Inuyasha Creator’s New Anime Finally Confirms English Dub Streaming Date & Platform

July 5, 2026, 9:15pm

Rumiko Takahashi is one of the most renowned manga creators of all time, best known for her classic fantasy Inuyasha. She has also worked on over a dozen acclaimed manga series, including Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku, and more. One of her most underrated manga series, Mao, released its anime adaptation in Spring this year. The manga began serialization in 2019 and is currently ongoing. Seven years after its debut, studio Sunrise released an anime adaptation, further broadening its reach among global audiences. While the first season is currently ongoing, this year’s Anime Expo surprisingly confirms the English dubbed release date.

Videos by ComicBook.com

Hulu will premiere the dubbed episodes on August 24th, 2026. Since the anime isn’t streaming on Crunchyroll, the dubbed episodes took a bit longer than expected. While Mao made its debut on April 4th as part of the Spring 2026 anime schedule, it has only confirmed its international streaming plans a few weeks after its premiere.

What to Know About Rumiko Takahashi’s Mao

This first season of the series is scheduled for two cours of the year without a break in between, so fans will get to enjoy its episodes through the Spring and Summer 2026 anime months. The opening theme for the new anime is titled “HEARTLOUD” as performed by Kis-My-Ft2, and the ending, titled “Juai,” as performed by TRUE. The entire season is being directed by Teruo Sato (who has previously directed the Inuyasha sequel anime, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon) for studio Sunrise.

As of June 2026, the manga has released 29 volumes, out of which 24 have already been translated into English. Viz Media will be publishing more volumes in the future, and the upcoming installment will be available on August 11th, 2026.

What Is The Plot of Mao?

This fantasy series centers around Nanoka, an ordinary girl who passes through a portal into the Taisho era. After running into trouble, she meets an exorcist named Mao, who reluctantly rescues her from being eaten by a grotesque yokai. It doesn’t take long for her to return to her timeline, but she discovers she now possesses incredible abilities. Hoping to look for answers, she returns to the past and runs into Mao again.

The exorcist has been investigating a series of horrifying murders, further confusing her about everything that’s been happening. While Naoko is unable to find all the answers to her questions, she learns that Mao has been cursed by a cat demon. Even his sword has been cursed, since anyone other than Mao can’t wield it.

If some unfortunate soul does try to wield Mao’s sword, the consequences will be far more gruesome than one can imagine. However, when Naoko sees Mao’s life is in jeopardy, she doesn’t hesitate to pick up his blade. The story continues as she learns more about Mao’s curse and the reason she awakened mysterious powers after travelling to the past.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!