Kadokawa Corporation has announced that a new television anime based on Higurashi When They Cry is currently in production. The announcement was made during a live-streamed special event held to mark the 20th anniversary of the franchise’s first anime series. A special 20th anniversary logo was also revealed, featuring a daily tear-off calendar motif and Rena’s iconic hatchet.

Studio DEEN is returning to handle the animation, the same studio behind the franchise’s original television adaptations in the 2000s. The newly revealed teaser also confirms that the main cast from previous adaptations will be reprising their roles. Soichiro Hoshi returns as Keiichi Maebara, Mai Nakahara as Rena Ryugu, Yukino Satsuki as both Mion Sonozaki and Shion Sonozaki, Mika Kanai as Satoko Hojo, and Yukari Tamura as Rika Furude. The teaser also features newly recorded dialogue from Rena Ryugu, giving fans their first listen from the upcoming project.

For those unfamiliar with the series, Higurashi: When They Cry is a psychological horror franchise that began as a 2002 visual novel by 07th Expansion. Set in the seemingly quiet rural village of Hinamizawa in the early 1980s, it follows a group of friends whose everyday lives slowly unravel into cycles of paranoia, violence, and supernatural mystery tied to a local curse.

The first TV anime series aired for 26 episodes in 2006, and its sequel Higurashi: When They Cry Kai followed with 24 episodes in 2007. Since then, the franchise has expanded across numerous media formats, including OVAs, manga, novels, a live-action film in 2008, a television drama in 2016, and a stage play in 2015. Most recently, Higurashi: When They Cry Gou and Higurashi: When They Cry Sotsu aired in 2020 and 2021 respectively.