Post-apocalyptic fiction, Bastard!! Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy became a huge hit earlier this summer. On June 30th, Bastard Season 1 premiered and it ran for 13 episodes long. The show originally had promised 24 episodes which were split into two parts, so now the second part which is mostly referred to by fans as SBastard Season 2 includes the rest of the 11 episodes.
Regardless of the continuous success of the Bastard anime adaptation into 24 episodes, Netflix has not confirmed whether it has future plans to run further Bastard!!! Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy Season 3.
Bastard!! used to be one of Shueisha’s most popular manga in the 2000s with over 30 million copies in circulation. The series is written and illustrated by Kazushi Hagiwara and was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1988 and then later continued in Ultra Jump. The manga came to an end in 2010 and was collected into 27 volumes.
There was an Original Video Animation (OVA) for the series in 1992. With only 6 episodes, the previous anime adaptation was shadowed by the popularity of the manga. The anime series was not super popular among fans with only 6.7/10 on My Anime List and 6.6/10 on IMDb.
What is Bastard!! Ankoku no Hakaisha About?
Bastard is set in a dark fantasy world with sorcery and swords and all the aspects of a gritty and brutal world. The Kingdom of Metallicana is threatened by the Four Lords of Havoc. Ninja Master Gara, Kall-Su, the thunder empress Nei Arshes and the dark priest Abigail.
As it so happens, the high priest of the Kingdom of Metallica sees no other way but to awaken a legendary wizard from his slumber to try to protect the Kingdom from this invasion. The High Priest asks his daughter Tia Noto Yoko to wake Dark Schnieder, one of the Havoc Riders who was allied with the villains that presently threaten the kingdom. The Havoc Riders were formidable and feared across the lands in their years of conquest.
Dark Schneider’s plan was to rule all the lands and have all the women in the world. 15 years prior to these times, he had a massive army of warriors and wizards at his disposal. Now, he is reawakened in the body of 14-year-old Luche Renren and tasked with the protection of the four kingdoms that house the seals that keep the God of Destruction at bay.
Bastard!! is returning after over a decade and fans are surprised in the best possible way. Reddit threads expressed absolutely no hope of this series returning despite the manga being wildly popular. Now that the any is being remade, there may be more series like this and Urusai Yatsura that will be brought to present fans.
When will the new Bastard Season 3 anime release on Netflix?
The Original Net Animation series had announced a 2022 release of dark fantasy anime Bastard!! Netflix confirmed in late March 022 that Dark Schneider will return on Thursday, June 30, 2022. The number of episodes in the season was announced to be 24.
The first 13 episodes of Bastard Season 1 streamed in bulk while the remaining 11 episodes arrived on the platform on Thursday 15th September 2022. It was earlier rightly speculated that the original manga has 27 volumes and there are chances of more than one season or split cour of the anime.
Though Bastard anime getting renewed for another season has not been confirmed, but fans are speculating that an announcement should come by.
It almost takes at least a year to produce a whole series. So if Bastard Season 3 is on the cards we assume Bastard Season 3 release date to be around Winter 2024 anime calendar.
Bastard!!! Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy Season 3 Trailer
Currently, there is no trailer for Bastard Season 3. In fact studio Liden Films is not thinking of another season right now, if Bastard Season 3 takes place in the future, the trailer should drop a few months before the initial release, which we predict will be around early 2024. In that case, the trailer should air at the end of 2023.
Netflix released the Bastard Season 2 trailer just a month ago, on September 8, to begin the promotion of Bastard Season 2. The fans are in awe of the trailer and the fact that it is very detailed and long. It focuses on all the main characters of the show and even their new enemy that enters the Kingdom of Metalicana.
Bastard!!! Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy Plot
The story takes us 400 years back to when modern civilization was shattered to pieces by the God of destruction, Anthrasax, within a week. But before it could completely destroy the earth a humanoid dragon appeared and fought.
In the present time, the kingdom of Metallicana is in danger from the Dark Rebel Army who wants to break the seal off Anthrasax so they can redo the World. Dark Schneider is the authority and leader of the Dark Rebel Army who once sealed himself in the body of a 14-year-old. Now the only way of waking Schneider and breaking off his seal is a virgin’s kiss.
During such a desperate time Tia Noto Yoko takes the responsibility of waking Schneider. After being unsealed he finds himself against four gods; ninja master Gara, deadly thunder empress Nei Arshes, cold and calculating Kall-Su, and enigmatic dark priest Abigail. The wizard only uses his power to protect Yoko as he had developed romantic feelings for her, and he also causes some destruction.
In Bastard Episode 13, Arshes Nei and Dark Schneider are on a battlefield fighting each other. But reminiscing the history neither party wants to fight yet they have reasons to. Arshes flashback tells us that when everyone had abandoned her it was Schneider who brought her up with love and care.
But Abigail’s curse will turn her into a toad if she fails. When Schneider’s magical power starts to threaten Arshes she reveals the reason behind the fight. Schneider, who had shared his soul with Lucien, starts to hear his voice that tells him how Arshes loves him and is willing to die if it’s in the arms of the person she loves. In the end, Schneider pulls out his heart from his chest and gives it to Arshes.
Bastard episode 14 has picked up from where the last season had left off. Season 2 follows more adventures, actions, and a few plot twists that will leave you emotional. Bastard Season 2 has also focused on some character developments.
Since the manga ran its course for a long time there is still so much of the original story to tell the fans. So chances are Bastard Season 3 will also be based on manga adaptations.
Where can I watch Bastard!!! Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy Season 3
Bastard Season 1 and Bastard Season 2, 24 episodes of Bastard with a runtime of 25-26 minutes are currently streaming on Netflix. This means that there will be a simultaneous international release for the anime that will be exclusive to Netflix much like series like the Great Pretender.
If you want to catch up on the 1992 OVA, the episodes are actually also available on YouTube! The 1992 OVA series for Bastard!! had only 6 episodes that barely covered the major part of the story.
Besides this, the show is also accessible on Roku, Manga TV, and Justwatch. Bastard Season 3 is also likely to run on these mentioned streaming platforms when it releases.
Bastard!!! Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy Season 3 Cast
The cast and crew have remained the same for both Bastard!!! Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy Season 1 and 2. Although few new actors have emerged in places of new characters. If the story continues after 24 episodes it can be assumed that this same cast will make a comeback again for Bastard Season 3. The original manga is long and has enough volumes for adaptation in case the show gets renewed.
Here is the full list of names who have voiced these fictional characters in every episode;
- Kisho Taniyama as Dark Schneider
- Tomori Kusunoki as Tia Noto Yoko
- Hiroki Yasumoto as Gara
- Yoko Hikasa as Arshes Nei
- Kanae Ito as Lucien Renlen
- Tomokazu Sugita as Abigail
- Kensho Ono as Kall-Su
- Nao Toyama as Sheila Tuel Meta-llicana
- Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Lars
- Ari Ozawa as Sean Ari
- Shizuka Ito as Kai Harn
- Takehito Koyasu as Di-amon
- Mami Koyama as Anthrasax
FAQs – Bastard!! Anime Adaptation Edition
Q. Is Bastard!! popular?
A. Bastard!! is considered one of the most popular manga from Shueisha with Over 30 million copies in circulation in 2007. “Bastard!!” Takes the edgy harem anime and mixes it with the dark fantasy genre, which sometimes comes off as a little confused.
On the other hand, the anime series that was released as a 6-episode OVA in 1992 did not do very well among fans. All the more reason to look forward to a more nuanced adaptation of the series!
Q. Will there be a Bastard Season 3 announcement by Netflix?
At the time of writing there has been no official confirmation. But keeping in mind the demand, critics’ rating, and material, fans can expect an announcement for Bastard Season 3 to drop in anytime soon.
Stay tuned for updates on Bastard Season 3 and don’t forget to binge-watch the previous two seasons of the Bastard anime on Netflix. In the meantime, don’t forget to let us know your picks from The Best Fall 2022 anime releases, the best anime movies of all time, the best English Dubbed Anime, and the Best Netflix Anime, and let us know all you plan to watch in the upcoming season!
at the end of the 24th episode it said to be continued