France Just Crashed the Anime Party: Ankama’s Aoki Densho Welsh and Shedar Is the Fantasy Crossover Nobody Saw Coming

Wait, a French studio just announced a brand-new Japanese-style fantasy TV anime, and almost nobody is talking about it yet. That needs to change right now, because Ankama, the company behind Wakfu and Dofus, has officially presented Aoki Densho Welsh and Shedar, a new fantasy TV anime project that bridges French animation and Japanese anime storytelling in a way we have rarely seen before.

If you thought the anime world was already crowded this fall with heavy hitters like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, Shangri-La Frontier Season 3, and Sakamoto Days Season 2 on the horizon, think again. Aoki Densho Welsh and Shedar could be the sleeper hit that sneaks up and steals the whole season.

Who Is Ankama, and Why Should Anime Fans Care?

Ankama is not some random newcomer. Founded in Roubaix, France in 2001 by Anthony Roux, Camille Chafer, and Emmanuel Darras, the studio built an empire on the World of Twelve, the shared universe of Dofus and Wakfu. The name Ankama itself comes from ANthony, KAmille, and MAnu.

Their flagship series, Wakfu: The Animated Series, directed by Anthony Roux, better known as Tot, has been running since October 30, 2008 on France 3 and France 4. It follows Yugo, a young Eliatrope with portal-summoning powers, traveling with the Brotherhood of the Tofu: Evangelyne the Cra archer, Sir Percedal of Sadlygrove the chaotic Iop knight, Ruel Stroud the greedy Enutrof, and Princess Amalia Sheran Sharm the headstrong Sadida.

With 4 seasons and 78 episodes plus specials and OVAs, a Netflix global run for Season 3 starting April 6, 2018, a fan-funded Season 4 that premiered February 9, 2024, and a fully Kickstarter-funded Season 5 announced February 12, 2025, Wakfu proved French anime-inspired storytelling can stand toe-to-toe with Japan. The English dub featured talents like Erika Harlacher, Kira Buckland, Kyle McCarley, Todd Haberkorn, and Christine Marie Cabanos.

What Is Aoki Densho Welsh and Shedar?

Aoki Densho Welsh and Shedar, which translates roughly to Blue Legend Welsh and Shedar, is presented by Ankama as a fantasy TV anime. Details are still tightly guarded, but the title alone signals a classic fantasy adventure in the vein of Wakfu and Dofus, with two central characters, Welsh and Shedar, likely carrying the story as a duo in the style of Yugo and Percedal.

Here is what makes this announcement explosive:

• It is a French-originated TV anime aimed squarely at the global anime audience, not just European TV.
• It comes from a studio with a 25-year track record in games, comics through Ankama Editions, and animation via Ankama Animations.
• It arrives at a moment when cross-border anime is booming, with Crunchyroll investing deeper into Japanese media, including its 7.03 percent stake in Link-U.
• It lands alongside a wave of fantasy comebacks, from Shangri-La Frontier to Frieren, proving audiences are hungry for adventure again.

Why This Could Be Bigger Than You Think

Remember how Cyberpunk: Edgerunners came out of nowhere from a Polish game studio and a Japanese anime studio, Studio Trigger, and became a cultural phenomenon? Ankama is attempting a similar reverse move: a French creative core producing anime for the world.

Ankama already knows how to build transmedia universes. Dofus started as a Flash MMORPG with turn-based tactical combat. Wakfu followed as an MMORPG set 1,000 years later with no NPC interference. Then came manga, the Krosmaster board game, Krosmaga, Waven, and feature films including Dofus Book 1: Julith. If Aoki Densho gets the same treatment, we are looking at games, manga, and merchandise from day one.

And the timing is perfect. Global streaming platforms are desperate for original fantasy IP that is not a sequel. Netflix learned this with Wakfu Season 3. Crunchyroll is expanding. France Televisions veterans France 3 and France 4 gave Wakfu its start, but a project branded as a TV anime suggests Japan is part of the production or broadcast plan this time.

What We Still Do Not Know, and Why That Is Exciting

No staff list has been revealed yet. No studio partner in Japan. No broadcast date. No trailer. That mystery is exactly why fans should pay attention now, before the hype train leaves the station.

Will Tot himself direct? Will Guillaume Houze return on music? Will the art style lean closer to classic Wakfu by character designers Xavier Houssin and Kim Etinoff, or go full anime with a Japanese co-producer? Every one of those questions could break the fandom when answered.

For context, check out how stacked the upcoming anime calendar already is: Shangri-La Frontier Season 3 just revealed a stunning key visual with a double-cour run, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 premieres October 20 with a brand-new crew, and Sakamoto Days Season 2 dropped its first teaser at Anime NYC. Aoki Densho Welsh and Shedar entering this race is bold, and bold is exactly what goes viral.

What Do You Think?

So here is the big question: can a French studio crack the Japanese TV anime formula and win over hardcore anime fans? Or will Aoki Densho Welsh and Shedar stay a European curiosity while Japan keeps dominating the fantasy genre?

Are Welsh and Shedar going to be the next Yugo and Percedal, or something completely different? Drop your theories in the comments, share this with your anime group chat, and tell us: will you be watching day one when this drops?

One thing is certain. The line between anime and world animation has never been blurrier, and Ankama just made it even blurrier. Keep your eyes on this one.