The So I’m a Spider, So What? Season 2 anime will have dungeon spider girl Kumoko evolving to a higher level now that she’s free of the labyrinth. But at what cost?
And when will Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? Season 2 come out?
The first season of the anime TV series was produced by Japanese animation studio Millepensee, which is best known for the 2019 Cop Craft anime. The studio also provided animation support on the much-derided Berserk 2016/2017 anime that was known for its 3D/2D hybrid animation.
Studio exsa (Back Arrow, Haikyuu!! Season 3, Kengan Ashura) is responsible for CG animation with Studio ENGI (assistance on BEASTARS, Code Geass, Date a Live, Deca-Dence, Dr. STONE, DanMachi, Moriarty the Patriot, Re:ZERO, The Rising of the Shield Hero, Sword Art Online, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Vinland Saga) providing CGI production assistance.
Director Shin Itagaki (Cop Craft, Berserk 2016) is helming the project with the help of assistant director Shinichiro Ueda (Episode Director on Ace Attorney, Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It). Itagaki has literally been the director for every Studio Millepensee project with the exception of the two-part Wakup, Girls! movie released in 2015.
Original light novel series creator Okina Baba is working with writer Yuuichirou Momose (Infinite Dendrogram) on creating the series composition. Thus, it’s no surprise that the anime has been faithful to the original source material.
Artist Kie Tanaka (Chief Animation Director on Absolute Duo, Kaguya-sama: Love is War) is the character designer. Masahiko Suzuki, Ryou Hirata, and Hiromi Kumura are the monster designers.
Tomohiro Yoshida (Cop Craft, Magia Record) is the Chief Animation Director, while Kazuo Yamaguchi is the 3D CG Director (God Eater, .hack//The Movie). Composer Shuji Katayama (Overlord, Knights of Sidonia: The Star Where Love is Spun, The Saga of Tanya the Evil) created the music.
The So I’m a Spider, So What? Season 2 OP (opening) and ED (ending) theme song music haven’t been announced yet.
The Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? OP for the first cour was “Keep Weaving Your Spider Way” as performed by Riko Azuni, while the ED “Ganbare! Kumoko-san’s Theme” was performed by Aoi Yuuki, the Japanese voice actress for the character Kumoko.
The OP for the second cour was “Bursty Greedy Spider” by Konomi Suzuki, while the ED “Genjitsu Totsugeki Hierarchy” was performed by Aoi Yuuki again.
The first season was originally supposed to premiere in 2020 but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The official website’s Blu-Ray/DVD page confirmed that the first season is a total of 24 episodes released as four disc volumes. The first season was two cours.
What’s a “cour,” you might ask? For those unfamiliar with the lingo, a “cour” is a three-month block of TV broadcasting based on the physical seasons usually composed of 10 to 13 episodes.
In this case, the first season released as a continuous broadcast from Winter through Spring 2021. There was a small break announced between cours, which meant the So I’m a Spider, So What? Episode 13 release date was on April 9, 2021.
The So I’m a Spider, So What? Episode 24 release date was on July 3, 2021. It was originally scheduled for June 25, 2021. However, the first season’s finale was delayed due to production issues that were detailed by an animator (see the news story in the link for more details).
- Updated July 6, 2021: Added So I’m a Spider, So What? BD Volume 2 sales numbers.
- Updated July 1, 2021: So I’m a Spider, So What? Episode 24 release date confirmed.
- Updated June 24, 2021: So I’m a Spider, So What? Episode 24 delayed.
- Updated March 27, 2021: So I’m a Spider, So What? Episode 13 release date confirmed. Added Part 2 trailer and key visual.
This article provides everything that is known about So I’m a Spider, So What? Season 2 (Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? Season 2/Kumodesu Season 2) and all related news. As such, this article will be updated over time with news, rumors, and analysis. Meanwhile, let’s delve down into what is known for certain.
Crunchyroll’s So I’m a Spider, So What? English dub released for streaming in February 2021
The So I’m a Spider, So What? anime is streaming on Crunchyroll, VRV, and Netflix Japan (not Netflix U.S.) with English subtitles. A Crunchyroll So I’m a Spider, So What? English dub released on February 19, 2021.
The Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? English dub featured Brianna Knickerbocker as the main protagonist Kumoko.
Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? Season 2 release date predictions
As of the last update, Kadokawa, Studio Millepensee, or any company related to the production of the anime has not officially confirmed the Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? Season 2 release date. Nor has the production of a So I’m a Spider, So What? sequel been announced.
Once the news is officially confirmed this article will be updated with the relevant information.
In the meantime, it’s possible to speculate about when, or if, the So I’m a Spider, So What? Season 2 premiere date will occur in the future.
The anime has some of the hallmarks for success. It’s well-reviewed by critics, the adaptation captures the heart of the original story thanks to the original creator being directly involved in the production, and with two cours it’ll be capable of telling the story well enough that audiences should be drawn into its web.
In mid-May 2021, it was reported that the anime had been viewed over 200 million times on Chinese streaming site Bilibili. To put those numbers into perspective, TenSura: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2 had 180 million views.
This is an important indicator since streaming revenue is now the biggest factor determining financial success in the anime industry.
Oddly enough, the anime still seems to be suffering from relatively low reviews from English-speaking anime fans. Perhaps some of the negative reviews come from critics of 3D animation in general?
While the anime never approaches the BEASTARS-level perfection of Studio Orange, arguably the CGI for the Spider anime was the Berserk hybrid approach done right.
Some of the 3D monster animations may have temporarily disrupted the mood, but none of them was Arifureta anime-level bad and the anime managed to capture the Spider isekai’s loveable atmosphere.
Still, it’s obvious that the CG animation negatively impacted the anime’s popularity. When the Blu-Ray/DVD released in its first week it only sold 960 copies, which isn’t considered a good sign, but Volume 1 sales are not the best, or even a particularly good, way to evaluate a series’ performance. (The first volume was also roughly $200 USD.)
Notably, So I’m a Spider, So What? Blu-Ray Volume 2 actually improved on the first-week sales numbers in Japan, selling 1,215 copies in its first week.
Since forming in 2013 Studio Millepensee has not exactly been known for producing anime sequels. Their publicly announced schedule is empty for 2022 and beyond. If they’re already committed to other projects it’s possible the series could be farmed out to another studio, but it’s probably best that Kumoko Season 2 remain with Millepensee.
Now, publisher Kadokawa has benefited greatly from the rise of isekai anime. Their quarterly profits rose mostly thanks to streaming revenue from TV shows like The Rising of the Shield Hero anime (which is why they greenlit both a second season and The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3).
Thus, Kadokawa has been investing in at least one new isekai anime each season in an attempt to replicate this success. They’ve done their best to ensure the long-term success of each new isekai anime series.
In early May 2021, Kadokawa announced that they intended on creating at least 40 anime projects per year by 2023, an increase of 20 percent from 33 titles.
Unfortunately, neither Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? Episode 24 or the official website announced the renewal of the TV series on July 3, 2021. Thus, assuming the money numbers are good for the Spider isekai anime, even in that best-case scenario the turnaround time will still likely be years.
If we use Shield Hero as a reference, then the I’m a Spider, So What? Season 2 release date will be in 2023 at the earliest.
So I’m a Spider, So What? manga/light novels compared to the anime
The story began life as the Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? web novel series. Creator Okina Bab began self-publishing on the Shosetsuka ni Naro (Let’s Become a Novelist) website in 2015. Numbered chapters are from the protagonist Kumoko’s point of view, whereas unnumbered chapters, of which there are many, give the perspective of other characters.
Starting in 2018 the web novel went on hiatus with Chapter 330 (and 220 side story chapters) only to return in 2021. On January 23, 2021, the main story advanced to Chapter 331 but the majority of new chapters were unnumbered. The web novel currently has a total of 588 chapters, both numbered and unnumbered.
The web novel seems to be in its final story arc based on recent events. From January 26 through February 12, 2021, the newest chapters were labeled as the Final Battle. But the story still hasn’t ended yet and the web novel was still on hiatus again as of late June 2021.
Kadokawa’s imprint Fujimi Shobo began adapting the web novel as a So I’m a Spider, So What? light novel series in December 2015 with artist Tsukasa Kiryuu creating the illustrations. The books are up to Volume 14 as of January 2021.
In recent years, the light novels have released twice a year on January and July. Therefore, the I’m a Spider, So What? Volume 15 release date will be in July 2021.
There are major differences between the light novel and web novel. The first three light novel volumes follow the web novel fairly closely with the notable exception that Feirune was introduced far earlier (she originally showed up in web novel Chapter 304).
Starting with Volume 4 the light novels began greatly rewriting the story and adding new content. The premise of short web novel chapters has been expanded into entire light novel volumes, while some web novel story arcs have been rearranged and condensed into light novel chapters.
Starting in December 2015, the story also began being adapted into the I’m a Spider, So What? manga series by illustrator Asahiro Kakashi. Serialized in Kadokawa Shoten’s Young Ace Up magazine, the manga was up to Volume 10 as of April 2021.
The Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? manga version is significantly different from both the light novel and the anime. The presentation of the story is told almost solely from Kumoko’s perspective, ignoring most of the side stories, so almost half of the story is missing. Even a story told from Feirune’s perspective was relegated to a bonus/omake chapter in manga Volume 3.
Even though the manga is adapting far less content, it’s still far behind the light novel series, with manga Volume 9 roughly corresponding to the beginning of light novel Volume 4. Thus, the manga is also far behind the anime TV series.
North American publisher Yen Press is releasing the official English translation for both the light novels and the manga in the United States. The English light novels were up to Volume 12 as of July 20, 2021, while the English manga was up to Volume 9 by April 20, 2021.
There is also a spin-off by illustrator Gratinbird called the Kumo desu ga, Nani ka? Kumoko Yonshimai no Nichijou manga. It’s a slice of life story from the perspective of the four spider sisters.
When it was announced that the original creator would be directly collaborating with the creation of the anime everyone knew it would be good. The episodic TV format does require sacrifices due to time constraints.
For example, there are many smaller fights like the hornets nest that were cut. The anime’s introduction of Earth Dragon Araba implied that the creature was terrifying, but the books showed why it was an indomitable foe worth fearing. Kumoko also went through a lot of RPG-like grinding in order to survive the hellish middle stratum.
Some in the audience may dislike how the spider’s perspective dwells on the game stats, but this System, and why it exists as it does, isn’t arbitrary but a crucial aspect of the plot long term. The anime actually tones down the game stats substantially, only focusing on crucial aspects like the Ruler skill Pride and Demon Lord skill necessary for moving the plot forward.
But that’s par for the course when stats-heavy isekai light novel series are adapted. Similar stories like Infinite Dendrogram and BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense similarly relied on video game RPG mechanics but were dumbed down for the anime. The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent anime was unusual since it completely removed the game stats which in turn changed the characterization and motivations for the main characters. Fortunately, (so far) the Spider anime hasn’t made stats changes that render the game logic, well, illogical.
The biggest positive for the anime is how it managed to convey the charming-yet-deadly atmosphere of Kumoko’s predicament. In the books, the reincarnated humans (and Earth Dragon Feirune) largely served as a contrast to Kumoko, who is fighting for her life daily whereas the former students get a relatively leisurely redo as walking isekai anime tropes.
The manga adaptation and its spin-off focused more on Kumoko’s solo adventures whereas the light novels split the story among multiple narrative perspectives based on her reincarnated former classmates. The anime mostly showed only two perspectives until Episode 5 when Schlain Zagan Analeit’s older brother Julius is shown being a hero.
Like with many adaptations of a light novel series the anime’s pacing is relatively fast since dialogue and plot events are greatly condensed. What makes So I’m a Spider, So What? very different from many anime is that these multiple parallel storylines have a different pacing, with the human side being condensed more to the point that it actually gets ahead of the spider side based on the books’ timeline.
This directorial change was probably for the best since the spider side is definitely the more interesting tale and Kumoko’s antics are simply fun to watch. The human side of the story lacks the drama and characterization of the Mushoku Tensei anime.
Yet the boring humans can’t be skipped entirely by the anime since their scenes establish some integral worldbuilding and foreshadowing that interconnect with Kumoko’s adventure in the Great Elroe Labyrinth. The gears of the main plot grind slowly, but the payoff is worth it once the story culminates.
What’s more, the creator deftly misleads readers (and anime audiences) based on the way the human side of the story is presented with red herrings about Kumoko being the Demon Lord among other misdirections.
Kumodesu Part 2 (Episode 14+) eventually made the human perspective interesting with the coup by Hugo. So it was necessary to build up the human characters earlier in the story so that audiences were emotionally invested in their conflict.
Episode 10 made it plainly clear that the timeline of Kumoko’s narrative is set many years before the events depicted by the human side of the plot. Episode 14 had D flat-out stating that Kumoko was given a headstart on the other reincarnated who were still babies, including the vampire baby Sophia Karen.
Episode 17 also made it clear that Kumoko is indeed the Nightmare of the Labyrinth. The comments from the vestiges of the Nightmare, Kumoko’s offspring, also worked as foreshadowing for what was to come back in Kumoko’s timeline.
The first cour adapted up through light novel Volume 3. Rather than ending on a cliffhanger note by foreshadowing what’s about to happen on the human side of the story, Episode 12 ended with Kumoko exiting the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
Episode 13 (Part 2) then finished Volume 3 and started into Volume 4. It was then that another major hint was provided about the future events based on Kumoko’s Arachne evolution.
The pacing in the following episodes was fairly oddball since some episodes pulled together events from multiple books. To be fair, the ordering of events is different in the web novel, light novels, manga, and now the anime (good luck to anyone who attempts writing a comparison guide on the differences).
The anime kept switching back and forth between light novel Volumes 4 and 5 to rearrange some key plot points in order to flow better in the anime format. For example, Episode 14 was based on Volumes 3, 4, and 5! But this was done in order to introduce Sophia in both timelines at the same time from the perspective of the audience.
Although that change made sense, it still was disappointing that the human perspective in Episode 14 was so fast-paced that it gave fans rollercoaster-like whiplash. Katia’s backstory as a man who reincarnated as a woman was briefly explained but it didn’t mention how Katia had been struggling with feelings for Schlain.
Then the anime skipped Katia’s internal monologue explaining how Hugo’s brainwashing was overcome by Katia’s male persona due to having a split mind/soul. When Schlain heals Katia she’s able to let her past as a man go by consciously turning off her Parallel Minds skill, which effectively killed her male personality.
(Episode 17 also removed the mission to rescue Katia’s parents.)
All of these details were part of internal monologues from multiple chapters. Unfortunately, stripping the plot down to its bare bones hurt the human side of the plot, but if the anime had remained faithful to the books it would have taken away from Kumoko’s side of the story. Plus, Katia really doesn’t become more important as a character until around Volume 11.
In Episode 15, Kumoko’s fight with the Arch spiders and the Puppet Taratect came from light novel Volume 4: Chapter 4 – A Brush with Death.
Episode 16 finally introduced the Demon Lord with her name Ariel. The anime skipped Ariel trying to talk to Kumoko first (“Hi, I’m your grandma.”) in favor of a surprise twist where Ariel demonstrates her overwhelming power by simply one-shot KO’ing the spider girl. The episode’s title, Am I Getting A-HEAD Of Myself?, was also a marvelous pun on Kumoko’s predicament as a newly immortal spider.
The anime also skimmed the conversation with D. In the books, D hinted that Kumoko could become a god and discussed why immortality was so rare. Most importantly, D stated that Kumoko’s mind attack against Mother was not part of the System… and that she was eating ice cream!
Still, the most important part is that D outright stated that 26 individuals from the Japanese classroom were reincarnated. This hint in Episode 16 was the biggest foreshadowing for Kumoko’s identity, never mind when Episode 17 focused on… certain details in the classroom (to say more would be a major spoiler).
Episode 20 is when anime-only watchers realize Kumoko is only extremely talkative in her internal monologues.
Also, this episode corresponded to manga Chapter 51.3, which is when Administrator Guliedistodiez aka Gulie returned to the labyrinth for the second time to speak to Kumoko. In the manga, Gulie didn’t show up until after Kumoko was zapped by Ariel’s Abyss magic, which occurs in Episode 22 in the anime.
The title of Episode 21, “So, I’m Not in This One, Am I?”, is technically a lie. In Episode 23, anime audiences finally get to hear Shiro/White speak and the anime didn’t even hide the voice actress’s name in the credits despite that being a spoiler in of itself. But Episode 24 made the reason why plain to everyone so it wasn’t that big of a spoiler.
Episode 24 was delayed by a week and it’s possible the animation quality was impacted. According to assistant CG animator Naoya Fukushi the outsourced animation was “wiped out” and staff members from Millepensee had to recreate them.
(One notable joke that was skipped was the line were Kumoko opined about Potimas breaking her Isekai fantasy: “I thought elves were supposed to be peaceful, nature-loving tree huggers. But these elves aren’t hugging trees at all!” On the plus side, Episode 24 ended on the infamous “Nai waa” line.)
All in all, the first season’s finale, So I’m a Spider, So What? Episode 24, corresponded to the ending of light novel Volume 5.
So I’m a Spider, So What? Volume 5 is the best stopping point since it gives anime-only audiences since it revealed Kumoko’s Arachne evolution and ended with a big battle with Potimas, never mind Demon Lord Ariel’s dramatic entry.
The good news is that there is already plenty of source material available for making the So I’m a Spider, So What? Season 2 anime. Better yet, English-only readers can jump right into light novel Volume 6.
Thankfully, manga readers won’t need to wait to read ahead, either. Kumoko’s Arachne evolution is contained in manga Volume 10: Chapter 52.1.
So I’m a Spider, So What? Season 2 anime spoilers (plot summary/synopsis)
The last time audiences watched the anime, Kumoko didn’t lose her head (at least, not figuratively) when facing down the cyborg Potimas. It was only the timely intervention of Demon Lord Ariel that saved her from complete annihilation.
Earlier Kumoko had barely survived Ariel’s Abyss magic by transferring her mind to a spider egg she had hatched as a backup plan. So it’s kind of a surprise when Ariel proposes a truce and Kumoko finds herself going on a road trip with the very same Demon Lord.
It turns out that the mental invasion of one of Kumoko’s alternate minds, Body Brain, had resulted in Ariel losing all desire to kill Kumoko. The Demon Lord has also began to express a different personality including some very Kumoko-like mannerisms.
Kumoko’s other traveling companions are just as weird. Tagging along is vampire princess Sophia and her troubled guardian Merazophis.
Keeping up with a baby bloodsucker is one thing. Falling into a hole and discovering ancient ruins filled with SciFi killing machines is quite another… never mind when UFOs start taking to the sky!
The threat posed by this ancient tech called the G-Fleet is such a big one that Gulie, Elf King Potimas, and even the church’s pontiff are willing to stage a big team-up with Ariel. Deep in the past, this technology led to the destruction of the world and the implementation of the System.
When MA energy was discovered in ancient times humanity rejoiced at the discovery of an endless supply of “clean energy”. The problem is that MA energy is also necessary for entire planets to function.
Of course, Kumoko gets dragged into the current conflict and she’s tasked with destroying the main weapon. It’s not as if Kumoko has much of a choice. After all, the UFO is carrying an incredible power source called the GMA bomb that’s capable of blowing up the entire planet!
Warning: The following contains major spoilers concerning Kumoko that are necessary to understand the context of the story. Please do not read further unless you really don’t mind knowing exactly what happens next.
When it seems like the GMA bomb is about to explode Kumoko is driven into a panic and decides to eat it! Kumoko hopes to digest the energy source and absorb it similar to how Ariel’s Gluttony skill works.
Instead, spider go boom! The end. Spider girl ran out of lives…?
47 days later Kumoko is reborn in a fully human body. The GMA bomb did in fact explode in her stomach, but absorbing so much energy allowed Kumoko to reach Divinity Expansion Level 10 and she’s now been deified as a god.
In this new form, D gives Kumoko, who was technically a nameless protagonist until now, the name Shiraori. As in, Kumoko is Shiro aka White. Bonus points for anime-only fans who guessed this ahead of time!
(Although, the finale scene of Episode 24 made it abundantly clear that Kumoko and Shiraori are one and the same.)
But it turns out becoming a god is also one heck of a power nerf… Kumoko transcended the System but the unusual manner in which she escaped the confines of the System comes at a steep cost.
Kumoko may have human legs again as Shiro now, but it’s at the cost of no stats, no skills, and no physical stamina! Remember how Wakaba Hiiro was said to be terrible at sports?
Shiro is an albino and like a vampire, direct sunlight burns her skin. Even worse, Shiro can’t eat much food, which greatly upsets the former greedy little spider. Shiro is literally so feeble and weak that the others have to haul her around like a piece of luggage.
Speaking of luggage, Shiro doesn’t have space magic anymore so now it’s hard to transport items. It’s been two years and they’ve bought a carriage for traveling, but Shiro get motion sickness and is a wreck by the end of each day.
At the same time, Shiro possesses an enormous amount of energy in this new body. The only trick is learning how to use it under the guidance of Ariel.
Journeying to the Demon Realm, they’ve come a town in the Renxandt Empire south of the Mystic Mountains. They hear word of an abnormal rampaging ogre that’s killed many adventurers. The roads are blocked until the army can deal with the problem.
Unfortunately, anime fans will need to wait until the So I’m a Spider, So What? Season 2 release date to watch what happens next. Stay tuned!