Black Bullet is officially coming back. On September 9, the Dengeki Bunko editorial department announced Black Bullet: New World Order, a reboot project that marks the light novel franchise’s first major revival in 12 years. Author Shiden Kanzaki is leading the new work.
The release plan
Publication begins in November 2026 with two volumes launching simultaneously, followed by three further releases across the following three months — an aggressive schedule clearly designed to re-establish the series quickly rather than trickle it out. The announcement confirms the story moves into a new chapter, though specific plot details are being held back for now. A special announcement video reunites Yuki Kaji and Rina Hidaka, who voiced protagonists Rentaro Satomi and Enju Aihara in the 2014 anime.
What Black Bullet was
The original Black Bullet was a light novel series written by Shiden Kanzaki and illustrated by Saki Ukai, published under ASCII Media Works’ Dengeki Bunko imprint from July 2011 to April 2014 across seven volumes. A manga adaptation by Morinohon ran in Dengeki Maoh from August 2012 to June 2014, collected in four volumes. Yen Press licensed both the novels and the manga in English.
The story is set in the year 2021, after humanity has been defeated by Gastrea, a parasitic virus, and forced to live behind walls made of Varanium monoliths — a metal capable of suppressing Gastrea. Children born with the virus, known as the Cursed Children, can control its power and gain superhuman abilities; because of how the virus works, they are all female. Civil Security agencies pair a Cursed Child “Initiator” with an adult “Promoter” to fight Gastrea, and the series follows one such pair, Rentaro and Enju.
The 2014 anime
The TV anime was produced by Kinema Citrus and Orange, directed by Masayuki Kojima, and aired in Japan from April to July 2014 for 13 episodes. Crunchyroll streamed it internationally and Sentai Filmworks handled the North American release. The voice cast included Rina Hidaka as Enju Aihara, Yuki Kaji as Rentaro Satomi, Tomoyo Kurosawa as Tina Sprout, Yui Horie as Kisara Tendo and Rikiya Koyama as Kagetane Hiruko.
The anime adapted only a portion of the novels and ended without a second season, leaving the light novels themselves incomplete at seven volumes — a situation that left long-time fans hoping for years that Kanzaki would return to the world. That partly explains why New World Order is being positioned as a reboot with a new chapter rather than a straight continuation.
Timing
The reboot arrives the same week KADOKAWA announced it is consolidating the Dengeki Bunko websites into its main corporate portal, underlining that the imprint is actively investing in its back catalogue even as it restructures. Dengeki Bunko has leaned on revivals and long-tail franchises before, and a dormant-but-beloved title like Black Bullet, with a recognisable premise and a returning voice cast, is a low-risk way to test whether that audience is still there.
No anime plans have been announced for Black Bullet: New World Order. For now the project is a novel relaunch, with the first two volumes due in November 2026.
Via Anime Corner. Announcement: Dengeki Bunko official X.