Tsubame

Thunder 3 is a science fiction adventure anime that began in July 2026. It has 12 episodes and aired on Fuji TV's +Ultra late-night block, and Netflix holds the worldwide streaming rights. Studio Unend made the series. Hiroyuki Seshita and Keisuke Ide directed it. The story comes from a manga that ran in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine from 2022 to 2026, in ten volumes. The author used the pen name Yuki Ikeda. According to Wikipedia, that name belongs to the famous artist Hiroya Oku, known for Gantz. Kodansha USA publishes the manga in English. The most striking thing about Thunder 3 is its look. The three heroes are drawn like simple, cute cartoon kids, almost like characters from an old children's comic. The world they end up in is the opposite. It is shown in a very realistic, detailed style, with real-looking streets, creatures, and weapons. The anime uses full CGI, which means computer graphics instead of hand drawing, to make this clash between the two styles feel even stranger. The heroes are three middle school friends: Pyontaro, Tsubame, and Hiroshi. Together they call themselves the Small 3. They are not special in any way. One day, their teacher lends them a weird disc, and the boys decide to watch it. Something very odd happens. A real-looking dragonfly flies out of the TV. The disc is somehow a doorway to another version of Earth. Pyontaro has a little sister, Futaba, who loves him very much. While the boys are not paying attention, Futaba slips through the doorway into that other world. There she is taken by aliens who have invaded and taken over that version of the planet. Pyontaro and his friends know they have to go after her, even though they are just kids. Once they cross over, the boys find out something surprising. Because they are cartoon beings in a hyper-real world, the rules work differently for them. Their soft, simple bodies give them great powers there, almost like superheroes. The adventure mixes big action with surreal comedy, but it also has real danger and heavy, emotional moments. It is a story about friendship, family love, and ordinary kids finding courage. A second season was announced on September 30, 2026. It is planned for 2027.