Spring 2026 is mid-season and already carrying Re:Zero Season 4, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, and Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 simultaneously — one of the strongest lineups in recent memory. Summer 2026 is set to continue that momentum.
Here is every confirmed and announced show expected to debut or continue in Summer 2026 (July–September), plus what to expect from each.
The Big One: Dandadan Season 2
Studio: Science SARU · Platform: Netflix · Status: Confirmed
Dandadan Season 1 arrived in autumn 2024 and immediately became one of the most-discussed anime of the year. Science SARU's adaptation of Yukinobu Tatsu's manga was chaotic, visually inventive, emotionally sincere, and genuinely unlike anything else airing that season.
Season 2 is confirmed. Netflix picked up Dandadan as part of their expanded anime production slate, and Science SARU is returning to handle the animation. The source material — the Turbo Granny arc's continuation and the introduction of new characters from Tatsu's expanding cast — gives the production plenty to work with.
What made Season 1 work was Science SARU's willingness to match Tatsu's visual energy directly. The fight sequences were animated with the same chaotic physicality as the manga's action panels. Season 2 has even more of that material to work from.
What to expect: The same supernatural weirdness, emotional core, and animation quality as Season 1. Dandadan Season 2 is the safest recommendation going into summer.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War — The Conflict Continues
Studio: Pierrot · Platform: Crunchyroll · Status: Expected Summer 2026
Bleach: TYBW has been running in cours since 2022, gradually adapting Tite Kubo's climactic arc. Each cour has raised the production ceiling — the animation quality in the later cours surpassed anything Pierrot produced in the original Bleach run and competes with modern studio giants.
Summer 2026 is the expected window for the next cour. The manga material remaining covers some of Kubo's most ambitious chapters — the Royal Realm, the Zero Division, and the arc's final confrontations. Pierrot has been meticulous about the adaptation and there's no reason to expect that to change.
What to expect: The same cinematic action sequences and Shiro Sagisu's exceptional score. If you've been following TYBW, summer is when things escalate significantly.
Overlord Season V
Studio: Madhouse · Platform: Crunchyroll · Status: Announced for 2026
Ainz Ooal Gown's return has been a long time coming. Overlord Season IV aired in 2022 and the fan base has been waiting for Madhouse to continue the adaptation of Kugane Maruyama's light novel.
Season V was officially announced for 2026. Whether it lands in Summer or slides to Autumn is still unconfirmed as of May — but the announcement puts it firmly within the 2026 calendar. The source material available covers several volumes of the light novel that have never been animated, including arcs that expand significantly on the world Maruyama built.
What to expect: The same strategic, morally grey power fantasy that made Overlord one of the defining isekai series of the 2010s. Madhouse returning to finish what they started is the right call.
Dorohedoro Season 2
Studio: MAPPA · Platform: Netflix · Status: Expected 2026
Netflix's Dorohedoro Season 1 was released in 2020 and immediately became a cult landmark. The adaptation of Q Hayashida's dense, grotesque, funny manga was handled by MAPPA with the same care they brought to Jujutsu Kaisen — which is to say, exceptional care.
A second season covering the rest of Hayashida's manga has been discussed in production circles for years. The manga ran until 2018 and the remaining material — deeper into Hole's mythology, En's backstory, and the reveal of Caiman's true identity — is arguably even stronger than what Season 1 covered.
What to expect: The same diesel-punk aesthetic, absurdist humour, and surprisingly sincere emotional beats that made Season 1 essential viewing. Dorohedoro Season 2 is the most overdue anime continuation in recent memory.
Blue Lock Season 3 / World Cup Arc
Studio: Eight Bit · Platform: Crunchyroll · Status: Expected 2026
Blue Lock Season 2 (currently airing in Spring 2026) is covering the Neo Egoist League arc — the escalation from the original programme into international competition. Season 3 covering the World Cup arc is the logical continuation, and the manga material is there.
Eight Bit has handled Blue Lock's adaptation with consistent quality. The visual language for the sport — the first-person perspective shots during key plays, the colour-coded player profiles — has been maintained across both seasons.
What to expect: Higher stakes and a larger cast as the World Cup stage introduces international rivals. The World Cup arc is where Blue Lock becomes a genuinely global story.
One Piece — Elbaf Arc
Studio: Toei Animation · Platform: Crunchyroll · Status: Ongoing
One Piece has been airing continuously since 1999 and Summer 2026 will be no different. The Elbaf arc — the Giant Kingdom storyline that Oda has been building toward for decades — is currently in progress and among the most celebrated arcs in the manga's history.
Toei's pacing has improved significantly since the post-Wano overhaul, and the Elbaf arc's visual demands (giant-scale combat, new world design, significant character payoffs) are being met with production quality that matches the material's importance.
What to expect: Major Elbaf storyline payoffs and some of the best moments in the series for fans who have been reading the manga.
What to Watch While You Wait
If Summer 2026 can't come fast enough, the Spring 2026 lineup is still actively airing:
- Re:Zero Season 4 — Wednesdays on Crunchyroll. Full review here.
- Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 — Sundays on Crunchyroll. Episode 12 recap here.
- Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 — Fridays on Crunchyroll and Netflix. Full review here.
- Witch Hat Atelier — Thursdays on Netflix. Episode 7 review here.
The Verdict on Summer 2026
Spring 2026 set a high bar. Summer 2026 has the firepower to match it — Dandadan Season 2 alone would be enough to make the season worthwhile, and the potential return of Bleach TYBW, Overlord, and Dorohedoro in the same window would make it exceptional.
Bookmark this page. We'll update it with confirmed premiere dates as announcements come in.
Keep Reading: Best Anime Spring 2026 — Complete Schedule · Dandadan Season 1 Review · Best Anime of 2026 So Far
