2024’s most divisive anime has been renewed for Season 2

One of the more controversial anime series of the year will continue, and onlookers are expressing their distaste and confusion.

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, an anime show based on the beloved video game franchise, has been renewed for Season 2 by Netflix. The official website delivered the news, confirming more episodes are on the way with a brief synopsis.

The TV show arrived in October with little fanfare and not a huge amount of anticipation, despite new Lara Croft actress and former MCU star Hayley Atwell’s involvement. Clearly, it left an impression regardless, as Season 2 was confirmed by the service mere weeks later.

Some fans are a bit nonplussed, though. “Did somebody even watch it?” reads one response on x/Twitter. “How? I didn’t think anyone watched this sh*t,” another says.

Others are more vitriolic. “Not anime, also it is a stain on the Tomb Raider name,” another X/Twitter user states. “They can keep it. It’s a waste both of bandwidth and storage,” tweets a fourth.

These comments reference the fact the animated series was made by Powerhouse Animation Studios in the US, not an Asian company. Thus, for purists, this is a show inspired by anime, rather than an anime in and of itself, as those have to come from Japan, South Korea, or another country in that region of Asia.

Contrast Lara Croft with Terminator Zero, another licensed property that was animated by Production IG for Netflix. The outfit, responsible for Kaiju No 8 and a laundry list of other popular shows, is based in Japan, thus what they make is anime.

In any case, more is coming. The Season 2 description reads: “Lara’s thrilling new adventure takes her around the globe as she delves deeper into the hidden secrets of Orisha history, dodges the machinations of a dangerous and enigmatic billionaire who wants the masks for herself, while discovering these relics contain dark secrets and a power that defies logic.”

Have a look at our guides to Solo Leveling Season 2 and My Hero Academia Season 8 for other anime returning in 2025.