2025 • TMDB 7.6 • 1 season, 12 episodes • Animation, Action & Adventure, Mystery
Overview
In a near-future Japan with ultra-low birthrates, children are treasured but constantly monitored, and Santa Claus has been banned as dangerous. Middle-schooler Kazushige Sanda tries to live quietly under the watchful eyes of adults — until a snowy December 25th changes everything. His classmate Shiori Fuyumura confronts him with an impossible request: because Sanda is a descendant of Santa himself, he must find her missing friend, Ichie Ono. “Santa, please find my friend.” Faced with a system that treats children as things to be managed rather than people to be protected, Sanda makes a defiant choice. He takes up the red suit and becomes Santa, turning a banned legend into a one-boy resistance against the adults who run the world. As the search for Ichie pulls him deeper into danger, Sanda discovers that carrying Santa’s legacy means far more than delivering presents — it means standing up for every child the system has failed.
Creator and Main Cast
SANDA is based on the manga by Paru Itagaki, animated by Science SARU, with Tomohisa Shimoyama as series director. The voice cast includes Ayumu Murase as Kazushige Sanda, Hiroki Touchi as Santa Claus, Umeka Shoji as Shiori Fuyumura, and Anna Nagase as Ichie Ono.
Seasons Snapshot
Season 1 has 12 episodes and premiered on October 4, 2025, with the finale, “Pale Blue Pall,” airing on December 20, 2025. The series is listed as ended, so this season stands as the complete story.
Why Watch SANDA?
SANDA is worth watching because its premise is gloriously unhinged in the best way: Santa Claus reimagined as a teenage action hero in a world that outlawed Christmas. Beneath the wild concept sits a sharp story about who gets to protect children, and Science SARU’s bold, expressive animation gives every chase and confrontation real energy. It is funny, tense, and unexpectedly moving, and its mystery — what really happened to Ichie — keeps the season driving forward. If you like anime that swings big and lands its punches, SANDA is an easy recommendation.
Trailer
Watch the official main PV on YouTube: TV Anime ‘SANDA’ Main PV (official SANDA channel)
Where to Watch
In the US, SANDA streams on Amazon Prime Video, including with ads. Availability was checked against JustWatch US listings on October 30, 2026, and may change over time.
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