Kochikame 50th Anniversary: New Anime and Two New Volumes
The Kochikame 50th anniversary lands in 2026, and Shueisha is marking the milestone with the biggest slate of new material the franchise has seen in years. Osamu Akimoto's police-box comedy has a brand-new anime project in the works at Studio Gallop, its first fresh tankobon volumes since 2021, a full-color one-shot that already hit Weekly Shonen Jump, and a console-and-mobile game. A Tokyo event on September 5, 2026 is set to reveal the new anime's voice cast.
This guide pulls the confirmed facts into one place: what is actually announced, the exact dates, what is still unknown, and where overseas fans can watch the series in English today. If you have never read a page of Kochikame, the quick-facts section below explains why a 50th anniversary for this title is a genuinely rare event in manga history.
Kochikame at 50: The Anniversary Slate at a Glance
Here is every confirmed 2026 Kochikame project and its date, so you can see the full picture before the details.
| Project | What It Is | Date / Status |
|---|---|---|
| 50th anniversary one-shot | New full-color chapter by Osamu Akimoto | Weekly Shonen Jump #36, on sale August 3, 2026 |
| Volume 202 | First new tankobon in five years | September 4, 2026 |
| Volume 203 | Second new collected volume | October 2, 2026 |
| New anime cast reveal | Voice cast for the new project | Tokyo event, September 5, 2026 |
| "New Kochikame" anime | New TV/anime project at Studio Gallop | Announced; format and date TBC |
| Ryo-san's Billion-yen Beat | City-builder game (Shueisha Games x Kairosoft) | Announced; release date TBC |
What Is Kochikame?
Kochikame — short for Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen-mae Hashutsujo ("This Is the Police Station in Front of Kameari Park in Katsushika Ward") — is a long-running gag manga by Osamu Akimoto about Kankichi Ryotsu, a scheming, money-obsessed veteran officer at a neighborhood police box in downtown Tokyo. Fans simply call the hero "Ryo-san."
The series began in Weekly Shonen Jump on September 21, 1976 and ran until September 17, 2016 — a continuous 40-year run. That means 2026 marks 50 years since the first chapter appeared, even though the weekly serialization itself ended a decade ago.
The Guinness World Record
Kochikame holds the Guinness World Record for the most volumes published for a single manga series. It closed its main run in 2016 with 200 volumes, and a 201st volume followed on October 4, 2021. By 2014 the manga had more than 157.2 million copies in circulation. Very few manga reach even a fraction of that length, which is what makes a 50th-anniversary revival newsworthy rather than routine.
The Setting and Ryo-san
The comedy is grounded in the working-class shitamachi neighborhoods of eastern Tokyo, centered on the fictional Kameari police box. Ryotsu's get-rich-quick schemes, his long-suffering colleagues, and the changing city around them gave Akimoto a format that could absorb 40 years of real-world trends — from bubble-era Japan to smartphones — without ever changing its core.
The New Kochikame Anime, Explained
The headline announcement is a new anime project titled Shin Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen-mae Hashutsujo, or "New Kochikame," produced by Studio Gallop to commemorate the 50th anniversary. It was unveiled alongside the game at Jump Festa 2026, and reporting frames it as the first new Kochikame anime project in roughly a decade.
One important caveat: as of this writing, it has not been confirmed what form the project will take. It could be a new TV series, a film, or a set of specials — the announcement named the studio and the milestone, not the format. A dedicated 50th-anniversary website was set to open in spring 2026.
When Is the Cast Being Announced?
The new anime's voice cast will be revealed at an event in Tokyo on September 5, 2026. Because the project uses a new cast rather than simply recalling the original voice actors, that reveal is the next concrete beat to watch for anyone following the revival.
Which Studio Is Making It?
Studio Gallop is producing the new project. Gallop has a long history with the franchise, having worked on Kochikame anime across its earlier TV run and the specials, movies, and OVAs that continued into the 2010s. Handing the anniversary project back to a studio with that pedigree signals continuity rather than a hard reboot.
The 50th Anniversary One-Shot
Akimoto drew a brand-new one-shot to open the anniversary year. It ran in Weekly Shonen Jump issue #36, which went on sale August 3, 2026. For a series whose weekly run ended in 2016, a fresh chapter from the original creator in the same magazine that carried it for 40 years is the sentimental core of the whole celebration.
Two New Volumes: 202 and 203
Kochikame is also getting two new collected volumes — its first tankobon releases in five years. Volume 202 arrives September 4, 2026, and Volume 203 follows on October 2, 2026. The last new volume, number 201, came out in October 2021.
Both volumes compile post-series works: the extra chapters and one-shots Akimoto has drawn since the main run ended in 2016. For collectors who stopped at volume 201, these are the first additions to the shelf in half a decade, and they push an already record-setting series further.
A New Kochikame Game: Ryo-san's Billion-yen Beat
The anniversary also brings a game, KochiKame: Ryo-san's Billion-yen Beat, developed by Shueisha Games and Kairosoft — the studio known for pixel-art management sims. It is a city-builder-style simulation, a fitting genre for a hero whose entire personality is chasing money.
The game is planned for a wide spread of platforms: Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, iOS, Android, and PC via Steam. The Steam version is confirmed to include English, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese text, so overseas players will be able to read it. No release date has been announced yet.
Where Overseas Fans Can Watch Kochikame in English
The single biggest hurdle for international Kochikame fans has always been access: the manga was never fully released in English, and the anime was hard to find legally abroad. That has started to change. Classic Kochikame anime episodes are now streaming with English subtitles on the "It's Anime" YouTube channel for viewers in the United States and Canada.
That makes the anniversary a good on-ramp for newcomers. If the new anime project brings a wider international release, it would be the franchise's biggest push into English-speaking markets in its history — something worth watching as the September cast reveal fills in the details. For more classic titles reaching Western audiences, see our look at RetroCrush adding Naruto, Bleach and Hunter x Hunter, and Shueisha's own move to make its catalog readable worldwide in Manga Million.
Why the 50th Anniversary Matters for Collectors
Long-running anniversaries are usually when publishers greenlight the merchandise that had been dormant. A new anime, a new game, and fresh volumes all give licensors a reason to produce figures, capsule toys, and goods tied to Ryo-san and the Kameari cast. Kochikame's merch has historically been niche compared with battle-shonen franchises, so the anniversary is the moment most likely to change that.
A few honest expectations for collectors:
- Watch the September 5 event. Anniversary merchandise announcements often ride alongside cast and staff reveals.
- The game and anime are the merch triggers. New animation gives figure makers reference material and a sales window they did not have during the manga's dormant years.
- Kochikame goods remain a specialist lane. Unlike One Piece or Dragon Ball, Kochikame does not have a deep, constantly restocked figure line, so anniversary items tend to be limited and event-driven.
This anniversary sits alongside a wave of Jump milestone projects — see our coverage of The Promised Neverland's 10th-anniversary one-shot for another example of a Weekly Shonen Jump title marking a round number with new material.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Kochikame start?
Kochikame began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump on September 21, 1976. Its main run ended on September 17, 2016, making 2026 the 50th anniversary of its debut.
Is Kochikame still running?
Not as a weekly series. The main serialization ended in 2016, but Osamu Akimoto has drawn occasional one-shots and extra chapters since then, including the 50th-anniversary one-shot in August 2026.
What is the new Kochikame anime called?
The new project is titled Shin Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen-mae Hashutsujo ("New Kochikame"), produced by Studio Gallop. Its exact format — series, film, or specials — has not been confirmed.
How many Kochikame volumes are there?
There are 201 volumes as of 2021, a Guinness World Record for a single manga series. Volumes 202 and 203, collecting post-series works, release in September and October 2026.
Where can I watch Kochikame in English?
Classic Kochikame anime episodes are available with English subtitles on the "It's Anime" YouTube channel for viewers in the United States and Canada.
Where to Start Collecting
Akibato does not stock a dedicated Kochikame line yet — the franchise's goods are limited and event-driven, and we only point you to shelves that actually have stock. If the anniversary has you in the mood for classic Weekly Shonen Jump collectibles, fans of Kochikame's Jump-era comedy often also collect the long-runners that shared its pages. Our in-stock One Piece and Dragon Ball collections are the best starting points, or browse everything currently in stock. New to importing Japanese collectibles? Our guide to preordering anime figures from Japan walks through how it works.