Drifters Season 2 Is Not Renewed Yet [2023 Updates]

 

Drifters (Dorifutazu in Japanese), was one most sought-after anime series of the fall of 2016. It combines historical figures with a whimsical storyline, making it a sure-shot hit in Japan and the West.

 

The creator of Drifters is Hirano Kouta, of Hellsing fame. The source material that Hirano has released, is 6 volumes of manga and nine chapters not yet in Tankobon format. Keeping with the show’s updates has become somewhat of a mystery game.

 

Each of the releases had a significant amount of gap keeping the audiences wanting more. But with the anime series, the 12th and final episode of Drifters left a cryptic end slate, “To be continued. The Second Season. Tokyo 20XX. Sayonara”.

 

How could one not expect to know what happens when Easy reveals her trump card, Akechi Mitshuhide, and his intentions for Oda Nobunaga? Despite the story moving forward in the manga series, the anime has come to a standstill.

 

One can only wonder why the makers of Drifters won’t give us a season two sooner!

 

 

 

Everything we know about Drifters so far

 

Recent years have seen an influx of “Isekai” meaning “another world” genre. One such is ‘Drifters’ which created massive waves with its release by Hirano Kouta.

 

In an interview, he hinted that he was going to publish his new work after he finished with Hellsing in October of 2008. And much to everyone’s excitement, he presented the world with ‘Drifters’ in 2009.

 

A anime short adaptation of the manga was also packaged with the final volume of the Hellsing Ultimate video Series in 2012 to give the audiences a whiff of what was to come.

 

Three years later, YKO in their May issue of 2015 announced that an anime series was in the talks for Drifters.

 

And, much to the fan’s excitement, the creators announced that Suzuki Ken`ichi would direct the series and be produced by the giants NBC Universal Entertainment Japan.

 

The animation studio, Hoods Drifters Studios confirmed and they got Kurata Hideyuki and Yosuke Kuroda as the writers. Nakamori Ryouji was the character designer and chief animation director. He was also the Animation Supervisor of the 150 seconds short back in 2012.

 

The anime roped great voice actors such as Nakamura Yuichi of Fairy Tail, One Punch Man fame for Shimazu Toyohisa, Naoya Uchida of One Piece, and many more.

 

A 12-part episode began airing on 7th October 2016 with ended in December 2016 with the exasperating end slate.

 

The plot is about a warlord warrior, Toyohisa Shimazu, who was involved in the bloody Battle of Sekigahara against the insurgent Tokugawa clan. During the battle, Toyohisa succumbs to mortal injuries after killing Ii Naomasa of the Tokugawa clan.

 

In a maimed state, he finds himself transported to a white hallway with a bespectacled man sitting on a desk. the man, Murasaki, sends him through to another realm from the nearest corridor and waits for the next one to arrive.

 

In a completely different world, Toyohisa encounters other warriors like him who call themselves ‘Drifters’. Toyohisa must now bludgeon ‘The Black King’ of the Ends who are waging a war on the humans of this realm.

 

United with experiences and skills from the past, the Drifters must fight the evil forces of the Ends. 

 

What is fascinating about the storyline of Drifters is how well Hirano has managed to blend real-life individuals and events packaging it into one fantastical storyline that is exciting to watch. 

 

From the get-go itself, the anime series’ first season is comprised of manga chapters until 45 and sticks to the manga storyline.

 

Toyohisa’s initial meeting with Murasaki, the Octobrist Organization brought in more Drifters from the human world with the terror of the Black King and other factions mounting. The characters of Drifters are all inspired by real-life individuals.

 

Adolf Hitler made an appearance by initiating the formation of the Orte Empire. We also learn of Easy’s true intentions with Akechi Mitsuhide joining the Black King to kill Nobunaga after which the episode teased an end card of ‘See you 20XX’.

 

 

 

Official Announcements and Release Date of Drifters Season 2

 

The first season ran from October 2016 to December 2016 with 12 episodes of 24 minutes of runtime to its name. Episodes 13 and 14 were released as OVAs on Blu-Ray Discs & DVD in regular and limited versions in December of 2017. Many regard them as the first two episodes of the second season.

 

But there is no official statement on the release of the second season from the creators or the production house. Fans are eagerly waiting for a statement from the studio. 

 

The episodes saw some grim visuals of the aftermath of the war with the Ortes. The Black King’s plans for the dawn of the Dark Age given the advancements by the humans due to the Drifters’ involvement. Nobunaga’s critical thinking help neutralizes General Jigmente’s and General Lemek’s armies as General Saint Germi meets Shylock to discuss peaceful terms.

 

Fans of the show waited with bated breath for the next set of events to happen but it took an entire year to get Episode No. 15 which came along with the manga’s sixth volume.

 

The Ends head to war with Akechi Mitsuhide as their leader and obliterate the kingdoms nearby. The whole aspect of watching leaders and generals from different eras of our history fight and interact with each other was a treat to watch!

 

But sadly the whole internet seems to be mum about any updates. Creators, their Twitter accounts, and studios all are silent so we need to look for other factors to satisfy ourselves for the time being.

 

We will start with source material information and progress through many legitimate factors to see if season 2 is possible or not.

 

 

 

More Source Material Information for Drifters Season 2

 

As any anime fan who loves to dig their nails deep into finding out how their favourite anime came to be, the best place to look for is manga or a light novel of the same.

 

Animes get adapted from mangas for eons now and such is the case with Hirano’s Drifters as well. Hirano Kouta is the writer and illustrator for the series.

 

Its serialization began in Japan’s Shonen Gahosha’s magazine, Young King Ours on 30th April 2009. A total of SIX volumes spanning over 71 chapters with 9 chapters not yet in Tankobon format have currently been released in Japan and worldwide.

 

Kouta is famous for delaying content or leaving it unfinished, at least in the eyes of his fans! Such was the case with the latest chapter of the manga.

 

After a 7 month break, the September 2020 issue of YKO published the much-awaited Chapter 80 of the manga series.

 

Volumes	English Release Date
Volume 1	August 24, 2011
Volume 2	July 25, 2012
Volume 3	March 12, 2014
Volume 4	August 9, 2017
Volume 5	December 20, 2017
Volume 6	December 18, 2019
Volume 7	ch 72-ch 83[not in tankobon]

 

Given that Hirano has been taking the story forward in the manga series means that there’s more content coming for a possible season 2 of the Drifters anime series.

 

 

Popularity Details of Drifters Season 2

 

Drifters season is pretty popular on the Internet. Its craze has been increasing among fans constantly since 2017. We should take a look at how many fans following it has got on the Internet.

 

Official Twitter Account

The official Twitter handle; @DriftersAnime, was last updated in 2018 with the release of volume six bundled with Episode 15.

 

Kadokawa Ascii Research  Laboratories (a content and information trend analytics company) researched its tweets.

 

From the period of 24th November 2016 to 14th December 2016, they counted tweets with the title of the show and possible abbreviations.

 

Drifters had a total of  65,524 tweets ranking at no. 9 in the Fall Anime Twitter Rankings.

 

In September 2020, Sengan-en partnered with Shonen Gahosha along with the World  Heritage Site and held a virtual tour of the Drifters’ artwork.

 

It featured a tour of a real Shimazu clan home and an entire exhibition devoted to the swordplay depicted in the manga.

 

The virtual tour featured more than 60 of Hirano Kouta’s hand-drawn works of art.

 

Google Trends

As per Google Trends, anime picked up a massive surge of interest in May 2019. The anime and manga both created ripples across the globe.

 

But soon after April 2020, it abruptly fell and has stayed at a low level. It kind of peaked again in February 2021, but it was not significant enough and since then the Google searches for “Drifers Season 2” have been pretty rocky.

 

It looks like there are not a lot of people searching for this anime anymore. The top 5 countries that are searching for the term “Drifters Season 2” are the Phillippines, Indonesia, Singapore, United States and Canada.

 

It is good to see there are still a few fans all over the globe still excited for the new season and are keeping the dream alive.

 

Search for Drifters Season 2

 

The above snapshot is the estimated monthly searches for Drifters season 2 on Google. For drifters, this number has fallen considerably and it’s not a good sign.

 

People are losing interest and it’s high time to speed up manga production and provide some updates on season 2.

 

 

The expected plot of Drifters Season 2

 

As explained, the anime series broke off through Chapter 45 of the manga series. The 13th and 14th Episodes covered half of Chapters 45 through 52 and the 15th Episode continues with Chapters 53 through the first half of 56.

 

With a total of 79 chapters, around 20 of those were adapted into the anime series. If one episode covers 4 chapters’ worth of storyline we get the manga series bi-annually or whenever Hirano wishes.

 

There isn’t enough of a storyline for the second season to go into production for the anime. The latest chapter of the manga series got mixed reviews again.

 

There was no battle and a massive build-up to Yoichi’s trauma. the terror of Yoshitsune and his being a double agent was established. But there was no battle, quite unusual for the Hirano story to conclude this way, isn’t it?

 

So, it’s a massive waiting game for Season 2.

 

 

Online Reactions for  Drifters Season 2 

 

Online reactions of fans can be a good metric for knowing what is the demand for season 2.

 

You could understand by viewing the reactions of fans on Reddit and Twitter what they want.

 

Twitter and Reddit as well as Quora have become very nice platforms to get answers to some of the most genuine questions. Also from the reactions of fans on these platforms, one can know what is the possibility of season 2.

 

Twitter Reactions

 

The above screenshot says that Drifter is underrated and it should have a second season. You can scroll through Twitter and you will find lots of fans demanding the same. We hope that the makers of the show pay attention to the demands of fans. 

 

Reddit Reactions

 

The above screenshot from Reddit provides genuine information on the possible release of season 2. In summary, they say that in 2017 a sequel was released with an additional episode in 2018.

 

The second one says that there is not enough source material for season 2. We agree with the last answer because manga production is slow and has been delayed repeatedly.

 

 

Drifters Rating and Reviews

 

 

Moving on to the reviews of the show, one could say that ‘Drifters’ has left a lasting impression on a mass number of people. But online reviews show a mixed bag of reactions.

 

They complained about the art style, rushed combat, and character arcs of historical figures. Some even debate the representation of these characters as erroneous. But their popularity amongst a larger fanbase supersedes them.

 

That said, Drifters has its cult following (like Hellsing since some of the character’s traits too overlap with the storyline). It has an IMDB rating of 7.7, which could make you want to binge-watch the show right away if not for the epic plot already.

 

And a MyAnimeList rating of 7.94 and a popularity ranking at no. 322. Drifters sure have made a huge impact worldwide.

 

The songs of the series are popular too. The opening theme song, ‘Gospel of the Throttle’ REMIX version performed by Minutes Til Midnight and other OST’s Chakra Destiny and the ending theme song Vermillion performed by Maon Kurosaki are some of the popular tracks.

 

Whether you read the reviews or not, if you are a fan of the Isekai genre, you should give Drifters a watch!

 

 

Top Five Best-Rated Episodes 

 

Drifters is an awesome anime with a major fan following and interesting characters. This anime has a great animation style that is something that makes it unique and memorable. So, let’s take a look at the top five best-rated episodes from this series. 

 

1. Bring Back Love (Episode 5)

This episode got a rating of 4.7/5 on MyAnimeList. In this episode, the Drifters are trying to help the elves and teach them how to fight and defend themselves.

 

When the village got attacked by the Lord’s army, Shimazu, Oda, and the elves fought back and shot arrows at them.

 

2. The Adventure of the Pistol Daimyo: Bullet Counting Song (Episode 11)

This episode has a rating of 4.7/5 on MyAnimeList. This episode is well-loved by a lot of fans because it has a great character who is extremely funny and important to the plot.

 

The character is Saint-Germi. He has just entered the city of Verlina and is already stopped by a soldier.

 

3. Footsteps (Episode 2)

This episode has a rating of 4.6/5 on MyAnimeList. The elf village has been set on fire by Orte, and the Black King’s army is also ready to strike.

 

So this episode is packed with destruction and action.

 

4. Chaos Diver (Episode 7)

This episode has a rating of 4.6/7 on MyAnimeList. This episode is also action-packed with a face-off between Toyohisa and Joan.

 

Later, the real identity of the Octobrists’ leader is also made known.

 

5. Serious Bomber (Episode 9)

This episode has a rating of 4.6/7 on MyAnimeList. In this episode, Saint-Germi, Alesta, and Flame are together on a journey to meet the elves.

 

Their main focus is to rescue the dwarves and defeat Orte.

 

 

Drifters Manga, DVD/Blu-Ray Sales

 

Any anime should be profitable so that producers can invest money for its next season. Sales data can be crucial to determine profitability despite box office collection.

 

Manga Sales

In its lifetime, the ‘Drifters’ manga has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide. From the period, 19th Nov 2018 to 19th May 2019 sold approximately 466, 631 copies in Japan alone. 

 

The manga was even in the Top 10 list of Kono Manga ga Sugoi! at number 7 in 2017. It has also been nominated for the annual Manga Taisho Awards, in 2011 and 2012 respectively. 

 

DVD & Blu-ray Discs Sales

In 2016, an edited version of the first and second episodes with a runtime of 36 minutes was bundled with Volume Five of the manga series.

 

In December of 2016, a special box set was released. It had the entire first season, some unaired footage, a 200-pager animation sketch collection by Nakamori, a bonus extras disc, and a double CD OST. 

 

In 2017, Drifters (episodes 13 & 14) sold a total of 5,120 copies in Japan, making it the 7th most popular Blu-ray disc ranking in Dec 2017. The Drifters Blu-Ray box set sold a  whopping 10,818 copies. The limited-edition versions had an outer case illustration by

 

Hirano and a jacket illustration by Nakamori. A bonus video along with a drama CD, a 72-pager booklet, and a “mystery disc” was a part of it too. 

 

The anime’s 15th episode which was an OVA was shipped on DVD as a special version with the manga’s sixth volume. It was released in November 2018 featuring the episode “The Outlandish Knight” which has the march of the “Black King Army”.

 

Merchandise Sales

On the Drifters official website, one can scroll through an array of Drifters merchandise and collectables. It has watches, sneakers, key chains, t-shirts, and 2 movable figures of  Toyohisa Shimazu and Oda Nobunaga. 

 

The website’s merch section is not updated signalling merch has either diminished or has no demand. 

 

Production Cost

Being a high-production value anime and considering the funding from a television station or sponsors and advertising agencies; given the ongoing manga sales, one can determine the production cost and investments made for the anime series.

 

The production company, for Drifters, is NBC Universal Entertainment Japan. A big company meaning a good amount of cash influx is not going to be a big issue.

 

One could assume that it could take around 500 million yen to create a new season of Drifters.

 

Recent news is that Funimation has acquired the home video, video-on-demand, broadcast, distribution, and streaming rights for NBC Universal Japan.

 

It removed the title in May 2020, and we do not know if this has affected the sales of the manga and DVD/Blu-ray Discs. Crunchyroll too has removed the title from its roster. 

 

Yet, Hulu is still streaming both the subbed and dubbed versions

 

 

Popular Drifters Characters

 

Drifters is filled with such amazing characters that they instantly became fan favourites. We have summarised them below.

 

 

Shimazu Toyohisa

Toyohisa is a great swordsman and an excellent tactician. He’s an integral part of the  Drifters storyline. He comes across as this brash and hot-headed character but he is intelligent and does not yearn for power, unlike the people whose heads he collects. 

 

Nasu Suketaka Yoichi

He is the archer helping Toyohisa and the Elves. Yoichi has some minor self-image issues and also suffers from PTSD after the Genpei War.

 

He is warm and has immense medical knowledge but he shuts down once the memories of Yoshitsune come back to him. Like  Toyohisa, Yoichi is an integral character as well.

 

Oda Nobunaga

Nobunaga is a manipulative and smart character. He doesn’t think twice before using his manipulative skills on others to achieve his goals. He was once a great leader but now in the new realm, he doubts his skills and actions at times. 

 

Hannibal

Another intelligent strategist, Hannibal comes as senile at first. But later we learn that through his nonsensical mannerisms, he can get still get work done. He helps Nobunaga in creating a solid plan. 

 

The Black King

The Black King’s identity is still a mystery in the storyline. He serves as the leader of the  Ends. His ability to duplicate himself into any living cell (plant or animal) and, heal himself.

 

He is also a brilliant strategist, knowing colonization, economy, culture, and military. He is one of the most powerful characters in Drifters. 

 

 

Other Decisive Factors for Drifters Season 2

 

Apart from the above-discussed factors, two important factors might help us understand why and when we can expect season 2. Let’s see what they have to say.

 

Drifters Ending Explained

The final episode of Drifters ends with “To be continued. The Second Season. Tokyo 20XX. Sayonara”. So following this statement, we can say that the makers of the series were clear about season 2. They might be waiting for more source material so that they can proceed forward with enough of the story.

 

Controversy

There is still no official statement of an exact date of release for the second season. The fans expected to see a sliver of information in 2020  but were only greeted with Chapter 80 of the manga series.

 

But, some reports suggest that the anime is in its screenwriting process and Season Two is set to release in 2023. BUT! The production chiefs are keeping a tight lip about when the next instalment of the series will be released. 

 

 

Top Similar Anime Like Drifters 

 

1. Btooom! (2012)

It is an anime series that aired in 2012. It has a rating of 7.1 and falls under the genres of animation, action, and drama. The show has received 4K votes, indicating a moderate level of popularity and fan support.

 

The voice cast of “Btooom!” includes Tyler Galindo, Brittney Karbowski, Kanata Hongô, and Suzuko Mimori, who bring their characters to life with their performances, adding depth and emotion to the story.

 

2. Deadman Wonderland (2011)

“Deadman Wonderland” is an anime series that aired in -2011. It has a rating of 7.1 and belongs to the genres of animation, action, and drama. The show has garnered 11K votes, indicating a decent level of popularity among viewers.

 

The voice cast of “Deadman Wonderland” includes Monica Rial, Romi Park, Kana Hanazawa, and Greg Ayres, who bring the characters to life with their performances, adding depth and complexity to the narrative.

 

3. Overlord (2015- )

“Overlord” is an anime series that began airing in 2015 and is still ongoing. It has a rating of 7.7 and falls under the genres of animation, action, and adventure.

 

With 12K votes, the show has gained a significant following and popularity among viewers. The voice cast of “Overlord” includes Satoshi Hino, Chris Guerrero, Yumi Hara, and Masayuki Katô, who bring the characters to life with their performances, adding depth and personality to the story.

 

4. Log Horizon (2013-2014)

“Log Horizon” is set in a world where players of an MMORPG called Elder Tale find themselves trapped inside the game after a new expansion. The main protagonist, Shiroe, along with other players, must navigate this new reality, form alliances, and find a way to adapt to their new lives.

 

The series explores various aspects of the game world and delves into social, political, and strategic elements as the characters work together to unravel the mysteries of their predicament.

 

5. Hellsing Ultimate (2006-2012)

“Hellsing Ultimate” follows the story of the secret organization Hellsing, led by Integra Hellsing, and their vampire agent, Alucard. The organization’s mission is to protect England from supernatural threats, including vampires, ghouls, and other supernatural creatures.

 

Alucard, a powerful vampire, serves as their primary weapon against these threats. The series is known for its dark and violent atmosphere, intense action sequences, and exploration of moral dilemmas and the nature of humanity.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Drifters is a great concept by Hirano Kouta. The characters are eccentric, oppressed races at war. There’s a thin line of distinction between the good and the evil (on both the Drifters and the Ends sides).

 

The ulterior motives of Murasaki and EASY are the Drifters and the  Ends pawns to a much bigger plot by the two who want to play Gods. Whatever the case, the series was left mid-way and the fans are wanting more. 

 

But one has to consider that there isn’t a lot of written material by Hirano to go by. Given the delayed pattern, we can only hope to have more volumes of manga to be published for the time being.