From the producers of the Attack on Titan anime adaptation comes an original anime series; Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. In this 2016 seinen, humans fight alongside the Kabaneri, zombified humans who have maintained most of their humanity to defeat rogue undead on a moving steam train.

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is a 2016 seinen anime series, it is produced by Wit Studio and licensed by Funimation, it is currently available on DVD & Blu-Ray in English.

Editor’s Note: A review copy of Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress was provided by Funimation Entertainment. 

Lead character Ikoma.

The now five year old Wit Studio perhaps best known for world wide phenomenon Attack on Titan is back with it’s second in-house original anime series following The Rolling Girls. In Kabaneri and the Iron Fortress main characters Ikoma & Mumei are zombified humans with their humanity & emotions intact. The duo protect a train full of human passengers against hordes of ravaging zombies known as the Kabane as they search for a safe haven in a very steampunk action seinen.

The Kabane in Kabaneri.

THE GOOD: People often compare Kabaneri to another Funimation/Wit Studio title; Attack on Titan (season one). While I do see the similarities, it’s quite obvious that the glaring issues of Attack on Titan’s first season are pretty much absent in the original anime. One of the benefits Kabaneri has for example is that it’s not tied to any source material so Wit was allowed to do anything they saw fit with story and characters. The dynamic between Ikoma and Mumei is an enjoyable brother/sister relationship to see unfold.

Character relations (for those that stick around) are fun to see play out.

THE BAD: Gore can be a tad bit intense so if you’re not into that then you may not enjoy Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress.

A new classic anime original.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is a fantastic original anime series. It doesn’t have the hassle of source attachment issues, and the characters are well designed with a well written story to boot. While the comparisons to another Wit Studio anime is definitely noticeable, it’s mainly superior to said series’ first season in nearly every way imaginable. Otaku Dome gives Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress Season One Blu-Ray a 90 out of 100.