Fall 2026 is already shaping up to be a crowded season. There are major returning series, adaptations that have waited years for a screen version, and two theatrical releases that should still be part of any seasonal watchlist.
1. The Apothecary Diaries Season 3
Maomao and Jinshi return for the first cour of a new two-cour season. The palace mysteries are expanding beyond the inner court, while the trailer keeps the appeal of the series intact: clever deductions, dry comedy, and political stakes that build quietly before they hit.
Watch the official Season 3 trailer on YouTube. Crunchyroll confirms an October 2026 first cour and an April 2027 second cour.
2. Black Clover Second Season
Black Clover is finally back for a new television season. Asta, Yuno, and the Black Bulls are returning to the larger conflict left hanging by the earlier anime, with Studio Pierrot again behind the animation. This is the big shonen comeback on the list.
Watch Black Clover Second Season Trailer 2 on YouTube. The official series site lists an October 2026 Japanese broadcast start.
3. Ranma 1/2 (2024) Season 3
MAPPA’s remake has kept the physical comedy and romantic chaos of Rumiko Takahashi’s original while giving the fights a much sharper modern presentation. Season 3 looks ready to push Ranma and Ryoga into another round of increasingly ridiculous rivalries.
Watch Ranma 1/2 Season 3’s official teaser on YouTube. The official announcement confirms an October 2026 broadcast and Netflix streaming after it airs in Japan.
4. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2
Night City is getting a new story rather than a direct continuation of David and Lucy’s arc. Studio TRIGGER and CD PROJEKT RED are returning with a fresh cast, which is exactly the right way to revisit a world that works best when every win comes with a cost.
Watch the official premiere-date teaser on YouTube. The new 10-episode story premieres on Netflix on October 20.
5. Made in Abyss: Mezameru Shinpi
Made in Abyss has always balanced gorgeous worldbuilding with genuine dread; the new film promises another descent into a setting where curiosity and danger are inseparable. Exicited to see what dreadful adventures await.
Watch the trailer through the official Made in Abyss site. Japanese theatrical release information is the key detail to watch for international fans.
6. Witch on the Holy Night
ufotable and TYPE-MOON are bringing Witch on the Holy Night to cinemas. It is another film on this list, and its premise gives it a different kind of pull: a late-1980s story where three very different lives collide around a mansion and its two witches.
Watch the trailer on the official Witch on the Holy Night film site. The film opens in Japanese theaters on November 20, 2026.
7. Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden
Nia starts from a great fantasy setup: an undefeated warrior is reborn as a sickly young noble girl, then decides her second life should still be spent pursuing stronger opponents. That tension between a fragile body and a battle-obsessed spirit makes this one of the more unusual new Fall series.
Watch the trailer via the official Nia Liston site. The series begins in Japan on October 6, 2026.
8. PSYREN
After years of fans asking for it, Toshiaki Iwashiro’s supernatural battle-suspense manga is becoming a television anime. A mysterious telephone card, a missing childhood friend, and a secret organization called Psyren give the story a stranger, more paranoid hook than the usual battle-series setup.
Watch the teaser through the official PSYREN anime site, which confirms an October 2026 television premiere.
9. Firefly Wedding
Firefly Wedding brings a period romance-thriller to the Fall schedule. Satoko, a chronically ill nobleman’s daughter, tries to secure a practical marriage before an assassin named Shinpei turns her plan into something far more dangerous. The appeal is the uneasy contrast: a desperate survival bargain that Shinpei takes with frightening sincerity.
Watch the Firefly Wedding trailer on YouTube. The adaptation is directed by Takahiro Kamei at david production and is scheduled for October 2026.
10. Fool Night
Fool Night brings a more unsettling science-fiction premise to the list. In a future where clouds have blocked the sun and oxygen is scarce, people near death can choose “transfloration” and become plants. Toshiro Kamiya agrees to the procedure for his family, then discovers he can hear the transformed people around him.
Watch the official Fool Night teaser on YouTube. The official site confirms a November 26, 2026 worldwide Netflix release from Sunrise and SHAFT.
Bonus Watch: Gachiakuta Season 2 — Release Date TBA
Rudo’s battle through the Pit is continuing. Gachiakuta earned attention for its rough, graffiti-shaped visual identity and its angry, physical action; a second season means there is more room for the Cleaners, the Raiders, and the system that threw Rudo away in the first place.
Watch the Gachiakuta Season 2 First Look PV on YouTube, alongside the official announcement.
This is a personal watchlist based on officially announced release plans and trailers available on August 21, 2026. Streaming availability can vary by region, and dates can change.
