
Anime · AT-X
The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me?
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Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me? actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me? reads strongest on Spectacle, World Building and Bingeability.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
The story
What it's about
Ichinomiya Shingo, an everyday twenty-five-year-old office worker, wakes up as Wendelin, the 8th son of an impoverished noble family out in the sticks. He soon despairs at his lack of succession rights and knowledge to navigate the political world, but finds hope in his aptitude for magic. This is the story of that young man earning his keep and his freedom through magic, with no world saving involved, and spending quite a while escaping his solitude. Ultimately, it is also the story of him being unable to escape the shackles of society.
The run
Seasons
1 season · 12 episodes.

Season 1 · Complete
Season 1
202012 episodes
7.4IMDbThe story begins when a 25‑year‑old office worker, Shingo Ichinomiya, inexplicably wakes up in the body of a five‑year‑old child named Wendelin von Benno Baumeister, the eighth son of a poor noble family in a fantasy world. Though he’s born into nobility, Wendelin’s family is impoverished, which leaves him with very limited prospects. Soon he discovers he possesses an extraordinary talent for magic—something rare in his setting—and this becomes his path to improving his status.
Best episode · S01E04 Obligations? Are You Kidding Me?!
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.

S01E04
Obligations? Are You Kidding Me?!
Wendelin and his friends are invited to his brother Erich’s wedding. An undead dragon attacks their airship so Brantack has Wendelin purge the dragon with holy magic before collecting the valuable bones and crystal heart. In the capital city, Stuttburg, Brantack leaves them with his friend Aruterio Marchen. Soldiers take Wendelin to meet the king, who rewards him with the Twin Dragon medal and the noble rank of Baronet. Erich worries as their father is only a knight, meaning Wendelin will be removed from their family tree to become head of his own noble family. Several officials begin arguing how much to pay Wendelin for the bones and heart. Aruterio explains that Cardinal Hohenheim wants Wendelin under the churches influence, Lord Marshall Edgar wants him for the military, and Lord Commissioner Ruckner wants to save money. In the end Wendelin is paid 150,000 gold.
- Directed by Sadanori Kaneda

S01E02
A Succession Dispute? Are You Kidding Me?
Wendelin decides to keep his magic a secret after learning it moves him ahead of Kurt in the line of family inheritance, risking assassination attempts from Kurt. Alfred discovers Wendelin has an extraordinarily high magic capacity. Alfred displays several unusual symptoms, cold skin, no sense of taste and bouts of physical pain. Wendelin’s strange behaviour draws Kurt’s attention. Wendelin decides he wants to be an adventurer instead of a lord, making Kurt less suspicious, but Adventurers Academy is expensive, so Wendelin decides to work to pay his own tuition. To help with travelling Alfred teaches Wendelin flight magic. Wendelin’s father hears a rumour of a Whispering Dead nearby, a sentient corpse doomed to become a mindless zombie. Wendelin realises he means Alfred and confronts him. Alfred admits he is dead but came back as a Whispering Dead to pass on his knowledge to an apprentice.
- Directed by Sadanori Kaneda

S01E03
A Loner? Are You Kidding Me?
At Adventurers Academy Wendelin tries to make friends but due to his lack of communications skills and high level of magic, the rest of the students are too afraid to approach him. Three students, Erwin, Louise and Iina, share a bond over being the youngest children of lower class families. Wanting to gain Wendelin's recognition, they attempt to hunt a large pack of wolves but are overwhelmed until Wendelin rescues them. Due to a misunderstanding, the three believe Wendelin sees them as a burden when in reality he wants to be friends. Their class attend a party hosted by Duke Braihiraider who takes an interest in Wendelin as Wendelin's father is a vassal of Braihiraider. Wendelin asks Erwin, Louise and Iina to join him much to their surprise. They learn Braihiraider brought them to meet his court wizard, Brantack Lyngstad, Alfred's former teacher, who confirms his suspicions that Alfred passed his knowledge to Wendelin.
- Directed by Sadanori Kaneda

S01E05
Political Marriage? Are You Kidding Me?
Hohenheim introduces Wendelin to Elize then, due to his naiveté, tricks Wendelin into forming a political marriage with Elize. Wendelin panics at the idea of marrying a woman he doesn’t love, but is later assured by Erich that nobles rarely meet their betrothed until the wedding. As he is swarmed by unemployed adventurers every time he leaves his home he hires a grateful Erwin as his retainer. Wendelin sneaks into Hohenheim’s estate to talk to Elize and is relieved that she is at least not against marrying him. When Louise and Lina find Erwin is Wendelin’s retainer they decide to outdo him by becoming Wendelin’s mistresses after he marries Elize. Wendelin is invited to dinner with Elize where the butler suggests Wendelin provide Elize an engagement ring. Wendelin takes Elize shopping, but rather than a showy ring Wendelin purchases a much plainer ring that suits Elize better, learning afterwards it is made from a magic storing crystal, making it perfect for Elize’s healing magic.

S01E01
The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me?
A Japanese salaryman falls asleep before waking up and finding himself as a five year old boy named Wendelin von Benno Baumeister, during the wedding of his oldest brother Kurt and his wife Amalie. Despite being nobles, Wendelin discovers the Baumeisters are poor and only owns small farmlands which most of it will be inherit by Kurt while the rest of his six older brothers have either married into another family, finding work as a government official or soldier, leaving him nothing to inherit. Wendelin later discovers he has the ability to use magic. While searching for firewood for his family, Wendelin meets Alfred Rainford, who detected the boy's magic, saving him from a wild boar and vows to teach him how to use magic.
- Directed by Sadanori Kaneda
Recently aired
Latest Episodes

S01E12
The 8th Son? I Guess That's Not So Bad!
- Directed by Sadanori Kaneda

S01E11
Between a Rock and a Hard Place? Are You Kidding Me?!

S01E10
Toxic? Are You Kidding Me?!

S01E09
People Hate Me? Are You Kidding Me?!
- Directed by Sadanori Kaneda

S01E08
Presumed Dead? Are You Kidding Me?!
- Directed by Sadanori Kaneda
- Written by Riuji Yoshizaki

Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Mitsuhiro OgataProducer
- Toshiyuki MiichiProducer
- Kazufumi KikushimaProducer
- Shinichi ItohExecutive Producer
- Akihiro NaritaProducer
- 安口晴悟Producer
Writing
- Riuji YoshizakiWriter
Direction
- Sadanori KanedaDirector
Cinematography
- Katsuyoshi KishiDirector of Photography
Music
- Minako SekiOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- CrunchyrollStreaming
- Crunchyroll Amazon ChannelStreaming
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