Koutetsujou no Kabaneri (甲鉄城のカバネリ, lit. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress) is an anime series by Wit Studio. The series is directed by Tetsurou Araki and written by Ichirou Oukouchi, with music by Hiroyuki Sawano and original character designs by Haruhiko Mikimoto. The series premiered on Fuji TV's Noitamina block on April 8, 2016.
A mysterious virus appears during the industrial revolution, infecting humans into Kabane and rapidly spreads. Kabane are aggressive, undead creatures that cannot be defeated unless the glowing heart, which is protected by a layer of iron, is pierced. Unfortunately, most melee weapons and the steam pressure guns used by the Bushi are not very effective against them. On the island country Hinomoto, people have built fortress-like stations to shelter themselves from these creatures. People access the stations and transport wares between them with the help of armored steam locomotives called Hayajiro. One day a Hayajiro hijacked by the Kabane crashes into Aragane station and they overrun the city. A young engineer called Ikoma uses the opportunity to test with success his anti-Kabane weapon, the TsuranukiI Zutsu, but is infected in the process, although he manages to resist the virus and become a Kabaneri, a human-Kabane hybrid. Assisted by Mumei, another Kabaneri who appears to help them, Ikoma and the other survivors of the station board the Hayajiro Kōtetsujō and depart to seek shelter elsewhere, fighting the hordes of Kabane along the way.
