Bushiroad Confirms TV Anime for Basketball Project 'ZERO RISE'; Stage Play Also Set

Bushiroad officially announced a television anime adaptation for its cross-media project, ZERO RISE, during the Cardfight!! Vanguard 15th Anniversary: Bushiroad New Year Announcements 2026 event. This reveal confirms a significant multimedia push for the basketball IP, which will also include a stage play running this spring.

The stage production is set to run from May 2 through May 17 at the Hikōsen Theater in Tokyo.

Studio Nichicaline will handle the animation side of the project, with character designs credited to From Tokyo. Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani conceived the entire project, while Yoshiki Watabe, who previously worked on Samurai Flamenco, developed the original series concept.

Bushiroad confirmed the full voice cast for the anime will also perform in the stage production, effectively merging the live-action and animated versions of the characters.

Key cast members include Takamichi Satō as Kagetora Tamura, Yūsei Hiraga voicing Haruhi Niwa, and Ren Tahara as Tsubasa Hirai. Nobuhiro Mōri is directing the stage play, and Ichidai Matsuda from ILCA is handling the script.

ZERO RISE centers on a group of young athletes who have been forced out of or chose to walk away from organized basketball. The story follows their fight for survival and redemption within an underground street basketball league, set against a backdrop of increasing economic disparity and a lack of integrity. Promotional materials suggest the project is aiming for a darker, grittier sports drama tone. Both the anime and the stage show are slated for release this year.