Best anime of 2026 so far: Your ultimate watch list
Anime skeptics still picture nonstop punching and power-ups when they think of the medium. Fair enough, shows like ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’, ‘Demon Slayer’, and ‘Chainsaw Man’ built on ‘Dragon Ball's’ legacy of high-stakes brawls and glowing auras.
But 2026 is making a strong case that anime's real strength lies in how wildly it can range from rune-drawing magic systems to century-old oral storytelling traditions to a post-apocalyptic political epic.
Here's a tour through the year's standouts so far, action-heavy and otherwise.
Witch Hat Atelier
Adapted from Kamome Shirahama's illustrated manga, the series imagines magic as something drawn, specific runes inked with precision. Newcomer studio Bug Films had a lot to prove taking on such visually intricate source material, and early results suggest they're pulling it off. Don't be shocked if this ends up as many fans' favorite new series of the year.
Nippon Sangoku
Japan's history through fiction, virus and catastrophic earthquake gut the population, three states rise from the wreckage, and a century of civil war follows before one leader, Aoteru Misumi, attempts to unify the fractured nation diplomatically. The show leans into the source manga's stark black-and-white ink style, giving it a visual identity unlike almost anything else airing this year.
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Akane-Banashi
It centers on a young woman training in rakugo, a 17th-century Japanese art form, and frames her journey with all the tension and triumph of a sports drama. It's a niche that may land differently for Western audiences than Japanese ones, but the character work carries it regardless.
Jujutsu Kaisen's third season
Raises MAPPA's own bar, a studio responsible for ‘Attack on Titan’, ‘Vinland Saga’, and ‘Chainsaw Man’. This latest batch of episodes covers noticeably less manga ground than the previous season, but the trade-off is animation quality.
Hell's Paradise
Returned for a second season following a condemned assassin chasing a shot at freedom on a lethal island, shadowed by an executioner under orders to kill him the moment things go wrong.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End's
Second season keeps its contemplative pace, an elf who outlived everyone she loved wanders the world reconsidering how she spends the time she has left.
Also Read: New and returning shows worth clearing your schedule for September 2026
One Piece
Current arc sends the Straw Hats to the island of giants, cracking open two decades of manga mysteries in the process, timed well with a live-action Netflix adaptation feeding new fans into the franchise.
Black Torch
The anime won't reinvent shonen, but if Chainsaw Man or Jujutsu Kaisen are your comfort shows, its story of a ninja-in-training bonded to a cursed, animal-speaking spirit hits familiar, satisfying beats.
You and I Are Polar Opposites
Predictable teen romance about opposite personalities falling for each other, nothing groundbreaking, but pleasant comfort viewing.
Mao
From Inuyasha creator Rumiko Takahashi, flips her own classic premise, instead of a modern girl transported into the past to fall for a half-demon, it's the demon girl transported into a modern era. Takahashi's pacing and instincts for the genre remain sharp.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run
A transcontinental horse race for $50 million, president secretly hunting magical remains for world domination, and a hero racing to stop him. Hirohiko Araki's decades-long series remains gloriously, confidently absurd.
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Daemons of the Shadow Realm
Comes from the ‘Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’ team and follows twin siblings with demon-controlling powers, separated young and desperate to reunite while evading a military that sees them as weapons.