From supernatural action to mythic fantasy and sci-fi wildcards, the Spring 2026 animation season is filled with a bit of everything for fans to enjoy, and we got our picks on what to tune into!
This year, the streaming world has no shortage of animated works to dig into, which makes narrowing things down to what must be seen tough. What I chose to check out for the Spring 2026 animation season are based on what I will definitely check out because of the trailers made available. They do not include works which I’ve covered previously as they are standouts. As for the rest, these are somewhat seasonally filled to make the Easter long weekend just right.
A quick note: this list doesn’t include Witch Hat Atelier, which deserves its own spotlight rather than a slot in a seasonal roundup.
Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring
March 28, Crunchyroll
This one earns the “most literally Spring-themed release” award, and honestly, it wears that title well. Produced by WIT Studio, the series follows the Agents responsible for bringing the natural cycle back to the land, with the central focus on the return of the Agent of Spring after a decade-long disappearance.
WIT has a track record of making visually lush, emotionally grounded work, and a premise built around seasonal renewal feels like a natural fit for them. Whether the story lives up to that pedigree remains to be seen, but the setup alone has enough quiet intrigue to make this one worth checking in on early.
Ghost Concert: Missing Songs
April 5, Crunchyroll
Every season needs at least one wildcard, and without something paranormal in the mix, this list wouldn’t feel right. Ghost Concert: Missing Songs is that pick. A music-driven sci-fi project built around “song battles,” it feels like a spiritual cousin to Symphogear, but with a more experimental edge. It blends performance, narrative, and spectacle in a way that could either become a cult favourite or something far stranger, and that unpredictability is its own selling point.
There’s something genuinely refreshing about anime that doesn’t fit a clean genre box. The risk is that “experimental” can sometimes mean “incoherent,” but if the execution holds, this could be the sleeper pick of the season.
My Brother the Minotaur
Apple TV+, April 24
Cartoon Saloon can do no wrong, and this one is already fascinating on premise alone. The series draws from Greek legend, following a boy with obvious lineage as he tries to rediscover where he comes from.
Whether there’s any direct connection to Persephone and the return of warmer days is pure guesswork on my part, but knowing this studio’s instinct for finding the emotional core of mythology, a fresh retelling of Greek legend wouldn’t surprise me at all. The Minoan undertones feel seasonally appropriate regardless, and the cast alone, Brian Cox, Andy Serkis, and Michael Sheen, should say plenty about the kind of production this is shaping up to be.
Nippon Sangoku
April 5, Amazon Prime Video
This one takes the “Three Kingdoms” framework and transplants it into a fractured future Japan, reimagining the classic era as post-apocalyptic sci-fi. It’s a high-concept swing, one of history’s most retold narratives filtered through worldbuilding that sounds closer to the ragged wastelands of Trigun or Dorohedoro than anything traditionally historical.
The Amazon exclusivity puts it outside the Crunchyroll stack, but it’s worth flagging as a dark horse. Political intrigue and survival storytelling have long shelf lives, and grounding that in a recognizable historical structure gives it a narrative foundation that pure originals sometimes struggle to find.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm
April 4, Crunchyroll
BONES Studio is back with a supernatural action series, and this company’s track record earns immediate attention. The series centres on a pair of twins pulled into a conflict involving powerful supernatural entities, a premise that could go in a dozen different directions depending on execution.
This art house knows how to deliver in this space; Fullmetal Alchemist and Noragami are proof enough, and a twin-centred story opens up room for the kind of dynamic character work that makes the action land beyond just its fight choreography. Given the pedigree, this feels like one of the higher-profile bets of the season, and that seems earned.
Witch Hat Atelier is finally making the leap from page to screen, bringing Kamome Shirahama’s lush fantasy world to life in what looks like a visually rich and ethically charged anime adaptation.
Fans of the high-fantasy manga series Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama will be glad to hear the anime series will be simulcast in Japanese and English in April, and it’ll be the first two episodes back-to-back! It’ll be interesting to see how the manga translates to animation, and if the trailer is any indication, it’s energetic and wastes no time diving into what helps form the illusions and alters reality to those able to witness it. This series might look like another magical school story on the surface, but there’s much more going on beneath it.
Here, anyone can alter creation in little subtle ways. We don’t need the God Thoth to assist. Well, that’s just one school of thought which might get explored. Hermeticism focuses on the divine arts, the nature of reality, and the soul’s liberation flow of the universe. But in this tale, all it takes is knowing what to pen with the right ink, and letting the ideas flow. But when a mistake is made, what can our heroine Coco do? She’ll have to learn the craft, and hope to undo the stone curse….
This revelation transforms the series from a whimsical fairy tale into a high-stakes ethical drama about the morality of gatekeeping knowledge, all while being presented through some of the most stunning, storybook-inspired art in modern manga.
This Winter Crunchyroll has a good lineup of works, returning and new, to satisfy. Rather than chasing everything, this selection leans into darker fantasy, legacy continuations, and intimate supernatural stories worth the time.
Although a bit late, here’s what’s playing for the Winter Crunchyroll season. It’s a familiar mix of a few new series, a lot of returning ones, and my own picks on what’s worth the time. I never try to catch everything. After sampling trailers and leaning into the genres that usually reward my attention, I narrow things down to a focused shortlist. It’s easier to manage, especially alongside theatre trips and a growing pile of graphic novels.
In addition to my top five choices, two movies deserve mention too. Please see below for what I’m looking forward to:
This adaptation of Rocket Shōkai’s light novel flips heroism into a sentence rather than a calling. In a world where being a “hero” is punishment, Xylo Forbartz, a condemned goddess killer, is assigned to Penal Hero Unit 9004, forced into endless combat against monstrous abominations. Death offers no release, only resurrection and more violence. I’m drawn to how openly this interrogates systems of power, turning the usual fantasy reward structure into something oppressive and cyclical. When Xylo encounters a mysterious new goddess, their uneasy alliance threatens to unravel the machinery of eternal punishment itself.
Read on to find that we’ve been preparing since Summer for this Top Spooky Anime picks list!
Autumn’s creeping in and the anime leaves are turning — which means it’s the perfect time for a dive into something mysterious, uncanny, or just a little weird. This Top Spooky Anime picks list is not full-on horror (we’ll save the jump scares for later), as some of it began early in the Summer. However, since some folks began planning even then, what this list considers are our top spooky anime picks while daylight is still lingering on the horizon during those late nights.
Crunchyroll’s Fall slate is here, and what I present is a cumulation of what started over the heat wave to the cooling. What’s offered here are a list of lightly eerie picks that mix guilty-pleasure romcoms with monstrous appetites, ghostly whodunits, and one final-season epic that feels like a superhero reckoning. Please click the titles to go to each show’s launch or announcement page for trailers, cast lists, and exact premiere dates.
If you haven’t seen part one, now is the time! Either online or with the physical release, what you’ll find here is a mix of yokai and aliens. These groups collide in an outrageous battle that twists the rules of the supernatural. The series balances its chaotic energy with moments of absurd comedy and genuine creepiness. It’s the perfect gateway anime for those transitioning from summer thrills to autumn chills.
There are various ways to pine away during the last few days of this summer season. What we offer is a list of our favourite picks to peck the last dog days of animated wonders with ease.
This long weekend marks the Dog Days of Animated Wonders, with Netflix, Shout! Studios, and Crunchyroll offering escapes tailor-made for summer. If you’re skipping a last-minute vacation, the sun might feel more like an opponent than a friend.
Even on Disney Plus (availability varies by region), Summer Time Rendering pulls you into a sun-soaked island mystery, while on Crunchy Laid-Back Camp lets you enjoy the outdoors from the comfort of your couch. And this year, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is returning in a 4K restoration to be released onto home video and getting theatrical screenings, just as the season winds down—making it the ideal end-of-summer watch.
The Nyaight of the Living Cat continues the hiliarity for those who love mashups, like Night of the Zoopocalypse. Fans will just need a creative team to IP the concept!
Now broadcasting on Crunchyroll;
New Episode Every Sunday
Only cat lovers and zombie heads will find lots to love in the animated series, Nyaight of the Living Cat. The puns are everywhere! And new cat owners can learn a thing or two about why cats react the way they do to certain human behaviors. The creators tacked these bits onto the episode and post-credit sequence. It’s better than what Marvel Entertainment does, since what’s taught can be useful.
As for why this work is a parody, that’s because the adaptation has no shame in subverting the tropes from classic horror and action films! When audiences are supposed to be frightened, we aww or laugh-out-loud instead! This series’ world becomes sillier by the minute and is not afraid to overstate a cliché–cats are cute! From the obvious nya (the onomatopoeia for meow) being used in everyday speech to trying to explain the behaviour of felines, I chuckled at nearly every turn.
This year, the streaming world has no shortage of animated works to dig into, which makes narrowing things down to what must be seen tough. What I chose to check out for the Spring 2026 animation season are based on what I will definitely check out because of the trailers made available. They do not include works which I’ve covered previously as they are standouts. As for the rest, these are somewhat seasonally filled to make the Easter long weekend just right.
Although a bit late, here’s what’s playing for the Winter 
This adaptation of Rocket Shōkai’s light novel flips heroism into a sentence rather than a calling. In a world where being a “hero” is punishment, Xylo Forbartz, a condemned goddess killer, is assigned to Penal Hero Unit 9004, forced into endless combat against monstrous abominations. Death offers no release, only resurrection and more violence. I’m drawn to how openly this interrogates systems of power, turning the usual fantasy reward structure into something oppressive and cyclical. When Xylo encounters a mysterious new goddess, their uneasy alliance threatens to unravel the machinery of eternal punishment itself.
Autumn’s creeping in and the anime leaves are turning — which means it’s the perfect time for a dive into something mysterious, uncanny, or just a little weird. This Top Spooky Anime picks list is not full-on horror (we’ll save the jump scares for later), as some of it began early in the Summer. However, since some folks began planning even then, what this list considers are our top spooky 
This long weekend marks the Dog Days of Animated Wonders, with 
Now broadcasting on Crunchyroll;