One of the most renowned directors in the anime industry, Shinichirล Watanabe, best known for his works in Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, released a new anime, Lazarus, this Spring 2025. The TV original anime series is animated by Studio MAPPA and is scheduled to release 13 episodes. The anime debuted in April 2025 and is releasing new episodes every Thursday. Written and directed by Shinichirล Watanabe, the anime has a long list of talents working in the team, including Chad Stahelski. He’s the director of the John Wick series and is contributing to the action design of the anime. The anime blends Stahelski’s expertise in choreographing high-impact action sequences with the gorgeous animation style of Studio MAPPA.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The project was announced in July 2023 and gained global attention thanks to not only Watanabe’s reputation but also because of a Hollywood big-shot like Stahelski. Additionally, the soundtrack features jazz-influenced compositions by renowned musicians like Bonobo, Kamasi Washington, and Floating Points. Lazarus has released six episodes so far, introducing an incredible story once again, as previously seen in Watanabe’s works. While the major streaming hubs such as Crunchyroll and Netflix didn’t license the anime, Adult Swim just made it easier to watch the anime. On April 30th, 2025, the official YouTube account of Adult Swim uploaded the first episode of the anime, and it’s currently streaming for viewers in the United States.
[RELATED: Shinichirล Watanabeโs New Anime Is Already Borrowing From Cowboy Bebop in a Major Way]
What Is the Plot of Lazarus?
The story is set in the near future, where the world has entered an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity. A miracle drug called Hapuna, developed by Dr. Skinner, a Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist, is able to cure all diseases as well as boost human health and longevity. Not only was the drug easily available, but it was also cheap enough for everyone to afford it. Hapuna became a cornerstone of this utopian era. However, after introducing the drug, Dr. Skinner vanishes into thin air only to return after three years and drop a bomb about the terrifying truth.
He reveals that anyone who has consumed the medicine will only live for three and a half years. Since it’s been three years, the people will start getting killed in six months. Only Skinner has the antidote, and he promises to hand it over if someone finds him, but the problem is that no one knows his location. The world is plunged into chaos as they fear their end is near. Riots keep happening, and the public outrage won’t end. Everyone is looking for a way to survive, but all hope seems lost.
To save the world, an elite task force called Lazarus is formed after freeing convicted criminals. To gain their freedom, they must track Dr. Skinner, who has vanished from the face of the earth, or find a way to develop a vaccine to save humanity before the clock stops ticking. The story centers around Axel Gilberto, a fugitive with a knack for breaking out of prison and evading the police, who is deemed the perfect candidate to join Team Lazarus.
