Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus anime reveals July 2025 release window and more at Anime Japan 2025

Modified Mar 22, 2025 02:49 GMT

Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus anime reveals July 2025 release window and more at Anime Japan 2025 (Image via CloverWorks)

Saturday, March 22, 2025 saw the Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus anime reveal its July 2025 release window and more at the inaugural Special Stage of Anime Japan 2025. The television anime series also revealed its first promotional video, which revealed and previewed the anime’s opening theme song “Snowdrop” by Conton Candy.

The Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus anime also revealed two new cast members who joined the anime’s returning and previously announced cast onstage. In between the exciting reveals for the upcoming series, Hantaro Tenshin emceed a Q&A session with the cast members, and info regarding the source material and more was shared.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus anime casts voices of Fruits Basket’s Tohru Honda, Kaguya-sama’s Chika Fujiwara

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As mentioned above, the Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus anime is set to premiere in Japan in July 2025. The two new cast members joining the television anime series are Konomi Kohara and Manaka Iwami, who will play Sara Himeji and Miori Mito, respectively. Both characters appeared in the promotional video revealed onstage. The upcoming anime series adapts the University Arc of the original light novel series.

The trailer began with footage from prior franchise installments playing, before cutting to new material from the upcoming arc. Sakuta and several other returning characters were seen, followed by the sinister appearance of Miniskirt Santa. She was then seen seemingly taking Mai’s place in Sakuta’s memories of prior events. The trailer then introduced the new characters and further set the upcoming series before revealing the release window.

Apart from revealing key release information, the stage also featured several voice actors from the series. Including the aforementioned Iwami and Kohara, voice actors Kaito Ishikawa, Asami Seto, Sora Amamiya, Aya Yamane and Reina Ueda were also present. They play Sakuta Azusagawa, Mai Sakurajima, Uzuki Hirokawa, Ikumi Akagi and Miniskirt Santa, respectively.

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After the returning cast members were introduced by Tenshin, a timeline of the franchise’s history appeared on stage, followed by a video of prior seasons. Ueda was then asked a question, which prompted three “miniskirt santas” to come out with gifts for herself, Ishikawwa, and Seto. Ishikawa’s was what prompted the promotional video reveal, while Seto’s is what prompted Iwami and Kohara to come out on stage.

Ueda’s gift started self-introductions from the other cast members, giving them the chance to introduce their characters and discuss their franchise experiences. The three who received gifts also got various items, such as a miniature Christmas tree, a stocking and a stuffed reindeer. A rebroadcast of the original series was then announced for Japanese TV. Light novel and manga release info was then revealed, with Ishikawa saying a few words and the stage ending after.