# SANDA (2025)

> In a near-future Japan with collapsing birthrates, a middle schooler descended from Santa Claus becomes Santa himself to protect children from the adults who monitor them.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/173349

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, science fiction, action, mystery
- Network: MBS, TBS, CBC
- Cast: Ayumu Murase, Hiroki Touchi, Umeka Shoji, Anna Nagase, Yuuki Shin, Misato Matsuoka, Toshihiko Seki, Hiroaki Hirata
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35127440/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: whimsical, suspenseful, wintry, earnest, unsettling

## Synopsis

Sanda (2025) is a Japanese animated science fiction series created for MBS, TBS and CBC, adapted from a manga and produced by Science SARU. Middle schooler Kazushige Sanda (voiced by Ayumu Murase), a descendant of Santa Claus, is pulled into a snowy December 25th confrontation when his classmate Shiori Fuyumura (voiced by Umeka Shoji) asks him to find her missing friend Ichie Ono (voiced by Anna Nagase). Santa himself (voiced by Hiroki Touchi) hovers over the story as a banned and dangerous figure. Set in a near-future Japan where ultra-low birthrates have made children precious and closely watched, the show follows Sanda's resolve to become Santa and fight the adults who control them. The single 12-episode season unfolds as a serialized shounen mystery, each episode uncovering another piece of the conspiracy while the school setting keeps the stakes personal. Its tone mixes wintry whimsy with suspense and sharp social unease, carried by the warmth of its youthful cast. Fans of Jujutsu Kaisen, Tokyo Ghoul and Battle Royale will find resonance in its blend of supernatural action, dystopian pressure and adolescent defiance.

## Shows like SANDA

- [Tengoku Daimakyo (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/130770)
- [Dead Mount Death Play (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/135315)
- [Noragami (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/57225)
- [Battle Game in 5 Seconds (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/94146)
- [Ga-Rei-Zero (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/24249)
- [Penguindrum (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/36407)
- [Seikimatsu Occult Academy (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/34556)
- [BLOOD-C (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/39478)
- [Platinum End (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/95732)
- [Myriad Colors Phantom World (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/57729)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt