If you missed Dragon Striker when it quietly dropped on Disney+ in June 2025, you're not alone. The series flew under the radar for most viewers, but it's about to get a second chance to shine. Disney has officially announced that the show will return for a second season in early 2027 on Disney XD and Disney+, giving fans a reason to binge the first season now.
For those unfamiliar, Dragon Striker is the closest thing Disney has ever produced to Avatar: The Last Airbender. It pairs stunning anime-influenced western animation with a coming-of-age fantasy built around a magical sport called gorotama—basically soccer with superpowers. The series reportedly spent nearly twelve years in development, and that painstaking attention to detail is evident in every frame. It's a shame that it doesn't even have enough reviews on Rotten Tomatoes to register a score yet, because this is a hidden gem worth discovering.
The show follows Key Nagatatsu, a farm boy who dreams of joining a sports academy centered on gorotama. He soon discovers he might be the legendary Dragon Striker of prophecy, which is where the Avatar comparisons really take off. Key ends up joining an abandoned group called the Knights—essentially his version of the Aang Gang—and the story evolves from a scrappy underdog sports tale into something much larger, with old conspiracies and buried truths about Key's family surfacing.
At the 2026 Anime Expo, Disney revealed that Season 2 will push the Knights through broken friendships and more buried secrets as an ancient evil resurfaces. The stakes escalate as the team fights to reach the Banner's Helm final, and Key and his friends will have to decide how much they're willing to sacrifice for victory. It's a perfect setup for fans who love high-stakes fantasy with emotional depth.
If you're looking for something to fill the Avatar-shaped hole in your heart, Dragon Striker is a must-watch. And if you're curious about other series that have tried to capture that same magic, check out our list of 7 Animated Series That Tried to Capture Avatar: The Last Airbender's Magic. For more underrated fantasy, you might also enjoy Apple TV's 'The Changeling'.
With Season 2 on the horizon, now is the perfect time to dive into the first 11 episodes. Whether you're a fan of sports anime, fantasy epics, or just great storytelling, Dragon Striker deserves a spot on your watchlist. Don't let this one slip by again.
