It’s safe to say that 2025 was an exceptionally good year to watch anime. And that’s just what the figures suggest we’ve all been doing: watching anime en masse. Per figures shared in Animation Magazine, three of the highest-earning animated movies at the box office worldwide were all anime titles, with the Detective Conan, Chainsaw Man, and Demon Slayer movies collectively grossing more than a whopping $1.04 billion USD.
Streaming numbers are revealing similar trends, with Anime By The Numbers reporting that almost 4.5 billion hours of anime were streamed via Netflix in the first half of the year alone. Clearly, we all spent 2025 completely tuned in to all things anime.
The fun isn’t over yet, though – 2026 is also set to be a big year for anime. A few massive TV releases are already lined up, with major series like Oshi No Ko and Jujutsu Kaisen already airing. Thankfully, things look just exciting on the film front, too. Here’s a rundown of some of the top anime movies you should look out for in 2026.
11. The Apothecary Diaries
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We don’t know much about this movie spin-off, but we do know one thing: The Apothecary Diaries’ as-yet-untitled movie is coming out in December 2026.
The Apothecary Diaries movie is a little different from its TV counterpart. While the show adapts Hyūganatsu’s original light novel series, the film is actually going to follow a completely original story. So, no matter where you’re up to with the source material, the movie’s events are still going to be a total surprise.
10. Zombie Land Saga: Yumeginga Paradise
Think being an idol sounds hard? Try being an undead one.
Unconventional idol anime Zombie Land Saga is returning to the screen with its first feature-length movie, this time co-directed by Takafumi Ushida, Takeru Satō, and One Piece royalty Kōnosuke Uda. Ringing in at just over two hours, Zombie Land Saga: Yumeginga Paradise should give us plenty of time to reacquaint ourselves with Franchouchou, Saga Prefecture’s special all-zombie girl group, as they attempt to navigate the horrors that are 2025.
If the widespread success of MAPPA’s last theatrical release, Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc, is anything to go by, then it’s safe to assume that Zombie Land Saga: Yumeginga Paradise is going to be another banger. The spin-off movie is already out in Japan and Taiwan, but it’s finally getting an international release on January 19th.
9. Sound! Euphonium: The Final Movie
All good things must come to an end eventually – even more than a decade down the line. After ten years of TV shows, movies, and OVAs, Sound! Euphonium is set to play its final movement in 2026. Sound! Euphonium: The Final Movie picks up where the series left off to follow the Kitauji High School Concert Band Club as they head off to Nationals.
If you enjoyed 2025’s Given: To The Sea, or any other major music anime like K-On!, Bocchi The Rock!, or Girls Band Cry, then Sound! Euphonium’s big finale is going to be for you. The movie comes out on April 24th, giving you plenty of time to catch up on the series first.
8. Mononoke the Movie: The Third Chapter – The God of Serpents
Mononoke isn’t a spin-off of the Studio Ghibli movie with a similar name – it’s actually a psychedelic historical horror series that started back in 2007, spinning off of Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales. It’s one not to miss for fans of folklore, ghost stories, or surrealist visuals à la The Tatami Galaxy or Paprika.
2026’s The God of Serpents is the third and final part of the Mononoke movie trilogy, following on from the critically-acclaimed Phantom in the Rain and The Ashes of Rage. The first part of the trilogy even bagged the Axis: Satoshi Kon Award for Excellence in Animation for Best Animated Feature Film at the Fantasia International Film Festival back in 2024.
Mononoke the Movie: The Third Chapter – The God of Serpents is coming out on May 29th.
7. Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising
Speaking of psychedelic horror, Madoka Magica fans are also in for a treat this year. Walpurgisnacht: Rising will finally follow up on the major (and controversial) cliffhanger created by the end of Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion all the way back in 2013.
After a number of delays, the much-awaited Puella Magi Madoka Magica sequel is finally premiering sometime in February 2026. Several trailers have already been shared by Aniplex, showing influences from a disparate assortment of shows and movies, ranging from Neon Genesis Evangelion and Revolutionary Girl Utena to Mulholland Drive and 1970s horror flick House.
6. Scarlet
Mamoru Hosoda’s creative retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet focuses entirely on Princess Scarlet, who is dead set on avenging her father’s death. Throughout her quest, she wields swords, travels through time, and bends space to fit her will.
Wait, travel through time and space? Well, it is directed by the auteur behind The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Belle – so, it figures that his reimagining of Hamlet would include a fantasy element somewhere.
Scarlet has already hit theatres in Japan and had a film festival run internationally, where it garnered massive praise and several award nominations. With that in mind, Scarlet is a must-watch when it receives its wide release on February 6th.
5. All You Need Is Kill
Remember Doug Liman’s Edge of Tomorrow, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt? That was actually based on a light novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, known as All You Need Is Kill, which is officially about to get an anime adaptation.
According to Anime News Network, All You Need Is Kill retells the story of both the source material and Edge of Tomorrow from a different perspective. Although we don’t know what perspective that’ll be just yet, we can tell from the trailer alone that core elements of the story have stayed the same: our lead is stuck in a time loop, surrounded by mechs and monsters.
Studio 4°C’s All You Need Is Kill is coming out on January 16th.
4. Keeper of the Camphor Tree
Legendary mystery novelist Keigo Higashino’s works have been adapted for the screen many times over the years. But 2026 ushers in a new era, with the release of the first animated adaptation of one of his novels in the form of Keeper of the Camphor Tree.
Keeper of the Camphor Tree follows Reito, a down-on-his-luck incarcerated man who has just been presented with an unusual opportunity: he can leave prison if he takes on a job as the Camphor Tree’s keeper. Naturally, the job is not as straightforward as it may seem.
Director Tomohiko Itō’s and scriptwriter Taku Kishimoto’s take on Keeper of the Camphor Tree is coming out on January 30th, distributed by industry powerhouse Aniplex.
3. We Are Aliens
Kohei Kadowaki’s We Are Aliens looks like it could be one of the most beautiful – and underrated – animated releases of 2026. Elementary-schoolers Kyotara and Tsubasa meet during one summer vacation, becoming fast friends, and even faster foes. Flash-forward by 30 years, and a lot of existentialism, and the two somehow meet again.
The film is a partially crowd-funded collaboration between Nothing New and French studio Miyu Production. It’s due to come out sometime in 2026, but no specific launch date has been shared as of yet.
2. Cosmic Princess Kaguya!
2026 has no shortage of music and idol anime coming out, but Cosmic Princess Kaguya! has the potential to be the most exciting of the bunch. This futuristic take on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter follows teenager Iroha Sakayori, whose life is interrupted by the arrival of the mysterious and impulsive Kaguya.
One of the most exciting parts of Cosmic Princess Kaguya! is its soundtrack – particularly if you were left wanting more (or feeling a little lukewarm) after 2025’s Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing. Several well-known Vocaloid producers are providing songs to the soundtrack, including Ryo (Supercell), Kz (Livetune), 40mP, and more. The film’s original score is also composed by Conisch, who you might know from his work on Pokémon Horizons, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, and Sonny Boy.
You can stream Cosmic Princess Kaguya! exclusively on Netflix from January 22nd. You can watch it with either Japanese or English audio.
1. Chiikawa the Movie: Secret of the Mermaid Island
A round-up of anime coming in 2026 couldn’t be complete without acknowledging the tiny, furry elephant in the room known as Chiikawa’s silver screen debut.
Yes, that’s right: those tiny little creatures who’ve probably taken over your TikTok algorithm at some point over the past year are finally getting a full-length feature. This time, they’re going adventuring to the titular Mermaid Island. Long-time fans might already be familiar with the storyline, which is widely dubbed the Siren Arc in Nagano’s original webcomic.
Chiikawa the Movie is also set to have some familiar faces on the crew, with the comic’s original author returning on scriptwriting duties. Meanwhile, directorial duties are being handled by the mind behind 2025’s other viral anime creatures, Uma Musume Pretty Derby, Kei Oikawa. CygamesPictures, who animated the Uma Musume movie, is also pulling strings behind the scenes.
Save your “Unas” and “Yahas” for now, though. We know that Chiikawa the Movie: Secret of the Mermaid Island arrives in movie theaters across Japan in summer 2026, but we don’t have an exact release date lined up just yet.