Radiant Season 3 - What We Know So Far

It might surprise fans of the popular anime "Radiant" to learn that the series began as a French comic of the same name. As a Manfra, which is a French comic taking direct inspiration from Japanese manga, "Radiant" is the first to then go on to be published in Japan. This quickly led to the production company Lerche creating an anime adaptation in 2018, with two seasons released so far. 

The story of "Radiant" follows a 15-year-old boy named Seth who lives in a world where monsters called Nemeses fall from the sky. If someone survives an attack against a Nemesis, they end up with a curse and the ability to wield magic known as "Fantasia," making them Sorcerers. Ten years ago, Seth survived his own Nemesis, leaving him a Sorcerer with two small horns as his curse mark. From then on, he sets out on a mission to find the Nemeses' home world of Radiant and stop them once and for all. At the same time, there is a rising tension between Sorcerers and humans in the world, which Seth intends to smooth over. 

The first season of the "Radiant" anime premiered in October 2018 with 21 episodes total, while a second season of the same length followed in October of the next year. The anime grew to have a strong fanbase, and ever since Season 2 finished, many are wondering when a third season can be expected. Here's everything we know so far about "Radiant" Season 3. 

As is the case with many anime waiting for another season, the future of "Radiant" is still very much up in the air as Lerche has not renewed or cancelled the series yet. But in the case of "Radiant," a delay of Season 3 has a very valid reason, as they have simply run out of material from the original comic series to cover. The French comics, as well as the Japanese manga version, are still ongoing, but Season 2 of the anime has officially caught up with the source material's story. 

This means that for there to be a third season of "Radiant," the anime would either have to go its own way with an original story, use the little story that has come out since October 2019 and have a lot of filler episodes, or simply wait until more of the manga is released and the next story arc is completed. Considering how long it's been since Season 2's release, it looks like option three is the one Lerche is going with, but that's not necessarily the case, as there could've just been a delay or halt in production due to COVID-19. 

Many fans hope that the series waits for the Season 3 story arc to finish being written and published as manga first, so it could be a while before the anime is able to adapt it for the screen. Looking at the whole situation, fans will hopefully hear news about the anime by the end of 2021 or early 2022, which would lead into a possible late 2022 or 2023 release date for new episodes. 

The story of "Radiant" centers around Seth, voiced by anime regular Yumiri Hanamori, who recently appeared in "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba." Seth is a young Sorcerer who plans to hunt down Nemeses and create peace between Sorcerers and humans. He finds a mentor in a stern yet kind woman named Alma (Romi Park) who is a survivor of the same Nemesis attack as Seth. After the terrible event, Alma basically raises Seth and teaches him everything she knows about Fantasia and hunting Nemeses. 

On his journey to Radiant, Seth meets and allies with quite a few interesting characters. There's Mélie (Aoi Yūki), a girl with a split personality, a researcher and Sorcerer named Doc (Shintarou Oohata), and Ocoho (Mai Fuchigami), a talented young girl who starts as an apprentice of the Order of the Knight-Sorcerers of Cyfandir. She goes on to become a princess and heir of Queen Boudica (Yukana), the ruler of Caislean Merlin who has an infection that causes her to be a giantess, five times the size of a normal person. 

Of course, it wouldn't be an anime if Seth doesn't face his fair share of antagonists such as the Inquisition, a military organization that seeks to expand their control and perpetuates the negative image of the Infected, people like Seth who survive Nemeses attacks. There's also the Bravery Quartet, a group of thieves and swindlers who wreak havoc on Pharenos.

In the first story arc of "Radiant," the naive Seth battles Nemeses on his own for the first time, coming to the conclusion that he must track down Radiant and destroy the source. The people who survive Nemeses attacks are called "Infected." As a result of the attack, they become Sorcerers capable of wielding Fantasia magic, but they also develop a unique curse, which is different for each person. People in the human community continually ostracize the Sorcerers, despite the fact that they are the ones going out and risking their lives to hunt and kill Nemeses. 

Over the course of the show's first season, Seth slowly realizes that there is a dark power developing within him. At the same time, the Inquisition is hunting him down, so Seth decides to leave his friends behind for their safety. Ocoho doesn't make her first appearance until Season 2, when Seth becomes embroiled in the politics of Ocoho's home kingdom of Caislean Merlin. Although she faces many setbacks on the way, Ocoho is determined to become a Sorcerer-Knight and protect her people. Meanwhile, Mélie — who Seth leaves behind — must find a personal purpose without her friend there to guide her. Along with that, she has to push through the issues of her split personality curse in order to make friends and maintain relationships, which is a real challenge. 

The second season of "Radiant" ends with Ocoho joining the crew on their journey to Radiant after they manage to capture a few important Inquisition foes. The anime in Season 3 will continue to follow Seth and his friends as they look for Radiant, with the young Sorcerer fighting against both inner demons and the Nemeses running free in the world.