We’re in the second-to-last month of the year now, so it’s time to look at 2026’s currently confirmed anime and prepare next year’s watchlist. Below is a list of upcoming 2026 TV anime that I’ve singled out because they feel a bit more interesting (to me) than the others for one reason or another.

You’ll find an even mix of shows that I’d comfortably describe as action anime and titles that are more concerned with things like romance or human lives. Most are debuting in the Winter 2026 and Spring 2026 anime seasons.

You and I Are Polar Opposites

• Director: Takayoshi Nagatomo (SHOSHIMIN: How to Become Ordinary Episode 3 and 8 storyboarder and director et al.)
• Animation production studio: Lapin Track
• When in 2026: January 11
• Based on: Shonen Jump+ manga by Kocha Agasawa

This rom-com pairs up a lively girl who’s mindful of fitting in with a quiet, solitary boy who says what’s on his mind. The premise alone wouldn’t have pulled me in, but the anime’s third trailer had enough charm to make me promote it to the top of my Winter 2026 to-watch list right away. 

Based on that preview, You and I Are Polar Opposites (Seihantai na Kimi to Boku) seems set to be a sparkly, feel-good romp with bright colors that are supported by eye-catching comedic deformations and background graphics. I also like how expressive and lively the core cast comes across through the drawings, with heroine Suzuki looking like a dorky gremlin who might steal the season.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3: The Culling Game Part 1

• Director: Shota Goshozono (Season 2; storyboard artist and episode director for Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 17, Ranking of Kings Episode 21, Chainsaw Man Episode 8)
• Animation production studio: MAPPA
• When in 2026: January 8 (effectively premieres in Japan on January 9 at 12:26 AM JST)
• Based on: Weekly Shonen Jump manga by Gege Akutami

After the disastrous Shibuya Incident, Yuji Itadori and his allies find themselves contending with its aftermath. The machinations of the mysterious Kenjaku aren’t the only thing they have to worry about, as the teaser for The Culling Game Part 1 previews battles with the Zenin family’s Naoya and Jujutsu Kaisen 0 protagonist Yuta Okkotsu.

I’m not sure how Jujutsu Kaisen will survive adapting the action-packed Culling Game arc after Season 2’s messy production situation (switching to split cours, perhaps?). Despite that, I still can’t help but feel enthusiastic about getting another Goshozono-helmed season — after all, we previously received a very welcome series-wide aesthetic overhaul, and I found that the respective directions of Season 2’s episodes left a stronger impression on me than their first season counterparts. With The Culling Game Part 1’s teaser promising a rather stylish experience (the music is sounding real good too), I’m already excited for what’s to come.

Scenes from Awajima

• Director: Morio Asaka (Cardcaptor Sakura, Chihayafuru, Loving Yamada at Lv999!)
• Animation production studio: Madhouse
• When in 2026: April
• Based on: Ohta Publishing-published omnibus manga by Takako Shimura

Scenes from Awajima (Awajima Hyakkei) will tell the stories of characters associated with the Awashima Girls’ Opera School, including a newcomer, a dorm leader, and a scholarship student. The mood, based on the first trailer, feels like a blend of groundedness and the ethereal, though some moments have stylized depictions that lean into the latter for greater impact. I’m curious about the personal lives and psyches that we’ll get to explore with this show.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm

• Director: Masahiro Ando (Sword of the Stranger, CANAAN, Blast of Tempest)
• Animation production studio: Bones Film
• When in 2026: April
• Based on: Monthly Shonen Gangan manga by Hiromu Arakawa

I don’t have a special reason for picking this anime, though I’ve certainly enjoyed a few of Ando’s previous works — I just think it’s a very solid-looking action-adventure that probably won’t be decimated by its consecutive two cours. The plot involves two separated siblings who are meant to rule over Daemons, with a “prophecy” and “conspiracy” present to add further layers. I’m not dying to find out what secrets the siblings’ world hides yet, but it’s a good enough premise for me, and I can see myself easily getting more engrossed with the previewed production values.

Sparks of Tomorrow

• Director: Minoru Ota (CITY The Animation Episode 5 storyboard artist and director)
• Animation production studio: Kyoto Animation
• When in 2026: TBA
• Based on: KA Esuma Bunko novel by Hiro Yuki

The official website for Sparks of Tomorrow (20 Seiki Denki Mokuroku) isn’t kidding when it says that its world is “Shrouded in Smoke.” Many shots from the first trailer — which contains breathtaking background art and a rousing score from Hitomi Koto — are wreathed in it, and even the ones that aren’t feel grimy and choked by their steampunk environment. It’s a different look from previous Kyoto Animation productions, and I’m already impressed by how strong the setting feels with just this brief preview.

That setting is early 20th century Kyoto, in a world where “only steam engines advanced.” A boy and girl meet while in pursuit of a secret contained in something called the “20th Century Electrical Catalog,” and the vibes and plot crumbs suggest an adventure with romance and actions that will see the dawn of electricity. Kyoto Animation is promising “challenging art backgrounds reminiscent of Impressionist paintings and intricate animation” and a story that “depicts the dreams of boys and girls shining in an era of upheaval and innovation,” and I can’t wait to see what journey Sparks of Tomorrow will bring us on.

Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004

• Director: Hiroyuki Takashima (Symphogear XV co-action director, The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 assistant director)
• Animation production studio: Studio KAI
• When in 2026: January
• Based on: Dengeki no Shinbungei light novel series by Rocket Shokai 

In this dark fantasy, terrible criminals are sentenced to join the penal hero units, which means fighting a war against monsters and being revived to continue the fight if they die. The first trailer instantly caught my eye thanks to the animation and what feels like a limited shading approach to the character depictions, and I’ve had this tagged as a must-watch ever since, though the delay from October 2025 has me worried about how the production values will hold up.

Ikoku Nikki: Journal with Witch

• Director: Miyuki Oshiro (Durarara Season 2 assistant director)
• Animation production: Shuka
• When in 2026: January
• Based on: FEEL YOUNG manga by Tomoko Yamashita

Novelist Makoi Kodai takes in her niece Asa Takumi after the death of Makoi’s sister. While Makoi is the type who prefers to be alone and doesn’t do well with human interactions, Asa is sociable, and the question of how these two opposites will interact and develop now that they’re living under the same roof is why I’m interested in this anime. The Kensuke Ushio soundtrack is a nice bonus, and ought to be a wonderful companion to what seems like a promising human drama.

Fate/strange Fake 

• Director: Shun Enokido (Fate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn-, Fate/Apocrypha action director, MASHLE OP2 storyboard artist and unit director)
• Director: Takahito Sakazume (Fate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn-, Fate/Apocrypha action director, Fate/strange Fake book commercial storyboard artist and unit director)
• Animation production studio: A-1 Pictures
• When in 2026: January 3
• Based on: Dengeki Bunko light novel series by Ryohgo Narita

The Holy Grail War comes to America in this latest Fate franchise anime. I’m not a loyal Fate fan who’ll show up to any show that has that F-word in its name, but Fate/strange Fake has my attention thanks to Enokido and Sakazume’s reputation as animators (they’ve done various storyboarding and unit direction work too, often showing up for shiny Fate/Grand Order commercials). I’m also a fan of how the characters come across with the visual style, which draws more attention to the line work.

Like Jujutsu Kaisen and Sentenced to Be a Hero, my anticipation is tempered by concern about whether the show will sustain its quality. Fate/strange Fake was supposed to begin its broadcast this year, and what makes things weird is that the first episode had an early release in late 2024. The fact that the preceding TV special had its own delay, moving from the last day of 2022 to mid-2023, doesn’t encourage confidence in the behind-the-scenes situation either, but I suppose we’ll see.

Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk

• Director: Takashi Sakuma (16bit Sensation: Another Layer)
• Animation production studio: Soigne
• When in 2026: April
• Based on: Manga Cross manga by Hei

The lack of a trailer at the time of writing (there’s a concept trailer from character designer Ko Yoshinari, but there’s no way the series as a whole will feature that distinctive, painterly style) made me slightly hesitant to include this, but I quickly changed my tune after revisiting the character visuals and reminding myself of the premise. It’s basically about college girls and alcohol, and my understanding is that there’s yuri too. A lot of yuri adaptations have looked mediocre or downright awful, but the previewed character designs for Botan Kamiina have been very pleasing, and the fact that this is the second series produced by Soigne (its series prime contractor debut was this year’s Mono, which boasted great animation from start to end, though I don’t know if that production’s team overlaps with this one) has me all the more eager to sample it.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2

• Director: Tomoya Kitagawa (Frieren Season 1 storyboard artist and episode director for Episodes 2, 8, and 25, among other roles)
• Animation production studio: Madhouse
• When in 2026: January 16
• Based on: Weekly Shonen Sunday manga written by Kanehito Yamada and drawn by Tsukasa Abe

I liked but didn’t love the first season of Frieren — due to the nature and length of cour 2’s exam arc, I mainly think of it as just a nice fantasy adventure with superb visuals rather than a moving meditation on the passage of time and relationships. So while I’m glad that I’ll be back in the company of Frieren, Fern, and Stark next year, its presence here is mainly due to my curiosity about how Season 2 will turn out. 

Season 1 director Keiichiro Saito (Bocchi the Rock!) is taking a “director cooperation” role while Kitagawa directs with Daiki Harashina (Frieren Season 1’s monster designer, Episode 3 storyboard artist and director, Episode 24 storyboard artist, and more) as assistant director. There are now three character designers: Takasemaru (Violet Evergarden), Keisuke Kojima (100 Meters), and Yuri Fujinaka (Frieren Season 1 Episode 22 co-chief animation director). Also, I don’t know if Takashi Nakame (Your Name production desk, The Garden of Words and Witch Watch OP 1 co-production assistant), who was co-credited as animation producer on the first season, is still onboard and contributing to the staff-finding. 

With all these factors in mind, I’m quite intrigued to see what identity the new Frieren will have, and how its animation will compare to Season 1. I’m sure that returning concept artist Seiko Yoshioka and the background art staff will continue to impress with their depiction of Frieren’s world, though.