Bocchi the Rock!

Last updated: 10 November 2026

About Bocchi the Rock!

Bocchi the Rock! adapts Aki Hamazi's four-panel manga, serialised in Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara Max. The anime is produced by CloverWorks and Aniplex. Keiichiro Saito directed Season 1, his first series as director, with Erika Yoshida on series composition and scripts, Kerorira designing the characters and serving as chief animation director, and Tomoki Kikuya composing the music. The series became one of the most praised anime of 2022, winning Anime of the Year at the 9th Anime Trending Awards among a sweep of categories. Its music broke out beyond anime: the Kessoku Band album topped Oricon's yearly digital album chart for 2023, and the opening theme Seishun Complex has passed 100 million plays worldwide. Two compilation films, Re: and Re:Re:, screened in Japanese cinemas in June and August 2024. Season 2 was announced in February 2025 and is in production. On 1 November 2026 a brand new prequel movie was announced: Hoshi no Ashiato, directed by Shin Wakabayashi, opening in Japan in 2027.

Bocchi the Rock! is a TV anime from 2022, first released in Fall 2022. It belongs to the Comedy and Slice of Life genres and is listed as a completed series. The summary above is written by the AnimeYug team in our own words.

Official Trailer

▶Bocchi the Rock! Movie Hoshi no Ashiato Special Announcement (2027) · Bocchi the Rock! Official Channel

Story & Plot

Hitori Gotoh is so shy that she spent middle school eating lunch alone. Then she saw a band on television and had a thought: in a band, even someone like her could shine. She bought a guitar, practised six hours a day for three years, and built a small online following as an anonymous guitar hero. Actual people, though, still terrify her.

In her first year of high school, drummer Nijika Ijichi spots Hitori's guitar case and drags her into an emergency: Nijika's band, Kessoku Band, has lost its guitarist right before a live show at Starry, the Shimokitazawa live house run by Nijika's older sister Seika. Hitori freezes, hides in a mango box, and plays anyway.

Kessoku Band becomes Hitori's whole world: Nijika, who holds everyone together; Ryo Yamada, a bassist who is cool, broke and completely unbothered; and Ikuyo Kita, the singer-guitarist whose brightness is everything Hitori is not. The goal is a real stage and a real audience. The obstacle is that their guitarist would rather be a cardboard box.

Story Arcs & Episode Guide

The Bocchi the Rock! anime is split into story sagas. Here is every saga in order, with its episodes and years.

Why Watch Bocchi the Rock!

• Animated by CloverWorks, directed by Keiichiro Saito
• Anime of the Year at the 9th Anime Trending Awards
• The Kessoku Band album topped Oricon's 2023 digital album chart
• Opening theme Seishun Complex has passed 100 million plays
• Season 2 in production, prequel movie coming in 2027

Who Is It For?

Bocchi the Rock! suits almost everyone, but it lands hardest if you have ever felt like the odd one out in a room. It is very funny about social anxiety without ever making fun of Hitori, and the live performances are staged with real love for how bands actually play.

Voice Actors

The Japanese voices behind the main characters of Bocchi the Rock!.

• Hitori GotohKessoku Band's lead guitarist, a gifted player with crippling social anxiety
  Japanese voiceYoshino Aoyama
• Nijika IjichiDrummer and founder of Kessoku Band, the group's heart
  Japanese voiceSayumi Suzushiro
• Ryo YamadaBassist, cool and eccentric, always out of money
  Japanese voiceSaku Mizuno
• Ikuyo KitaSinger and rhythm guitarist, bright and popular
  Japanese voiceIkumi Hasegawa
• Seika IjichiNijika's older sister, manager of the Starry live house
  Japanese voiceMaaya Uchida
• Kikuri HiroiBassist of the band SICK HACK, a talented drunk who takes an interest in Hitori
  Japanese voiceSayaka Senbongi
• PA-sanStarry's sound engineer, quiet and gothic
  Japanese voiceKotori Koiwai

Staff & Production

Original Creator

Aki Hamazi

Director (Season 1)

Keiichiro Saito

Director (Season 2)

Yusuke Yamamoto

Series Composition

Erika Yoshida

Character Design

Kerorira

Music

Tomoki Kikuya

Animation Studio

CloverWorks

Manga & Source Material

Bocchi the Rock! adapts Aki Hamazi's four-panel manga, which runs in Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara Max. The anime follows the manga's early volumes: the band's formation, its first live house shows and the push toward a school festival stage. Yen Press publishes the manga in English.

• Written and drawn by Aki Hamazi
• Serialised in Manga Time Kirara Max since 2017
• Published in English by Yen Press
• The 2027 movie adapts the special chapter at the end of volume 5
• The anime was first announced in February 2021

Series Timeline

1. February 2021

   The TV anime adaptation is announced.

2. October to December 2022

   Season 1 airs for 12 episodes and becomes one of the year's most praised anime.

3. June and August 2024

   Compilation films Re: and Re:Re: screen in Japanese cinemas.

4. February 2025

   Season 2 is announced at Kessoku Band's We Will B live event.

5. 1 November 2026

   The prequel movie Hoshi no Ashiato is announced for a 2027 release in Japan.

Release Schedule

Premiere

9 October 2022

Broadcast

Tokyo MX, BS11 and other channels

Streaming

Crunchyroll

Episodes

12 (complete)

Details as of 10 November 2026. Season 2 is in production with no date yet. The prequel movie Hoshi no Ashiato opens in Japan in 2027, with no exact date announced.

Quick Answers

News

1 November 2026

Bocchi the Rock! Prequel Movie "Hoshi no Ashiato" Announced for 2027

A Bocchi the Rock! prequel movie, "Hoshi no Ashiato", was announced on 1 November 2026. It stars younger Seika and Nijika Ijichi and opens in Japan in 2027.