Autumn 2026 brings a broad anime lineup for Australian viewers, from returning favourites and supernatural mysteries to sci-fi thrillers and adaptations of major games. Release dates marked TBA remain unconfirmed.
After a summer featuring Ghost in the Shell, Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia and Part 4 of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, the next season continues with a strong mix of romance, fantasy, action and speculative fiction. Here are 10 of the most anticipated titles.
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10. Blue Box Season 2
Release date: 4 October
Studio: Telecom Animation Film
Blue Box blends sport, romance and slice-of-life storytelling. Taiki Inomata, a badminton player determined to improve, regularly crosses paths with Chinatsu Kano, the star of the girls’ basketball team. Their gradual romance develops alongside their ambitions to reach the national championship. Season 2 promises more gentle teenage drama, emotional growth and the series’ low-stakes, comforting atmosphere.
9. Psyren
Release date: October, date TBA
Studio: Satelight
Ageha Yoshina expects trouble from his sister after beating up a bully, but a strange payphone and a calling card marked “Psyren” lead him towards a dangerous urban legend. The promise of a substantial reward draws him into a supernatural mystery. This adaptation of Toshiaki Iwashiro’s overlooked manga could appeal to fans of science fiction with a darker, more mysterious edge.
8. Ranma ½ Season 3
Release date: 4 October
Studio: MAPPA
MAPPA’s modern adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi’s manga returns for a third season. After falling into the cursed springs of Jusenkyo, Ranma Saotome changes into a girl when splashed with cold water and returns to his usual form with hot water. Alongside martial-arts comedy, the story continues Ranma’s complicated relationship with Akane, whom he is promised to marry. Its humour also examines gender identity and social expectations.
7. Tokyo Revengers: War of the Three Titans Arc
Release date: 3 October
Studio: Liden Films
Takemichi Hanagaki’s accidental journey 12 years into the past began after learning that someone close to him had died through connections to the Tokyo Manji Gang. In this fourth season, he is once again trying to prevent Mikey from taking a disastrous path. A huge three-way gang conflict is set to engulf Tokyo, raising the stakes well beyond Takemichi’s earlier attempts to change history.
6. Fool Night
Release date: 26 November
Studio: Sunrise/Shaft
In Fool Night, Earth has spent a century beneath dense cloud cover, leaving the planet without sunlight and accelerating the loss of oxygen. Technology allows volunteers to transform permanently into plants so humanity can continue relying on them. Toshiro Kamiya joins the programme, but gains the unexpected ability to communicate with plants. The sci-fi thriller explores environmental collapse and its close relationship with capitalism.
5. Black Clover Season 2
Release date: October, date TBA
Studio: Pierrot
The anime adaptation of Yuki Tabata’s manga returns after its first season concluded in March 2021. Asta was born without mana in a world where magic is commonplace, so he trains his physical abilities instead. His fellow orphan Yuno, by contrast, is a gifted magical prodigy. One numbering complication remains: the original 170 episodes were treated as one season in Japan but divided into four seasons for many international audiences.
4. The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Part 1
Release date: 2 October
Studio: Toho/OLM
Maomao is an apothecary kidnapped and sold into service at the Imperial Palace. Her skill at solving a serious mystery makes her indispensable and attracts the attention of Jinshi. The third season’s opening part expands her investigations beyond the palace, introduces new characters and explores the consequences of conflicts within the kingdom. Its combination of mystery, humour and romance makes it an inviting series for new viewers as well as returning fans.
3. Dragon Ball Super: Beerus
Release date: 11 October
Studio: Toei Animation
Dragon Ball Super: Beerus revisits early arcs from Dragon Ball Super in an enhanced, remastered and recut form. The project puts renewed focus on the original’s large-scale battles and choreography. While some fans may prefer an adaptation of material that has not yet reached the screen, the updated presentation could add weight to familiar events by refining the threats and character expectations without breaking continuity.
2. Sekiro: No Defeat
Release date: 4 September in Japan; worldwide date TBA
Studio: Qzil.la
Based on FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, this anime follows a shinobi tasked with rescuing his lord during Japan’s Sengoku period. It dramatises the rule of Sword Saint Isshin Ashina and the growing threat of the Interior Ministry. The Japanese theatrical run began on 4 September and is scheduled for three weeks, while an international release has not yet been announced.
1. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2
Release date: 20 October
Studio: Trigger
Trigger returns to the world of CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 with another prequel story set in Night City. The new anime follows cinephile Roman Carax, alongside street gang member Talia Wang and nomad netrunner D. Veteran edgerunner Weak Kingsley is also part of the cast. The first season charted David Martinez’s tragic rise and fall; this new story is again expected to examine the loss of innocence in a neon-lit, dangerous city.
Autumn anime at a glance
- Returning series: Blue Box, Ranma ½, Tokyo Revengers, Black Clover and The Apothecary Diaries.
- New adaptations and stories: Psyren, Fool Night, Sekiro: No Defeat and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2.
- Release dates to watch: September begins with Sekiro: No Defeat in Japan, while October contains the largest concentration of listed premieres.
If these game-inspired adaptations encourage you to revisit interactive classics, the RETROCADE arcade machine range and arcade machine buying guide are useful places to start.
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