling mechanics, letting players roll a marble through a vast world with no enemies or combat. Instead, players recover lost souls to grow stats. It launches on PC via Steam within the year.
Kyroware Games announced Soul Chained will launch on PC via Steam on September 1. The cooperative soul-like supports up to four players linked by chains, with a friend pass so only one person needs to buy the game. The solo-developed title draws inspiration from Dark Souls and Chained Together.
Hip-hop crew SOUL'd OUT released the digital-only album 'Hajimete no SOUL'd OUT' on Monday, August 3. The beginner-friendly album targets those who want to start listening to the group now. It includes 13 tracks led by 'Wekapipo,' which also gained attention as a commercial song.
The anime adaptation of Ryosen Takami and Ririnra's Multi-Mind Mayhem: Isekai Tensei Soudouki light novel series revealed its first promotional video, key visual, cast, staff, and January 2027 premiere. Hiroaki Sakurai directs at Studio DEEN. Yusuke Kobayashi stars as Bard. The cast includes Takashi Matsuyama, Satoshi Inomata, Yukari Anzai, Ayasa Ito, and Sumire Morohoshi.
Amazon Prime Video announced its August 2026 streaming lineup on July 31. New additions include the film Ready Player One, four Odoru Daisousasen theatrical films, the Puella Magi Madoka Magica series and movies, and both Naruto anime series. The full list spans Japanese and international films, dramas, anime, and variety content.
At CEDEC 2026, Masataka Ishiguro, motion director for early Tekken and Soulcalibur titles, and martial artist Taichi Sato demonstrated fighting action animation techniques. They argued that pushing the front knee forward to add power can make poses look cramped. The lecture proposed a three-layer animation design concept of realism, acting, and theatrical flair.
Crunchyroll announced at AnimagiC in Germany that it will stream six anime series, including Eleceed, FX Fighter Kurumi-chan, Shangri-La Frontier season 3, The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World II, The Laid-Off Cheat-Granting Mage Enjoys a Second Lease on Life, and Uncle's Obsession with Cute Things. The service also added the English dub of Sound! Euphonium season 1.
Bandai Namco Entertainment announced on August 5 that it will exhibit five titles at Tokyo Game Show 2026, held at Makuhari Messe from September 17 to 21. The main booth in Hall 5 will feature playable demos for 'ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE', 'Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3', 'One Piece: Sea of Delights Restaurant', and 'Bleach Mirrors High'. 'Tales of Eternia Remaster' will be present but only with a reservation campaign, no demo. 'ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE' is scheduled for release on October 2, 2026, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam. It is the first in the series to feature a first-person perspective in its drama parts, and this will be its first exhibition at a domestic game event. Public days from September 19 to 21 will require a numbered ticket for the demo, distributed at the booth. Demo participants receive an original sticker. The Family Game Park at TKP Tokyo Bay Makuhari Hall will offer demos of 'Once Upon a Katamari' and 'Tamagotchi Petit Petit Store: Welcome! Nintendo Switch 2 Edition'. The ASOBI STORE satellite booth in Hall 11 will sell advance merchandise for 'Ace Combat 8', the 'Tales of' series, Katamari, Pac-Man, and Taiko no Tatsujin.
At CEDEC 2026 on July 22, 2026, Shuhei Yoshida of yosp delivered a keynote titled "Wonderful Games, Creators, and Their Creativity That I Have Encountered," looking back on roughly 30 years of working with game developers. Yoshida joined Sony Computer Entertainment in 1993 as employee number 32, later led first-party development in the United States, and left Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2025 to found yosp. During the speech, he covered 26 titles, with the latter half introducing 16 co-creation examples from "Gravity Daze" in 2012 to "Beast of Reincarnation" this year. He named "Journey" as the title he is most proud of, citing Jenova Chen's focus on player feelings and a fan message about overcoming grief. Yoshida also discussed "Bloodborne," calling the lack of a remaster, PC version, or sequel a "mystery," and recounted how "Demon's Souls" initially had overseas releases shelved before word of mouth changed that decision. He closed by expressing his intention to continue supporting indie creators worldwide.
BANDAI SPIRITS announced the S.H.Figuarts Full Power Frieza -Battle Scarred Edition- action figure, reproducing the character's appearance from the fierce battle on Planet Namek in Dragon Ball Z. Pre-orders open Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at 16:00 through Premium Bandai. The figure carries damage paint across the entire body, inspired by scenes from the series, and includes a newly created defeated face expression part. A bonus part is an exchangeable head compatible with the separately sold S.H.Figuarts Super Saiyan Son Goku -Legendary Super Saiyan- figure, recreating the moment Goku reverts from Super Saiyan with his hair blowing in the wind. The figure stands approximately 125mm tall, made of PVC and ABS, and includes the main body, three types each of exchangeable left and right hand parts, three exchangeable head parts, exchangeable left and right ankle parts, and a tail part. The price is 9,900 yen including tax, with shipping scheduled for March 2027. BANDAI SPIRITS is the manufacturer. The product page notes that orders may close early if the preparation quantity is reached.
The week of August 3 to 9, 2026 brings a dense slate of new game releases across Japan and North America, headlined by two major titles. Game Freak's Beast of Reincarnation launches on August 4 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The completely new 3D action RPG is set in Japan in the year 4026, following Emma, a girl shunned as impure, and her partner, the rotting dog Kuu, on a journey to uncover the mystery of the world's collapse. It features a one person and one beast battle system combining Emma's real-time sword action with command instructions given to Kuu. MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls arrives on August 7 for PC and PlayStation 5 at 7,980 yen. The 4-on-4 tag-team fighting game has teams of one main fighter and three supports, with HP shared among the four. A simple input method allows anyone to pull off combos. Final Fantasy XIV also appears on Nintendo Switch 2 this week, alongside Lies of P: Complete Edition and Cotton Rock with You.