Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Season 2: Release date, news and rumors

Credit: A-1 Pictures

Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash ended in 2016, and since then, fans have been waiting for a Season 2.

The anime is known as ‘Hai to Genso no Gurimugaru’ in Japan. It is based on a light novel series illustrated by Eiri Shirai and written by Ao Jumonji. Studio A-1 Pictures have animated the Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash TV series, and the manga series has been written by Mutsumi Okubashi and published by Square Enix. The soundtrack in the anime is by (K)NoW_NAME.

Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash became famous for an emotional storyline that touched the hearts of the audience. The anime consists of great fighting scenes, emotional scenes, and character development from the start to the end of the anime.

The question which arises is… will there be a Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Season 2 or not?

Continue reading to find out!

What happened so far in Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash

Credit: A-1 Pictures

Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash follows a story of a group of people who are one day transported into an RPG-like, mysterious world called Grimgar. They only know their names but have no other recollection of their memories, such as how they came here or where they were before.

The group forms a party of six people and starts working together as trainee volunteers. Sometimes, the people would often say mobile phones, Austrailia, Airplanes, and so on. But would not remember it. Like an RPG game, the people must join guilds, learn skills and magic, defeat monsters, and earn silver or gold to survive to purchase necessities such as food and lodging.

The group is initially weak and lacks teamwork, and they slowly begin to earn by battling goblins with the guidance of their group leader, Manato, a priest and healer. However, Manato dies during a sudden attack from goblins.

Afterward, Haruhiro becomes the leader of the party. The party struggles for some time due to the trauma of losing Manato and incompatibility with their new priest, Merry. But slowly, the party regains its strength, teamwork and Merry also befriends them.

The party begins to become stronger and earn well. They’re even able to purchase their volunteer badges. The party then decides to go to Cyrene Mine, a famous location for volunteers’ go-to for fighting against kobolds, and Death Spots, a powerful creature that killed three of Merry’s older teammates. The party kills lesser Kobolds, but they’re seen by Death Spots on the farm the next day. They try to run away, but after a few moments, Death Spots finds them again. On the fifth level, Ranta stays behind fighting Death Spots while others run away.

Ranta escapes and later reunites with the rest of the party. But while the party is on their way outside, Death Spots again catch them, and this time, Haruhiro stays back to battle Death Spots while the others run away. Haruhiro surprisingly defeats Death Spots and is then brought back to his lodgings by his friends and is healed by Merry. The party receives a 200 gold coins bounty for defeating Death Spots.

What is going on with A-1 Pictures?

Credit: A-1 Pictures

After completing the animation of Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash, A-1 Pictures remained an active studio. They worked on many notable projects including, The Seven Deadly Sins: Signs of Holy War, Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga, Darling in the Franxx, and Kaguya-sama: Love is War. Their most recent project is Visual Prison which will be premiered in October 2021.

However, one of the animation studios that did the anime’s beautiful background art got shut down in 2017.

What do we know about Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Season 2 so far?

Credit: A-1 Pictures

Even though the anime gained popularity, there has still been no official news regarding its Season 2.  There have been a few rumors about the anime being in production, but there still has been no such announcement by A-1 Pictures. Mutsumi Okubashi has not given any hint about a Season 2 either.

What are fans saying about Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Season 2?

Credit: A-1 Pictures

Fans have been impatiently waiting for Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Season 2. Years have passed, and no news has been revealed regarding its renewal, making them feel hopeless about a Season 2. Some fans are concluding that the anime did not sell well enough to have another season.

Will there be Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Season 2?

Credit: A-1 Pictures

Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Season 1 promptly became popular after its release. It did well in the blue-ray, and DVD sales as the anime sold 4,571 copies. However, the creators had anticipated a better sales figure according to the success of the light novel, so the sales turnout was a disappointment to them.

The anime received average ratings as it was voted to 7.6 scores on MyAnimeList. Despite this, the anime still has a large fanbase that has been demanding a Season 2.

The good news is, there is more than enough source material for a Season 2. Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is based on a light novel, and that light novel currently has 19 volumes, and it is still ongoing. The first season comprises 12 episodes, and it took up only two volumes of the light novel.

Unfortunately, this anime is overshadowed by other anime, such as Kaguya Sama: Love is War, Blue Exorcist, Promised Neverland, and so forth, which are more popular, successful, and animated by the same studio, A-1 Pictures. These shows got a Season 2, but Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash did not, making it clear the studio is busy focusing on other projects instead. Bear in mind that the studio that made did the background animation of Season 1 is not working anymore.

There have been cases where anime Season 2 came even five years after its Season 1. However, considering there has been no update regarding Season 2, and the studio is also busy with many other projects, the chances of the anime being renewed are low.

When will Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Season 2 be released?

Credit: A-1 Pictures

Since there has been no announcement about a Season 2, it cannot be said when a Season 2 will be released either because it is not confirmed if a Season 2 is even coming.

What can we expect in Season 2 of Grimgar of Fantasy?

Credit: A-1 Pictures

If a second season were released, it would probably continue the story after the first two volumes, which were already covered in season one. According to this, the second season would show how the people arrived in this strange world called Grimgar, how their lives were back then, and if there is a way that they could go back.

Since the start of the anime, the writer dropped hints that these people did belong to the modern world as Haruhiro is seen saying “mobile phone” in the first episode. Fans have been most looking forward to finding out the secret behind their arrival in this world.

Throughout Season 1, after Manato’s death, Haruhiro has been trying his level best to be a good leader, and at times he comes under severe pressure. The second season would show more how Haruhiro learns and develops as a leader and handle the pressure during dangerous situations.

There is a lot left to discover about Grimgar, and as the group becomes stronger and explores more locations, they will find themselves in situations they wouldn’t have imagined.