Spring anime season is here, bringing with it a host of new and returning titles in this year’s second release quarter (or cour in anime speak). This new beginning has ushered in the season finales of prominent Winter 2026 titles, including Jujutsu Kaisen: The Culling Game Part 1, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End season 2, and Trigun Stargaze. Some under-the-radar winter anime, such as Digimon Beatbreak and Case Closed (Detective Conan), will also continue to stream episodes during the spring cour. That said, there’s ample space for fresh, exciting offerings like Go For It, Nakamura-kun!! and Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods to subvert expectations or sweep us off our feet.
Anime accommodates wide and eclectic tastes. While anticipation for legacy shows like the latest installment of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is thoroughly earned, the spring anime season will also bring niche manga adaptations worth investing in. With that in mind, here are 12 spring anime titles that will keep you hooked from April through June.
12
Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring
Release date: March 28
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
Kana Akatsuki’s (Violet Evergarden) light novel series, Agents of the Four Seasons, presents an interesting premise. It introduces us to a world where Winter is the only season that exists. However, Winter’s loneliness becomes so acute that it cuts off a part of its essence to create Spring. Soon after, Summer and Autumn are born, commencing the cycle of the four seasons. To preserve this natural balance, human guardians known as Agents of the Four Seasons are appointed by Mother Earth, and humankind is promised abundance and stability in exchange. The first part of the light novel, Dance of Spring, is being adapted by Wit Studio (which produced the first three seasons of Attack on Titan). The story follows Hinagiku Kayo, the Agent of Spring who was kidnapped by the Rebels (insurgents who detest the four-season cycle) 10 years before the events of the anime, causing Spring to be absent during that time period. Her return during the ongoing Reimei Era brings new hope, as Hinagiku must restore Spring to fulfill her divine duty.
11
Dorohedoro season 2
Release date: April 1
Where to watch: Crunchyroll/Netflix
Caiman is more lizard than man in the post-apocalyptic setting of Dorohedoro, which is populated by humans and sorcerers alike. Season 1 introduced us to the elevated social hierarchy sorcerers enjoy due to their ability to use magic, as strength determines social status in this lawless world. Due to their innate lack of power, humans are subjected to indiscriminate violence and forced to survive in the Hole, an ungoverned megacity that remains polluted by magic waste. Caiman’s journey begins after a sorcerer erases his memories and replaces his head with that of a reptile, prompting him to search for the person responsible. Dorohedoro’s season 1 finale aired in 2020 and ended with a major reveal about Caiman’s restaurant chef friend Nikaido. Caiman’s return is long-anticipated, as Dorohedoro’s absurdist tendencies add an intriguing edge to this dark fantasy seinen.
10
Dr. Stone: Science Future season 4, part 3
Release date: April 2
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
In Riichiro Inagaki’s Dr. Stone, humans are petrified in stone for 3,719 years after a mysterious green flash is seen in 2019. This bleak opener is immediately undercut by the revival of Senku Ishigami, an adolescent prodigy who grapples with the erosion of human civilization. After his friend Taiju Oki wakes up, Senku realizes that humanity can be saved by the power of science, which leads him on a challenging but fun quest to awaken more humans and rebuild civilization. TMS Entertainment’s (Akira) four-season Dr. Stone adaptation maps this ingenious journey, with the fourth and final season, Science Future, airing its third cour on April 2. This penultimate cour is expected to be more dramatic and emotional than the rest of Dr. Stone, as Senku and his friends must challenge Why-man, the elusive entity responsible for humankind’s repeated petrification. It’s time to save humanity once and for all.
9
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime season 4
Release date: April 3
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
After being accidentally stabbed by an unknown assailant, salaryman Satoru Mikami gets reincarnated in a sword and sorcery world as a blue, translucent slime. This marks his rebirth as Rimuru Tempest in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, the beloved isekai anime that is returning with its fourth installment soon. While Rimuru’s journey has been long and arduous so far, his Jura-Tempest Federation is slowly inching towards a world where humans and monsters can coexist. Season 4 presents Granbell Rosso (a former Hero and head of the Five Elders of the Kingdom of Siltrosso) and his blonde-haired granddaughter Mariabell Rosso as key antagonists, who will challenge this hard-earned status quo. There’s also the Demon Lord Leon Cromwell, the ruler of El Dorado, whose grander motivations are yet to be revealed. Additionally, the franchise anime film That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Tears of the Azure Sea will release on May 1.
8
Snowball Earth
Release date: April 3
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
Yuhiro Tsujitsugu’s seinen manga, Snowball Earth, makes competent use of (and subverts) mecha anime conventions. In this story, a shy teen named Tetsuo and his giant robot Yukio fight alien monsters to protect Earth, but Yukio gets destroyed in battle. Managing to survive in an escape pod, Tetsuo awakens from cryosleep and lands back on Earth after eight years. He is stunned to find the planet entirely frozen, with everything covered in snow and ice. Although Tetsuo prefers his solitude due to an inability to connect with people, he must push through these sentiments to help save what remains of humanity. Studio Kai (Sentenced to Be a Hero) is bringing this moving saga to life. Snowball Earth might end up being a welcome addition to the mecha genre, which is bound to undergo a resurgence with Yoko Taro’s Evangelion anime on the horizon.
7
Daemons of the Shadow Realm
Release date: April 4
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
Do you miss Hiromu Arakawa’s sweeping, but intimate Fullmetal Alchemist? There’s reason to rejoice, as the mangaka’s acclaimed Daemons of the Shadow Realm is getting a promising adaptation by Bones Film (who handled My Hero Academia’s final season and season 1 of Gachiakuta). In this Arakawa saga, certain humans can control mighty supernatural duos called Daemons. Twins Yuru and Asa, dubbed “the children who sunder day and night,” are prophesied to rule over Daemons, but they’re separated at a young age, and their true natures are kept secret. As the twins gradually become aware of their birthright, the burden of saving the world falls on their shoulders, while they must also fight hard to make their way back to each other. Yuru and Asa faintly echo Edward and Alphonse’s sibling dynamic in Fullmetal Alchemist, but Arakawa’s modern-day, rural Japanese setting in Daemons of the Shadow Realm is distinct from the military nation of Amestris.
6
One Piece – Elbaph Arc
Release date: April 5
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
One Piece is back with its 22nd season, which will adapt the Elpabh Arc from Oda’s acclaimed, ongoing manga series. Monkey D. Luffy’s adventures with his Straw Hat Pirates continue as usual, but the crew is joined by familiar faces (like the Giant Warrior Pirates and the pirate Bonney) in their journey to Elbaph, a nation in the New World inhabited by giants. In a major change, the anime is adopting a two-split cours annual schedule from here on out, and this shift allows the vibrant, complex story to unfold at its own pace. Elbaph has always been teased as a long-awaited destination for the Straw Hats, and the nation will undoubtedly become the site for challenge-filled adventures, with the antagonistic Knights of God preparing to annex Elbaph for the World Government. For Luffy and his crew, the ultimate goal is to find the near-mythical “one piece” (which is now a treasure hunt in the real world!), but they will always make time to help their friends and allies along the way.
5
Witch Hat Atelier
Release date: April 6
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
Evoking favorable comparisons to Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Kamome Shirahama’s Witch Hat Atelier is a beautiful and layered exploration of the ethics of using magic. An inquisitive child named Coco, who is enamored by all things magic from a young age, crosses paths with a witch named Qifrey on a mundane afternoon. As everybody in Coco’s world believes that only witches can use magic due to innate abilities, Coco silently yearns for a similar power, which ignites her curiosity toward Qifrey’s mysterious craft. Unfortunately, Coco’s longtime dreams of becoming a witch come at a hefty price, compelling her to weigh the morality of spellcasting and navigate a brand new world. Bug Films (the studio behind the survival horror anime, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead) will usher us into the evocative world of Witch Hat Atelier with a two-episode premiere, which will lay the foundation for Coco’s strange and magical journey.
4
Liar Game
Release date: April 6
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
Battle Royale had an obvious influence on Squid Game, Hwang Dong-hyuk’s survival thriller that became a global phenomenon on Netflix. That said, Hwang Dong-hyuk’s compelling premise also owes a debt to Shinobu Kaitani’s Liar Game, which will grace our screens soon, courtesy of Madhouse (Frieren, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth). This seinen anime follows a college student named Nao Kanzaki, who receives a package containing $1 million and a note that she is now a contestant on the Liar Game. In this tournament, lying and cheating are encouraged, as the aim is to snatch other contestants’ money and have the loser pay the incurred debt. After Nao’s first opponent steals her money, she employs a con man named Shinichi Akiyama to help retrieve it. Liar Game will be of interest to anyone who enjoys twisty survival games, especially one with a protagonist who might be too forthcoming for her own good.
3
Marriagetoxin
Release date: April 7
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
Another long-awaited offering by Bones Film, Mizuki Yoda’s Marriagetoxin follows Hikaru Gero, a member of the Poison Clan of professional assassins. Due to the highly regimented nature of his life, Hikaru doesn’t care much about societal expectations surrounding dating and marriage. Things drastically change after the Poison Clan demands that Hikaru marry and produce an heir, while threatening to force his sister Akari into a marriage if he fails to comply. Scrambling for a solution, Hikaru enlists the aid of a marriage swindler named Mei Kinosaki, who agrees to coach him during his quest to charm women and find someone he wants to marry. Marriagetoxin employs fish-out-of-water humor to flesh out Hikaru’s social awkwardness, leading to an action-packed, but charming story about finding love.
![29th Mar: The Queen of Lunchtime Cuisine (2002), 12 Episodes [TV-PG] (6/10)](https://occ-0-2655-90.1.nflxso.net/dnm/api/v6/Qs00mKCpRvrkl3HZAN5KwEL1kpE/AAAABfQuDQd4sGOvPyMBj5Eo8txGRU9FEYQVgCrDvJ6Yomzef6rLppysNRZPdfcusOI0qkoAqibLctrnkJtzbtm8mNhU3u74a6y7sKUeIR6fBPlC3jzp-RUCtXYVuAjumDo9pVU8GviUfMJSiexWWqRPZMwyRc-Hz5raZJyJ-q7aURWu7w.jpg?r=923 "29th Mar: The Queen of Lunchtime Cuisine (2002), 12 Episodes [TV-PG] (6/10)")
