Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is a Japanese anime series produced by Wit Studio. The production was directed by Tetsurō Araki, with a screenplay written by Ichirō Ōkouchi. Haruhiko Mikimoto did the character design, and the music was composed by Hiroyuki Sawano. Two recap films were released in Japan on December 31, 2016, and January 7, 2017, respectively. Another anime project originally scheduled for 2018 was pushed back to the following year, and it was the film, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato, which ended up being released on May 10, 2019 in Japan. In this article, we have decided to give you a full watch order of the Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress anime series.
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress watch order by release date
In this section, we are going to bring you an overview of Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress works in the proper release order:
- Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (anime, 2016)
- Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress – Part 1: Gathering Light (recap film, 2016)
- Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress – Part 2: Burning Life (recap film, 2017)
- Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato (film, 2019)
In the next part of this article, we will tell you how you should watch the series chronologically.
How many Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress seasons and episodes are there?
As you can see, the overall structure of the Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress series is not that complex. Namely, there is just one 12-episode anime series, later edited into a two-part recap film series released in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Later, a sequel movie was released in 2019. In total, there are 12 episodes in the only season of the anime released so far, two recap movies that bring us a somewhat different look on the first season, and a sequel movie, totaling up to 12 episodes and three movies.
In what order should you watch Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress?
Fans of Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress will need to start with the first season of the anime, but they will then have to follow the release order of all the works in order to normally follow the evolution of the plot. The two recap movies can be skipped, but there are some additional scenes in them, although they do not influence the plot in any way. So, watch the first season and the sequel movie, and you’re good to go, but don’t just watch the recap movies without watching the first season.
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress watch order by release date:
1. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (anime, 2016) – 12 episodes
During the industrial revolution in feudal Hinomoto, a virus broke out, turning infected people into Kabane. The Kabane are aggressive, undead, and very strong. They can only be killed by piercing the glowing heart protected by lead or completely removing a key body part (e.g., the head). Most weapons, such as the Bushi (Samurai/Soldiers) steam-powered rifles, are ineffective against the Kabane. On Hinomoto Island, people built train stations like fortresses to protect themselves from the Kabane.
Steam locomotives allow people to travel to these stations and transact business. One day, the city of Aragane is besieged by Kabane after a train carrying them crashes into the station. In this assault, the youthful techie Ikoma employs his punch, a tool he created to defeat the Kabane. When killing one of them, he contracts an infection. He manages to block the virus from entering his body and develops into a Kabaneri, a hybrid of humans and Kabane.
Together with the talented Kabaneri fighter Mumei, who is a guest at the station with her master, they save themselves with other survivors on the Kōtetsujō train to go to a safe place. However, most people are suspicious of the Kabaneri, as the Kabane pose a great threat to them. The leader of the guard, Kurusu, therefore wants to kill her. However, Princess Ayame stops him because she trusts the Kabaneri and their help. Ikoma can also help the Bushi develop better weapons against the Kabane.
Getting into another train station that Kabane has overrun shows how helpful the Kabaneri are in battle. Here they encounter a cluster of Kabane, forming in a kind of black smoke, a huge, dangerous being that is controlled from its center and is difficult to defeat. People gain confidence in the kabaneri, even though they find it difficult to control their power and have limited stamina. They also depend on human blood for sustenance. But since they help protect people, many in the Kōtetsujō donate their blood.
Arriving at the next train station, Ayame asks for provisions and support for the onward journey. The people on the train celebrate Tanabata, and soon the Shogun’s son also arrives here: Biba. He was expelled but now successfully fights against Kabane with the crew of his train. Mumei calls him brother and has fought with him before, but Ikoma is suspicious as Biba is cold and ruthless. He suspects him of having made Mumei a kabaneri and instilled in her his belief in survival of the fittest. But Ayame agrees to continue traveling with Biba, who is on his way to the Shogun’s station.
Biba is not admitted to the next train station. Ayame should ask for admission with her husband and Mumei. But Biba tricks her and, with Mumei’s help, lets his troops and his train storm the station. He turns one of his subordinates into black smoke with a serum. Kabane also attacks and devastated the city. Biba sees this as retaliation for the shogun’s fearful actions against the Kabane. He captures the crew of the Kōtetsujō and takes them to the next station, the Shogun’s.
On the way there, the prisoners try an uprising with Ikoma, but it also fails because of Mumei, who apparently kills him. But Ikoma survives and follows the train together with Kurusu, who is also separated from his mistress. At the Shogun, Biba has Ayame pretend to have captured him. There he comes before his father, whom he infects with the virus and causes chaos. Biba’s troops attack the city, releasing Kabane inside. But Ikoma and Kurusu have also arrived and confronted Biba.
Mumei is transformed into black smoke by Biba, and Ikoma can also be given the serum that is supposed to make him stronger. He can win the fight against Biba and give Mumei the counter-serum to make her normal again. Secretly, Biba has also given Ikoma the counter-serum so that he, too, becomes normal again when he leaves the burning city on board the Kōtetsujō, with its crew and the remains of Biba’s men, badly injured.
2. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress – Part 1: Gathering Light / Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress – Part 2: Burning Life (recap movies, 2016/2017)
These two movies are just recapping movies of the anime series’ first season, with some additional scenes that were not seen in the anime. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress – Part 1: Gathering Light, the first movie, was released on December 31, 2016, and had a runtime of 107 minutes. The second recap movie, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress – Part 2: Burning Life, was released on January 7, 2017, with a runtime of 104 minutes.
3. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato (movie, 2019)
This is not a derivative story, but a sequel to the animated series: the story takes place in another station a year and a half after the fall of the Kongoukaku. On Netflix, the film is divided into three parts lasting 26 minutes for the first two parts and 31 for the last. The licenses for the screening and distribution of the film are held by the same players as before, namely Shochiku Media Division and Aniplex. The theme song for the film is “Sakase ya Sakase”, performed once again by EGOIST.
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