The New Sci-Fi Anime From Cowboy Bebop’s Creator Looks Like a Jazz-Fueled Blast

After two years of waiting, Adult Swim has revealed when Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichirō Watanabe‘s hotly anticipated sci-fi anime series Lazarus will release, along with a new trailer: Watanabe and animation studio Mappa’s sci-fi series officially arrives April 5.

Despite being a minute and 45-second trailer, Lazarus wastes no time setting up the cyberpunk premise of its story and establishing its jazzy-ass action-packed tone. Set in a not-so-far-off future of 2052, Lazarus takes place in a world where a miracle drug called Hapna seemingly cures all who take it from all pain. Three years after the drug hits the market, humanity discovers that the drug has a fatal radioactive side-effect that will kill anyone who ingests a single pill. Now, a special task force called Lazarus must track down Dr. Skinner, the drug’s AWOL creator, within 30 days and find a cure or risk humanity’s extinction. You can check out the trailer below.

Lazarus sees Watanabe collaborate with John Wick director Chad Stahelski on the anime’s action sequences. Its jazzy score is a collaboration between famed saxophonist Kamasi Washington (whose name was dropped in Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”) and musicians Flying Lotus and Bonobo. Mappa, the animation studio behind shows like Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and the final season of Attack on Titan, is producing the show alongside Sola Entertainment. In short, this series has had many prominent creative hands touch it, making it one of the most-hyped anime releases for 2025.

Alongside the newly released trailer, Adult Swim has also unveiled the English voice cast for Lazarus. Here are the actors involved and some anime you might’ve heard them provide their voices to (also, here’s a link to Lazarus‘ official X/Twitter account to match names with character faces for your convenience).

• David Matranga (Shoto Todoroki from My Hero Academia) as Dr. Skinner
• Jade Kelly (Lum from Urusei Yatsura) as Hersch
• Jack Stansbury (Aqua Hoshino from Oshi no Ko) as Axel
• Luci Christian (Nami from One Piece) as Chris
• Bryson Baugus (Seishiro Nagi from Bluelock) as Leland
• Jovan Jackson (Biscuit Oliver from Baki) as Doug
• Annie Wild (Beta from The Eminence in Shadow) as Elaina
• Sean Patrick Judge (Olaf from Vinland Saga) as Abel

For those who prefer watching in Japanese with English subtitles, Adult Swim revealed that voice cast at last year’s New York Comic Con:

• Koichi Yamadera (Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop) as Dr. Skinner
• Megumi Hayashibara (Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop) as Hersch
• Mamoru Miyano (Chrollo Lucifer from Hunter x Hunter) as Axel
• Maaya Uchida (Alluka Zoldyck from Hunter x Hunter) as Chris
• Yuma Uchida (Megumi Fushiguro from Jujutsu Kaisen) as Leland
• Makoto Furukawa (Saitama from One Punch Man) as Doug
• Manaka Iwami (Akane Kurokawa from Oshi no Ko) as Eleina
• Akio Otsuka (Yujiro Hanma from Baki Hanma) as Abel

“We’re talking Watanabe here—this show is an amazing mix of great characters, super fun high-stakes, brilliant directing, and of course, some pretty great music,” Adult Swim president Michael Ouweleen said in a press release. “We are all so lucky to be able to watch this genius do his thing.”

“As I embark on this creative journey, I can’t help but feel that this project will serve as a culmination of my career so far,” Watanabe wrote in a 2023 press release. “I hope you enjoy it.”

Lazarus is slated to run for 13 episodes, kicking off April 5 on Adult Swim. Here’s more detail on the release strategy from the press release: “The series will air on Adult Swim in English, with new episodes available the next day on Max. English-language encore airings will debut every Thursday at midnight beginning April 10. Episodes in Japanese with English subtitles will debut in the U.S. on Adult Swim and Max 30 days after their English-language premiere.”

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