Walking Home with You Anime Premieres in April 2027, First Teaser Visual Revealed

Walking Home with You, the TV anime adaptation of Mai Matsuda's Houkago Kitaku Biyori, will begin airing on Nippon TV in April 2027. The new broadcast window was announced on October 7, 2026 alongside the launch of the anime's official website.

Its first teaser visual was also revealed, featuring Naoki Sato—better known as “Chokki-chan”—near the school gate as cherry blossoms drift around her. The image immediately reflects the series' core appeal: turning an ordinary walk home from school into the most colorful part of the day.

Quick Summary

• Official English manga title: Walking Home with You
• Japanese title: 放課後帰宅びより
• Romanization: Houkago Kitaku Biyori
• Official abbreviation: Hokabiyo / ほかびよ
• Adaptation format: TV anime
• Status: in production
• Broadcast window: April 2027
• Exact premiere date: unannounced
• Broadcaster: Nippon TV / 日本テレビ
• Broadcast time: unannounced
• Streaming platform: unannounced
• Animation studio: unannounced
• Director: unannounced
• Series composition: unannounced
• Character designer: unannounced
• Music composer: unannounced
• Main cast: unannounced
• Opening theme: unannounced
• Ending theme: unannounced
• PV / trailer: unannounced
• Teaser visual: released October 7, 2026
• Teaser visual: features Naoki Sato at the school gate
• Visual element: cherry blossoms
• Additional detail: a tail can be seen behind Naoki
• Identity behind the tail: not explained in the announcement
• Original creator: Mai Matsuda
• Japanese creator name: 松田舞
• Original format: manga
• Japanese publisher: Futabasha
• Imprint: Action Comics
• Serialization: Manga Action
• Digital serialization: web Action
• Serialization began: August 2023
• Genre: coming-of-age romantic comedy
• Element: school life
• Element: slice of life
• Protagonist: Shun Sato
• Heroine: Naoki Sato
• Naoki's nickname: Chokki-chan / 直帰ちゃん
• Shun: formerly a promising soccer player
• Shun's setback: an injury forced him away from soccer
• Naoki: eccentric upperclassman known for wanting to go home
• Club: Hyper-Epic Heading Home Club
• Club status: unofficial
• Primary activity: turning the walk home into an adventure
• Story focus: Shun and Naoki's developing relationship
• Anime project: previously announced in March 2025
• Latest announcement: October 7, 2026
• Official anime website: now open
• Japanese manga: Volumes 1–6 currently available
• Volume 7: releases October 8, 2026
• Volume 7 price: 814 yen including tax
• Volume 7 ISBN: 9784575862768
• Volume 7 format: B6
• English publisher: Omoi
• English release: officially available since August 2026
• English title: Walking Home with You
• English chapters: released regularly by Omoi
• Award: Next Manga Awards 2025 Special Award
• Award category: Nichirei Frozen Food Award
• Manga status: ongoing

Teaser Visual and TV Anime Announcement

Chokki-chan Waits at the School Gate

The teaser visual places Naoki in a familiar after-school setting, framed by warm afternoon light and drifting cherry blossoms. The official account deliberately asks who Chokki-chan might be waiting for.

A tail can also be seen behind her. Its significance has not been explained, so for now it remains part of the teaser rather than a confirmed story reveal.

The Hyper-Epic Heading Home Club Turns Every Walk Into an Adventure

The story follows Shun Sato, a first-year high school student whose promising future in soccer ended after an injury.

He meets Naoki Sato, an eccentric upperclassman nicknamed Chokki-chan, who pulls him into her unofficial “Hyper-Epic Heading Home Club.” Going home may technically be its only activity, but Naoki turns each trip into a search for detours, little discoveries and unexpected moments.

Major Production Details Remain Under Wraps

The latest announcement finally confirms April 2027 and Nippon TV, but the production side remains largely undisclosed.

No animation studio, director, major staff, cast, theme songs or PV have been announced. The teaser visual is therefore the first major anime material establishing the adaptation's atmosphere.

Volume 7 Arrives October 8 as the English Edition Continues

Mai Matsuda's manga began serialization in August 2023 and continues through Manga Action and web Action.

Volume 7 launches in Japan on October 8, 2026 for 814 yen. Omoi, meanwhile, publishes the officially licensed English edition as Walking Home with You, giving international English-language readers an official digital release.

Why This Matters

1) The anime finally has a broadcast window

After the adaptation project was previously announced, April 2027 and Nippon TV provide the first concrete broadcast details.

2) The teaser preserves the manga's everyday identity

Rather than emphasizing spectacle, the first visual focuses on a school gate, cherry blossoms and a quiet moment of waiting.

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3) The manga is entering another active period

The anime announcement arrives alongside Volume 7's launch while the official English release on Omoi is also underway.

Walking Home with You Anime and Manga Information

For now, the additional important information currently known includes:

• the original Japanese title is 『放課後帰宅びより』
• the romanization is Houkago Kitaku Biyori
• Omoi officially publishes the series as Walking Home with You
• the adaptation is a TV anime
• broadcast begins in April 2027
• Nippon TV is the confirmed broadcaster
• the exact premiere date has not been announced
• the broadcast time has not been announced
• the episode count has not been announced
• streaming services have not been announced
• international anime distribution has not been announced
• the animation studio has not been announced
• the director has not been announced
• series composition has not been announced
• the character designer has not been announced
• music staff has not been announced
• Naoki's voice actor has not been announced
• Shun's voice actor has not been announced
• additional cast has not been announced
• the opening theme has not been announced
• the ending theme has not been announced
• the first PV has not been announced
• the teaser visual was released October 7, 2026
• the visual depicts Naoki waiting at the school gate
• the official account also draws attention to a tail visible behind her
• no official explanation for that detail has been provided
• the official anime website opened with the latest announcement
• the anime adaptation project had already been announced in March 2025
• the original manga is written and illustrated by Mai Matsuda
• Futabasha publishes the manga
• its Japanese imprint is Action Comics
• the manga runs in Manga Action
• it is also serialized digitally through web Action
• serialization began in August 2023
• Shun Sato is a first-year high school student at the beginning of the story
• Shun was previously a promising soccer player
• an injury forced him away from his soccer ambitions
• Naoki Sato is Shun's upperclassman
• Naoki is known by the nickname Chokki-chan
• wanting to go home is one of Naoki's defining habits
• Naoki recruits Shun into the Hyper-Epic Heading Home Club
• the club is unofficial
• its activities revolve around the journey home from school
• the series combines romance, comedy, school life and slice-of-life elements
• Volumes 1 through 6 are already available in Japan
• Volume 7 releases October 8, 2026
• the official price for Volume 7 is 814 yen including tax
• Volume 7 has ISBN 9784575862768
• Volume 7 uses the B6 format
• its digital edition releases on the same date
• the series received a special prize at the Next Manga Awards 2025
• the award was the 「冷凍食品はニチレイ賞」
• Omoi began its official English release on August 18, 2026
• Omoi tags the series as Comedy
• Omoi tags the series as Romance
• Omoi tags the series as Slice of Life
• Omoi tags the series as School Life
• Omoi tags the series as Seinen
• new English chapters are scheduled for regular release
• anime information is available through the Official Anime Website
• official updates are available through Official X
• the teaser visual was announced through the Exact Official X Post
• the English manga is available through Walking Home with You on Omoi
• Volume 7 information is available through the Futabasha Official Page

Closing

Walking Home with You now has a much clearer anime schedule: the TV adaptation will begin airing through Nippon TV in April 2027, while its first teaser visual already captures the relaxed after-school atmosphere at the heart of the series.

Most production details remain undisclosed. The studio, staff, cast, theme songs, PV, streaming platforms and exact premiere date are still waiting for future announcements.