With the Fall 2025 season still in its infancy, the current year has plenty of great anime still to produce. However, before long, January will arrive, bringing forth an array of new sequels and newcomers who have the potential to hog the limelight and online discussions. What will be the biggest 2026 anime? While certainly too early to make any definitive claims, a few prime contenders have already stated their intentions to grab the crown, provided they are not delayed or produce seasons that are well below expectations.
Solo Leveling Season 2 will likely go down as 2025’s biggest anime, and the upcoming year will need something massive to match that adaptation’s hype and exposure. Therefore, let’s highlight a couple of 2026 anime that should be huge, along with a few series that have yet to confirm their release years.
The focus is on the “biggest” and not the “best,” as it would be completely premature to make any claims regarding the latter. A couple of anime that might come out in 2026 are also included, but their release periods are not confirmed.
One Piece is not included because, well, it will naturally be one of the biggest anime of 2026. For this article, I decided to prioritize new anime and sequels that should/could debut next year.
Demon Slayer has been left out since the sequel movies are unknown quantities at this point.
Frieren: Beyond The Journey’s End Season 2 (Winter 2026)
One Of The Best Anime Ever Returns In Early 2026
Slated to get 2026 started on a perfect note, Frieren: Beyond The Journey’s End will soon be back on our screens, delivering another majestic blend of slow-life fantasy, subtle world-building, and splashes of incredible action. Season 1 set the bar extremely high, earning praise for being not only Madhouse’s strongest anime in about a decade, but also one of the best series of all time.
Best Shonen Anime Of The 2020s, Ranked
From action epics to touching romances, shonen is having a brilliant decade so far. Let’s highlight the best 2020s shonen anime released so far.
The anime has only covered about half of Kanehito Yamada’s ongoing manga, so the sequel has more than enough content to produce another full season. More importantly, Frieren is consistently great; in fact, the manga seems to improve with each new arc. If it hits the mark, Frieren season 2 will be the biggest anime of 2026. Honestly, it might also be the best.
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 (Winter 2026)
Could The 2026 JJK Season Be The Best Yet?
Jujutsu Kaisen is kind of weird. Even though the shonen anime has seemed inescapable since making its 2020 debut, MAPPA has generally avoided overexposure, opting to take its time to ensure a quality adaptation that lives up to the hype.
Similar to the gap between the first two seasons, the third entry will (likely) drop 2.5 years after its predecessor’s conclusion, which is more than enough time to allow MAPPA to put together a great follow-up AND to make fans crave Yuji and company’s return. You need to give people the opportunity to miss you, and by the time season 3 arrives in 2026, the world will be desperate for more JJK.
The sequel should cover Itadori’s Extermination and Perfect Preparation Arcs, along with starting the lengthy and ambitious Culling Game. Season 3 might even finish the latter, but that will depend on its episode count.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity (2026)
A Legendary Shonen Anime Finally Comes To An End
A decade ago, Bleach‘s anime seemed destined to remain forever incomplete. Despite producing some of the best arcs of the 2000s, the adaptation steadily chipped away at its reputation through underwhelming filler that overstayed its welcome and, also, canon stories that felt like a retread of past glories. Then, in 2022, Pierrot revived this former giant, shoving Ichigo back into the spotlight while making sure his return goes down as one of the greatest comeback stories in anime history.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War has been phenomenal so far, particularly in the animation department. Honestly, if you were to argue that this run represents the pinnacle in anime action, I would see no need to offer any sort of rebuttal. The Calamity will bring Bleach to an end, giving the anime the conclusion that it deserves.
The Ghost in the Shell (2026)
The Return Of A Great, Done By The Studio Behind Dandadan
OK, new Ghost in the Shell projects are hardly rare, as one seems to happen every couple of years. However, the upcoming release feels like a special case that, if done well, could sit alongside Stand Alone Complex as the franchise’s definitive series.
The most exciting part of this project is the studio, as Science Saru has been on an absolute roll recently. The company produced one of the best anime of the last two years, Dandadan, along with 2020’s Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Although not quite on the same level as those two, Fall 2025’s Sanda is also visually spectacular, which is something that can be said for most of Science Saru’s output.
If nothing else, The Ghost in the Shell should look phenomenal, and the key art images suggest a fresh art style that should fit the cyberpunk setting beautifully.
Tokyo Revengers: Three Deities Arc (2026)
Polarizing Anime Enters Its Final Arc
Tokyo Revengers‘ reputation has declined significantly in Western online platforms, with the sequels getting fairly mixed reviews. However, the franchise is huge in Japan, so the upcoming entry should be among 2026’s biggest anime within the country. The story is also entering its final saga, which contains two arcs: Three Deities and Kanto Manji.
14 Best Anime Like Tokyo Revengers
Tokyo Revengers is one of the most popular anime of the last few years, and these great shows are perfect for fans of the series.
The 2026 season is named after the former, but it will first need to cover the Bonten arc that precedes the final saga before touching Three Deities. Consequently, Tokyo Revengers will probably produce another season to cover Kanto Manji, which lasts for more than 40 chapters in the manga.
Black Clover Season 2 (2026)
A Long-Awaited Return of A Beloved Shonen Anime
Considering the anime was a laughingstock at first, Black Clover‘s redemption arc was something to behold. By the end of its 170-episode run, it was comfortably one of the best modern battle shonen anime, and an argument could be made that “modern” is not required as a qualifier. At that point, the adaptation was threatening to catch up with the manga, resulting in a hiatus that has lasted for roughly 5 years.
Finally, the wait will come to an end in 2026, as Asta and the Black Bulls will be returning to cover, at the bare minimum, the Spade Kingdom Raid arc. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and Black Clover is arguably more beloved now than during its initial run. If you have never watched the show, or dropped it during the first few episodes, you should give the first season a try. It picks up steam quite quickly.
Eleceed (2026)
A Huge Manhwa Will Become An Anime In 2026
Solo Leveling was not the first manhwa to receive an anime, but it was the most important. While Tower of God was and still is a big deal, Solo Leveling is generally regarded as the most popular manhwa of all time. If the adaptation failed to meet expectations (both commercially and critically), Japanese studios might have been discouraged from turning to South Korean comics for inspiration, opting to remain insular and focus solely on manga.
10 Best Manhwa To Read If You Like Eleceed
These manhwa are perfect reads for fans of the themes portrayed in the Eleceed manhwa.
Eleceed is a pretty huge name in the manhwa industry, and Son Je-ho’s webtoon has been producing high-quality content since 2018. The story follows an extremely odd couple as the electrifying Jiwoo teams up with Kayden, a guy stuck as a cat. Together, they work as an independent unit that tries to leave a positive mark on the world, all the while dealing with Awakeners who might not have noble intentions. Humor is a big part of Eleceed‘s formula.
Dandelion Animation is not a big name by any stretch of the imagination, but the studio worked on The First Slam Dunk, which was great.
No Confirmed Release Year: Solo Leveling Season 3
Well, Solo Leveling Season 3 Will Almost Definitely Be The Biggest Anime Of Its Year
Solo Leveling has had a pretty good run so far, and that is meant to be an understatement. Season 2 overshadowed the rest of the Winter 2025 lineup, and its sequel seems set to do the same whenever it becomes a reality. For the moment, A-1 Pictures has not confirmed when Solo Leveling Season 3 can be expected, and there is no guarantee that a 2026 debut will happen. That said, next year is not beyond the realm of possibility, especially since the adaptation is working off an already completed source.
No Confirmed Release Year: Bocchi The Rock Season 2
Everyone’s Favorite Socially Awkward Rockstar’s Sophomore Season
Bocchi the Rock!
- Release Date
-
2022 – 2022
- Directors
-
Keiichirô Saitô
- Writers
-
Erika Yoshida, Aki Hamaji
A slow-burner that gradually exploded in popularity during its late-2022 run, Bocchi the Rock was an unexpected cultural phenomenon that took the anime world by storm. While it has been around since 2017, Aki Hamazi’s manga was not a particularly huge name before the anime, which might explain why more than three years have passed without a sequel. CloverWorks might have been caught a bit off-guard by the show’s success, at least to the point that the studio had not put a follow-up into production before season 1’s arrival.
Bocchi The Rock!: Every Main Character’s Age, Height, And Birthday
Here are all the details fans need to know on the age, height, and birthdays of Bocchi The Rock! anime’s main characters.
Bocchi the Rock Season 2 is confirmed to be on the way, but a release year has yet to be stated. 2026 seems likely to mark Kessoku Band’s return, but CloverWorks should take all the time it needs to ensure the sequel replicates its predecessor’s charmingly awkward magic.
No Confirmed Release Year: Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint
A Manhwa That Can Rival Solo Leveling’s Popularity
- Based On: Manhwa
- Creator: Sing Shong
Frankly, almost no manhwa anime adaptations should be expected to replicate Solo Leveling‘s success, as that is simply too high of a goal to set. It would be akin to dismissing a new shonen anime because it is not as popular as Demon Slayer or Dragon Ball. However, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint is the closest thing to an exception, as the source material is not only very popular but also extremely highly regarded and accessible. The manhwa is also complete, coming to an end in 2020.
After being the first and only person to complete a strange novel that talks about the end of the world, Kim Dokja finds himself having to play a hero when elements of that story merge with reality. Suddenly, he has to use his knowledge to try and avoid the end of days. Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint is known for having a bit of a slow start, but the manhwa becomes great very quickly. Very little is known about the adaptation so far, but if it is handled by a competent studio that treats the material with respect, the anime could and should be one of the biggest of 2026.
