10 of the most hyped anime you can watch in 2026

It’s going to be a big year for anime. January alone is stacked with fresh releases, but somehow it only gets better from there. Indeed, this year’s lineup reads like a greatest hits collection with sequels to fan favourites, a fresh take on a cyberpunk classic, and one of the wildest JoJo storylines finally getting adapted. Below are the top 10 shows you can watch.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 (January 8, 2026)

Studio Mappa is back with the Jujutsu Kaisen Culling Game arc, and if you thought the Shibuya Incident was brutal, well, brace yourself. This season throws sorcerers into a twisted battle royale where the body count is basically guaranteed to climb. Yuji and company need to survive long enough to free Gojo from the Prison Realm, but that’s easier said than done when everyone’s trying to kill each other. The compilation movie already teased what’s coming, and honestly, this will probably dominate anime discourse for months.

Trigun Stargaze (January 10, 2026)

The reimagined Trigun series continues with Stargaze, picking up where Stampede left off. Vash the Stampede is finally reunited with Wolfwood, Meryl, and yes, Milly is back too. The gang has to face off against Vash’s brother Millions Knives, who’s still hellbent on wiping out humanity. The 3D animation style won over sceptics back in 2023, and this season looks poised to deliver the finale that fans of the original 90s series have been waiting decades for.

Hell’s Paradise Season 2 (January 11, 2026)

Picture Suicide Squad meets Battle Royale, but make it anime. Gabimaru the Hollow, a condemned ninja assassin, was offered a pardon if he could find the elixir of life on a mysterious island filled with monsters. Season one of Hell’s Paradise established the premise and the chaos. But in season two, the trailers promise things get significantly more unhinged. Those who stuck around through the first season’s slower moments should find the payoff worth it here.

Oshi no Ko Season 3 (January 14, 2026)

The showbiz thriller with reincarnation and murder returns for another round of entertainment industry drama. Six months have passed since B-Komachi released their album, and Ruby is stepping up her investigation to find out who killed Gorou Amamiya by joining a variety show as host. Meanwhile, Aqua thought he was done with revenge, but that was naive of him. The manga recently wrapped up, so anime-only viewers are finally approaching the endgame of this twisted story.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 (January 16, 2026)

The first season became the highest-rated anime on MyAnimeList for good reason, blending melancholy reflections on mortality with genuinely fun adventure storytelling. This time, Frieren, Fern, and Stark continue their journey north toward Himmel’s final resting place.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run (March 19, 2026)

Explaining this one requires some patience. It’s 1890s America. There’s a cross-country horse race with a $50 million prize. Johnny Joestar is a paraplegic former jockey who teams up with Gyro Zepelli, a former executioner who uses magical steel balls.

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Oh, and there’s a conspiracy involving the President of the United States and religious relics connected to Jesus Christ. This is JoJo’s at its most unhinged, which is really saying something given the series’ track record. Netflix debuts it with a 47-minute special episode.

One Piece - Elbaph Arc / Season 22 (April 5, 2026)

After 25 years of near-continuous weekly episodes, One Piece is actually slowing down. The series took a hiatus around Christmas 2025 and returns with just 26 episodes planned for this calendar year, split into two batches. That means fewer filler episodes and less wheel-spinning, which longtime fans will appreciate.

The Elbaph Arc marks the beginning of the story’s final stretch, and Luffy’s crew is racing toward secrets that have been teased for literal decades. It’s also worth mentioning here that Luffy has made it to our “10 strongest anime characters of all time” list from last year.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity (July 2026)

Bleach went on hiatus back in 2012 and left fans without a proper ending for a decade. Thousand-Year Blood War has been fixing that since 2022, and The Calamity is the fourth and final instalment. Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki’s journey finally reaches its conclusion, tying up loose ends from a story that started over twenty years ago. This should be the biggest anime event of the summer, full stop.

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 (October 2026)

Maomao, the street-smart apothecary pulled into imperial palace intrigue, returns for another season of mystery-of-the-week storytelling wrapped in period drama. The second season turned this from sleeper hit into genuine phenomenon, and the quick turnaround for season three suggests the creators know they’ve got something special. There’s also an original movie coming in December, so fans of courtly poison mysteries have a lot to look forward to this fall.

The Ghost in the Shell (TBA 2026)

Remaking one of the most influential anime films ever made is bold. Handing that project to Science Saru, the studio behind Dandadan, is even bolder. Details are still sparse beyond it being an adaptation of the original manga, but the pedigree here is undeniable. The 1995 Ghost in the Shell shaped cyberpunk aesthetics for decades and inspired everything from The Matrix to countless imitators.