Crunchyroll is going to have quite a lot for fans to dig through with the new year in just the next few weeks alone, but it has kicked off 2026 in a big way with the surprise return of an anime fans never expected. The Winter 2026 anime schedule is at hand, so fans are about to see a whole new wave of anime making their highly anticipated debuts. This includes not only shows fans have been waiting to see get their proper adaptation due, but also includes blockbuster shows coming back for new episodes too.
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This includes a show that quietly made its comeback heading into the new year as Kaguya-sama: Love is War has returned for a two episode special event. This new anime sparked some controversy considering what it had taken on from Aka Akasaka’s original manga compared to where the third season of the TV anime and feature film left things off a while ago, but now fans can check out the new Kaguya-sama: Love is War -Stairway to Adulthood- special with Crunchyroll to judge for themselves.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War Makes Surprise Streaming Return
Kaguya-sama: Love is War -Stairway to Adulthood- is a brand new two episode event series that brings all of the characters back following the end of the third season and The First Kiss That Never Ends movie. It features Kaguya in the future looking back on her past in school, and thus highlighting these moments through her memories. But the controversial part of it, however, is the fact that it takes place after the events of the series and skips over several arcs leading to the series finale.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War -Stairway to Adulthood- reveals some major changes for Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya and their relationship, but also alludes to events that fans of the anime have never gotten to see. There are glimpses of characters who become important in these final arcs, but virtually mean nothing to fans jumping into this special event. So if you happen to watch these with Crunchyroll, just know that some details might not fully connect because they’ve been outright skipped over for the anime adaptation.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War Anime Is Ending Soon
Kaguya-sama: Love is War has also announced that the anime is officially coming to an end. Following the release of this new special, it was confirmed that the franchise will be returning for a final feature film bringing the franchise to its conclusion. Kaguya-sama: Love is War – The Final Chapter will bring back the main cast as adults and highlight them with a brand new story crafted by original series creator Aka Akasaka themselves. That likely means the skipped over material won’t be addressed either.
Akasaka has confirmed in a special message to fans that this is going to be a brand new story for the anime’s finale, “It’s new, yet nostalgic,” the creator began. “With that in mind, for this completely new work, I hope to deliver what will surely be the very last Kaguya-sama.” It’s going to be something that fans of both the manga and anime will be able to enjoy with a fresh perspective, but sans context of the manga’s final few arcs. No release window has been revealed yet, so we’ll have to see how it shakes out.
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