New ‘JoJo,’ Period Dramas, And Steampunk Adventures: Netflix Outlines Its 2026 Anime Lineup

Anime has proved an increasingly important cornerstone of Netflix’s global content plans, as the streamer now boasts that more than half of its users watch anime. The streamer’s Japan slate for 2026, unveiled today, reinforces just how large a role the Japanese animation scene will play in its upcoming plans.

In a letter outlining the year ahead, Netflix Japan VP of content Kaata Sakamoto positioned anime as both a creative platform and a cultural bridge, connecting Japanese artists with audiences worldwide through the company’s global distribution network.

Reflecting on Netflix’s growth in the region over the years, Sakamoto pointed out that the company has spent more than a decade in Japan “expanding the scale of our storytelling, pushing genre boundaries, and deepening our efforts to connect global fandoms with stories born in Japan.”

Anime, she emphasized, plays a critical role in that larger mission, helping Netflix deliver stories that resonate far beyond the island nation’s borders.

“Building on the strong relationships we’ve cultivated with Japan’s leading creators and studios, we are evolving these partnerships into deeper, more collaborative creative ventures,” she wrote, describing a strategy already taking shape through Netflix’s expanding production relationships.

A key recent example is the company’s broadened partnership with MAPPA, which came into clearer focus today. The deal expands beyond traditional global streaming rights to include the platform’s involvement in early-stage development and production of MAPPA titles, with Netflix aiding in financing, marketing, and merchandising of co-developed properties, and serving as their exclusive global distributor.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources close to the deal say the companies will operate outside Japan’s production committee system. Anime production has historically relied on layered financing structures that spread costs and decision-making (as well as financial risk) across broadcasters, publishers, and merchandisers. By contrast, the Netflix-MAPPA deal concentrates authority in the hands of just two companies, giving MAPPA clearer ownership over its output, while also granting Netflix a stronger say in the creative and commercial trajectory of each project. For better or worse.

Meanwhile, Netflix’s larger 2026 anime lineup blends original series and films, major franchise installments, and high-profile licensed titles. As Sakamoto noted in her letter, “Without this mindset, stories that truly go beyond imagination cannot be realized.” Below is a brief look at the anime titles shaping Netflix’s year ahead.

Anime Lineup Highlights (Globally available properties only)

Love Through a Prism (Series) – Out Now

Written by Yoko Kamio and directed by Kazuto Nakazawa, this WIT Studio production follows a young woman pursuing her dream of becoming a painter at a London art academy in the early 20th century, where ambition, friendship, and first love intersect. Featuring sharp period details and melodrama, the series blends historical romance with a classic coming-of-age arc.

Cosmic Princess Kaguya! (Feature) – Out Now

Directed by Shingo Yamashita, this feature tells the story of two girls who form a powerful bond through music in the dreamlike virtual world of Tsukuyomi. Jointly produced by Studio Colorido (a Netflix partner studio) and Studio Chromato, the film fuses bold visual experimentation with a music-driven narrative, featuring songs created by leading Vocaloid producers led by ryo (supercell).

BAKI-DOU: The Invincible Samurai (Series) – February 26

Produced by TMS Entertainment and directed by Toshiki Hirano, this new Baki series adapts Keisuke Itagaki’s Baki-Dou arc, in which the resurrection of legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi reignites combat among the world’s strongest fighters. Picking up after the climactic father-son battle, the series escalates Baki’s trademark intensity with a mythic clash between past and present.

Steel Ball Run: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (Series) – March 19

Animated by David Production and directed by Yasuhiro Kimura and Hideya Takahashi, this long-awaited adaptation follows paraplegic former jockey Johnny Joestar as he enters a deadly cross-continental horse race across 19th-century America. Partnered with the enigmatic Gyro Zeppeli, Johnny is drawn into a supernatural contest that redefines JoJo’s mythology through a Western epic lens.

BEASTARS Final Season, Part 2 (Series) – March

Produced by CG animation studio Orange and directed by Shinichi Matsumi, the concluding chapter of BEASTARS intensifies tensions between carnivores and herbivores as the manipulations of Melon push society toward collapse. As Legoshi, Haru, and Louis confront fear, desire, and destiny, the series brings Paru Itagaki’s acclaimed coming-of-age drama to an emotionally charged resolution.

The Ramparts of Ice (Series) – April 2

Directed by Mankyu and animated by Studio KAI, this series adapts Kocha Agasawa’s manga about a socially withdrawn high school girl whose carefully maintained emotional distance is disrupted by new friendships. Centered on quiet interpersonal interactions, the series explores adolescence, vulnerability, and connection through restrained storytelling and grounded character dynamics.

Sparks of Tomorrow (Series) – July

Produced by Kyoto Animation and directed by Minoru Ota, this alternate-history anime is set in early-20th-century Kyoto, powered by steam rather than electricity. Following a grieving boy and a devout girl drawn together by visions of a lost future, the series combines impressionistic visuals with intimate character drama to explore grief, faith, and the possibility of change.