Anime
The original Sorcerous Stabber Orphen anime series was animated by J.C.Staff and produced by Kadokawa Shoten, Orphen was airing simultaneously on the TBS and HBC from 3 October 1998, to 27 March 1999, then it was released in North America on DVD and VHS by ADV Films in 2001. It has 24 episodes in length.
The original Sorcerous Stabber Orphen anime series was later released in Australia by Madman Entertainment in May 2002, the MSRP for the first series of Orphen in Australia were initially $29.95 AUD for DVD version,[15] $22.95 AUD for VHS version,[16] and $11.95 AUD for DVD version (which include the first three episode of the anime) that shipped with a PC PowerPlay Magazine.[17]
A second series called Sorcerous Stabber Orphen 2: Revenge (Hepburn: Majutsushi Ōfen Ribenji), or Orphen Revenge, was later broadcast in 1999. The second anime series was released on DVD in North America in December 2003 by ADV Films. It has 23 episodes in length. In 2009, Sentai Filmworks released a box set featuring all 47 episodes of the two seasons of Orphen in an economic box set.[18] A 2-disc SD Blu-ray of the entire series was released on 20 August 2019.
A new TV anime adaptation has been announced to commemorate the series' 25th anniversary.[19] The series was initially set to premiere in 2019,[20] but was rescheduled to premiere in January 2020.
The new series aired from 7 January to 31 March 2020, on AT-X, BS Fuji, Tokyo MX, and Wowow.[21] The new series is animated by Studio Deen and directed by Takayuki Hamana, with Reiko Yoshida handling series composition, and Takahiko Yoshida designing the characters. Showtaro Morikubo reprised his role as Orphen, while the rest of the characters had new voice actors.[22] Funimation licensed the show outside of Asia.[23] An English dub premiered 21 January 2020.[24] Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll.[25] It ran for 13 episodes, with an unaired episode bundled with the series' second Blu-ray
A second season of the 2020 remake was announced with the title of Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: Battle of Kimluck. It aired from 20 January to 31 March 2021.[27][28] Funimation licensed the second season and streamed it on its website in North America and the British Isles, in Europe through Wakanim, and in Australia and New Zealand through AnimeLab.[29] The English dub launched on its service 9 June 2021.[30]
A third season was announced on 26 September 2022, titled Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: Chaos in Urbanrama. Kenji Konuta is replacing Reiko Yoshida as the scriptwriter. It aired from 18 January to 5 April 2023.[31][32] The opening theme song is "Hysteric Caravan" by Showtaro Morikubo, while the ending theme song is "Fantastic Partner" (ファンタジック・パートナー) by Mai Fuchigami.[33]
A fourth season was announced on 9 January 2023, titled Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: Doom of Dragon's Sanctuary.[34] The opening theme is "Motive Rain" by Showtaro Morikubo, while the ending is "Shūen no Destiny" by Mai Fuchigami. It aired from 12 April to 28 June 2023.[35]
