So, What are you Watching this Summer?

Some of the anime that RJ Writing Ink’s Watching this Summer

Summer time! That means it’s time for family trips, smashing watermelon on the beach, and arguing over who looks best in a swimsuit. Anime fans do all that, and we have to keep an eye out for all the new anime that’s coming out. This year, we’ve got a pretty good lineup of new and returning anime to watch, with Crunchyroll having dropped a list of some of its biggest upcoming shows. And, I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t know how much of it I’m going to be able to watch. Not because I don’t want to, but because I’m going to be so busy covering things. But that’s not going to stop me from giving you my list of anime that I’m looking forward to enjoying! I’m RJ Writing Ink, and here are all the anime for the summer season that I’m probably going to watch! Hopefully!

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 3-July 5th

The Rentaro Family is back! And just as crazy and wholesome as ever! If you remember my writings from the winter of last year, then you know that I’m crazy about the ultimate harem anime. Naturally, I’m going to want to cover it as we get even more members joining the Rentaro Family! I won’t spoil anything about them, but let’s just say that this next batch will contain some of my favorite girlfriends thus far, as well as some that will make you question how the mangaka got away with them. So, just be prepared in advance.

The Elusive Samurai, Season 2, July-

Two years ago, we got the first season of the anime The Elusive Samurai, and now we’re finally getting the second. Created by the mangaka behind Assassination Classroom, the Elusive Samurai is a historical fantasy about Tokiyuki Hojo, the last surviving heir of the former Shogunate, forced to go on the run when his family is overthrown. I liked it well enough at the time, but I never got into it as much as I could have. With the manga having ended earlier this year, though, I might be willing to pick this story back up.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4-

So, it turns out that I was mistaken. I knew that the fourth season of Slime Tensura was going to be split up into multiple cours’, but I assumed that they would be split up into different seasons of anime. As it turns out, I was wrong. That means that we’ve got another 12 weeks of Slime Tensura to get us through the Summer, and I’m looking forward to it! I can’t wait to see what Rimuru gets up to next, because I have no clue.

Speaking of peak Isekai…

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 3-July 5th-

You know that Crunchyroll is pushing a show to be a frontrunner for the season when they make one of the main characters the thumbnail for their trailer for said season. Mushoku Tensei has exploded in popularity thanks to the success of the anime, and I have been waiting for the last two years to see us pick up where we left off with our boy, Rudeus! He may have lost his arm and his dad while saving his mom, but he’s gotten a second wife in the form of Roxy, and more importantly, he’s a dad now! The real highlight of this season, though, is going to be the return of Eris, AKA the girl who broke Rudeus’ heart. If you’ve read my reviews of the show, you’ll know my opinion about Eris: she’s going to have to spend the rest of her life making up for bailing on him the way she did. More importantly, though, we are going to get to see something happen that will reframe the story and what happens going forward. Something that I’ve had to keep my mouth shut about for years now, and if the anime doesn’t go into more detail, I will!

Baki-Dou: The Invincible Samurai-June 18th

I know that this comes out three days before the actual summer solstice, meaning that technically, it doesn’t count as a summer anime. However, this is Baki we’re talking about. If you’ve seen Baki, then you know that the characters in this series do things that regularly defy common sense. They can do whatever they want! And in this case, the second half of Baki-Dou has the entire cast throwing everything they to defeating the resurrected Musashi Miyamoto, AKA the undefeated Samurai of legend. A man who was able to go toe to toe with Yujiro Hanma!

And this is just the start of the anime that are coming out this season. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go watch some beach episodes and see who wore a swimsuit best!

The Mad Dog is Returning to Mushoku Tensei

A Look at the New Trailer for Season 3 of Mushoku Tensei

Mushoku Tensei is coming back for its third season this July, and that means we’re getting into one of, if not the most important arcs, in the entire story. No spoilers from me, though! That would ruin the fun! However, our latest look at what comes next has confirmed that we are getting one arc that some people were worried we’d miss. And it has to do with the most divisive and controversial girl in the series: Eris Greyrat.

I could go on another tangent about how Eris messed up big time by sleeping with Rudy and then leaving him to go on her training arc, but I think I made my opinion on the matter clear. She screwed up, and when she reunites with Rudy, she is going to have to spend a long time making amends for breaking his heart and leaving him depressed for three years. Instead, let’s just focus on what this trailer revealed: we’re going to see Eris’ training arc.

In the anime, the last time we actually saw Eris, she and Ghislaine had left to train and get stronger. Eris had realized that she was too dependent on Rudeus for her own good, and that she wanted to be strong enough to protect him like he had been doing the same for her. With that goal in mind, and wanting to beat the snot out of Orsted, the two women head to the best place for a swordsman to train: the Sword Sanctum, home of the Sword God Style of swordsmanship. And, save for that quick cameo at the end of season two, that was the last time we saw Eris…in the anime.

What did Eris do on her Training Arc

Since the anime focuses on the story of Rudeus, it never really shows us what has happened to Eris while Rudy has been living his life. In the light novels and manga adaptation, though, readers periodically get glimpses into what Eris’ life of training at the Sword Santcum is like. She even gets a brief spin-off manga chronicling part of her time there and the adventures she went on. As is the case with a lot of Mushoku Tensei, though, there are going to be gaps during which we know nothing about the lives of the characters, but that’s not a bad thing. And while we don’t know how much of her time at the Sanctum that the anime will cover, the trailer shows that it’s including the most important parts. That includes the people that she meets, several of whom become important or recurring characters in the story from this point forward. In fact, we’ve already seen one of them back in season two.

Remember that time Linia and Pursena holed up in their room during the mating season of the Beast People and made Rudy fight off all their suitors? And then Badigadi showed up looking for a fight with Rudy? Right before Rudy got his first challenge, we saw a young, blue-haired woman looking at him. That same woman appears in this trailer for the Sword Sanctum arc as someone who knows Eris.

This is Nina Farion, another student training at the Sword Sanctum, and she and Eris come to have an interesting history. I can’t spoil too much about what happens, but let’s just say that Eris’s showing up has a major impact on Nina’s life, for both better and for worse.

While I can’t speak about how the rest of the fandom views Eris, I think a good chunk of us were probably hoping that the anime would cover her time at the Sword Sanctum. Given how she left Rudy to train there, it’s too important part of the story to simply gloss over! As for whether this will be a special episode like what we got for Sylphie or take place over multiple episodes, that is left up in the air. Regardless, I’m looking forward to seeing this gets adapted by the anime. And I’m looking forward to the return of Mushoku Tensei.

I’m Already Stuffed from Anime, and 2026 isn’t Here Yet!

All the Anime RJ Writing Ink is Looking forward to in 2026 (So Far)

Looking back on 2025, it was pretty much a golden year for anime. There were so many amazing series, both new and returning, that graced our TVs, smartphones, and computers. But with the new year upon us, that means new anime to appreciate. So much so that my poor brain is struggling to remember everything we have to look forward to. However, that will not stop me from going over all the confirmed series that I think most people will want to see.

Sentenced to Be a Hero, January 3rd

You would think that getting to be a hero would be a sweet gig, but then you remember all the peril that would involve putting yourself in. Then you have what’s going on in this anime, where being a hero is considered a punishment for criminals wjo are forced to fight against demons. Not even death can save them from this fate, as they just get revived and forced to go through it all again. What makes this anime stand out isn’t the story, though. It’s the animation. The directors behind this anime adaptation are the ones responsible for the best scenes from Mushoku Tensei. The first season of that isekai has some of the best animation you’ll find in an anime, so this could end up being one of the most beautiful anime of the year. I’m very tempted to review it myself!

Speaking of which…

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 3

One of the pinnacles of the isekai genre will be returning for its third season sometime in 2026, and I’m absolutely stoked for it. A lot has changed in the life of Rudeus Greyrat. He’s back home with his mother and the rest of his family, he’s now married to both Sylphie and Roxy, and to top it off, he’s now a father. All seems right with the world for Rudy, but as we see in the trailer, things are only going to get crazier for him. The return of his ex-girlfriend Eris is just the tip of the iceberg, as things will be revealed that will reframe the entire story thus far. And as someone who read ahead, I’ve been keeping my mouth shut about everything long enough!

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, January 5th

My Hero Academia may be over, but we still got the prequel spin-off series to look forward to as it returns for its sophomore. After the events at Narufest at the end of the first season, Koichi and Pop are surprised when Knuckleduster up and disappears, leaving them on their own. Nonetheless, they strive to continue their roles as Naruhata’s friendly neighborhood heroes without their mentor. Anyone who misses MHA will be able to rest easy knowing that we won’t be leaving the world of MHA behind anytime soon.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, January 9th

Ladies and gentlemen, peak shonen is about to return. I already talked at length about what we have to look forward to with the third season of JJK in my review of the movie preview, but I just want to remind us that things are going to get crazy. Yuji is a fugitive from a corrupt Jujutsu society, Kenjaku has turned Tokyo into a warzone, and one of the craziest arcs in the story is about to begin. And that’s not even going into the sub-plot about the Zen’in clan!

Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2, January 16th

I have yet to watch the show for myself, but even I’ve heard about the fantasy greatness that is Frieren. And now that greatness is coming back for more. I think that’s all that needs to be said.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Season 4, April

We here at the D&A Anime Blog are big fans of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and for good reason. It’s another example of what I call the Seven Summits of Isekai, and 2026 is looking to be a good year for Slime fans. Not only are we get a new film about Rimuru and the others going on vacation in February, but it’s reported that season four of the anime will be premiering sometime in April. In short, we’re going to be eating well this year.

Dr Stone: Science Future Cour 3, April

Another long-running Shonen series is returning for its final act in the form of Dr. Stone. Despite knowing how things would turn out, I more or less abstained from the second part of the final season because it was way too depressing for my tastes. However, considering how the ultimate goal of the Kingdom of Science remains getting to the moon, I cannot help but want to watch what comes next.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run, March 19th

The legend returns, and that means it’s time for everyone to brush up on their JoJo poses and memes. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure will be returning for Part Seven, Steel Ball Run, this March exclusively on Netflix. Set in an alternate timeline from the one we’ve known, Steel Ball Run is Araki’s take on the spaghetti western as we see an alternate version of the original JoJo, Johnny Joestar, participate in a race across the United States that hides some deadly secrets. Steel Ball Run is the biggest shake-up to the long-running Shonen series since Stardust Crusaders, but JoJo is still JoJo. So, expect gorgeous artwork, epic posing, and plenty of memes to be made starting in the spring.

One Piece, Elbaph Arc, April 5th

It’s crazy to believe that One Piece will now be a seasonal anime, but it’s for the best. It means that Oda will not have to worry about keeping the manga ahead of the anime, and that the anime can focus more on quality over quanity. And given how the next arc is also the biggest yet, that is saying something. As the Straw Hat Pirates finally make it to the homeland of the Giants, fans will be in for an experience unlike anything we’ve seen up to this point. Having been reviewing the manga on my personal blog, I can say that Elbaph will be worth the wait.

And this is only the anime that I’m aware of and want to watch. There is going to be plenty more to look forward to in 2026. Happy new year, everyone!