TOHO animation has opened an official website for a television anime adaptation of Shoco’s Phantom Busters. The project is scheduled for 2027, and the site went live on Thursday with a commemorative illustration from the original creator.
The announcement confirms an adaptation that readers of the manga have been expecting. Phantom Busters serializes in Shueisha’s Jump SQ, and the eighth collected volume is due out on October 2, days after the anime news.
What the series is about
“In search of a fourth member for the club, Mogari, Eugene, and new recruit Kaoru Kanzaki set their sights on Koutarou Tamon, a classmate who seems to be able to talk to ghosts. Unfortunately, Kotaro’s got some major problems communicating with living humans!”
That synopsis comes from VIZ Media, which licenses the manga in English. The setup is a club comedy with a supernatural hook, and the fourth-member premise puts the four main characters at the centre of the story from the start.
Manga and release details
- Original run: one-shot published in Jump SQ.Rise in October 2022
- Serialization: began in Jump SQ in August 2023
- Circulation: 1.4 million copies, including digital editions
- Latest volume: volume 7 released on February 9; volume 8 set for October 2
- English release: VIZ Media licensed the series in April 2025; volume 4 shipped on July 7, with volume 5 planned for October 6
- Simulpub: available in English on Shueisha’s Manga Plus
Official channels have also opened at phanbus-anime.jp and on X at @phanbus_anime.
Why it matters
The interesting detail here is the timing. A one-shot from late 2022 became a serialization in 2023, and now has an anime announcement landing less than two years into its run. That is a fast turnaround even by current standards, and it lines up with the manga’s circulation numbers, which are healthy for a title that debuted this decade. A 2027 date gives Shueisha and TOHO time to build the audience further before the show airs.
What has not been revealed yet is the studio, cast or staff. Those announcements will decide whether the adaptation lands. Given how much the manga’s appeal rests on the four leads’ banter, cast selection will probably matter more than the action animation.
We will update once staff and cast are confirmed. For more newly announced 2027 anime, our report on Shin Oishinbo covers another adaptation preparing for that year.
Source: MyAnimeList News (via Comic Natalie)
Featured image: Commemorative illustration by Shoco for the Phantom Busters anime announcement, via MyAnimeList.
