Crunchyroll’s Darkest Anime of 2026 Reveals New Look

January 7, 2026, 2:53pm

Studio MAPPA has a big year in 2026, with this month being a prime example of how the production house is cornering the anime market. This week, Yuji Itadori and his fellow sorcerers are set to return in Jujutsu Kaisen’s third season, arriving this week. This month won’t just focus on the Jujutsu Tech faculty and students, however, as MAPPA is bringing another major series back from years out of the spotlight. To get fans hyped for the January arrival, MAPPA has shared a new look at the cursed island that will make a comeback to kick off the new year.

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Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku is making a comeback on January 11th next week, once again focusing on Gabimaru as he attempts to survive a cursed island that just might hold the key to immortality. Premiering in 2023, it’s been a little under three years since we saw the dark tale hit Crunchyroll, but based on the events of the source material, it will be well worth the wait. While anime fans have received several trailers for Gabimaru’s big comeback in 2026, the latest footage not only highlights the bloody battles to come, but it also shares the new ending theme for the second season, the song ‘Personal’ by artist Queen Bee. You can check out the new trailer below.

The Wild Origin of Hell’s Paradise

Hell’s Paradise first arrived as a bloody shonen series in 2018, brought to life by creator Yuji Kaku. Ending its run after thirteen volumes in 2021, this fact means we are most likely set to see the series end with either season two or perhaps one more season to cap off Gabimaru’s story. The original pitch for Jigokuraku was, surprisingly enough, wildly different than the bloody series that anime enthusiasts would eventually receive.

Yuji Kaku has stated in the past that the original pitch for Hell’s Paradise wouldn’t focus on a supernatural island, but rather, it would focus on a ‘youth detention center.’ Originally set to focus on the detainees of the center and the attorneys that were attempting to represent them, the eventual manga release would see things change fundamentally. Considering how the previous anime season ended, with Gabimaru learning far more about the island than expected, anime fans have been counting down the days to see Hell’s Paradise return.

Outside of Jigokuraku, MAPPA isn’t just working on Jujutsu Kaisen season three for 2026. The anime studio is planning to return to the world of Dorohedoro, the truly bizarre anime adaptation that has been absent for six years. Set to land at some point this spring, the television series focusing on a protagonist with a lizard head might take the cake for one of the strangest comebacks of the year, based entirely on the story that the series presents. While not confirmed for this year, MAPPA has also announced that it will be returning to Denji’s world with Chainsaw Man: The Assassins Arc, following the success of Chainsaw Man The Movie: The Reze Arc.

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