"Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru" Season 2: Promotional Clip with New Material and Ending by BLUE ENCOUNT Released

The second season of the anime television series "Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru" (roughly "From Country Old Man to Sword Saint") will air on Japanese television starting July 8, 2026, and will stream exclusively worldwide on Prime Video one day later, on July 9. To coincide with this date, a new promotional video has been released, featuring additional scenes and revealing the ending theme song.

The approximately 30-second clip includes previously unseen battle footage, in which the protagonist Beryl Gardinant (voiced by Hiroaki Hirata) crosses swords with his former student Fissel Haberer (Yūki Yano). Fissel is now the ace of the Royal Mage Corps. The spot also debuts the ending song for the second season: "Mikansei" ("Unfinished") by the rock band BLUE ENCOUNT. Vocalist Shunichi Tanabe comments: "The many experiences and friends I have found enable my path today. Therefore, I sometimes wonder: Where exactly do I stand? What is my worth? I had long postponed confronting these questions—through this work, I was finally able to face them. I captured the answer in 'Mikansei.' I would be happy if you compare it with your own."

It was previously announced that the opening song for the second season is by the band Unicorn, titled "Kurenai no Ha." The two music groups highlight the range of the series' musical accompaniment.

The second season will air in the "IMAnimation W" programming block on TV Asahi, as well as on BS Asahi and AT-X. The animation is once again directed by Akio Kazumi (Studio Passione and Hayabusa Film). The screenplay is written by Kunihiko Okada, and the character design is by Satsuki Hayasaka. The main cast from the first season returns, including Hiroaki Hirata as Beryl, Nao Tōyama as Allucia Citrus, Hitomi Ueda as Srena Risandella, and others.

The underlying light novel series by Shigeru Sagazaki and Tetsuhiro Nabeshima, including the manga adaptation and spin-offs, has achieved a total circulation of over nine million copies. In advance of the second season, advance screenings with the voice actors are being organized in Nagoya, Osaka, and Tokyo: on June 20 in Nagoya (Midland Square Cinema) and Osaka (Joshō Hall), and on June 28 in Tokyo (Marunouchi Piccadilly).

The first season of the series, which aired from April to June 2025, was already internationally successful, reaching the top 10 on Prime Video in over 45 countries and regions. The second season promises to continue the story of the aging sword master, who is brought to the capital by his former students, with even larger battles and deeper character moments.