First Duolingo Anime Series is on the Way, “Big Mouth’ Studio Set to Produce

The Final Test is coming to a screen near you in all of its animated glory. The language-learning app Duolingo has partnered up with Titmouse, the animation studio behind Big Mouth (Netflix) and Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+), for its first-ever anime series, according to a report from Variety.

Titled “最後の決戦 (The Final Test),” the upcoming anime will star Duo, the app’s green owl mascot, and will “expand the lore” of him and his friends and “their origin stories before they became guardians of the streak.” The report says that the anime comes at a time when Duolingo has updated its Japanese courses, which are now widely available to users in all languages.

Available in over 100 countries, Duolingo is the #1 free language-learning app in the world. Over 1.2 billion learners use the app, which has courses for more than 40 distinct languages. Duolingo plans to weave the series into the learning experience itself.

According to Variety, users can expect themed “lesson-complete” animations and new widget illustrations inside the app tied to The Final Test, turning the familiar reward moments into mini anime spectacles for learners. Since Duolingo is built on gamification, the visual storytelling of anime seems like a natural fit and appeals to the app’s global user base.

“Anime is a global cultural phenomenon, and for so many people, it’s the spark that gets them excited to learn Japanese,” said Duolingo CMO Manu Orssaud in a statement. “With ‘The Final Test,’ we’re channeling that passion and expanding our character universe in a way that’s unexpected, streak-obsessed and unmistakably Duolingo.”

Paired with Titmouse’s track record in adult, edgy animation and visual storytelling, the upcoming anime is expected to be a fresh and bold way to deepen engagement, introduce characters and scenarios that reinforce vocabulary and grammar exposure. Additionally, the series will feature all Japanese voice acting, with subtitles available in nine languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, and Thai), according to Variety.

Like the app’s micro-lessons, the five-episode anime is designed to be consumed quickly. Variety reports each episode is only 60 seconds long, in a move that Duolingo said is “designed to match how fans consume anime on short-form video platforms.”

Check out the full trailer for The Final Test below:

Credit: Variety