This week, AHAVERSE unveiled its biggest expansion of the Scissor Seven universe to date: a feature film, the spin-off series HEIBAI, an original mobile game, a new publishing imprint AHABOOKS with its debut manhua Cheap-Life Hua, and an annual live music event Chicken Island Party. This was announced during the New World Premiere showcase at BilibiliWorld 2026.
We spoke with the AHAVERSE team to learn more about the thinking behind this wave of announcements, from how they’re keeping the world consistent across so many formats, to the stories behind the film, HEIBAI, the game, and the publishing and live-event side of the franchise. Their answers, lightly organized by topic, are below.
Building the Scissor Seven Universe
Q: Between the film, HEIBAI, the mobile game, AHABOOKS, Cheap-Life Hua, and Chicken Island Party, that’s a lot to announce at once. What made this the right moment? Do you see this as the next chapter for Scissor Seven specifically, or a blueprint for AHAVERSE as a whole?
A: For us, this wasn’t about launching as many projects as possible. It was about reaching a point where the world of Scissor Seven had become rich enough to support many different stories, experiences and ways for audiences to engage with it.
Seven’s journey remains at the heart of the franchise, but we also believe that great characters and great storytelling should become gateways into a much larger world. Some fans love animation, others discover stories through games, books or live experiences. We want to meet audiences where they are, while ensuring every project adds something meaningful to the universe.
At the same time, this also reflects how we think about original IP at AHAVERSE. Rather than treating every project as an isolated release, we’re building a long-term ecosystem where stories, creators and different creative mediums continually strengthen one another.
Q: How do you maintain continuity across animation, games, books and other projects?
A: Maintaining consistency starts with the creative leadership behind the franchise. Founder and Producer Aiken Zou, as well as Director and creator He Xiaofeng remain deeply involved in the development of the wider universe, helping ensure that every new project respects the established history, characters and creative direction of Scissor Seven.
Beyond that, we’ve also established clear internal processes for managing canon across the franchise. AHABOOKS serves as the central story and lore foundation for AHAVERSE’s original IPs, helping us document, expand and maintain continuity as stories evolve across animation, games, publishing and other creative formats.
We see every project as another window into the same world. Each one has its own tone, characters and creative identity, but they’re all built upon the same narrative foundation. That allows every story to stand on its own while still feeling like part of a larger, living universe.
Q: Is AHABOOKS mainly about publishing side stories, or is it also meant to be a place where new ideas and creators can be developed?
A: AHABOOKS is much more than a publishing label. We see it as a long-term creative development platform where new stories, new creators and new ideas can grow together.
For the Scissor Seven universe specifically, AHABOOKS plays an important role in expanding the canon in a thoughtful and coherent way. It gives us the space to explore characters, histories and parts of the world that may not naturally fit within an animated series or film, while maintaining a strong narrative foundation for future projects.
Looking further ahead, we also hope AHABOOKS becomes a place where entirely new original IP can be incubated alongside Scissor Seven. Great stories can begin as books or manhua, before naturally evolving into animation, games, films or other experiences as they continue to grow.
Q: How do you keep the identity of Scissor Seven consistent?
A: We’ve never believed the identity of Scissor Seven comes from a particular medium or even a particular storyline. It comes from the values at the heart of the stories we choose to tell.
Whether we’re following Seven, Mo Lang, Bai Qi or another character entirely, we’re always drawn to stories about personal choice, growth and finding purpose against complicated and often dangerous circumstances. Those emotional journeys are balanced with humour, friendship and unexpected moments of absurdity, which has always been part of the DNA of Scissor Seven.
Every writer and director naturally brings their own creative voice, but we hold every project to the same standard of storytelling, emotional honesty and production quality.
Q: How do you balance longtime fans with newcomers, and what would success look like?
A: Our philosophy is that every project should be able to stand on its own, while naturally rewarding audiences who choose to explore further.
If someone discovers Scissor Seven through the film, HEIBAI, the game or a future project, they should be able to enjoy that experience without feeling they’ve missed anything. At the same time, longtime fans will gradually uncover more connections, history and relationships across the wider universe.
Ultimately, success isn’t simply measured by commercial performance. It’s seeing audiences become curious enough to continue exploring the world because they’ve connected with the stories and characters.
Scissor Seven – The Movie
Q: Why a film [compared to a season]?
A: A feature film allows us to tell a story with different pacing, scale and cinematic ambition that naturally differs from an episodic series.
Audiences can expect larger action sequences, more ambitious world-building and a richer exploration of the world and its rival powers, while still finding the humour and emotional sincerity that define Scissor Seven. Rather than changing who Seven is, the film allows us to place him in circumstances that challenge him in entirely new ways.
Q: Why Xuanwu?
A: Xuanwu has always been one of the most intriguing parts of the Scissor Seven world. While Chicken Island represents the warmth, humour and found family that audiences have come to love, the mysterious martial arts nation of Xuanwu allows us to explore a much larger world shaped by traditions, political rivalries and centuries of history.
Despite that larger scale, the emotional heart remains the same. Seven’s relationships, humour and humanity continue to anchor the story no matter how high the stakes become.
Q: Is this meant to be a major moment for longtime fans, a good starting point for someone new to the series, or both?
A: Definitely both. One of our goals from the very beginning was to make the film work as a complete cinematic experience in its own right, so newcomers can discover Scissor Seven through the movie without feeling they’ve missed essential background from the animated series.
At the same time, longtime fans will find plenty to appreciate. The film takes Seven back to Xuanwu, the martial arts nation where he came from, allowing us to explore more of its culture, history and the forces that shape the wider world. Familiar characters return alongside exciting new allies and adversaries, giving existing audiences fresh perspectives on a world they’ve followed for many years.
Because it’s our first feature film, we’ve also challenged ourselves creatively to raise the bar across the board—from the scale of the action and animation to the cinematic storytelling itself—while staying true to the humour, emotional depth and character-driven storytelling that audiences have always loved about Scissor Seven.
HEIBAI
Q: HEIBAI follows two new heroes, Mo Lang and Bai Qi, before the events of the original series. What made a prequel with new leads feel like the right move, instead of a side story built around characters we already know?
A: HEIBAI actually began life as an official Scissor Seven spin-off manhua several years ago, where it quickly became one of the most popular original comics in China. Bringing it to animation felt like the natural next chapter for a story that had already built such a passionate following.
More importantly, we never chose Mo Lang and Bai Qi simply because the story takes place before Scissor Seven. We chose them because they have a compelling journey of their own. Their contrasting personalities, different approaches to strength and justice, and evolving friendship create a dynamic that is very different from Seven’s, while still reflecting many of the themes that define the wider universe.
Set around 25 years before the events of Scissor Seven, HEIBAI explores an earlier generation of heroes through dangerous adventures, ancient legends and powerful new enemies. While it introduces an entirely new cast, we think audiences will recognise many of the qualities they already love about Scissor Seven—high-energy action, layered and relatable characters, heartfelt humour, and emotional journeys that unfold against a much larger world.
Q: What does telling this story through Mo Lang and Bai Qi let you show about the world that you couldn’t show through Seven?
A: One of the most exciting things about HEIBAI is that it lets us explore an entirely different generation of the world. Seven experiences the consequences of history, whereas Mo Lang and Bai Qi are living through many of the events that helped shape it.
That allows us to introduce legendary figures, influential factions and important turning points that audiences have only heard hints of before. At the same time, because these characters have their own goals and challenges, we’re able to tell a story that feels completely fresh rather than simply filling in historical gaps.
We want audiences to come away feeling that the world has become much bigger, not just more explained.
Q: Since it’s a prequel, viewers already know the world it leads into. How are you keeping the story tense and surprising anyway?
A: Although HEIBAI is set around 25 years before the events of Scissor Seven, we don’t really think of it as a traditional prequel. It’s first and foremost a standalone series with its own heroes, conflicts and emotional journey.
That means audiences aren’t simply watching events that lead directly into Seven’s story. HEIBAI introduces entirely new characters, relationships and conflicts, many of which have outcomes that viewers won’t be able to predict. Even when audiences recognise certain historical events, places or factions, the emotional journeys of Mo Lang, Bai Qi and the people around them remain full of surprises.
Ultimately, we think the suspense comes less from wondering what happens next in the broader timeline, and more from discovering why these events unfolded the way they did—and what these characters choose when faced with impossible situations.
Q: What do you think will surprise longtime fans most once they see what HEIBAI actually is?
A: I think many longtime fans will be surprised by just how much of the Scissor Seven universe has other stories waiting to be told.
HEIBAI doesn’t simply revisit familiar locations or answer a few unanswered questions. It introduces an earlier era of the world with its own heroes, rivalries, adventures and emotional journeys, while also revealing more about the history of Xuanwu and many of the factions that continue to influence the world during Seven’s time.
Hopefully, by the end of the series, audiences won’t just feel they’ve learned more about the past—they’ll see the world of Scissor Seven itself in a completely new light.
Action-Adventure Mobile Game
Q: What’s the experience you most want players to walk away with: feeling like Seven, living on Chicken Island, or discovering brand new stories?
A: Ideally, all of the above. More than anything, we want players to feel like they’re genuinely living in the world of Scissor Seven.
Alongside fast-paced side-scrolling action, players will be able to experience everyday life on Chicken Island, manage their own business, interact with beloved characters and discover original canon content created specifically for the game. Because games are interactive, they allow audiences to engage with the world in ways that animation naturally can’t.
Longtime fans can also look forward to a different level of immersion, new character moments and backstories that expand the wider universe, while newcomers can simply enjoy the experience of exploring the world at their own pace.
Q: The comedy in Scissor Seven really depends on timing and sudden tonal shifts. What’s been the hardest part of getting that to work in something players are controlling?
A: One of the defining qualities of Scissor Seven has always been its ability to move effortlessly between exciting action and completely unexpected comedy, sometimes within the same scene.
Games introduce a unique challenge because players control the pacing. Rather than relying on fixed editing or animation timing, we’ve had to think carefully about how humour emerges naturally through gameplay, skills, character interactions and environmental storytelling.
We hope players experience the same sense of surprise and contrast that defines the animation, while still feeling fully in control of their own adventure.
Q: About the animation and game teams’ collaboration?
A: Our animation and game teams actually work closely together to ensure the game stays true to the story, and new content feels authentic to the world and characters, while making full use of the interactive nature of games.
The China launch will allow us to gather valuable player feedback and continue refining the overall experience before bringing it to international audiences.
Why Cheap-Life Hua:
A: Cheap-Life Hua was a natural choice because he’s one of the most intriguing characters introduced in the later seasons. Audiences know him as a seemingly carefree wanderer, but gradually realise he’s one of the most powerful figures in Xuanwu. Exploring his past doesn’t simply answer questions about Cheap-Life Hua himself—it also reveals important parts of Xuanwu’s history and the larger forces that shaped the world long before Seven’s journey began.
Chicken Island Party
A: Chicken Island Party allows fans to experience Scissor Seven beyond the screen through music, community and shared celebration.
Rather than simply recreating familiar tracks, we’re inviting different musicians and DJs to reinterpret the franchise’s music each year, giving audiences something both fresh and familiar. We hope it becomes an annual tradition where every edition offers a new creative perspective while remaining unmistakably Scissor Seven.
Closing
A: We’d encourage audiences to follow our official social channels as we continue sharing new announcements. What we’ve revealed this year is only the beginning, and we’re looking forward to gradually introducing even more stories, characters and experiences from the expanding world of Scissor Seven.
Our enormous thanks to the AHAVERSE team for taking the time to answer these questions. For more details on each specific announcement, read our full coverage of Scissor Seven: The Movie, HEIBAI, the Scissor Seven mobile game, and AHABOOKS, Cheap-Life Hua, and Chicken Island Party.
Images courtesy of AHAVERSE.
© AHAVERSE丨AHA Entertainment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
© AHAVERSE丨AHA Entertainment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. & SHAREFUN Studio. All Rights Reserved.
Participate In Discussions