Golden Kamuy Season 4 Release Date, Characters, And Plot - What We Know So Far

As far as popular anime go, there aren't very many that delve into the world of historical fiction. Aside from series like the Viking-based "Vinland Saga" and (to a certain extent) "Demon Slayer," which takes place in Taisho-era Japan, most anime tends to lean hard into science fiction and fantasy worlds to tell their stories. However, there is one other anime that knows and loves its history as well as either of the previously mentioned examples, and that is "Golden Kamuy." Also set in early 20th century Japan, "Golden Kamuy" is an adventure story that gets into the nitty gritty of the history surrounding the Russo-Japanese War and the culture of Japan's indigenous Ainu people.

Based on the manga of the same name by Satoru Noda (via Anime News Network), the first season of the series debuted in Spring 2018, and it was quickly followed up by two more seasons. Now, a fourth season is on the horizon, this time produced by Japanese animation studio Brain's Base. With that in mind, here is what we know so far about the release date, characters, and plot of "Golden Kamuy" Season 4.

At the moment, Brain's Base has not announced a specific release date for "Golden Kamuy" Season 4. The first promotional trailer for the season, which was released on December 5 via the NBC Universal Anime YouTube Channel, does not even reveal a broad release window for the show. As a result, it's impossible to pin down when exactly the series' continuation is planned to be released. However, considering that Season 3 came out over a year ago on December 2020, and Season 4 already has a trailer, it does seem possible that Season 4 will be released within the next year.

Regardless of when "Golden Kamuy" Season 4 is set to be released, fans will be able to watch it using the same streaming services that have always hosted the series. In this case, those would be the ever-popular Funimation and Crunchyroll. The anime is available in both sub and dub.

Overall, "Golden Kamuy" focuses on the adventures of a team of two treasure hunters. The first is Japanese war veteran Saichi Sugimoto, nicknamed "The Immortal" for his ability to survive any circumstance. After surviving the Russo-Japanese War, Sugimoto learns of a hidden stash of gold ore, the map to which exists in pieces as tattoos on a scattered group of escaped prisoners. On his journeys, he encounters Asirpa, an Ainu girl who seeks revenge for the death of her father, one of the Ainu miners who uncovered the treasure. Together, the two undergo an arduous journey to get rich and get revenge. Of course, they aren't the only ones looking for the secret gold.

Joining them on their journey are a variety of characters, including the ex-con Shiraishi, who has a piece of the treasure map tattooed to his body. Working against Sugimoto and Asirpa, however, is Japanese First Lieutenant Tsurumi. With a group of men loyal only to him, Tsurumi goes AWOL in order to hunt down the treasure.

While the main focus of "Golden Kamuy" is certainly on Sugimoto and Asirpa, the true story begins with the native Ainu miners who discovered the gold. Upon discovering the fortune, the miners fought amongst themselves. The only survivor of their conflicts was subsequently taken by the Japanese government, and tortured for the gold's location. Rather than give up the goods, however, the final miner tattooed its location on to the bodies of other prisoners. When the prisoners escape their confinement and go on the lam, the spreading rumors of secret Ainu gold draw in several interested parties, including Sugimoto and Asirpa.

At the current moment in their journey, the two have spent the last three seasons tracking down and tracing each prisoner's tattoos and have now been separated on the way to Russia. As Asirpa continues to search for the treasure, Sugimoto seeks to reunite himself with his lost companions. However, both are stuck in unfamiliar territory, and neither knows exactly what to expect from the foreign country. See what trials await when "Golden Kamuy" Season 4 releases.