From ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ to ‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End,’ here are the anime to watch in the new year.
We were just touting 2025 as a huge year for anime, but 2026 is poised to repeat that—and it’s coming out of the gates swinging with some big banner titles jam-packed into January. With that in mind, we’ve assembled a list of shows we think you should add to your watchlist, who made them, and why they’re going to be great.Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2
Studio: Madhouse
Release Date: January 16
Sales Pitch: A tale of an elf woman and her new young companions as they trek out on a lascivious journey filled with innocuously impeccable fight scenes and tons of heart.Hell’s Paradise Season 2
Studio: Mappa
Release Date: January 11
Sales Pitch: A troupe of prisoners and their executors has their Suicide Squad quest for the elixir of life interrupted by a mysterious island (named Kotaku, funnily enough) whose gender-nonconforming beings intend to cut their lives short.Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3
Studio: Mappa
Release Date: January 8
Sales Pitch: Yuji Itadori and the rest of the jujutsu sorcerers are forcefully conscripted into a death game tournament arc with a bunch of rules and a lot of action that’s sure to make fans praise it for being “peak!”Oshi no Ko Season 3
Studio: Doga Kobo
Release Date: January 14
Sales Pitch: A doctor and his former patient are reincarnated as the children of their favorite pop idol and spend the rest of their teenage years chasing stardom as well as their mother’s killer.
