| Yo-kai Watch Shadowside | |
| Ja Kanji: | 妖怪ウォッチ シャドウサイド |
| Ja Romaji: | Yōkai Wotchi Shadōsaido |
| Genre: | Action, supernatural |
| Type: | tv series |
| Director: | Fumiya Hōjō |
| Music: | Kenichiro Saigo |
| Studio: | OLM Team Inoue |
| Network: | TXN (TV Tokyo, TV Osaka) |
| First: | April 13, 2018 |
| Last: | March 29, 2019 |
| Episodes: | 49 |
is a supernatural anime series produced by OLM. It is a sequel to the 2017 film as well as the original Yo-kai Watch anime series, originally based on the games created by Level-5. Yōichi Katō returned to officially direct and write the anime alongside new staff. It aired on all TXN Stations in Japan from April 13, 2018 [1] [2] to March 29, 2019. It was replaced by the 2019 Yo-kai Watch! series in its timeslot.
Just like the movie before it, the series takes a darker and more mature approach to the franchise, focusing on story-driven drama and conflict, unlike the original series' comedic and segmented approach.[3]
Taking place after the events of the fourth film, the series centers on Tate Adams, Summer Adams's younger brother who doesn't believe in supernatural phenomena. But as he notices his sister frequently comes back home late, he decides to stalk her, only to find out she is running a Yo-kai detective agency with her friends Bruno and Cole to investigate supernatural phenomena. With their secret revealed to him, Summer decides to let him tag along in her activities as they investigate Yo-kai phenomena and take on evil Yo-kai to maintain the city's peace.
Meanwhile, Shutendoji, the one who had planned the Onimaro invasion, as seen in the fourth film's epilogue, along with his Yo-kai bodyguard Voidera, search for the "princess" in their human disguises while observing the Yo-kai detective agency.
Before the reveal of Shadowside, the original anime saw a decline back in 2017 due to staggeringly low sales of later games in the main series and falling ratings for the first anime.[4] The series was conceived after the production of the film, and was officially revealed in the March 2018 issue of Coro Coro Comic as the film serves as a prequel to the anime and the original anime series following the reported drop of interest to the IP.[5] The anime, like the film that preceded it, follows a much darker route in order to gain interest from older viewers. Alongside the returning characters, two new Yo-kai designs have been revealed.[6] Alongside the new designs, the characters of the film have different voice actors as well.[7] The official promo video was shown in Anime Japan 2018, which details the series's plot.[8]
See also: List of Yo-kai Watch characters.
The anime officially premiered on all TXN stations in Japan, including TV Tokyo and TV Osaka on April 13, 2018, replacing the original Yo-kai Watch anime series in its timeslot, with the first and second episode premiering on the same day as a one-hour special.[9] [10] The first opening theme is titled by Hard Birds while the first ending theme is titled by King Cream Soda. The opening and ending themes were changed on October 5, 2018 to by Hard Birds and "Oyasumi Sanka" by King Cream Soda.
Yo-kai Watch 4 was developed and published by Level-5 and it has been released on the Nintendo Switch on 20th June 2019 in Japan.[12] [13] [14]