Shenmue the Animation

Shenmue the Animation is a Japanese/American anime series based on the SEGA video game series of the same name. The series is a co-production between Adult Swim and Crunchyroll and is animated by Telecom Animation Film and directed by Sakurai Chikara. The creator of the video game series, Yu Suzuki, is also attached to the anime series as an executive producer.

Sentai Filmworks was contracted to create the English dub of the series which premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block from February 5, 2022 to August 6, 2022. The series also streamed on Crunchyroll with English subtitles.

Following the success of the first season, a second was in the very early stages of pre-production. However, the series was officially cancelled in September of 2022. The cancellation is likely a part of the wider purge by Warner Discovery of its properties, which also included Fena: Pirate Princess and Blade Runner: Black Lotus, following the merger of the two media conglomerates in April of 2022.

Plot
Shenmue follows the journey of Ryo Hazuki. After he witnesses his father’s murder at the family dojo, Ryo 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. Soon he’ll learn that larger, mystical forces are at play as he trains to become the ultimate martial artist in his quest for revenge.

Characters
Ryo Hazuki — A high school boy and heir to the Hazuki style martial arts. When his father is murdered by a mysterious man named Lan Di, Ryo begins a journey to polish his martial arts and uncover the truth behind his father’s death.

Lan Di — A high-ranking member of the underground organization Chi You Men who murders Ryo’s father and steals the Dragon Mirror.

Shenhua — A young girl who lives in a rural village in Guilin under the care of her foster father. Pure and simple, she has vast knowledge of plants, animals, and other natural survival skills.

Nozomi Harasaki — Ryo’s classmate who has secretly admired him ever since he saved her from bullies in middle school. Strong and considerate, she usually spends her time helping in her grandmother’s flower shop.

Guizhang Chen — Guizhang was born in Yokohama and taught martial arts by his father from a young age. Since Ryo has a similar upbringing, although Guizhang acts cold he feels close to Ryo.

Chai — A member of Chi You Men. He has a unique condition allowing him to do superhuman-like moves. After Lan Di has taken the Dragon mirror, he begins looking for the second mirror.

Wong — A member of Heavens. He looks up to Ren like a brother and aspires to be like him.

Joy — Joy is a young woman who loves motorcycles. Her father runs a trade business and is highly trusted by many. Like Ryo, Joy has also lost her mother at a young age.

Xiuying Hong — Her priest name is Lishao Tao. Although she is young, she is known as the grand master of Bajiquan. Her facial expression is always calm, but her clear eyes look like she can see through people’s hearts and intentions.

Ren — The charismatic head of Heavens, a street gang that operates in Beverly Hills Wharf. He is obsessed with money and does not trust anyone other than his friends. Ren is rivals with the Yellow Heads gang and plans to beat them one day.

Dou Niu — While being the boss of Yellow Heads, Dou Niu is also part of Chi You Men. To gain trust from Lan Di, he also begins looking for Yuanda Zhu. Dou Niu has a large bear-like body, which puts Ryo and his friends in a difficult situation when fighting him.

Broadcast History
The series was announced during the Virtual Crunchyroll Expo on September 4, 2020 and was slated to air on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block after production completed. On October 9, 2021, it was announced that the series would be released in 2022. On January 19, 2022, the premiere date was set for Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 12:30 AM. The series aired on Adult Swim for the final time on August 6, 2022.

The series began streaming in Japan on April 7, 2022 and began airing on Tokyo MX at 7:00 PM on May 3, 2022.


 * United States (Adult Swim) — February 5, 2022 - August 6, 2022
 * Japan (Tokyo MX) — May 3, 2022 - July 26, 2022

Toonami Broadcast History
Shenmue premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block on Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 12:30 AM, replacing an extra airing of Naruto: Shippuden. The series moved to the 12:00 AM time slot on February 12, 2022, when Attack on Titan returned to the lineup. The series finale premiered on April 30, 2022 and reruns of the series subsequently moved to the 3:00 AM time slot. On July 2nd, there was a 3.5 hour marathon of the series from 12:30-4:00 AM that featured reruns of the first 7 episodes of the series. The series was removed from the block following the August 6, 2022 broadcast and replaced in the lineup by Blade Runner: Black Lotus.


 * Toonami (United States) — February 5, 2022 - August 6, 2022

Toonami Marathons
Shenmue the Animation only had one marathon appearance during its run on Toonami, the Shenmue the Animation Marathon on July 2, 2022.