Comments
In the anime streaming wars, there have been two major streaming services that pride themselves on focusing almost entirely on anime-only. One of them is Crunchyroll, which has been a platform for anime exclusives that has only grown bigger with each passing year. While streamers like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime Video all have their respective anime collections, HIDIVE as a platform has been focusing almost entirely on the anime world. To help in carving out a place within the anime world, HIDIVE has announced that it will be the exclusive venue for one of 2027’s biggest and darkest new anime arrivals.
The streaming service announced that it will be the exclusive streaming service for the dark anime adaptation of Blade & Bastard, which is based on a light novel series that first began in 2022. The source material was created by writer Kumo Kagyu and artist so-bin, with the former perhaps most widely known for his work on Goblin Slayer. Rather than focusing on an armored adventurer with an unhealthy obsession with goblins, Blade & Bastard focuses on the protagonist Iarumas, who is an amnesiac who traverses a supernatural dungeon. Attempting to find dead bodies of adventurers who can potentially be resurrected, the hero joins forces with the hilariously named “Garbage” to explore more of this deadly setting. You can check out the newest trailer for this upcoming anime adaptation below.
Who Will Be The Blade & Who Will Be The Bastard?
For those who might not know, Studio Xingfu is a new studio in the anime field, first opening its doors in 2025. Luckily, alongside the new trailer and HIDIVE exclusivity announcement, the upcoming anime adaptation also confirmed the voice cast that will be joining this dark expedition. Makoto Furukawa (My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime) will take on the part of Iarumas, while his cohort, Garbage, will be voiced by Tomori Kusunoki (Chainsaw Man, Sword Art Online, and Yu-Gi-Oh!). Other roles that have been cast include Daiki Yamashita (My Hero Academia’s Deku) as Raraja, Saori Hayami (Digimon, Demon Slayer) as Ainikki, and Shion Wakayama (Dandadan) as Berkanan.
HIDIVE searching for new exclusives makes sense when you think about the recent history of the anime streaming service. Most recently, one of the biggest exclusives for the platform was Oshi no Ko, the runaway smash hit that introduced the world to a dark idol series. For its latter seasons, the once HIDIVE exclusive found its way to both Crunchyroll and Hulu, leaving a major gap for the streaming service. Will Blade & Bastard be as successful as Oshi no Ko? We’ll have to swing back around next year to see.
What do you think of this upcoming anime exclusive from the creator of Goblin Slayer? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the Forum!
11 Years Later, HIDIVE’s Major Fantasy Returns With a New Physical Release Without Ever Confirming a Sequel
