Btooom! Season 2: Premiere Date, Characters, Plot

Btooom! is an action sci-fi anime series which based on a manga of the same name. Written and illustrated by Junya Inoue Btooom! was first published on July 3, 2009, and three years later, the first 50 chapters of the manga were adapted into an anime show, Season 1 of which premiered on October 4, 2012. In fact, the show was so popular that in February 2017, a battle royale game of the same name was launched in Japan, pre-dating other popular battle royale games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) and Fortnite. Yet, despite the game’s release, fans of the anime show and the manga are waiting to hear news about a second season, which is yet to be confirmed. Here’s everything we know about the prospects of Season 2.

Btooom Season 2 Release Date: Is it Happening?

Btooom season 1 premiered on October 4, 2012, and since then, there has been a lot of speculation about whether the show is going to make a comeback. Calls for a second season also reached a fever pitch in 2018, following the conclusion of the manga which offered its readers two endings. However, as it stands, Season 2 of Btooom! is yet to be confirmed.

That being said, it’s best not to lose hope yet since the manga has ensured that there’s enough source material for a second season. The only question is whether producers will be willing to pick it up, but we don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t. Our best guess is that Btooom season 2 release date could fall sometime in 2021 or 2022. We will update this section as soon as we hear more. 

Btooom! English Dub:

You can watch the English subbed version of Btooom on Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime, and HiDive

Btooom! Plot:

The plot of the show revolves around an unemployed, 22-year-old youth called Ryōta Sakamoto. While Ryōta is unremarkable in real life and lives with his mother, he is one of the top players in an online battle royale game called Btooom!.

However, his peaceful existence is completely upended when he wakes up on a tropical island with no memory of how he got there. On closer inspection of himself, Ryōta finds that he has a green crystal embedded in his hand. Without a second’s delay, Ryōta then realizes to his horror that someone has created a real-life version of his favourite game. However, with hope still in his heart, he sets about exploring the island. When Ryōta meets a stranger, he calls out for help, but when the stranger responds by throwing a bomb at him, Ryōta realizes that his fears are real and that he has to fight to the death with others if he is to survive in his new, ruthless reality. Although initially opposed to violence, Ryōta finally comes to terms with the fact that this new reality of his has only one rule – kill or be killed. Armed with a set of unique bombs called BIMs, Ryōta then grudgingly sets out to kill his competition. Later, he teams up with Himiko, another Btooom! player who is his in-game wife, and the duo try to survive the trials of the island long enough to get off it and find the ones responsible for the horrific recreation of the game.

While this is the general plot of the anime show (and the manga), what makes it an extremely interesting watch is its plethora of subplots. Further, the show also explores themes such as friendship and love, and more mature themes such as the impact childhood trauma has on a person’s mind. These themes are dealt with using great skill and nuance, which makes the show a very psychological watch despite its seemingly straightforward and violent premise.

Further, what makes the show even more intriguing is its source material – Btooom!, the manga, had two endings, leaving it up to the reader to decide whether he/she wanted a dark ending or a more happier one. Understandably, fans of the anime and the manga have been demanding a second season of the anime show, hoping to see the two endings realized on television.

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Btooom! Characters:

Despite having dozens of characters, Btooom! has two main characters – Ryōta and Himiko. Further, there are a few more characters who are important to the show and its plot, and below, we’ve given you a brief background of each of them.

[WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD]

Ryōta: The main protagonist of the show, 22-year-old Ryōta is one of the best Btooom! players in the world, and boasts a global rank of #10. Although Ryōta is the best Btooom! player in Japan, his skills and his knowledge of the game are put to the test when he wakes up in the real-life recreation of the game. Faced with real consequences which can lead to his death, Ryōta has to muster all his courage and gather his wits to survive in the ruthless real-life game of life and death. Later in the show, it is revealed that it was his mother who nominated him for the real-life game, fed up with his lack of ambition and direction in life, and his disrespectful attitude towards her and his step father.

Himiko: The main female protagonist of the show, Himiko is a troubled 15-year-old who lands up in the real-life recreation of the game. While in high school, Himiko befriended a popular boy called Yoshioka and his band, and took her friends from school, Miho, Arisa, and Yuki, to the apartment the band was using. When she returned a bit later, she found to her horror that her friends had been drugged and were being raped by the band members while Yoshioka filmed the entire thing. When Yoshioka saw Himiko, he also tried to drug and rape her, but Himiko managed to punch him and run away, despite calls for help from Miho. Scarred by this incident, it is shown that Himiko is extremely distrustful of men and always carries a stun gun with her in case men try to touch her without consent. Later in the show, it is revealed that it was Himiko’s own friends who nominated her for the real-life version of Btooom! because she exposed the entire rape incident and had Yoshioka and his band mates arrested.

Nobutaka Oda: While not a main character in the show, 22-year-old Nobutaka Oda is one of the most dangerous Btooom! players in the world and is mysteriously nominated to take part in the real-life recreation of the game.

Kiyoshi Taira: A slightly overweight middle-aged man, Kiyoshi Taira is another character who, while not being a main character, is still important to the plot of the show. Generally cheerful and optimistic despite the trying circumstances, Kiyoshi teams up with Ryōta and Himiko till he loses his sanity and betrays them. He eventually commits suicide in the show.

Kōsuke Kira: Another important supporting character in the show, Kōsuke Kira is a 14-year-old boy who gets nominated to play the real-life recreation of Btooom!. Despite his tender age, we come know Kōsuke as a sadistic boy who displays extreme cruelty towards both his opponents, and random animals on the island. A victim of domestic and sexual abuse at the hands of his abusive father, Kōsuke is one of the characters who exemplify what abuse during childhood can lead a person to become.

Masahito Date: Another middle-aged man who gets chosen to play the real-life recreation of Btooom!, Masahito is a competent doctor who was involved in medical malpractice before. Although outwardly professional and friendly, Masahito is a cunning man who will go to any lengths to survive, even if it means engineering the downfall and death of his friends and colleagues.

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