Another year means four new anime goodness seasons awaiting consumption. 2019 was quite productive when it came to the action genre, with anime like Vinland Saga, Kimetsu no Yaiba and Attack on Titan among the best offers of the year. Could 2020 exceed its predecessor?
10. A CERTAIN SCIENTIFIC RAILGUN T
Spin-off of A Certain Magical Index's is back with a new season, first since 2013. The first couple of episodes of A Certain Scientific Railgun T have already aired, and J.C.Staff appears to have maintained more or less the same quality level as the previous seasons.
Blending sci-fi, action, and even some life-slice elements, A Certain Scientific Railgun T will adapt the manga's "Daihasei Festival Arc," although it is unlikely to consume the entire 25 episode season. With Misaka Mikoto as the protagonist and a central conspiracy that drags the Sisters of the main character into the mix, Railgun T looks set to be another fantastic addition to the franchise.
9. SWORD ART ONLINE: ALICIZATION - WAR OF UNDERWORLD 2ND SEASON
Without Sword Art Online appearing in one form or another, a year can not pass. Building off 2019's Sword Art Online: Alicization— War of Underworld — perhaps the best entry in the mainline series— the second court will debut in the Spring 2020 season.
War of Underworld made a wise choice to relegate Kirito to a secondary role, allowing Alice to shine in the lead. While the first court did a decent job of setting the stage for a full-blown war between Dark Territory and Human Empire, the upcoming court faces the arduous task of actually fulfilling the promise of its predecessor.
8. ASSAULT LILY: BOUQUET
Primarily known as a figurine franchise, Assault Lily spawned a few light novels and Shaft's upcoming anime adaptation. The Earth is under attack in this universe from strange entities known as "Huge," presumably because "Titans" was already taken. Humanity's last hope rests in the hands of teenage girls equipped to handle instruments called "CHARM," a mix of magic and science.
Assault Lily: Bouquet's premise isn't exactly brimming with originality, but it's known that Shaft creates some really strange but wonderful series. While it's unlikely Bouquet will reach the same heights as March Comes In Like A Lion or the Monogatari franchise, hopefully it'll still be a pleasant surprise.
7. KIMETSU NO YAIBA: INFINITY TRAIN
In 2019, Demon Slayer grew into nothing short of a cultural phenomenon, largely due to the unbelievable animation of ufotable. The journey of Tanjirou and Nezuko Kamado to slay the fiends responsible for leaving the siblings without a mother, and the latter a demon has already produced several impressive encounters, without the budget typically afforded by a feature film.
Covering the "Infinity Train" arc, Kimetsu no Yaiba's upcoming film should premiere in Japan sometime in 2020, with an English release hopefully soon after.
6. KINGDOM SEASON 3
2020 is really a gold mine when it comes to long-awaited sequels. Kingdom's Season 2 ended in 2014, leaving many wondering if the rest of Yasuhisa Hara's historic epic will be adapted to anime. Filled with political tension as neighboring Chinese states seek to overthrow Qin, the previous arc left the main characters stuck in a war that favors them.
Kingdom's CGI animation used to push newcomers to the series, but this is a story worth experiencing regardless of some flaws. Kingdom's Season 3 debut in Spring 2020.
5. THE IRREGULAR AT MAGIC HIGH SCHOOL: VISITOR ARC
Tsutomu Satou's The Irregular at Magic High School will return for only his second full season, the first since Madhouse's 2014 adaptation. Visitor Arc is set to create 8bit, the same studio that handled the 2017 film of the franchise, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime in 2018.
Visitor Arc, as the name implies, focuses on a new exchange student attending First High named Angelina Kudou Shields. Shiba siblings, specifically Tatsuya, are also investigating a strange mystery involving crimes that seem to have been perpetrated by something like a Shiki (vampire).
4. GOBLIN SLAYER: GOBLIN'S CROWN
Despite Goblin Slayer ending on a rather satisfying note in 2018 that could have served as a conclusion to anime adaptation, a film is set to debut in February 2020. Adapting the fifth light novel, Goblin's Crown sees the Goblin Slayer, Priestess, and the rest of the group embrace a quest to rescue another adventurer overwhelmed by goblins in a snowy mountain area.
Aside from introducing a more cunning type of goblin known as a paladin, Goblin's Crown should offer more of what anime fans have expected. That is, intense action, gore, and an incredibly cool protagonist.
3. IS IT WRONG TO TRY TO PICK UP GIRLS IN A DUNGEON? III
DanMachi's Season 3 will continue Bell Cranel's journey to become a prominent adventurer while trying to make his goddess, Hestia, proud. DanMachi's somewhat harem-esque title tends to be ignored by action fans, which is unfortunate.
As an adventure series set in a familiar but well-established fantasy world, DanMachi gets a lot right and does a solid job evolving strength and status of the protagonist. Continuing Season 2, the upcoming court is likely to double on the conflicts between the different gods and their families.
2. EVANGELION: 3.0+1.0
Finally, the fourth and last entry in the Rebuild of Evangelion movie series will debut in 2020 after an eight-year wait. Again directed by Hideaki Anno, Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 will continue from the third entry events that saw Tokyo-3 reduced to rubble after Fourth Impact, a cataclysmic incident triggered by Shinji.
Compared to Neon Genesis Evangelion, the Rebuild series is slightly more action-oriented, even if the psychological states of the cast are still examined to some extent.
1. ATTACK ON TITAN: THE FINAL SEASON
Undoubtedly the most anticipated anime of the year, Attack on Titan's Season 4 should bring to a close this epic tale of humanity's desperate attempt to survive the onslaught brought on by giant beasts known as "Titans." As fans surely know, Attack on Titan's previous season ended with a gigantic revelation that changed the core belief that had underpinned the whole series, that the last fragile of the series.
While the anime still delivered great action, with each passing season, Attack on Titan's characters and storyline only grew stronger. Final 2020 should be no exception.
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