Santa Claus Officially Has a New Rival (& He’s a Total Scrooge)

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The anime *Sanda* sparked a lot of discussion when it was revealed to be about a typical high school student with the ability to transform into Santa Claus. While *Sanda* isn’t the first anime to include Santa Claus or his legend, it’s unique in turning him into a powerful, action-oriented hero. Despite how unusual the idea sounds, *Sanda* doesn’t feel like a joke or a parody of itself.

The first episode of *Sanda* was a fun introduction to Kazushige Sanda’s Santa Claus and his holiday spirit. However, the second episode, “Candies, Canes, Kisses and Blades,” takes a more serious turn, laying out the main conflict of the anime and exploring important social themes. Most importantly, it reveals the enemy Santa Claus will face as he works to protect the hopes and dreams of children.

Sanda Episode 2 Reveals the Anime’s True Dystopian Setting

Even though the anime’s main appeal is presenting Santa Claus as a powerful, anime-style hero, the first episode doesn’t offer much detail about the world it’s set in. It only establishes that the story takes place in the near future, where traditional Christmas celebrations are largely forgotten and seen as outdated. Initially, the first episode of *Sanda* seems like a typical, slightly more mature, school-life anime. However, the second episode completely shifts the tone, revealing a dark and depressing dystopian setting.

In a future Japan called Sanda, the country faces a severe crisis: a dramatically low birth rate and a struggling economy have left fewer than 50,000 children under the age of 15. With a rapidly aging population and a shortage of young people, the government has completely changed its approach to raising children. Now, kids are placed on a pedestal, facing both extremely high expectations and a surprising lack of consequences for their actions. They’ve been so overindulged their entire lives that they can essentially get away with anything, even serious crimes.

Daikoku Welfare Academy is overly protective, creating an environment that feels more like a strict, controlling system than a nurturing one. Headmaster Hifumi Ooshibu tightly controls every part of his students’ lives, aiming to ensure they’ll dedicate themselves to saving Japan and shielding them from any negative feelings. However, this approach actually stifles the students, preventing them from maturing and leading to adults who misuse any power they gain.

Simply put, *Sanda* takes place in a bleak world where the loss of belief in Christmas and Santa Claus represents a larger societal hopelessness about the future. Episode 2 of *Sanda* not only explains the unusual and sometimes aggressive behavior of its young characters – something many other school-based anime avoid – but also hints at the story’s deeper meaning and its thoughtful observations about contemporary Japan. *Sanda* operates on multiple levels, and it will be interesting to see how the anime develops its story and explores its themes in future episodes.

Sanda Quickly Introduces Santa Claus’ Friends & Foes

Although episode 2 of *Sanda* reveals the story’s underlying plot, it doesn’t feel like a simple info-dump. The episode delivers this information naturally, with Sanda experiencing and processing it firsthand. This makes sense, as he’s the main character and is suddenly caught in the middle of a conflict – figuring out both who his enemies are and who he needs to protect as Santa Claus.

The second episode of *Sanda* cleverly misleads viewers about the true identity of the antagonist. Initially, Kazuhi Amaya seems to perfectly fit the villain role – he’s portrayed as a boastful and self-absorbed character who enjoys dominating others. He even admits to lacking a real plan, simply relishing the power he feels over those he considers inferior. However, the episode reveals that Amaya isn’t who he appears to be.

Despite appearing confident, Amaya is secretly hoping Santa Claus can save his family’s bakery. He’s no match for the headmaster, Ooshibu, who makes a chillingly humorous first appearance in the second half of *Sanda* Episode 2. Unlike Amaya, Ooshibu is upfront about his ambitions and will stop at nothing – even implied psychological torture in the “semi-basement” – to shape his students into the future leaders of Japan.

Episode 2 of *Sanda* does a great job of introducing both Amaya and Ooshibu as compelling and frightening characters. While Amaya initially seems like the villain, this turns out to be a setup for the true antagonist, Ooshibu. The episode clearly establishes each character’s motivations, but still leaves plenty of mystery for future episodes. By the end, Amaya has formed a solid bond with Sanda and Fuyumura, and Ooshibu’s dangerous intentions are only starting to become clear.

Sanda Transforms Santa Claus into an Anime Hero Sworn to Defend Children Worldwide

What’s fascinating about the Santa Claus character in *Sanda* is that he isn’t simply a more powerful version of Sanda himself. Instead, Santa Claus represents either Sanda’s future adult self, or a completely separate individual. Throughout Episode 2 of *Sanda*, it’s revealed that Santa Claus’s age and growing maturity are gradually changing Sanda. While Sanda still appears to be a typical 14-year-old, his youthful innocence and impulsive behavior are slowly disappearing as Santa Claus’s influence affects his mind and body.

Sanda also got Santa Claus’s strong belief in fairness. While Santa’s way of judging people as “naughty” or “nice” and wanting to make all children happy might seem simple and even a little childish, it stands in stark contrast to the unclear and self-serving morals used by adults like Ooshibu to excuse their selfishness and unkindness. This simple code of kindness is actually quite powerful. Because of these values, Sanda doesn’t just protect Amaya and fight against Ooshibu, but fully accepts his role as a hero.

I’ve been watching Sanda’s story unfold, and it’s clear he’s really reluctant to take on the role of Santa Claus. He originally wanted to hide his family’s… well, let’s call it a strange situation, but he changed his mind when he saw how much Fuyumura needed Santa’s help. Episode 2 really emphasizes how Sanda is stepping up as a hero, especially in his encounter with Ooshibu. He even saved Amaya, despite her having been difficult with him just recently, simply because it was the right thing to do. It’s becoming pretty clear that this whole Santa Claus thing isn’t about Christmas at all; it’s a way of showing Sanda growing up and taking on responsibilities faster than he’s comfortable with.

The anime *Sanda* clearly explores the challenges and joys of youth and growing up. Despite his own struggles with self-doubt, Sanda consistently supports and mentors others. He emphasizes this idea when he tells Fuyumura that becoming an adult isn’t as daunting as it seems, even with flawed role models. This demonstrates Sanda’s significant personal growth and establishes him as a truly remarkable character.

Science Saru’s Scaled-Back Animation Doesn’t Disappoint in Sanda Episode 2

Despite being a strong production overall, the animation in *Sanda* Episode 2 isn’t as remarkable as the first episode. It’s not that the quality has dropped – Science Saru is still known for excellent animation – but it’s less innovative and distinctive. While the scenes of Santa Claus using his powers and performing impressive physical actions are well-done, they’re fairly standard compared to the exceptionally creative work seen in Episode 1.

The animation in *Sanda* Episode 2 is particularly strong thanks to its inventive scene direction and how characters are positioned on screen. Conversations are made engaging through playful but tense techniques like split screens, over-the-top facial expressions, and sudden color shifts – a great example is Amaya’s smugness towards the captured Santa and Fuyumura. Unfortunately, these creative moments don’t happen consistently throughout the episode. While the animation and artwork remain good overall, most of the episode is shot and presented in a standard style typical of school-based anime.

Even with a slightly more restrained animation style, the second episode of *Sanda* continues the strong start of what’s become one of Fall 2025’s most unexpected and exciting new anime. This episode quickly establishes the anime’s central ideas and sees Sanda fully embrace the role of a hero at a faster pace than many comparable series. With such a promising beginning, the future looks bright for *Sanda*, which has already proven itself to be a surprisingly unique and intellectually stimulating hidden gem.

Sanda is now streaming exclusively on Prime Video.

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2025-10-11 02:27