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The winter season for anime fans is around the corner, and it’s stacked as ever with new and promising anime shows, on top of many beloved returning series.
If you’re someone like me, who’s more interested in new upcoming anime series that are unique, worth watching, or simply my cup of tea, you’ve probably marked a bunch of them already on your AniList or MyAnimeList profile.
As you plan your winter 2026 hopefuls, keep this list of various anime titles you should watch out for, and you just may discover your next favorite.
1. Sentenced to Be a Hero
Release Date: Jan. 3, 2026
Studio: Studio KAI
In a world where heroes are admired and greatly respected, this new fantasy anime sees heroism as the worst punishment for criminals. They are forced to fight endlessly on the front lines in the war against the Demon Lords and are forbidden to die, and getting killed will only result in resurrection to continue the battle.
Caught up in war and a web of intrigue, hero Xylo Forbartz goes all out to survive and take revenge on those who wronged him — even if it means forging a compact with a goddess that could change their world.
2. You and I are Polar Opposites
Release Date: Jan. 11, 2026
Studio: Lapin Track
Butterflies and tension await fans in this new, vibrant high school romcom about a bubbly, gyaru girl in love, Miyu Suzuki, and her polar opposite, Yuusuke Tani. Along with their supportive friends, follow the two as they grow closer and become something more.
3. Tamon’s B-Side
Release Date: Jan. 3, 2026
Studio: J.C.Staff
Bocchi’s new version is here, this time in the name of Tamon Fukuhara, the charismatic leader of idol group F/ACE. He’s an extroverted superstar on stage, but an anxious guy with an inferiority complex in private.
When his die-hard fan, Utage Kinoshita, discovers his other side, Utage vows to keep his secret and stay by his side. But as a house cleaner, Utage finds it a much harder hustle to deal with the true face of her celebrity crush.
4. Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table
Release Date: Jan. 7, 2026
Studio: Studio DEEN
Six girls find themselves in the Ghost House, a manor filled with lethal weapons, locked rooms, and deadly traps. It’s a place where the only way to survive is by playing. But among them is Yuki Sorimachi, a professional death game player who lives off the prize money, and she’s not letting this chance slip away.
5. Ikoku Nikki
Release Date: Jan. 4, 2026
Streaming Platform: Prime Video
Studio: Shuka
In this coming-of-age drama, novelist Makio Koudai decides to become the guardian of her niece, Asa Takumi, after Asa’s parents died in a car accident. Having been thrown into these new experiences, and with a 20-year age difference, the two learn to live with each other as they face life’s struggles and figure themselves out.
6. Darwin Incident
Release Date: Jan. 6, 2026
Studio: BELLNOX FILMS
Charlie, a half-human, half-chimpanzee created in a biological lab, finally enters high school and makes his first-ever friend. But ghosts from 15 years ago haunt him, and his now “normal” life is disrupted when the Animal Liberation Alliance drags him into their terrorist schemes.
Follow Charlie and his friend Lucy in this sci-fi thriller reminiscent of the American sci-fi action film Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
7. The Holy Grail of Eris
Release Date: Jan. 8, 2026
Studio: Ashi Productions
When House Grail’s youngest daughter, Constance Grail, is framed by her cheating ex-fiancé for thievery at a ball, everyone turns a blind eye except for the ghost of the infamous and bewitching Scarlett Castiel.
As part of their bargain, Scarlett saves Constance from her miserable fate by taking control of her body. But little did Constance know that Scarlett was executed for a crime she didn’t commit 10 years ago, and she’s now hell-bent on getting her revenge with Constance’s help.
8. Kunon the Sorcerer Can See
Release Date: Jan. 4, 2026
Studio: Platinum Vision
The limits of magic are challenged in this new fantasy series about Kunon Gurion, a young blind sorcerer who attempts to create new eyes for himself with water magic. Soon, words about his genius earn him a spot as apprentice to the most powerful mage. But can he truly see with his magic? And how far can his magic go?
9. Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary
Release Date: Jan. 11, 2026
Studio: East Fish Studio
At five, Kaya Satou is already misunderstood. Everyone in her kindergarten thinks she’s a troublemaker, but they had no idea that she can see evil spirits and she’s taking on a serious job. What will happen when kindergarten teacher Chie Hasumi is tasked with taking care of Kaya and learns that she has been protecting them from the unseen?
10. Oedo Fire Slayer -The Legend of Phoenix-
Release Date: Jan. 11, 2026
Studio: SynergySP
In Edo, a fire-fighting samurai who can extinguish a great fire earns the title “fire-eating bird”, as with Gengo Matsunaga before he left the fire brigade. After being inactive, he’s called to serve once again, this time by leading a scorned firefighting team. As they struggle to save a life, suspicious fires called foxfires continue to emerge.
Follow Gengo and his ragtag band of fire slayers in this anime adaptation of Shogo Imamura’s historical fiction novel series, Hikuidori: Ushuboro Tobigumi.
