Spring 2026’s Biggest Returning Anime You Shouldn’t Miss

Spring 2026 isn’t just another anime season — it’s a full-scale event. While Winter handed us blockbusters like Frieren Season 2, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, and Hell’s Paradise Season 2, the baton is being passed to a Spring lineup that punches just as hard. From the long-awaited arrival at the Land of Giants to the return of Subaru’s unending torment, this season caters to nearly every flavor of anime fan.

Below, we run through the 12 returning series you absolutely need on your watchlist this Spring 2026. Simulcast schedules are largely on Crunchyroll unless noted otherwise.

1. One Piece – Elbaph Arc

• Creator: Eiichiro Oda
• Release Date: April 5, 2026
• Studio: Toei Animation
• Where To Watch: Crunchyroll

After the dust settled on the harrowing Egghead Arc — one of the most dramatic and emotionally charged stretches in the entire series — the Straw Hat Crew now sets sail for what many fans consider the most mythologically significant destination in all of One Piece: Elbaph, the legendary Land of Giants.

This arc has been teased since the Little Garden storyline over two decades ago, and its arrival carries enormous weight for Usopp in particular. Joined by the Giant Warrior Pirates, the crew steps into new alliances, long-hoped-for reunions, and a scale of adventure that feels worthy of the final saga. Toei Animation, sharpened by the visual strides made during Wano, looks set to deliver something truly colossal here.

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Elbaph is as good a “new starting line” as One Piece has ever offered. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to jump back in, this is it.

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A notable change for 2026: One Piece is capping at a maximum of 26 episodes split across two cours, a format shift that signals less filler and more deliberate pacing. For long-time fans, that alone is reason to celebrate.

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2. Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World Season 4

• Creators: Tappei Nagatsuki (Story), Shinichirou Otsuka (Art)
• Release Date: April 8, 2026
• Studio: White Fox
• Where To Watch: Crunchyroll

Subaru Natsuki’s return to another punishing loop of suffering and sacrifice is one of the most eagerly anticipated isekai events in recent memory. Season 3 left viewers emotionally wrecked — and that’s precisely why fans can’t wait for more. White Fox’s psychological isekai has consistently raised the stakes with every new cour, and the fourth season promises to continue that tradition of brutal, earned storytelling.

Where Season 3 pushed the cast to their absolute limits, Season 4 is expected to deepen the political intrigue of the kingdom while finally shedding light on mysteries that have been simmering since the very beginning. Subaru’s Return by Death ability remains both his greatest weapon and his most devastating curse — and the show has never let him off easy with it.

With an English dub confirmed at launch for Crunchyroll, this is one of the easiest recommends for veteran fans and newcomers brave enough to start the journey.

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3. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4

• Creators: Fuse (Story), Mitz Vah (Art)
• Release Date: April 3, 2026
• Studio: 8bit
• Where To Watch: Crunchyroll

Rimuru Tempest’s nation-building adventure continues with its fourth season, picking up a story that has grown far beyond the cozy isekai premise it started with. The previous season saw Rimuru dealing with escalating threats to Tempest on multiple fronts — military, political, and divine — as his ambition to create a world where monsters and humans coexist is tested at every turn.

Season 4 is expected to push further into the grand political chess match between nations and demon lords, with Rimuru’s True Demon Lord status now fully established. The series has always succeeded at balancing large-scale world-building with genuine emotional beats, and 8bit has consistently delivered clean, colourful animation that fits the show’s tone perfectly.

An English dub confirmed at launch on Crunchyroll makes this one of the more accessible returns of the season for Western audiences.

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Also Check: 10 Spring 2026 Anime Debuts That Could Become the Next Big Thing

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4. Dr. Stone: Science Future Part 3

• Creators: Riichiro Inagaki (Story), Boichi (Art)
• Release Date: April 2, 2026
• Studio: TMS Entertainment
• Where To Watch: Crunchyroll

Senku Ishigami’s wildly ambitious plan to restore human civilization reaches its most spectacular chapter yet: getting to the Moon. Dr. Stone: Science Future Part 3 marks the definitive finale of one of shonen’s most genuinely educational and endlessly inventive series — a show that turned chemistry lessons into edge-of-your-seat drama.

Part 2 sent the Kingdom of Science to America in preparation for the lunar mission, and now everything Senku has built — every invention, every alliance, every victory won by brains over brawn — converges in what should be a suitably grand conclusion. The stakes have never been higher, and the series has earned every bit of the emotional payoff waiting at the finish line.

If you’ve followed Senku’s journey from the very first stone world, clearing your schedule for April 2 is non-negotiable.

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5. Dorohedoro Season 2

• Creator: Q Hayashida
• Release Date: April 1, 2026
• Studio: MAPPA
• Where To Watch: Crunchyroll

Six years. That’s how long fans of the bizarre, grimy, utterly singular world of Hole have been waiting for Caiman and Nikaido to return to screens. The first season, produced by MAPPA back in 2020, was a cult triumph — a deliriously dense action-horror series filled with lizard-headed men, demonic sorcerers, gyoza, and genuine heart buried under layers of chaos.

Season 2 picks up with Caiman still hunting for the sorcerer whose magic warped his head, and the secrets about his true identity growing ever more tangled. MAPPA continues to direct under Yuichiro Hayashi, which means fans can expect the same manic energy with an even bigger budget behind it. Q Hayashida’s manga is widely considered one of the most unique works in the medium, and the anime adaptation has done it considerable justice.

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Dorohedoro Season 2 is the cult comeback of the year. Welcome back to Hole.

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This is one of the rawest, most imaginative series airing this spring. If you’ve never watched it, Season 1 is essential viewing before April 1.

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6. Ace of Diamond Act II Season 2

• Creator: Yuji Terajima
• Release Date: April 5, 2026
• Studio: OLM
• Where To Watch: Netflix

The road to Koshien never gets old, and Ace of Diamond continues to be one of sports anime’s most dependable and emotionally rewarding entries. Act II Season 2 continues Eijun Sawamura’s fierce competition with ace candidates on Seidou High’s baseball team, a rivalry that has consistently driven the best dramatic moments in the series.

Sports anime tends to live or die by the quality of its matchups and character development, and Ace of Diamond has always excelled at both — painting its games as genuine psychological battles between determined athletes. With OLM animating the series, fans can expect the clean, athletic movement that made the earlier seasons so satisfying to watch.

Whether you’re a dedicated baseball fan or simply love watching characters push past their limits, this one delivers every single week.

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7. The Beginning After the End Season 2

• Creator: TurtleMe
• Release Date: April 1, 2026
• Studio: Studio A-CAT
• Where To Watch: Crunchyroll

Based on TurtleMe’s enormously popular web novel and manhwa series, The Beginning After the End follows King Grey — a monarch reincarnated into a world of magic and monsters, carrying the wisdom of a warrior king but the body of a child. Season 1 established the world’s lore, Arthur Leywin’s rapid growth, and the ominous threat of the Vritra Clan lurking in the shadows.

Season 2 is expected to dive deeper into the escalating conflict that the first season began building toward, with Arthur facing threats that test not just his magical power but his loyalty, identity, and the choices he made in his past life. The series has one of the more passionate fanbases in the modern isekai space, fueled by years of novel readers eager to see key arcs finally animated.

With a confirmed April 1 premiere on Crunchyroll, this is one of the most accessible day-one watches of the entire spring season.

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8. Mission: Yozakura Family Season 2

• Creator: Hitsuji Gondaira
• Release Date: April 12, 2026
• Studio: Silver LINK
• Where To Watch: Disney+

One of the more charming newcomers from recent seasons, Mission: Yozakura Family blends spy-action comedy with wholesome family dynamics in a way that few series manage to pull off as effortlessly. Season 1 introduced Taiyo Asano, an ordinary boy who finds himself marrying into Japan’s most powerful spy family — the Yozakura clan — in order to protect his childhood friend Mutsumi.

Season 2 is expected to pick up the pace on the overarching threat of the mysterious organization opposing the Yozakuras, pushing Taiyo further along his growth as both a spy and a member of his adopted family. The series has a warm, earnest core that consistently offsets its over-the-top action, making it one of the more genuinely feel-good watches on this list.

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9. Classroom of the Elite Season 4: Second Year, First Semester

• Creators: Shougo Kinugasa (Story), Tomose Shunsaku (Art)
• Release Date: April 1, 2026
• Studio: Lerche
• Where To Watch: Crunchyroll

Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School remains one of anime’s most ruthless academic battlegrounds, and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji remains one of its most compelling strategists. Season 4 begins the second year of the series, with Class D starting back at the bottom after a crushing defeat — the perfect reset to reintroduce the show’s chess-like tension.

New challenges arrive in the form of a special exam that pairs second-year students with incoming first-years, including at least one student from the White Room — Ayanokoji’s mysterious and deeply unsettling place of origin. This development has novel readers buzzing, as it promises to peel back more of the layers that make Ayanokoji such a fascinating and morally ambiguous protagonist.

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Classroom of the Elite has always been about the gap between appearances and reality. Season 4 looks set to widen that gap considerably.

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Lerche returns to animate, and the studio’s clean visual style continues to serve the show’s cold, calculating atmosphere well.

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10. Wistoria: Wand and Sword Season 2

• Creators: Fujino Omori (Story), Toshi Aoi (Art)
• Release Date: April 12, 2026
• Studio: Actas, Bandai Namco Pictures
• Where To Watch: Crunchyroll

Wistoria: Wand and Sword emerged from the Summer 2024 season as one of the more pleasant shonen surprises in recent years. The series follows Will Serfort, a magic academy student who cannot use magic in a world built entirely around it — forced to compensate with pure, relentless swordsmanship and a drive to reach the top of his class no matter the cost.

Season 1 did an admirable job establishing Will’s underdog charm and the brutal social hierarchy of the academy. Season 2 is expected to push him into more demanding tournaments and confrontations, further developing the bonds and rivalries that gave the first season its heart. Written by Fujino Omori of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? fame, the series has a strong pedigree in high-energy fantasy action.

With an English dub confirmed at launch, April 12 is the date to mark for fans of sports-inflected magic academy anime.

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11. Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun Season 4

• Creator: Osamu Nishi
• Release Date: April 4, 2026
• Studio: Bandai Namco Pictures
• Where To Watch: Crunchyroll

The most wholesome series on this entire list returns with its fourth season, and fans could not be happier. Iruma-kun follows the relentlessly kind human Iruma Suzuki, who — after being sold to a demon by his deadbeat parents — finds himself enrolled at the Babyls Demon School and adopted as the grandson of its chairman, the Great Demon Sullivan.

What makes the series work so beautifully is its warmth: Iruma’s goodness doesn’t just survive in the Demon World, it actively changes the people around him. Season 3 introduced some of the darker underpinnings of the world, and Season 4 is expected to continue that trend while preserving the comedy and friendship dynamics that made the earlier seasons so beloved.

With an English dub at launch and a reputation as one of the most consistently uplifting shonen series currently running, Iruma-kun Season 4 is essential viewing for fans of feel-good anime.

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12. Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 5

• Creator: Reiji Miyajima
• Release Date: April 8, 2026
• Studio: TMS Entertainment
• Where To Watch: Crunchyroll

Love it or love to complain about it, Rent-a-Girlfriend has remained one of the most-watched and most-discussed romance anime every season it airs. Kazuya Kinoshita and Chizuru’s complicated, contractual, and increasingly genuine relationship is back for its fifth run, and the manga’s later arcs suggest the story is finally moving toward the kind of payoff its fanbase has been demanding.

Season 4 pushed the central relationship forward in ways that surprised even long-term readers, and Season 5 is expected to build on that momentum. The show remains impeccably produced by TMS Entertainment, with Chizuru in particular benefiting from consistently strong animation in the series’ more emotionally charged scenes.

If you’ve been along for the ride since Season 1, you’re not stopping now. And if you’ve been putting off starting — well, you have a lot of catching up to do before April 8.

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