The animated series IYANU, a trailblazer featuring an all-Nigerian voice cast led by Serah Johnson alongside Okey Jude, Samuel Kugbiyi, and Ike Ononye, is set to premiere on the streaming platform Showmax on Friday, June 13, 2025.
With its indigenous narrative, IYANU has already ranked as the #1 series on Cartoon Network and is among the top 10 kids and family series on Max.
The series features top actors including Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Serah Johnson, Shaffy Bello, Stella Damasus, Okey Jude, Samuel Kugbiyi, and Ike Ononye. These stars all appeared in the hugely successful first season of Iyanu, an animated series inspired by Nigerian culture and mythology, which will make its African debut on Showmax on June 13, 2025.
Leading the cast is award-winning voice actor, Serah Johnson as Iyanu, alongside Okey Jude who joins the cast as Biyi, Iyanu’s carefree adventurer friend, and Samuel Kugbiyi as Toye, Iyanu’s bookworm friend.
Since its release in the US on Cartoon Network in April 2025, Iyanu has been critically acclaimed and commercially successful, ranking number one on Cartoon Network and among the top 10 kids’ and family series on Max. Screen Rant praised it as “The Last Airbender and Black Panther hybrid you didn’t know you needed,” highlighting its unique blend of African mythology and modern superhero storytelling.
Iyanu, the animated series, is adapted from Nigerian creator Roye Okupe’s popular graphic novel series, Iyanu: Child of Wonder, published by Dark Horse Comics, the powerhouse behind the likes of The Umbrella Academy and Hellboy comics.
Speaking on the African premiere, Okupe said, “One of the reasons I started YouNeek Studios and created Iyanu is because I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria watching superhero stories on DStv.
To now see Iyanu launching on Showmax across 44 African countries is truly a full-circle moment.”
“I’m beyond thrilled that kids, adults, and families across the continent will get to see a superhero who looks, sounds, and feels like them. I can’t wait for audiences throughout Africa to experience the magic and wonder of Iyanu—a show that’s already capturing hearts around the world.”
Drawing on Nigerian culture, music, and mythology, Iyanu follows a brave young orphan living in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland. One day, responding to danger, she unknowingly triggers her divine powers, the likes of which have not been seen since the Age of Wonders. Accompanied by newfound friends Biyi and Toye, as well as a magical leopard named Ekun, Iyanu sets out to uncover the source of the evil in her community.
Come Friday, 13 June 2025, lovers and fans of cartoon can watch the animated series on showmax.
