If there’s one holiday the anime and manga industry really go all-out for and celebrate, it’s April Fools’ Day! Come 12:01 AM every April 1, official Japanese accounts for some of anime and manga’s top IPs get wacky with various joke announcements and special art. And we are here for it.
Below are a handful of our favorites from this year! Did we miss any? Share this post and let us know!
Weekly Shonen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump decided that April Fools’ Day would be the day of Bobobo-bo. His face was all over the Shonen Jump+ website, and fans could view the results of a character popularity poll (where, of course, every place in the ranks was Bobobo-bo).
There was even a collaboration between creator Yoshio Sawai and Death Note creator Takeshi Obata where they each recreated a chapter of the other’s series in their style!
ZOMBIE LAND SAGA
Similar to their announcement last year, ZOMBIE LAND SAGA announced a “new movie” coming in the summer titled Zombies vs. Aliens. The key art showed Kotaro Tatsumi and Franchouchou with a small alien friend in a galactic setting.
Magia Record: Puella Madoka Magica Side Story
The Magical Girls from Magia Record came together to form an idol group! Their debut song was titled “Grant It.”
Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These
Keeping on the idol train, the officers from Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These got ready to hit the stage as the musical stars they were born to be.
Kuroko’s Basketball
Despite the anime series ending in 2017, Kuroko’s Basketball continues to delight fans with April Fools’ Day art showing the Generation of Miracles in various alternate settings. For 2020, the series showed the group as archers, mages, rogues and more for a special RPG “announcement”.
Bungo Stray Dogs
Continuing on a school setting alternate universe gag that the franchise has kept going every April Fools’ Day since 2016, Bungo Stray Dogs showed the Student Council this year.
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