Sega‘s pioneering open world game Shenmue is being adapted into an anime by Crunchyroll and Adult Swim, and it just got its first trailer.
Shenmue The Animation is an adaptation of the classic game first released on the Dreamcast in 1999, following high-school martial artist Ryo Hazuki on a journey of revenge after his father is murdered, a saga that has yet to conclude. Although a long-awaited sequel, Shenmue III, was released in 2019.
A first look of the anime shows scenes that fans will be familiar with, including a sword that leads to a family secret, a fight with rival Gui Zhang, as well as images of the dragon and phoenix mirrors that play an important role in the story.
Take a look at the trailer below with an English voice-over from mysterious character Shenhua:
Shenmue The Animation will be available in both English and Japanese, so fans can also check out the trailer for the latter here.
While it looks like the anime will be an adaptation of the first game based in Yokosuka, Japan in 1986, it may also expand on other elements not seen in the original game, such as a scene showing Ryo fighting in a martial arts uniform at school. The show may also finally reveal how he got a cut on his cheek, which is permanently covered with a plaster in the games.
Shenmue The Animation will premiere sometime in 2022.
