The current anime lineup is stacked with major returns, long-awaited arcs, and series-defining moments across every genre. Heavy hitters like Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 dive straight into the brutal Culling Game, while emotionally rich stories such as Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End continue to explore what comes after the hero’s journey. Alongside dark fantasy debuts, political intrigue, and high-stakes action, this list brings together anime that push their worlds—and their characters—into dangerous new territory. Whether you’re here for intense battles, layered storytelling, or slow-burn emotional payoff, these are the top 10 anime you shouldn’t miss right now.
1. Jujutsu Kaisen
After years of waiting, Jujutsu Kaisen is finally back with Season 3, kicking off the explosive Culling Game arc. Set in the aftermath of Shibuya’s devastation, the story throws Yuji and his allies into a brutal, rule-based death match where sorcerers and newly awakened fighters clash nonstop for survival. Expect a wave of new characters, wild new cursed techniques, smarter high-stakes battles, and nonstop tension as the cast fights to outplay the game’s twisted system before it claims even more lives.
Watch Jujutsu Kaisen on Crunchyroll,
2. Hell’s Paradise
After a long wait, Hell’s Paradise is back and it cranks the intensity up fast—dragging you deeper into Shinsenkyo, the “paradise” island that keeps proving it’s anything but. The survivors are forced to adapt to a place that doesn’t follow normal rules, where the real danger isn’t just monsters or traps, but the island itself and the uneasy alliances holding everyone together. Expect new faces, bigger threats, sharper action, and heavier mystery, as Gabimaru and the rest fight to stay alive while uncovering pieces of the truth—without ever knowing who (or what) will strike next.
Watch Hell’s Paradise on Crunchyroll
3. Sentenced to Be a Hero
After making waves as one of the most talked-about new fantasy anime, Sentenced to Be a Hero flips the usual hero story on its head: in this world, becoming a “hero” isn’t an honor—it’s a punishment. Thrown onto the front lines by a system that treats people like disposable weapons, the main character is forced to survive impossible missions, brutal battles, and politics that feel just as dangerous as the monsters. Expect dark worldbuilding, new allies and enemies, intense action, and a constant survival pressure, as the story asks what it really means to be a hero when you were never given a choice in the first place.
Watch Sentenced to Be a Hero on Crunchyroll
4. Gachiakuta
After years of hype around the manga, Gachiakuta finally makes its anime debut with a gritty, adrenaline-packed story that’s all about rage, survival, and redemption. In a world divided by status, the “trash” of society gets thrown into a massive wasteland known as the Pit—a brutal underworld filled with monsters, dangers, and the literal garbage of the rich above.
When the main character is falsely accused and cast down there, he’s forced to adapt fast, meeting new allies, deadly enemies, and a strange power tied to objects that turns everyday items into weapons. Expect raw emotion, stylish fights, heavy mystery, and sharp social themes, as he claws his way through the underworld to uncover the truth and fight back.
Watch Gachiakuta on Crunchyroll
5. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
After the quiet but emotionally heavy events of Season 1, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End makes it clear that the story was never really about defeating the Demon King—it was about what comes after. Season 1 ends with Frieren fully committing to understanding humanity, moving forward with Fern and Stark while confronting the weight of time, memory, and regret she’s carried for decades. We see her begin to truly value fleeting connections, even as the scars of past companions remain fresh.
Watch Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End on Crunchyroll
6. Fire Force
After several years and long waits between seasons, Fire Force is back with the second cour of Season 3—the final chapter of the anime adaptation that’s been building toward its conclusion since 2025. This Winter 2026 run resumes Fire Force’s fierce journey with Company 8 and Shinra Kusakabe as they face the escalating chaos engulfing Tokyo and uncover truths that shake the foundations of the Fire Force world itself. With intense battles, emotional payoffs, and dramatic stakes rising as the anime moves closer to the ending of the original manga, the current episodes are packed with fiery action, shocking revelations, and the series’ signature blend of supernatural mystery and shonen spectacle.
If you’ve followed the show this season, the finale arc promises to bring everything the story has been building toward in explosive fashion.
Watch Fire Force on Crunchyroll
7. Chainsaw Man
After leaving a massive impact in 2025 with the emotional and explosive Reze Arc, Chainsaw Man is gearing up for its next brutal chapter. Season 1 wrapped up by peeling back Denji’s world and proving that nothing in this series stays simple for long—not love, not loyalty, not survival. Looking ahead to Season 2, the story shifts into the highly anticipated International Assassins Arc, where threats escalate beyond Japan and deadly new players enter the hunt.
Watch Chainsaw Man on Crunchyroll
8. Invincible
After steadily raising the bar with each season, Invincible continues to evolve into one of the darkest and most emotionally heavy superhero stories out there. The fallout from past battles still lingers, pushing Mark Grayson to question what kind of hero he really wants to be in a world that keeps demanding impossible choices. With Season 4 on the horizon, the scope widens even further—new Viltrumite threats like Kregg (often referred to as Kragg) step into focus, alongside the arrival of more heroes and larger-scale conflicts that challenge Earth on an entirely new level.
Watch Invincible on Amazon Prime
9. The Apothecary Diaries
After everything that unfolds in Season 2, The Apothecary Diaries leaves Maomao standing at a turning point she can no longer sidestep. The season peels back the curtain on imperial succession issues, deep-rooted court conspiracies, and the true danger behind the palace’s calm surface, with Maomao directly uncovering secrets that powerful people would rather keep buried. Her connection to Jinshi also becomes impossible to ignore, tying her fate even closer to the inner workings of the court. Heading into Season 3, the story is poised to escalate beyond palace mysteries—broader political fallout, riskier investigations, and consequences that could cost Maomao her freedom or her life, as the knowledge she holds becomes too dangerous to stay quiet.
Watch The Apothecary Diaries on Crunchyroll
10. Solo Leveling
After dominating the anime scene and winning major anime awards in 2025, Solo Leveling continues to prove why it’s one of the most hyped modern action series. What started as a simple underdog story has evolved into a high-stakes world of powerful hunters, shifting hierarchies, and threats that feel bigger than ever. As the story moves closer to Season 3, the scale expands dramatically—stronger enemies, deeper lore, and consequences that stretch far beyond individual battles. Expect jaw-dropping action, power progression taken to the next level, and major turning points that set the stage for the most intense phase of Solo Leveling yet.
Watch Solo Leveling on Crunchyroll