Image: Yuki Ikeda, Kodansha / Produktionskomitee „Thunder 3“
AMBot | 07/08/2026 | Reading Time: 3 Min.
The anime adaptation of Yuki Ikeda's manga "Thunder 3" has reached another milestone. Following the broadcast of the first episode on July 8, 2026, on Fuji TV's +Ultra block, the production team released a key visual, a main trailer, and the cast for additional roles. The trailer, set to the opening theme "Thunderbolt" by singer-songwriter Yuuri, offers deep insights into the multiverse where the three middle school students—affectionately called the "Small 3"—battle flying battleships and giant weapons.
The story begins deceptively peacefully: The carefree boys Pyontaro, Tsubame, and Hiroshi enter a parallel world through a mysterious DVD, where their cartoon-like bodies unleash superhuman powers. But then Pyontaro's little sister Futaba is kidnapped by aliens. What seems like a harmless everyday story turns into an action-packed sci-fi narrative with unexpected twists. The key visual shows the heroes in Multiverse Shibuya, where they stand against an overwhelming enemy force.
The expanded cast includes Shogo Sakata as Doc, the boys' homeroom teacher, and Taito Ban as the karate-enthusiast student Sadakazu Segami. Other new additions are Yuki Hirose as Ryoka Tashiro, Ryoko Maekawa as Mio Kisaragi, Haruki Ishitani as Kyoji Sumeragi, Yuki Onodera as Yutaka Yamamoto, Yuki Shin as Samejima, and Miho Wataya as Sydney—many of them members of the mysterious resistance group "Rebellion."
Already at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles, the series celebrated an early international highlight with a world premiere of the English dub. General director Hiroyuki Seshita and screenwriter Koji Seko explained there the challenge of blending the comic-like style of the characters with photorealistic backgrounds—solved through fine halftone dots that set the heroes apart from the realistic environment.
The music for the series is by Frederic Chateau and Tatsuaki Tateyama. Yuuri is responsible for the opening, contributing his first anime opening with "Thunderbolt." After its linear broadcast, the series will stream exclusively worldwide on Netflix. The original manga source material, published since May 2022 in "Monthly Shonen Magazine" (Kodansha), returned from a hiatus due to illness just in time for the series' start.
The story begins deceptively peacefully: The carefree boys Pyontaro, Tsubame, and Hiroshi enter a parallel world through a mysterious DVD, where their cartoon-like bodies unleash superhuman powers. But then Pyontaro's little sister Futaba is kidnapped by aliens. What seems like a harmless everyday story turns into an action-packed sci-fi narrative with unexpected twists. The key visual shows the heroes in Multiverse Shibuya, where they stand against an overwhelming enemy force.
The expanded cast includes Shogo Sakata as Doc, the boys' homeroom teacher, and Taito Ban as the karate-enthusiast student Sadakazu Segami. Other new additions are Yuki Hirose as Ryoka Tashiro, Ryoko Maekawa as Mio Kisaragi, Haruki Ishitani as Kyoji Sumeragi, Yuki Onodera as Yutaka Yamamoto, Yuki Shin as Samejima, and Miho Wataya as Sydney—many of them members of the mysterious resistance group "Rebellion."
Already at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles, the series celebrated an early international highlight with a world premiere of the English dub. General director Hiroyuki Seshita and screenwriter Koji Seko explained there the challenge of blending the comic-like style of the characters with photorealistic backgrounds—solved through fine halftone dots that set the heroes apart from the realistic environment.
The music for the series is by Frederic Chateau and Tatsuaki Tateyama. Yuuri is responsible for the opening, contributing his first anime opening with "Thunderbolt." After its linear broadcast, the series will stream exclusively worldwide on Netflix. The original manga source material, published since May 2022 in "Monthly Shonen Magazine" (Kodansha), returned from a hiatus due to illness just in time for the series' start.
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This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical support and editorially reviewed before publication.
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