Crunchyroll Announces Webtoon Adaptations and Anime at New York Comic Con

New York Comic Con 2026 brought plenty of major announcements from the entertainment world. While the Marvel panel shared updates on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, anime also had a major presence. Thousands of attendees packed the premiere of the first episode of Dragon Ball Super: Beerus. Crunchyroll also revealed a wide slate of new projects, including a partnership dedicated to webtoon adaptations.

During the Crunchyroll Showcase panel, the company presented an expansive lineup spanning anime, theatrical releases, and manga. One major highlight was a partnership between Crunchyroll, Hayate, and Line Digital Frontier Corporation. Hayate is a Japanese anime production company established by Aniplex, and Line Digital Frontier Corporation operates as a subsidiary of Webtoon Entertainment. The three companies will collaborate to develop anime adaptations for roughly 15 popular webtoons hosted on Line Digital Frontier’s mobile app. The panel revealed the first three titles in this lineup alongside promotional trailers.

Crunchyroll teams up with Webtoon to produce new anime adaptations

Webtoons have grown immensely popular over the past few years. Series published on platforms like Line, Webtoon, and KakaoPage pull in millions of views and build massive global fandoms. The success of the Solo Leveling anime, which adapted a web novel and webcomic from KakaoPage, proved the massive potential of these properties.

Crunchyroll and its parent company Sony are stepping forward to spearhead these adaptations. According to a news release, “Hayate will lead the development and production in collaboration with Crunchyroll and Line Digital Frontier, and Crunchyroll will exclusively stream the resulting anime in select territories.” The first three confirmed titles are The Remarried Empress, Teenage Mercenary, and The Boxer.

Two big video game anime adaptations are coming

The Crunchyroll Showcase opened with a sneak peek at Sekiro: No Defeat, an anime based on the FromSoftware video game. Kadokawa, Qzil.la, and Arch are producing the hand-drawn series, which will stream its eight episodes exclusively on Crunchyroll starting in January 2027.

Ghost of Tsushima is also receiving an anime adaptation focused on its online multiplayer mode. NYCC attendees got an early look at Ghost of Tsushima Legends. Hayate and PlayStation Productions are co-producing the series, which is scheduled for a 2028 release.

New series announcements and first looks from Crunchyroll NYCC panel

Alongside its partnership news, Crunchyroll showcased several upcoming series and first looks at highly anticipated projects. Here are the highlights:

• Fans of Kagurabachi at NYCC received exclusive in-person character art from the series. Based on one of the most talked-about manga of recent years, the Kagurabachi anime carries high expectations and will debut on Crunchyroll in 2027.
• Crunchyroll revealed a first look at Eat-Man, a new adaptation of the manga by Akihito Yoshitomi and a remake of the 1997 anime series. The story follows Bolt Crank, an enigmatic mercenary who can consume anything and recreate it from his body.
• The worldwide premiere trailer for Here U Are debuted at the Crunchyroll Showcase. The anime is based on a Chinese boys’ love manhua.
• A new romantic comedy titled Everyone’s Darling Has a Secret shared a world premiere trailer ahead of its January 2027 premiere. The anime adapts the manga by Kashiko Amane.
• Global music icon LiSa will perform the opening theme for Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! J.C. Staff is producing this fantasy series, which is scheduled to premiere in January 2027. A new trailer and key art were shared during the panel.
• Fantasy anime Berserk of Gluttony offered a sneak peek at its second season, which arrives on Crunchyroll in 2027.
• Crunchyroll debuted the world premiere trailer for The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All, based on the manga by Sumiko Arai that initially launched as a self-published work on X. Masashi Ishiyama, known for Horimiya, directs the series. It begins airing in Japan in January 2027. The yuri story follows a rock-music-loving high school student who falls for a mysterious local CD shop worker, only to discover the person is actually her shy classmate.

More anime movies are coming to theaters

The feature film Witch on the Holy Night, based on the Type-Moon visual novel, arrives exclusively in theaters on Jan. 29, 2027. Ufotable (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) is producing the movie, while Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment handle distribution. It will screen with both English dubs and Japanese audio with English subtitles.

Additionally, the classic anime Yuri!!! on Ice will mark its 10th anniversary with a special one-day screening as part of Crunchyroll’s monthly Anime Nights program. On Oct. 19, select theaters across the U.S. and Canada will screen the first five episodes.

One final announcement arrived via a separate news release outside of the Crunchyroll Showcase panel. The historical mystery series The Apothecary Diaries is expanding to the big screen with its first feature film, The Apothecary Diaries: The Late Lady’s Treasure. Series creator Hyuganatsu wrote the original story, Norihiro Naganuma will direct, and Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment will distribute the film. Specific release dates remain unannounced.

Source: Polygon