What happens when a former Demon Lord and the Hero who once defeated him are reborn into a peaceful world, only to meet again as teacher and pupil? Together with Crunchyroll Japan, we are bringing the anime premiere of "Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life" to Anime Messe Babelsberg 2026 on Saturday 18 July 2026 at 16:30 in the great hall of the Metropolis Halle at Filmpark Babelsberg. Joining us are director Hideyo Yamamoto along with producers Yuya Ogisu (LIDENFILMS) and Haruka Yabu (Pony Canyon).
A jobless shut-in who fills his days with video games, and who just so happens to have ruled another world as its Demon Lord. The Hero who struck him down back then is now sitting in front of him in a classroom, in a school uniform. That gloriously upside-down setup is where "Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life" finds its comedy, and we are thrilled to bring its premiere to Anime Messe Babelsberg 2026 in Potsdam together with Crunchyroll Japan.
Here is how it goes. In another world, Ryusei Narukami reigned as the Demon Lord until the Hero Meteor Hanaori brought him down. Two lifetimes later the pair cross paths again in a peaceful present day, where Ryusei has traded full-time gaming for a job as a high school teacher, at the very school Meteor attends. He keeps up the act of the clueless teacher while she would happily settle the old score on the spot, yet somewhere between monster hunts and ordinary school days something that looks suspiciously like love begins to grow. There is even a quiet wink in the names: Ryusei means shooting star, and the Hero who once defeated him is called Meteor. The manga comes from Hekiru Hikawa, already known to many for "Pani Poni", and has been running in Kodansha's "Morning Two" since 2021.
To mark the start of the season, we will watch the first episode together on the big screen on Saturday 18 July 2026 at 16:30 in the great hall of the Metropolis Halle. Straight afterwards we go deeper into how the series came together in a panel with three guests who are right in the middle of the production: director Hideyo Yamamoto, known to many from titles such as "Strike the Blood", "Cells at Work! CODE BLACK!" and "Rurouni Kenshin", LIDENFILMS producer Yuya Ogisu and Pony Canyon producer Haruka Yabu. Director Hideyo Yamamoto will also hold an autograph session on all three days of the convention: on Friday at 15:20, on Saturday at 18:00 and on Sunday at 10:40.
The series streams on Crunchyroll from 11 July 2026. You can already watch an official trailer on YouTube and find everything else on the official website and the Crunchyroll page. We cannot wait to experience the opening together with you on the big screen and then talk about the series with the team.