The Best Winter 2026 Anime Has Already Been Decided

January 4, 2026, 6:00pm

2026 kicks off with the exciting Winter 2026 lineup, one of the best in a while, as some of the major series, including Jujutsu Kaisen, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Hell’s Paradise, Fire Force, and many more series, return with their highly anticipated sequels. Additionally, several new anime series will also make their debut, including the long-awaited Shonen Jump series You and I Are Polar Opposites. As the season is only just beginning, most of the Winter 2026 anime haven’t been released yet, but there’s already more than enough hype for Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2. According to survey results shared by Animate Times, the series ranked first among the recommended anime of Winter 2026.

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The anime debuted in September 2023 and released 28 episodes over two cours. Fans have been anticipating a second season since the first season’s finale in March 2024. The list of 15 anime series also includes Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 in second place and Oshi no Ko Season 3 in third place. Additionally, according to the list, fans are also anticipating Medalist Season 2, Hell’s Paradise Season 2, and several more sequels. While the list mostly includes sequels, some of the new series listed there also include You and I Are Polar Opposites and The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Will Continue the Main Trio’s Journey

The first season of the anime adapts the manga until Chapter 60, wrapping up the First-Class Mage Exam (Final Stage) Arc, where Fern becomes an official first-class rank mage. This means Frieren’s party has crossed the major hurdle required to enter the mysterious land of Aureole, where the souls of the dead rest. Although Frieren wasn’t able to acquire the rank herself, the criterion was only that one person in the party should be First-Class.

The trio leaves Äußerst, saying a brief goodbye to the other exam participants, as Frieren recalls Himmel’s belief that long farewells should be avoided to preserve the joy of reuniting in the future. Season 2 will commence with the Continued Northern Travels Arc, continuing the journey as Frieren and her party meet new people along the way and even face more difficult challenges. Although the episode count hasn’t been revealed yet, we can expect the upcoming season to also adapt the Divine Revolte Arc, where Frieren and the others receive a request to slay a demon that destroyed a village in the Rufen Region of the Northern Plateau.

Since both arcs are relatively short, we may even get to watch The Golden Land Arc, where Frieren and her party head north after hearing rumors of a golden land. The second season of the anime has confirmed its streaming home will be Crunchyroll, where you can also catch up with the first season. All chapters from the manga are available to read for free on Viz Media’s Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End portal, where you can also buy physical and digital copies of the volumes.

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