Scooby-Doo Is Going Anime and Heading to Japan With Its Most Beloved Voice Duo Intact
Few animated franchises carry the kind of multigenerational staying power that ‘Scooby-Doo‘ does, and the beloved Great Dane is now about to enter bold new territory. After more than five decades of mystery-solving, rubber masks, and midnight snack runs, the franchise is making a move that feels both unexpected and completely fitting for the current pop culture moment.
Tubi has acquired ‘Yokoso Scooby-Doo!’, the first original anime series in the long history of the ‘Scooby-Doo’ franchise, produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The title itself sets the stage immediately. “Yokoso” is a Japanese word for “welcome,” making the show’s name a direct invitation into this reinvented world. For fans who grew up with the Mystery Machine and Scooby Snacks, it is an invitation that comes loaded with nostalgia and genuine excitement.
At the center of that excitement is the casting. Frank Welker will voice Scooby-Doo and Matthew Lillard will voice Shaggy, reprising their beloved roles for the anime series. Welker has been part of the ‘Scooby-Doo’ franchise since 1969, when he voiced Fred Jones in ‘Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!’, and has voiced Scooby-Doo himself for more than two decades. Lillard took on the role of Shaggy in the live-action films and has since voiced the character across multiple animated series. Having both men anchor this wildly different new chapter feels like a deliberate gesture of respect toward the franchise’s roots.
The story takes the duo far from their usual haunted mansions and amusement park villains. While visiting Japan on what is described as the ultimate foodie adventure, Scooby-Doo and Shaggy unwittingly unleash hundreds of mythical monsters causing trouble across the country. They are joined by Scooby’s uncle Daisuke-Doo, along with new friends including a magical girl named Yume and a gadget whiz named Takumi. The premise leans into anime genre conventions in an organic way, blending classic ‘Scooby-Doo’ chaos with the visual language of Japanese animation.
Production services are being provided by OLM in Japan, the studio behind ‘Pokémon’, with Itsuro Kawasaki of ‘Psycho-Pass’ directing and Francisco Paredes of ‘Muppet Babies’ serving as co-producer. That creative pairing alone suggests a show with serious anime credentials wrapped around a distinctly Western comedic sensibility. Tubi holds exclusive rights in North America, while Cartoon Network will carry the series internationally.
Tubi chief content officer Adam Lewinson said the show lets the franchise be reinvented in a way fans haven’t seen before, adding that bringing Scooby and Shaggy into a bold anime world set in Japan is about connecting with global fandoms and delivering the kind of fun, chaotic mystery that travels across generations. Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, welcomed Tubi to Mystery Inc. and described the partnership as a next chapter that pushes the franchise forward through the dynamic artistry of anime.
‘Yokoso Scooby-Doo!’ is not the only ‘Scooby-Doo’ project currently in development. Netflix is in production on ‘Scooby-Doo: Origins’, a live-action series starring Mckenna Grace, Maxwell Jenkins, Tanner Hagen, and Abby Ryder Fortson. The franchise is clearly in a moment of serious expansion, and this anime entry feels like its most ambitious swing yet. Whether you grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons or fell in love with Lillard’s live-action Shaggy, this is the kind of reinvention worth watching closely, so share your thoughts below on whether an anime ‘Scooby-Doo’ set in Japan is the fresh start this franchise deserves.
