Sunrise and Shaft’s ‘Fool Night’ Adds Cast, Sets November 26 Netflix Release

Netflix used its Anime NYC 2026 panel to unveil a wave of new anime announcements, including fresh details for the upcoming series “Fool Night.” The show, a collaboration between studios Sunrise and Shaft, will premiere globally on Netflix on November 26, with all episodes available at once. A second teaser trailer also dropped, introducing new characters and their voice actors.

Story and Setting

The story is set in a distant future where thick clouds cover the sky, leaving the world in perpetual night and winter. With most plants dead and oxygen scarce, humanity relies on a process called “Tenka,” which plants seeds into the bodies of the dying to transform them into plant-like beings known as “Reika.” These beings provide the oxygen that sustains society.

The new trailer shows protagonist Kamiya Toshiro (voiced by Uchiyama Kouki) despairing over a merciless world, declaring, “There’s nothing fun about being alive,” and hoping for Tenka as an escape. But the process is not simply a release from suffering. The trailer also introduces additional cast members: Yatsuka Akira (voiced by Enoki Junya), Kano Saeko (voiced by Endo Aya), and Hirakishi Jin (voiced by Mizuuchi Kiyomitsu), who will enrich the world’s atmosphere.

Staff Comments

Director Yukawa Atsuyuki shared his approach to the series, saying, “I was conscious of making the cruel parts beautiful.” Animation producers Iwata Keihiro and Suzuki Ryusuke also discussed the first collaboration between Sunrise and Shaft. They expressed confidence in the project, noting that if the two studios create a good chemical reaction, the series could achieve a synergy that multiplies its impact. “We believe we’ve achieved a high level of visual expression, including the music and direction,” they said. “Please look forward to it.”

As the story asks whether people will continue living as humans in a world without light or choose to become plants and leave their suffering behind, this beautiful yet merciless dystopian tale is set to begin soon.

Netflix series “Fool Night” will be available worldwide on November 26. © Yasuda Kasumi / Shogakukan / “Fool Night” Production Committee.