PSYREN

PSYREN is a sci-fi action story that fans have waited a long time to see animated. It began as a manga by Toshiaki Iwashiro, which ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from December 2007 to November 2010 and filled 16 volumes. Even years after it ended, it stayed popular. In 2024, it placed tenth in AnimeJapan's poll of manga fans most wanted to see as anime. Now the TV anime is here. Studio Satelight is making it, with Katsumi Ono as director. It premieres in October 2026 (AniList lists October 5) on Tokyo MX and BS11, and Crunchyroll streams it outside Japan.

The hero is Ageha Yoshina, a high school boy with a strong sense of justice. He even runs a small side business where he helps people with their problems for a fee. One day, he finds a strange red phone card left in a public phone booth. The card has the word "Psyren" on it.

Soon after, his childhood friend and classmate, Sakurako Amamiya, suddenly disappears. Ageha learns that she had the same kind of card. Across Japan, people have been vanishing, and the rumors say a secret group called Psyren is behind it. Ageha decides to find out the truth and save his friend. He uses the card, and that choice pulls him into something far bigger and more dangerous than he imagined.

Those who use the card are taken to a deadly "game" in a strange, ruined world full of monsters. The rules are harsh, and many players do not survive. To stay alive, Ageha and the others begin to awaken PSI, which means psychic powers. With PSI, a person can move things with their mind, strengthen their body, or create powerful energy attacks. Ageha is joined by other players, including Hiryu Asaga, Oboro Mochizuki, and Kabuto Kirisaki, each with their own reasons for being there.

What makes PSYREN stand out is its mix of genres. It starts like a mystery, turns into a survival death game, and grows into a larger story with time, fate, and a powerful enemy group. The PSI battles are creative, because each character uses their powers in a different way. It is a fast, tense story about friendship and courage in a hopeless place.

As a classic Jump series from the late 2000s, it should appeal to fans of Hunter x Hunter or Gantz, and to anyone who likes psychic battles.