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Top 10 Most Anticipated 2026 Anime You Need to Watch (and #1 Is a Huge Return)
With 2025 now coming to an end and the final anime episodes of the year make their respective premieres, it’s time to look ahead to what’s coming in 2026. 2025 was one of the strongest anime years in recent memory as a ton of major franchises made their return alongside some brand new hits that really made waves. But now that we’re looking ahead to what’s coming in the next year, it’s clear that 2026 is going to somehow top everything that came this year.
There are going to be a ton of new anime shows to keep an eye out for in 2026, and it’s almost to the point where there are too many shows of quality that you’re going to want to see. This includes some brand new anime adaptations making their highly anticipated debuts, new original anime projects, and some blockbuster franchises making their comebacks. With so many new anime coming in 2026, read on for the ten most anticipated new anime you’re going to want to watch next year.
10). Jujutsu Kaisen: The Culling Game Part 1
Release Date: January 8th (Crunchyroll)
The year is going to be kicking off strong with the Winter 2026 anime schedule, and there are two key returns you’re going to want to keep an eye out for first. There’s Jujutsu Kaisen coming back for its third season, and it’s going to have much more chaos and action than before. The second season was one of the most consequential in the series to date with lots of deaths and major fights, but the third season is kicking things into a whole new kind of gear.
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 will be sparking the Culling Game, a deadly tournament that not only brings Yuji Itadori and the others into a whole new wave of fights but introduces a ton of new characters into the fold. New allies, foes, and more with wild powers of their own, it’s going to be a big season.
9). Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2
Release Date: January 16th (Crunchyroll)
The second of the returning franchises this Winter is the bigger of the two with Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. This fantasy anime series from studio Madhouse absolutely took over the world with its first season, and it’s looking to be the same for its comeback. The story follows an elf as she tries to connect with her past, and the first season introduced all sorts of fun wrinkles to the idea as she continues to mentor a young mage named Fern (who is becoming stronger every day).
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is, pun intended, a magical anime that is likely going to be one of the best looking shows of 2026.
8). Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 3
Release Window: 2026 (Crunchyroll)
Speaking of comebacks, Mushoku Tensei is gearing up to return for its own third season. This remains one of the most controversial Isekai anime releases today, but at the same time it also pulls through with incredibly animated sequences and huge set pieces when it all comes down to it. The second season was a rather intense and emotional affair, but the third season is promising to return to the kinds of high octane sequences that fans have been hoping to see much more of. Plus, there’s a big return with Eris already confirmed to be making her comeback too.
7). Yojo Senki: Saga of Tanya the Evil Season 2
Release Window: 2026 (Streaming Platform TBD)
Continuing on this train of comebacks, Yojo Senki: Saga of Tanya the Evil is finally coming back for a new season after nearly a decade. This darker take on Isekai has been seen in crossovers like Isekai Quartet, but this is the first time in a long while that the show is returning in proper form. With a person suddenly drawn into a war torn world in the body of a young girl, he now must use his knowledge to support an army and survive the battles to come. This is one of those hidden gem type of shows, and this new season is bound to bring even more eyes to it.
6). Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- Season 4
Release Window: April 2026 (Crunchyroll)
As you’re aware of by now, 2026 is dominated largely by big returns and one of the biggest Isekai franchises coming back is Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-. The third season was the most eventful for Subaru and the others yet as they waged war against the Sins directly, and even managed to defeat a couple of major opponents. But with all that out of the way, it’s time to resume the quest to save Rem from her coma and head to a whole new land to figure out what’s next. It’s going to start a whole new era of this long running saga, and it’s one to look out for next year.
5). Akane-banashi
Release Window: April 2026 (Streaming Platform TBD)
Many of the biggest new shows of 2026 might be high profile returns, but thankfully there are plenty of brand new adaptations too. Shonen Jump has its fair share of new series coming to screen, but the biggest is Yuki Suenaga and Takamasa Moue’s Akane-banashi. Following the titular Akane as she dives into the world of Rakugo in order to avenge her disgraced father, this is one of those stealth action series that is really going to reach a whole new wave of fans thanks to the anime.
Rakugo might not seem like the most exciting base for a series at first, but it’s an art form that truly gets taken to the next level in the manga. If the anime can somehow tap into that same spirit and bring those visuals to life in a way that’s perfect for the anime, then this is going to really take off.
4). Witch Hat Atelier
Release Window: April 2026 (Crunchyroll)
Kamome Shirahama’s Witch Hat Atelier is one of those manga series that fans have been asking to see animated for quite a long time, and that’s finally coming to fruition next Spring. It’s a new fantasy action series that’s going to scratch a much needed itch with a fully expanded world, and its lead Coco hopes to become a witch and somehow save her mother after she was turned to stone.
But she soon realizes that the world of magic and witches is far more sinister than she ever would have expected, and an entire new mystery starts to unfold. It’s a real page turner with its original manga form, and that’s just going to make for a great week to week watch in 2026.
3). Daemons of the Shadow Realm
Release Window: April 2026 (Crunchyroll)
Hiromu Arakawa, the creator behind Fullmetal Alchemist, is coming back with a brand new franchise in 2026. Daemons of the Shadow Realm is set in a world where people can control beings named Daemons. It follows a pair of twins who are on a journey to reconnect after being separated at a young age, and then find out that they are the ones who are destined to save the world.
For fans of Arakawa’s other works, Daemons of the Shadow Realm is going to be definitely worth the watch. It’s full of complex characters, a cool world at the center of it all, and awesome action thanks to these unique abilities. Keep an eye out for this one too when it comes to the top new shows to watch in 2026.
2). Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Final Part – The Calamity
Release Window: July 2026 (Streaming Platform TBD)
Even with all of the brand new anime releases coming next year, the biggest of 2026 are still returns. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is returning for its fourth and final season next Summer, and that means fans are finally going to Tite Kubo’s story come to its proper end after over 15 years. When the anime originally ended years ago, fans had been asking to see the final arc and its battles properly adapted ever since. Now it’s actually going to be a reality at last.
Bleach‘s new anime has been one big event after another, but the final season is a whole new kind of ballgame. There are some final forms that have never made it to the anime, new powers never seen before, and the promise of plenty of brand new original material that was never seen in the manga. This is going to be a big one.
1). Black Clover Season 2
Release Window: 2026 (Crunchyroll)
Even with all of the other franchises coming back for new episodes, and all of the cool looking new shows, Black Clover is still going to be the biggest anime of 2026. The series is coming back for its second season five long years after the series ended its first run, and will be adapting the final arcs from Yuki Tabata’s original manga series. With the manga ending later this year as well, there are going to be more eyes on the anime’s return than ever.
It’s looking much better than it ever was before, and Black Clover is going to be nothing but action when it returns. New forms, new magic, deadly new enemies and more abound as this is going to be the biggest action hit of the next year. What do you think? What new anime are you looking forward to the most? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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