Koupen-chan anime confirms Spring 2025 release window in new PV

Tuesday, December 17, 2024, saw a short television Koupen-chan anime announced for a Spring 2025 release window and based on the original character by illustrator Rurutea. The original character’s name is also Koupen-chan, and the anime adaptation was announced alongside the release of a promotional video and key visual for the series.

An official website for the Koupen-chan anime also opened, which confirmed starring cast member Ayaka Saito as the titular baby emperor penguin and the staff for the series. No additional information beyond what’s described above was shared in this initial batch of news, but fans can expect more information in the early weeks and months of 2025.

Koupen-chan anime confirms production, Spring 2025 release window, and more

The Koupen-chan anime news comes from a TV Asahi live stream, which addressed several anime series set to broadcast on the network in the near future. Likewise, the series’ 30-second announcement trailer was more of a teaser, showing the titular character in several different situations. Fans can expect something more akin to a formal full-length trailer in the early weeks and months of the 2025 calendar year.

As mentioned above, Ayakao Saito is set to voice the titular character, who is described as a baby emperor penguin who helps to inspire and encourage others with positivity. Kyo Yatate is directing the series at Lesprit studios, notable for their Bikkuri-Men and How Clumsy you are, Miss Ueno anime series. Yoichi Kato is handling the series composition, with Akiyuki Tateyama composing the music for the series.

Hazuma Sakuta is credited as the chief director for the project, with Hiroyuki Nemoto as art director, and Yoshio Harisaki as the assistant art director. Daiki Hachimaki is the sound director, with Sachiko Nishi in charge of sound effects and Stay Luck handling sound production. It is expected that both more staff and more cast members will be announced in the coming weeks and months ahead of the short anime’s official premiere.

As mentioned above, the Koupen-chan anime is based on the character of the same name, who was originally debuted by Rurutea on social media in 2017. Rurutea posted the watercolor illustrations to X on April 4, 2017, first. The character gained popularity thanks to the positive messages attached to it, with Rurutea drawing it to spread happiness in case others are feeling tired and uneasy.

Koupen-chan’s name is an abbreviation of “kotei penguin,” which translates to “affirmation penguin” in English. However, there is also a play on words with “kotei” also meaning “emperor,” with Koupen-chan’s name thus communicating both what they are and their demeanor. Rurutea has since introduced several other characters to the “universe,” for lack of a better term, which both offer new twists on Koupen-chan’s design and are completely new designs.