Scooby-Doo is officially entering its anime era, and honestly, this is the kind of crossover energy that sounds weird for about two seconds before it starts making perfect sense.
The new series is called Yokoso Scooby-Doo!, which translates to Welcome, Scooby-Doo!. It will be the franchise’s first-ever anime, taking Scoob and Shaggy away from the usual haunted mansions and creepy theme parks for a food-and-monster adventure across Japan.
At first glance, yes, Scooby-Doo doing anime sounds like something your group chat would make up after midnight. But the setup is actually quite solid: Scooby and Shaggy head to Japan, presumably chasing good food, only to end up dealing with yokai — supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore.
According to details reported via Variety, the chaos begins after Scooby and Shaggy accidentally unleash hundreds of mythical monsters across the country. To clean up the mess, they team up with a new group that includes Scooby’s uncle Daisuke-Doo, a magical girl named Yume, and a gadget expert called Takumi.
The voice cast also has proper franchise weight behind it. Frank Welker and Matthew Lillard are returning as Scooby and Shaggy, which is a big deal for long-time fans. Welker has been tied to Scooby-Doo for decades, while Lillard is still one of the most beloved Shaggy performers, especially for fans who grew up with the live-action movies.
Behind the scenes, the series is being directed by Itsuro Kawasaki, known for works including The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting and Arc the Lad. Production services are coming from OLM, the Japanese studio best known globally for its work on the Pokemon anime.
That OLM connection is probably the biggest reason anime fans in Malaysia and SEA should pay attention. This is not just a Western cartoon getting an “anime-style” filter slapped on top. With a Japanese studio involved, yokai folklore in the story, and a setting built around Japan, Yokoso Scooby-Doo! has a chance to feel more like a proper East-meets-West animated project.
For Malaysian viewers, this could also be a pretty easy entry point for younger fans who know Scooby-Doo from TV but are only starting to explore anime. Yokai stories are everywhere in Japanese pop culture, from spooky folklore-inspired anime to games with supernatural monsters, so seeing Scooby and Shaggy stumble into that world could be fun if the show balances comedy, mystery, and cultural flavour properly.
There is no release date yet. The streaming situation is also region-dependent: the anime will stream exclusively on Tubi in North America, while Cartoon Network is set to air it internationally. That international Cartoon Network detail is the one SEA fans will want to watch, though local availability and exact Malaysia timing have not been announced.
Tubi chief content officer Adam Lewinson described Scooby-Doo as one of entertainment’s most beloved franchises and said Yokoso Scooby-Doo! is meant to reimagine it in a way fans have not seen before, by bringing Scooby and Shaggy into an anime world set in Japan.
If it lands right, this could be a genuinely fun “comfort watch” anime — not the next dark shonen obsession, but a chaotic monster-of-the-week mystery with ramen, yokai, gadgets, and Scooby panic screaming in Japan. Sometimes, bro, that’s all we need.
Source: Dexerto Gaming