# Fena: Pirate Princess (賊王女)
**Fena: Pirate Princess** (海賊王女, *Kaizoku Ōjo*) is a 2021 Japanese original anime television series about Fena Houtman (フェナ・ハウトマン), a young orphan who escapes servitude on the island [Shangri-La](https://www.edgepedia.org/shangri-la) and sails with a crew of samurai to solve the mystery of the word "Eden," which her late father shouted as their ship burned and sank. The series was created by Kazuto Nakazawa and [Production I.G](https://www.edgepedia.org/production-i-g), directed by Nakazawa, animated by Production I.G, and produced as a partnership between [Adult Swim](https://www.edgepedia.org/adult-swim) and Crunchyroll.[1](https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1623847528) • [2](https://www.awn.com/news/adult-swim-and-crunchyroll-greenlight-fena-pirate-princess-anime-series)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Completely original 12-episode television anime, not adapted from a manga or light novel[1](https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1623847528) • [3](https://www.lanovelibrary.com/fena-pirate-princess/) |
| Studio and director | Production I.G; original creator and director Kazuto Nakazawa, known for *B: The Beginning*[1](https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1623847528) |
| Music | Yuki Kajiura; music production by FlyingDog[4](https://fena-pirate-princess.com/news/11/) |
| Japanese broadcast | October 2 to December 18, 2021, on MBS, TOKYO MX, BS Asahi, and AT-X[3](https://www.lanovelibrary.com/fena-pirate-princess/) • [5](https://fena-pirate-princess.com/) |
| International premiere | August 14, 2021, with a two-episode premiere: subtitled on Crunchyroll outside Japan, English dub on Adult Swim[6](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2021/7/20/fena-pirate-princess-hits-crunchyroll-and-adult-swim-on-august-14) |
| Setting | An 18th-century Atlantic world combining a princess, samurai, and pirates[1](https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1623847528) |
| Home video | Two Blu-ray volumes released February 23 and March 30, 2022[3](https://www.lanovelibrary.com/fena-pirate-princess/) |
## Premise
The story is set in the 18th century on the [Atlantic Ocean](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-ocean). Fena Houtman, sailing with her father, is attacked by pirates, survives alone in a small boat, and drifts to Shangri-La, an island of prostitutes and male couriers tacitly tolerated by the state. Ten years later she has grown into a young woman with snow-white skin and silver hair. Facing her first "work" at the brothel, she cannot accept it and resolves to escape the island she has imagined leaving many times.[5](https://fena-pirate-princess.com/)
Cornered by pursuers, she is rescued by Yukimaru (雪丸), a young man in crimson armor with a deer-antler helmet who, as a boy, had promised to "find her." Their reunion awakens the word Eden sleeping in Fena's own memory, the word her father shouted as the ship went down: "Head for Eden!" To learn its true meaning, Fena sets out with Yukimaru and his companions on a voyage to solve the mystery of Eden.[5](https://fena-pirate-princess.com/) According to Rotten Tomatoes' synopsis, a young orphan serving in a brothel is saved by an enigmatic stranger, who reveals to her the truth regarding her family along with a secret that she must unlock.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/fena_pirate_princess)
## Production
The project was announced at Adult Swim Con in July 2020: the Toonami team revealed a partnership with [Crunchyroll](https://www.edgepedia.org/crunchyroll) to produce an all-new 12-episode original anime, directed by Kazuto Nakazawa with animation by Production I.G, to air on Adult Swim's Toonami and stream on Crunchyroll in 2021.[2](https://www.awn.com/news/adult-swim-and-crunchyroll-greenlight-fena-pirate-princess-anime-series) The main staff was announced in June 2021 with the October broadcast date: Nakazawa as director and original creator, Asako Kuboyama (窪山阿佐子) on scripts, and [Yuki Kajiura](https://www.edgepedia.org/yuki-kajiura) (梶浦由記) on music, with FlyingDog handling music production. Kajiura had written soundtrack and theme music for many works including *Tsubasa Chronicle* and *Sword Art Online*, and in 2020 wrote "Homura," the theme song of *Demon Slayer: Mugen Train* that won a Japan Record Award.[1](https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1623847528) • [4](https://fena-pirate-princess.com/news/11/)
The series was presented as a work-in-progress at the 2021 Festival d'Animation Annecy, where it was selected for a panel with director Nakazawa and producer Rui Kuroki of Production I.G.[8](https://www.crunchyroll.com/de/news/latest/2021/6/16/crunchyroll-und-adult-swim-enthllen-neuen-fena-pirate-princess-trailer-und-weitere-details) Unusually for distribution, English-speaking audiences saw the show before Japan: the two-episode premiere on August 14, 2021 put the subtitled version on Crunchyroll and the English dub on Adult Swim, while the Japanese broadcast began in October.[6](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2021/7/20/fena-pirate-princess-hits-crunchyroll-and-adult-swim-on-august-14)
## Cast
The Japanese cast is led by [Asami Seto](https://www.edgepedia.org/asami-seto) (瀬戸麻沙美) as Fena Houtman and Ryota Suzuki (鈴木崚汰) as Yukimaru, with [Takahiro Sakurai](https://www.edgepedia.org/takahiro-sakurai) (櫻井孝宏) as Shitan (紫檀), Aoi Yuki (悠木碧) as Karin (花梨), and Hajime Sato (佐藤元) as Enju (槐).[9](https://www.tvguide.or.jp/db/anime/fena_pirate_princess/) In the English dub, Brittany Cox voices Fena Houtman.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/fena_pirate_princess) A Crunchyroll interview with the main cast discussed voicing in the series during its run.[10](https://www.crunchyroll.com/hi/news/interviews/2021/10/22/interview-the-fena-pirate-princess-main-cast-on-voicing-in-the-adventurous-series)
## Reception
**Visual praise, story criticism.** Japanese and English-language reception both singled out the animation and music while faulting the story. On the Japanese review site Filmarks the series holds a 3.4 rating, with reviewers praising the visuals and music while describing the story and setting as scattered; one entry praises the frail heroine and the music as beautiful, while a listed negative review calls the central mystery-solving half-finished and the plotting slack.[11](https://filmarks.com/animes/2977/3764/no_spoiler) A Japanese review database ranked the series near the bottom of its 2021 cohort, with image quality and voice acting rated highly and story rated poorly.[12](https://sakuhindb.com/janime/Kaizokuoujyo/) A mid-season Japanese review was more favorable, citing near-prescore recording that let the actors' performances land precisely against the animation and predicted a high evaluation among that season's original anime.[13](https://www.otalog.jp/entry/2021/11/18/2021%E5%B9%B4_%E7%A7%8B%E3%82%A2%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A1_%E4%B8%AD%E9%96%93%E8%A9%95%E4%BE%A1%EF%BC%BB%E3%81%8A%E3%81%99%E3%81%99%E3%82%81%E3%82%A2%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A1%EF%BC%BD)
On [MyAnimeList](https://www.edgepedia.org/myanimelist), the highest-rated episode is Episode 7, "The Burning Sea," at 9.3/10, followed by Episode 10, "The Curtain Rises on the Climax," at 9.1 and Episode 5, "Coordinates," at 8.9.[14](https://animegraphs.com/anime/42544/fena-pirate-princess) An aggregated critical quote describes the series as "a visually spectacular ride with a story that remains engaging thanks to its charismatic lead and breathtaking action scenes," and a review credited to Theron Martin of Anime News Network calls it a feast for the eyes with Kajiura's score elevating every scene.[15](https://ifann.net/wiki/series/fena-pirate-princess) A Leisurebyte review, by contrast, titled its verdict a disappointment, describing a journey that started strongly and came to a grinding halt.[16](https://leisurebyte.com/fena-pirate-princess-review/)
## Availability
In Japan, subscription streaming as of September 2026 includes U-NEXT, DMM TV, Hulu, and Anime Times, with rental availability on TELASA, J:COM STREAM, music.jp, and TSUTAYA DISCAS.[17](https://filmarks.com/animes/2977/3764/vod) At the Japanese broadcast's start, transactional platforms included Niconico Channel, dTV, Bandai Channel, Video Market, music.jp, GYAO! Store, DMM.com, and others.[5](https://fena-pirate-princess.com/) In North America the series aired on Adult Swim's Toonami and streamed on Crunchyroll.[6](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2021/7/20/fena-pirate-princess-hits-crunchyroll-and-adult-swim-on-august-14)
## References
1. [Production I.G制作の新作オリジナルアニメ『海賊王女』放送時期・スタッフ・声優情報を発表, Animate Times (June 17, 2021)](https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1623847528)
2. [Adult Swim and Crunchyroll Greenlight 'Fena: Pirate Princess' Anime Series, Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/news/adult-swim-and-crunchyroll-greenlight-fena-pirate-princess-anime-series)
3. [『海賊王女』のアニメの概要、売上, Lanovelibrary](https://www.lanovelibrary.com/fena-pirate-princess/)
4. [Production I.Gが描き出す新たな冒険譚「海賊王女」2021年10月放送開始！, official site news](https://fena-pirate-princess.com/news/11/)
5. [オリジナルアニメーション『海賊王女』公式サイト](https://fena-pirate-princess.com/)
6. [Fena: Pirate Princess Hits Crunchyroll and Adult Swim on August 14, Crunchyroll News (July 20, 2021)](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2021/7/20/fena-pirate-princess-hits-crunchyroll-and-adult-swim-on-august-14)
7. [Fena: Pirate Princess, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/fena_pirate_princess)
8. [Crunchyroll und Adult Swim enthüllen neuen Fena: Pirate Princess Trailer und weitere Details, Crunchyroll News (June 16, 2021)](https://www.crunchyroll.com/de/news/latest/2021/6/16/crunchyroll-und-adult-swim-enthllen-neuen-fena-pirate-princess-trailer-und-weitere-details)
9. [海賊王女 staff and cast, TVガイドWeb](https://www.tvguide.or.jp/db/anime/fena_pirate_princess/)
10. [INTERVIEW: The Fena: Pirate Princess Main Cast On Voicing In The Adventurous Series, Crunchyroll News (October 22, 2021)](https://www.crunchyroll.com/hi/news/interviews/2021/10/22/interview-the-fena-pirate-princess-main-cast-on-voicing-in-the-adventurous-series)
11. [海賊王女 reviews (no spoilers), Filmarksアニメ](https://filmarks.com/animes/2977/3764/no_spoiler)
12. [海賊王女 感想(評価/レビュー)[アニメ], sakuhindb](https://sakuhindb.com/janime/Kaizokuoujyo/)
13. [2021年 秋アニメ 中間評価［おすすめアニメ］, アニ録ブログ (November 18, 2021)](https://www.otalog.jp/entry/2021/11/18/2021%E5%B9%B4_%E7%A7%8B%E3%82%A2%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A1_%E4%B8%AD%E9%96%93%E8%A9%95%E4%BE%A1%EF%BC%BB%E3%81%8A%E3%81%99%E3%81%99%E3%82%81%E3%82%A2%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A1%EF%BC%BD)
14. [Fena: Pirate Princess Episode Ratings, AnimeGraphs](https://animegraphs.com/anime/42544/fena-pirate-princess)
15. [Fena: Pirate Princess, iFANN wiki](https://ifann.net/wiki/series/fena-pirate-princess)
16. [Fena Pirate Princess Review: A Disappointment Of Epic Proportions, Leisurebyte](https://leisurebyte.com/fena-pirate-princess-review/)
17. [海賊王女の動画配信サービス・視聴方法・サブスクまとめ, Filmarksアニメ](https://filmarks.com/animes/2977/3764/vod)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Anime and manga › Anime series, episodes, and franchises › Anime television series, 2020s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license