Top 10 upcoming anime after summer 2026

Updated 24 July 2026: the fall season is shaping up to be unusually crowded. These ten confirmed releases are the ones we are watching most closely, based on official announcements and publisher reporting rather than rumor.

This is an editorial watchlist, not a definitive popularity chart. Every entry includes its announced date or window, and the one project without a release date is clearly marked.

1. The Apothecary Diaries Season 3, Cour 1 (October 2026): Maomao returns to the palace for the first half of a split season, with Cour 2 announced for April 2027. Its appeal lies not only in mystery, but in the way medicine, politics, and ordinary detail illuminate one another.

2. Black Clover Second Season (October 2026): the television anime returns after roughly five and a half years away. Crunchyroll has confirmed it will continue streaming the series, making Asta and the Magic Knights one of fall’s biggest shonen returns.

3. Blue Box Season 2 (4 October 2026): the sports romance returns on a confirmed date. Blue Box works because badminton and basketball are more than scenery—they measure ambition and the emotional distance between its characters.

4. Tokyo Revengers: War of the Three Titans Arc (2 October 2026): the anime reaches a decisive phase of Takemichi’s story. Catching up first matters here because the new arc draws its weight from alliances and choices accumulated across earlier seasons.

5. Dragon Ball Super: Beerus (Fall 2026): this is not an entirely new sequel. It is an “enhanced” presentation of the Battle of Gods story with added and redrawn footage and a reconstructed narrative—an important distinction for setting expectations.

6. Reincarnated as a Sword Season 2 (October 2026): Fran and her sword mentor return after a long wait. Season 1 built a warm partnership inside a brisk isekai adventure; the question now is how far the world can expand without losing that central bond.

7. The Detective Is Already Dead Season 2 (October 2026): its broadcast moved from July to October, making it an important correction for older watchlists. The sequel now brings a new mystery after years of waiting since its initial announcement.

8. One Piece Elbaph Arc English dub (Fall 2026): the Japanese broadcast is already simulcasting; what is new here is the English dub’s arrival on Crunchyroll. Language availability can be the real release moment for a large part of the audience.

9. The Apothecary Diaries theatrical film (December 2026): positioned between the two halves of Season 3, the movie tells an original story by series author Natsu Hyuga. Its place here is deliberate—the film is not simply a television compilation.

10. Solo Leveling: Beyond the System (date TBA): Aniplex and Crunchyroll announced the theatrical film at Anime Expo 2026 as the next phase of the story. No official release date has been given, so it belongs on the radar—not yet on the calendar.

The takeaway: October is the center of gravity, but range is the bigger story—sports romance, historical mystery, returning shonen, and a rebuilt version of a familiar saga. Dates and regional availability can change, so this guide will be updated as announcements move.