Fan favorite exorcist Allen Walker is close to coming back to our screens in a brand-new anime season this year and damn…does he look better than ever. The action and supernatural laced series D-Gray Man is set to return this year and according to manga author Katsura Hoshino, the anime will be a direct sequel to the 2006 anime adaptation, which had a grand total of 103 episodes. Funimation licensed the anime, but only released the first half of the series – there has been no word on if Funimation will release the remainder of the series or even license the new one to air this year.
Jump SQ, Issue 3 of 2016, issued a preview of Allen Walkers character design for the new season. He’s the same ol’ Allen Walker, and yet he looks better than he ever has before. Animedia’s March issue, which comes out on the 10th, will feature another new character image. This one features Allen and Lavi; judging by the hair, that is reasonably not Lavi’s, it’s safe to say the image will feature Kanda and perhaps Lenalee as well.
ジャンプSQ.3月号 明日2/4発売です！D.G教団報では制作中のアニメ最新キャラクター設定ラフを一部公開！是非チェックしてみてくださいネ♡ #dgrayman pic.twitter.com/WCU3Oos5IG
— TVアニメ「D.Gray-man」公式 (@dgrayman_anime) February 3, 2016
【アニメディア3月号2月10日発売】D.Gray-man、ＴＶ新シリーズの本誌初描きおろしイラストを掲載。ピンナップにもなってます。アレンとラビ、そして後ろ髪が見えていますが、もちろん神田もいます（馬渕）#dgrayman #Dグレ pic.twitter.com/q1Ti8GNz9U
— 月刊アニメディア編集部 (@gakken_animedia) February 3, 2016
Sanae Kobayashi, Allen’s previous voice actor, will not be returning to the new series. Instead, the new Allen Walker is voiced by Ayumu Murase, who also voices the bubbly and energetic Shoyo Hinata in Haikyu!! This is a casting choice I’m more than okay with. Shinnosuke Tachibana (Tomoe in Kamisama Kiss) will be D-Gray Man’s new Howard Link.
As we await the return of D-Gray Man, people can use this time to watch the previous episodes of the anime which is wholly and completely awesome. Allen Walker is the 2nd most likeable Shonen Jump protagonists in an anime or manga – trailing behind Sakata Gintoki (Gintama).
Anime News Network describes the intricate plot of D-Gray Man as the following:
“Allen Walker, a young man with a cursed eye, lives to destroy a weapon known as Akuma. These weapons created by the Milleneum Earl are sent out by his command to purge the world from humans. Allen Walker uses an anti-akuma weapon, Innocence, to counter the Earl’s attempts at destroying humanity. He travels to the Black Order by his mentor’s directions. There he meets with others who also fight against the Milleneum Earl’s plans. But more questions start to appear as Allen and his friends move further along to reach their goal. And these questions that seem to connect to Allen’s past.”
Check out D-Gray Man 2016’s first anime preview down below!
