Toonami to Air Outlaw Star Anime

The official Facebook page for Adult Swim's Toonami block announcedon Thursday that the block will air Outlaw Star beginning on August 19 at 2:30 a.m. EDT. The show is replacing Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, which is ending soon.

Outlaw Star previously aired several times on the Toonami block beginning in 2001, when the block was airing on weekday afternoons on Cartoon Network. The broadcast was edited and the "Hot Springs Planet Tenrei" episode was skipped.

Jason DeMarco, senior vice-president and creative director for Adult Swim, commented on Twitter that it is not yet confirmed whether or not the "Hot Springs Planet Tenrei" episode will air, but he said, "We are hoping we will be able to air with some light editing." The episode includes nudity.

Bandai Entertainment previously released the series on DVD in North America and FUNimation Entertainment released the series on Blu-ray Disc in June. Funimation describes the story:

Gene Starwind is a jack-of-all-trades responsible for odd jobs and bounty hunting with his partner, Jim Hawking. Stuck on a rundown planet, he's going nowhere fast. But when a bodyguard job goes sideways, he finds himself the proud owner of the Outlaw Star and on an adventure to find the mysterious Galactic Leyline. Facing pirates and dangers galore, can he survive the journey through space?

The original manga is a spinoff of Takehiko Itō's Future-Retro Hero Story manga. The series inspired its own spinoff anime titled Angel Links.