The Spring 2026 Television Anime Adaptation of Shū Sakuratani’s Cult Web Manga Niwatori Fighter Made Its English-Dubbed World Debut on Adult Swim’s Toonami Block on March 14, 2026 With Hiroshi Seko of Jujutsu Kaisen Fame Handling Series Scripts, Studio SANZIGEN Producing Animation, and a 12-Episode Run Confirmed for Both US and Japan…
Rooster Fighter Anime
The Rooster Fighter anime adapted from the Japanese web manga Niwatori Faitā (ニワトリ・ファイター) by Shū Sakuratani officially launched in the United States on Adult Swim’s Toonami programming block on March 14, 2026 at midnight ET/PT, marking one of the most distinctive anime premieres of Spring 2026.
The series immediately streams on Hulu (within the United States) and Disney+ (internationally) from March 15, 2026 the day after its television debut with its Japan broadcast following on April 5 and 6, 2026 on Tokyo MX and BS NTV.
Viz Media holds the North American licence for the series, while Medialink distributes it across the Asia-Pacific region through Ani-One Asia’s YouTube channel and Crunchyroll.
A Rooster Who Packs More Than a Punch
The story follows a lone rooster named Keiji who travels across the cities of Japan battling enormous mutant demons creatures that stand ten stories tall and originate from humans suffering extreme emotional distress or unresolved trauma.
Three years before the events of the series, these demons began appearing across Japan, with some proving harmless while others evolved rapidly into intelligent and deadly threats to human civilization. Keiji carries a deeply personal mission beyond general heroism he seeks to find and kill a specific entity known as “The White Demon”, the creature responsible for murdering his sister.
Viz Media describes the core premise simply: “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!”
The series draws frequent comparisons to One-Punch Man due to its action-comedy hybrid structure featuring a seemingly absurd protagonist who defeats overwhelming threats through sheer determination. The manga originally launched on Hero’s Inc.’s Comiplex web manga platform in December 2020 and built a dedicated following before its anime adaptation was greenlit.
The Creative Team Behind the Show
Director: Daisuke Suzuki previously known for D4DJ All Mix helms the anime adaptation at studio SANZIGEN, renowned for its work in high-quality CGI-integrated anime productions.
Series Composition: Hiroshi Seko handles all episode scripts. Seko’s credits include writing for Jujutsu Kaisen and Mob Psycho 100, two of the most critically acclaimed shonen anime series of the past decade a choice that signals serious creative investment in the adaptation despite its comedic premise.
Production: Joseph Chou, CEO of Sola Entertainment, serves as producer alongside the SANZIGEN animation team. Chou previously produced Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya, bringing international co-production experience to the project.
Opening Theme: The series uses “What’s a Hero?” performed by Daruma Rollin’ as its opening theme song. Additional musical details including the ending theme are not publicly disclosed as of mid-March 2026.
English Dub: Viz Media partnered with Studiopolis the studio behind English dubs for acclaimed series including One Punch Man and Bleach to produce the English version of the show, which premiered simultaneously with the US broadcast, meaning American audiences received dubbed content from episode one. The full English dub cast details were previewed at New York Comic Con 2025 during Viz Media’s panel for the series.
Episode Schedule and Titles
The confirmed 12-episode run follows a weekly Saturday midnight broadcast schedule on Toonami, with streaming on Hulu and Disney+ following each broadcast:
| Episode No. | Title | US Air Date | Japan Air Date |
| 1 | “A Rooster Among Cranes” | March 15, 2026 | April 6, 2026 |
| 2 | “The Caged Bird” | March 22, 2026 | April 13, 2026 |
| 3 | “The Parable of the Three Birds” | March 29, 2026 | April 20, 2026 |
| 4 | “Homing in on Desire” | April 5, 2026 | April 27, 2026 |
| 5–12 | Titles TBA | Weekly from April 12 | Weekly from May 4 |
Episode titles for episodes 5 through 12 are not publicly disclosed as of mid-March 2026.
Where to Watch Rooster Fighter in Every Region
Depending on your country, the series streams across different platforms:
- United States: Adult Swim (linear broadcast, Toonami block, Saturday midnight ET/PT) + Hulu (streaming)
- International Markets: Disney+ (same-day streaming from March 15, 2026)
- Latin America: Adult Swim Latin America (broadcast from March 14, 2026)
- Asia-Pacific: Ani-One Asia YouTube channel + Crunchyroll (via Medialink licence)
- Japan: Tokyo MX and BS NTV (broadcast from April 5/6, 2026)
What Made the Manga a Cult Hit Before Anime
The original Rooster Fighter manga by Shū Sakuratani earned an enthusiastic cult following after launching on Comiplex in December 2020 primarily because of its intentional absurdist contrast: placing a small, fierce rooster in kaiju-scale battle sequences that would ordinarily feature a muscular human hero.
The manga’s visual humour plays on the size gap between Keiji and his opponents, with the emotional sincerity of his revenge quest against The White Demon giving the series a surprising narrative depth beneath its comedy exterior.
Reports suggest the manga’s distinct visual language exaggerated action panels featuring a literal chicken performing martial arts against building-sized demons translated into SANZIGEN’s animation style, which blends 3D-CGI monster sequences with more traditional character animation for Keiji himself.
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