You take a zombie apocalypse and you add a layer of Steampunk to it. What do you get? You get Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress! Interested? Then check this out.
In Koutetsujou no Kabaneri/Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, the series is set in a fictional orient nation with a Steampunk twist as their large scale transportation and military arms are powered by steam. Plagued by a wide spread outbreak from a pandemic disease that turns its victims into grotesque zombies called Kabane, the only way to stop them is by destroying the infected heart BUT it’s protected by an iron cage mutated by the infection.
A fusion of the industrial era and feudal Japan with character designs by Haruhiko Mikimoto, the series showcases an impressive scenery of an alternate dystopian world where feelings of paranoia and desperation are as ubiquitous as the air they breathe.
Vengeance fuels our protagonist Ikoma, a steamsmith, as he spends most of his life developing a weapon that can effectively defeat the Kabane. One day, his hard work made a breakthrough, LITERALLY with unforgiving force, as his steam-gun violently pierced thru the Kabane’s ironclad heart! And just to show you how bad ass this guy is, he was able to cure himself from the infection by having a self-imposed near death experience! Paired with a mysterious girl who has a knack for killing Kabanes, this duo hopes to cancel the (zombie) apocalypse!
So get on the Hype train!
The Hype Train has NO BREAKS!
Currently broadcasting in Japan as part of their Spring Anime Line-up, the series is directed by Tetsurō Araki(Attack on Titan, Highschool of the Dead) and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, with music by Hiroyuki Sawano.