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While theUndead UnluckManga has ended, it is not the last thatfans have seen of the series. After the well-received first season of the anime, a sequel has been confirmed forUndead Unluck.
While the manga has ended, that does not mean that the anime cannot provide any surprises for die-hard fans of the series. In fact, this next season has an opportunity to expand on one of the most hyped parts of theUndead Unluckstory; the fights, and most notably for the sequel, Billy vs Juiz. Alongside David Productions' handling of the series, and guidance from the manga author Yoshifumi Tozuka, the sequel could turn an already incredible moment into a legendary one.
Warning: Spoilers for Undead Unluck Manga and Anime Ahead.
AnUndead Unlucksequelhas been confirmed for some time this year (likely around November or December). While some details have been released, we don’t know everything that is in store for this next production. So far, what we have learned is that it will be an hour-long special, with new original content overseen by the author. It is also expected to continue covering the fight hinted at the end of Season 1, but where it goes from there is anyone’s guess. It is also important to note that the announcement mentions this episode as a “sequel”, while any more episodes following this have not been confirmed or elaborated on yet.
Undead Unluckseason 1 already took a good amount of creative liberties in adapting the manga story, not veering too far off as to be considered an “original” telling, but adding new things that would be rewarding to fans and newcomers alike. And a lot of the great reception of the series so far has been due to David Productions' amazing handling of the series.
David Productions Anime Track Record
David Productions is an important name in anime. They are well known for their individuality and how they stand out with their adaptations, withJoJo’s Bizarre AdventureandFire Forcebeing among their most well-known. They are renowned for taking passion projects on as their adaptations of choice. And much like another notable studio, Studio Trigger, their unique style has found them acclaim in the industry. Things like their sound design as well asintense action sequenceshave propelled them to a fan favorite among anime studios.
So far, with theUndead Unluckadaptation, this reputation has preceded them. Since the first episode, and even the first trailer release, David Production has shown that they were willing to put great care into assuring that they did the story as much justice as possible. With that being said, this sequel has the opportunity for David Production to expand even further upon one of the best parts of the series.
Undead Unluck’smaster rules provide some of the most interesting opportunities for fights in Shonen manga today. While many battle shonen find a unique way to stand out in their fights, whether it be the dynamic choreography ofAttack on Titan’saction scenes or the unparalleledanimation from Ufotable inDemon Slayer,Undead Unluck’sMaster Rules means that “fights” often go much deeper than hand to hand, or sword to sword.
The various Negator abilities as well as the Master Rules “domains” mean that fights can take interesting and mind-bending turns. At the end of season 1 ofUndead Unluck, the season ends on a cliffhanger, as Billy and Juiz are teased as preparing to face off. In the manga, this was one of the first major fights, and it did not disappoint in setting the tone for how compellingUndead Unluck’sfights would prove to be.
In the manga, this fight was where Tozuka really began to flex the scope of his vision forUndead Unluck’spower system. Billy vs Juiz is teased at the end of season 1 and will prove to be an immensely entertaining fight if it is anything like the manga.
Billy wielding Unfair and assumedly Unjustice, against Juiz’s Unjustice provided so much narrative significance on top of the intensity of the fight. Because of David Production announcing that this sequel will be an hour-long episode with original content, hopefully that means the impact and visuals of the fight will be even more pronounced.
Depending on how the sequel anime forUndead Unluckgoes, and if David Production continues to produce the show, then the “Language” fight forUndead Unluckshould prove to be an amazing spectacle as well.
As mentioned before, the Master Rules “domains” mean that they each have their own unique approach to conflict. In the fight against “Language”, Language begins by taking away the Union’s ability to communicate with each other. This dampens their communication, and makes a coordinated battle all but impossible. From then on, they “battle” through a game called Shiratori. This is a Japanese game where a person says a word and then their “opponent” has to say a new word using the last “kana” of the previous word. But in this game of Shiratori, what the user says manifests in reality. The strength of these illusions is then bolstered by the power of the speaker’s imagination.
The entire fight is amazing and calls into question a lot of concepts like the soul and skepticism, so if you haven’t had the chance to check it out already, you cancontinue reading the manga(or hopefully it will be animated eventually).
All in all, theUndead Unluckmanga provides a lot of opportunities for visually interesting and narratively compelling fights. Alongside an incredible team like David Production, hopefully we will continue to seeUndead Unluckpush the medium forwardfor years to come.
Undead Unluck is available to stream on Hulu. You can also read the manga on VIZ’s Shonen Jump app and website.