The Spring 2025 anime schedule is coming to an end as each of the offerings start airing their respective final episodes, so now it’s time to get ready for all of the new anime coming this July as part of the Summer 2025 anime schedule. This Summer certainly looks to be one of the hottest yet as after a great year of anime releases thus far, this next batch of months is bringing back some of the biggest franchises with new episodes that fans have been waiting to see for a long time. But after all this waiting, the time to watch it all is finally here.
This Summer is jam packed with juggernauts of franchises this year as it’s largely dominated by sequels to big franchises like DAN DA DAN, The Rising of the Shield Hero, My Dress-Up Darling and more. But while there might be more sequels and returns coming this Summer, there are also some brand new adaptations for franchises like Gachiakuta that are really standing out from the pack already.
With this being said, read on for our picks for ten of the most anticipated new anime you should watch this Summer. There are far too many to list them all here, so please tell us which anime you’re most excited to see in the comments!
#10 – DAN DA DAN Season 2
Release Date: July 3rd (Netflix, Crunchyroll)
If you’re talking about big franchises making their comeback this Summer, the first one many fans’ minds is likely going to be DAN DA DAN. The first season of the anime taking on Yukinobu Tatsu’s original manga series was one of the biggest hits last year overall, so fans have been waiting to see what was coming next after that big cliffhanger. The first few episodes of the new season have already taken over theaters this Spring thanks to that anticipation, but we’re finally going to see what’s next for the Evil Eye saga this Summer. Expect much more wildness to come.
#9 – Call of the Night Season 2
Release Date: July 4th (HIDIVE)
Next on the list of big returns is the comeback for Call of the Night, the anime taking on Kotoyama’s manga series. It’s been a bit of a longer wait for this one as the debut season first aired back in 2022, and it really made a mark with fans thanks to the vibes. It had a much different kind of experience to offer than anything else airing at the time, and Season 2 is already teasing that same kind of vibe that fans loved the first time around. With new characters and a new opening from Creepy Nuts (who continue to offer banger after banger), Call of the Night Season 2 is quickly shaping up to be quite the cool comeback.
#8 – Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus
Release Date: July 5th (Crunchyroll)
This return is a bit different from the others, however, as the Rascal Does Not Dream is finally coming back to TV seven years after the debut of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai. That first season ended up being such a success that Hajime Kamoshida and Keji Mizoguchi’s original light novel series was then adapted into three new anime feature film releases instead. These films and specials have been continuing the story for the past few years, so Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus is the first proper TV anime continuation in the franchise ever since. As everyone starts college, it’s a wholly different environment to keep an eye out on too. There’s lots to catch up on.
#7 – The Summer Hikaru Died
Release Date: July 5th (Netflix)
The first new anime adaptation on this list is for Mokumokuren’s The Summer Hikaru Died, and it’s certainly already carving out a very unique place for itself. Because while it seems like it’s going to be a cozy and cute Summer anime offering, it’s quickly revealed to be much creepier than fans might have expect. Not only is the titular Hikaru apparently a frightening monster in disguise, it’s at the center of a much bigger conspiracy that threatens everyone around them. It doesn’t seem like a very straightforward story, and that makes it all the more interesting to see play out.
#6 – My Dress-Up Darling Season 2
Release Date: July 6th (Crunchyroll)
One of the bigger returns this Summer is for Shinichi Fukuda’s My Dress-Up Darling as the anime finally returns for a new season. The original manga has since come to an end in the years since the first season came to an end back in 2022, so this is going to be the first new release for the franchise in quite some time. The first season introduced fans to the central dynamic between Marin Kitagawa and Wakana Gojo, and with it sparked a whole new wave of fans who loved the burgeoning romance between the two. Now it’s going to be expanded even more with new characters, and much more cosplay for Marin herself. It was already a big hit with that first season, and if Marin has even better looks this time around, My Dress-Up Darling is likely going to be even bigger with Season 2.
#5 – Gachiakuta
Release Date: July 6th (Crunchyroll)
What is likely going to be the biggest new adaptation of the Summer, however, is for Kei Urana’s Gachiakuta. It’s being held up as the next big action anime hit not only because fans of the manga have been waiting a while to see it get its proper anime due, but also because it’s being produced by Studio Bones, the same production studio behind My Hero Academia and more. Set in a dark world where a boy named Rudo has been cast out by the upper world and wants to claw his way back by any means necessary, this looks to be a gritty yet stylish action anime hit that’s going to scratch a very notable itch we’ll all have this Summer.
#4 – City The Animation
Release Date: July 7th (Prime Video)
City the Animation likely stands out immediately for fans of the classic anime comedy, Nichijou. Coming from the same creator Keiichi Arawi, City has been running with Kodansha’s Morning magazine since 2016 and has been taking fans by surprise with just how much it packs within each joke. Fans have been chasing that same feeling that Nichijou gave us since all those years ago, so it seems like the perfect successor is finally here with a new story from the original creator themselves. With Kyoto Animation also behind it all? We’re going to get both great jokes and great visuals to help back them up.
#3 – The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4
Release Date: July 9th (Crunchyroll)
The returns are continuing this Summer with The Rising of the Shield Hero. As Aneko Yusagi’s original light novels inspire a fourth season of the anime, the anime is about to get more intense from here on out. While the second season wasn’t as much of a hit that fans of the anime’s original debut, the third season came back around with a lot more action from each of the characters. With the cliffhanger then teasing a whole new kind of story for Raphtalia that Naofumi and his party will have to navigate from here on out, it’s going to be a very intriguing Summer for this franchise.
#2 – New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
Release Date: July 10th (Prime Video)
New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is the longest in the works comebacks we’re getting this Summer as the first anime originally made its debut way back in 2010. Studio Trigger even had to regain the license from the former Studio Gainax, and have since been working on new episodes. Featuring much of the same creative team and cast behind the original series, fans of this new generation are about to see just how wild of a franchise Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt really is. Especially after fans of that original have been waiting 15 years to follow up on that cliffhanger.
#1 – Kaiju No. 8 Season 2
Release Date: July 19th (X, Crunchyroll)
But if we’re talking about the biggest new anime of the Summer, and the biggest of the returns, it gets no bigger than Kaiju No. 8. The anime adaptation for Naoya Matsumoto’s original manga series made its blockbuster debut with the kind of rollout fans have never seen with anime releases before. Not only did it simultaneously release the Japanese and English language releases every week, but it did so on social media. That’s about to continue with the next season, and the action is ramping up to compensate. The first season was fairly light on Kafka’s Kaiju transformations, but that’s going to change as many more powerful foes are set to appear in the next season. Stronger officers are set to make their debut as well, so fans are going to have quite a lot to look forward to in terms of giant monster action this Summer.
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