This article is part of a directory: Spring 2025 Anime Season Guide: Previews, Episode Reviews, & Discussions

Summary

Shinichiro Watanabe's new anime series, "Lazarus," premieres on April 5, 2025, and is set in the same universe as his other works.
The series features a diverse cast of characters on a mission to find a cure for a deadly drug, with action sequences choreographed by John Wick's director.
"Lazarus" will have 13 episodes and air on Adult Swim's Toonami block, with dubbed episodes first and subbed versions available later on streaming platforms.

Cowboy Bebop fans have reason to be excited about the 2025 Spring anime season, as the latest series from renowned director Shinichiro Watanabe will debut in April — and, so far, every trailer looks great.

While this new anime is not officially related to Cowboy Bebop, there are reasons to believe that it may end up giving fans some nice treats. And, surely, after going through a highly divisive Netflix live-action adaptation, Watanabe fans deserve a little joy.

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What is Lazarus Plot Premise?

Lazarus starts in 2052, when Dr. Skinner (perhaps based on the real B. F. Skinner) discovers a true panacea, a drug that can cure all diseases. But there is a catch: three years later, in 2055, Skinner makes a dreadful announcement. The half-life of this drug is three years, and everyone who has taken it will soon die. Then, he vanishes.

A task force is appointed to find Dr. Skinner and produce a vaccine for this terrible drug. The name of the team? Lazarus. Just like the biblical one (but since this is Watanabe, it may also be an homage to David Bowie's Lazarus album, which, in turn, was inspired by the biblical Lazarus).

The main character is Axel, a guy from Brazil who practices parkour and has been arrested many times, becoming sort of a prison celebrity. He is part of the Lazarus team. Other characters include:

Dagu (could be Dag or even Doug), from Nigeria (Lazarus agent)
Kristine, from Russia (Lazarus agent)
Leland, from Canada (Lazarus agent)
Eleina, from Hong Kong (Lazarus agent)
Hersch, commander of the Lazarus team
Abel, an NSA employee

Lazarus Main Animation Staff

It's not just Watanabe, Lazarus is produced by a great team. Watanabe is the main director, but he is not the only head writer. He's counting on three other people to write the scripts:

Dai Sato, who was also a scriptwriter on a few Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Wolf's Rain
Takahiro Ozawa, who wrote the screenplay for Mazinger Z Movie: Infinity
Tsukasa Kondo, who wrote a few scripts for Metallic Rouge and the screenplay for Altered Carbon: Resleeved

Furthermore, the action sequences of the series were designed by none other than John Wick director, Chad Stahelski. Watanabe said in an interview that he is really glad to be able to work with Stahelski. He also added that he would be interested in working with Billie Eilish, just in case she is reading.

Sola Entertainment (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim) is producing the series, and MAPPA (Jujutsu Kaisen) is handling the animation.

Lazarus Release Date and Where to Watch

Lazarus will be released in the US on April 5, 2025, at midnight (likely ET, that is 9:00 PM PT). Unlike most anime, it will be broadcast on Adult Swim's Toonami block simultaneously with the Japanese schedule. Well, actually, a few hours ahead of the Japanese broadcast.

Typically, Adult Swim exclusive series are added to MAX either a few hours or a day after they air on TV. So, those who don't have access to Adult Swim or live outside the US will likely be able to watch the series on MAX starting April 6. However, apparently, only dubbed episodes will be available at first, and the subbed version will hit the service a month later:

The series is confirmed to have a total of 13 episodes, and production is reportedly completed. If there are no delays during the broadcast, it should air from April 6 to June 29.

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Watanabe has also stated that he plans his series as if they are all set in the same universe. This means that not only was Lazarus conceived as taking place in the same universe as Cowboy Bebop, but also Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy, Carole & Tuesday and Terror in Resonance are all set at different times in the same timeline.

Some fans had previously speculated about this possibility, since there are a few common elements in many of these series. Most notably, in most, if not in all of them, the existing currency is called Woolong (probably the longest lasting currency ever created).

In the case of Cowboy Bebop, this is especially important because Lazarus is set in 2055, and Cowboy Bebop takes place in 2071, meaning these two series are roughly 20 years apart in the same timeline. While Lazarus is not marketed as a prequel to Cowboy Bebop, we may see a few familiar faces, like younger versions of characters that appear in Bebop.

Anyway, for those who just like to enjoy his works as standalone products, it's easy to just ignore this information and watch them all as standalone series. References to Bebop in Lazarus, if there are any, probably won't be a key part of the story, considering how Watanabe usually works.

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