On March 20, 2025, the official website and X (formerly Twitter) account for the anime The Summer Hikaru Died unveiled an exciting new key visual showcasing the pivotal characters. Alongside this release, the production team shared visual introductions for the protagonist Hikaru Indo and his supportive friend Yoshiki Tsujinaka. Although the premiere date is slated for Summer 2025, an exact launch date has yet to be confirmed.
This new anime is brought to life by Cygames Pictures, adapting the popular supernatural horror manga written and illustrated by Mokumokuren. The manga has been serialized on Kadokawa Shoten’s Young Ace Up platform since August 2021, with six tankobon volumes currently available.
New Key Visual Showcases Main Characters
The fresh key visual of The Summer Hikaru Died features Hikaru Indo and Yoshiki Tsujinaka against the backdrop of a deep blue sky in their home village, Kubitachi. This illustration evokes an unsettling ambiance, as Hikaru ominously gazes at Yoshiki. The visual is accompanied by an intriguing catchphrase: “My friend who came back, it was something I didn’t know,”hinting at the series’ haunting narrative.
Character descriptions were also unveiled by the staff, providing deeper insight into their identities. For Hikaru, the unsettling transformation is highlighted:
“Six months ago, ‘Something’ appeared in place of ‘Hikaru’ who went missing in the mountains of a forbidden area. Although it looks and sounds just like Hikaru, it is not Hikaru. It seems innocent and curious.”
Yoshiki, on the other hand, is portrayed as a high school student from Kubitachi, grappling with the reality that his childhood friend has been replaced by an enigmatic entity. Despite his inner turmoil, Yoshiki continues to navigate daily life alongside the changed Hikaru.
Scheduled to air on Nippon Television in Summer 2025, details about a specific release date remain under wraps. Furthermore, the series will be available for global streaming on Netflix, with local Japanese audiences able to access it through both ABEMA and Netflix platforms.
To promote the anime, a special booth will be featured at AnimeJapan 2025, occurring on March 22-23, where fans can purchase exclusive merchandise. Notably, the series’ main voice actors will also be present on the event’s Green Stage on March 23, further enhancing fan engagement.
Cast, Crew, and Overview of the Plot
The voice cast for the horror anime includes Shuichiro Umeda voicing Hikaru Indo, who is intertwined with an eerie force, and Chiaki Kobayashi as Yoshiki Tsujinaka, Hikaru’s unresolved childhood friend. Additional cast members will be announced closer to the release.
The series is directed by Ryohei Takeshita, who also oversees the series composition at Cygames Pictures. Yuichi Takahashi serves as the chief animation director and character designer, while Masanobu Hiraoka, known for his work on Chainsaw Man, contributes as the key animator.
Based on the manga’s narrative, The Summer Hikaru Died revolves around childhood friends Hikaru and Yoshiki, whose peaceful lives are disrupted when Hikaru disappears into the mountains. Upon his return, Yoshiki realizes that the person standing before him is not the Hikaru he once knew, but an ominous imitation, leading to a series of chilling events as they navigate their unsettling reality.