Could there be a better present for fans for City Hunter’s 35th birthday?

When you think about it, an anime franchise’s anniversary is basically its birthday. So with its TV series first airing on April 6, 1987, City Hunter celebrated its 35th birthday this week, and it’s getting a very big present in the form of a brand-new theatrical anime.

You could say that Aniplex was actually two days late, as it released the teaser video for the new movie on April 8. Just like how Ryo Saeba, the series’ protagonist private eye/mercenary, can be a little lazy at times but always delivers when he eventually shows up, the announcement of a new City Hunter film has put a smile on fans’ faces and, as heard in the video, a very familiar song in their hearts, as it’s been confirmed that the series’ iconic ending theme, “Get Wild” by TM Network, will be filling that role once again.

That’s not the only key City Hunter element that’s already accounted for, either, as veteran voice actor Akira Kamiya will once again reprise his role as Ryo.

▼ Just how big a deal is Kamiya is in the voice acting world? His name (神谷明) is written in significantly larger text than Ryo’s (冴羽獠).

▼ “I’m extremely happy about coming back to this role once again. Please look forward to the film’s release,” tweeted the 75-year-old Kamiya, along with a photo of himself dressed in Ryo’s outfit (or maybe some clothes he got at Uniqlo).

It’s unclear what involvement original creator and manga artist Tsukasa Hojo has on the project, though he did comment “I can’t say anything about the story yet, but I think this movie is going to feel different from the last City Hunter movie in a couple of ways, and I hope you’ll all look forward to it.”

Meanwhile, reactions from fans online have included:

“Tears of joy running down my face.”
“Here we gooooooo!”
“No matter how many times I listen to ‘Get Wild,’ it’s still awesome.”
“Same goes for Akira Kamiya’s voice.”
“City Hunter is a series I never want to end.”

▼ You can spot a quick glance of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in the video, implying that at least part of the movie will take place in the city’s Shinjuku district and getting our hopes us that Ryo will pass by the SoraNews24 offices, which are also in the neighborhood, on his adventure.

The movie will be the first new City Hunter animation since 2019’s City Hunter The Movie: Shinjuku Private Eyes, which itself woke the franchise up from a 20-year nap. Private Eyes was a solid hit with moviegoers (us included), so while we’ll have to wait a little longer for details like the new movie’s premise and release date, for now we’re just happy that City Hunter is coming back.

Source, images: YouTube/アニプレックス YouTube チャンネル
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Follow Casey on Twitter, where “Akira Kamiya suddenly shows up at midnight karaoke” is one of his favorite anime convention memories.