Welcome to the Ultimate Guide to Summer 2025’s Most Anticipated Anime Sequels!
If you thought Spring brought the heat, Summer 2025 Lineup is turning up the temperature with a sequel-packed season like no other. Sixteen fan-favorite series are making their return, and whether you’re into romantic chaos, supernatural thrillers, or over-the-top comedy, this lineup has something tailor-made for your otaku heart. From long-awaited follow-ups like My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 and Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 to unexpected gems like Reborn as a Vending Machine Season 2, this summer is delivering quality, quantity, and some serious emotional payoffs.
We’ve packed this article with everything you need to dive right in: visual posters, official trailers, release dates, animation studios, voice cast additions, and exactly what to expect from each sequel. Whether you’re planning your weekend binge or curating the perfect watchlist, consider this your one-stop hub for all the must-know info. Summer 2025 isn’t just a season—it’s a celebration of everything we love about anime, and it starts now.
My Dress-Up Darling Season 2
Studio: CloverWorks
Release Date: July 5, 2025
The wait is finally over! Aniplex confirmed at AnimeJapan 2025 that My Dress-Up Darling season two would air in July 2025, and honestly, the timing couldn’t be better. Gojo and Marin’s cosplay adventures are returning just as the manga reached its conclusion earlier this year, The wait has been over three years since the original Winter 2022 season that ranked as the best non-sequel anime of its time, giving CloverWorks plenty of time to refine their approach.
CloverWorks has been sitting on this goldmine since the first season’s massive success, and with the new opening theme “Ao to Kirameki” by Spira Spica already revealed alongside the ending theme “Kawaii Kawaii” by a newly formed idol unit, they’re clearly not cutting corners. The chemistry between Gojo’s introverted craftsmanship and Marin’s infectious enthusiasm created something special in season one – a romance that felt authentic because it was built on mutual respect for each other’s passions. Now that the foundation is solid, we’re likely heading into deeper emotional territory where both characters can really grow into themselves and each other.
The cosplay community has been buzzing about which characters might get the seasonal treatment this time around, especially with CloverWorks having proven they can nail both the technical aspects of costume creation and the emotional beats that make each project meaningful to the characters.
Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 4
Studio: TMS Entertainment
Release Date: July 1, 2025
Four seasons deep into Kazuya’s rental romance saga, and TMS Entertainment shows no signs of slowing down this particular train wreck. The date visuals featuring Chizuru, Mami, Ruka, Sumi, and Mini have already been released, each one a masterclass in how to make simple promotional art feel loaded with romantic tension and inevitable disappointment.
Here’s the thing about Rent-a-Girlfriend – it’s become this fascinating study in extended adolescence and emotional stagnation. By season four, the series has transcended typical romantic comedy conventions to become something almost anthropological. Kazuya’s continued inability to progress feels less like bad writing and more like a deliberate exploration of how some people can remain trapped in their own patterns of self-sabotage. Whether that’s intentional commentary or accidental profundity probably depends on your tolerance for secondhand embarrassment.
Rent a Girlfriend season 4 Main Trailer
The rental dating concept has spawned real-world discussions about modern relationships and commodified intimacy, making this more culturally relevant than anyone probably anticipated when it first aired.
A Couple of Cuckoos Season 2
Studio: SynergySP & Shin-Ei Animation
Release Date: July 2025
The switched-at-birth romantic comedy returns after over three years since its 2022 run, with fresh additions to the voice cast including Hina Yomiya as Ai Mochizuki. The opening theme “Kimi ga Kureta Mono” by asmi and ending theme “Anata de nakucha” by 22/7 suggest the series is maintaining its musical identity while expanding its scope. What made the first season compelling wasn’t just the central premise but how it explored the messy reality of families that exist outside traditional structures. The series has this knack for taking potentially ridiculous situations and grounding them in genuine emotional consequences.
SynergySP and Shin-Ei Animation have been handling the delicate balance between comedy and drama with surprising sophistication, never letting the romantic elements overshadow the deeper questions about identity and belonging that drive the narrative. The love triangle elements feel organic rather than manufactured, growing naturally from characters who are still figuring out who they are in relation to each other.
A Couple of Cuckoos Season 2 Trailer
DanDaDan Season 2
Studio: Science SARU
Release Date: July 3, 2025
Science SARU absolutely shattered expectations with their first season adaptation, and now they’re doubling down with Co-Director Abel Góngora joining returning director Fuga Yamashiro. The studio turnaround has been remarkably quick – we didn’t have to wait long for this continuation, and the early buzz from voice cast interviews with Abby Trott, AJ Beckles, and Aleks Le suggests they’re maintaining that lightning-in-a-bottle energy. The way they handled the tonal shifts between comedy and genuine horror, often within the same scene, showed a level of directorial sophistication that elevated the source material.
Season one ended with Momo and Okarun’s relationship in this perfect sweet spot – past the initial awkwardness but not yet fully realized, with supernatural chaos serving as both obstacle and catalyst for their growing bond. The alien-ghost mythology they’ve built feels genuinely unpredictable, avoiding the typical supernatural anime trap of over-explaining everything too quickly.
DanDaDan Season 2 Trailer
The series will be streaming on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu, with Hulu confirming same-day English dubs – a commitment that shows just how much confidence the industry has in this property. Two new trailers have already dropped, and everything about the production suggests Science SARU is treating this as their flagship project.
Kaiju No. 8 Season 2
Studio: Production I.G
Release Date: July 2025
Production I.G returns after a relatively short break, with the manga now just one chapter away from its conclusion and a game adaptation launching later this year. The timing creates this interesting convergence where multiple media formats are reaching major milestones simultaneously, potentially making this season feel more definitive than typical anime continuations. Their approach to kaiju combat felt weighty and consequential, avoiding the common pitfall of making giant monster fights feel visually spectacular but emotionally hollow.
Kafka’s dual nature as both kaiju and Defense Force member creates this fascinating tension that the series has only begun to explore. The military bureaucracy elements add a layer of political complexity that elevates the material beyond simple monster-of-the-week storytelling. Production I.G’s track record with complex organizational narratives suggests they’ll lean into these elements even more heavily as the stakes escalate.
Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 Trailer
The series will stream on Crunchyroll and X worldwide, with Netflix handling distribution in Asian markets – a global distribution strategy that reflects the franchise’s international appeal and Production I.G’s confidence in their adaptation.
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4
Studio: Kinema Citrus
Release Date: July 9, 2025
Naofumi returns after about a year and a half, with Kinema Citrus diving straight into high-stakes territory as Raphtalia’s royal blood revelation brings assassins from Q’ten Lo. The setup promises immediate action and political intrigue, suggesting the series is moving away from the slower character development phases of previous seasons into more direct conflict.
Kinema Citrus has been handling the political intrigue aspects with increasing sophistication, treating the various kingdoms and their conflicts as genuine geopolitical puzzles rather than simple good-vs-evil scenarios. The shield-based combat system continues to offer unique tactical possibilities that differentiate it from sword-and-sorcery power fantasies.
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4 Trailer
The party dynamics have reached this interesting equilibrium where everyone’s roles feel essential but not predetermined, allowing for strategic flexibility that keeps the combat engaging even as the characters grow more powerful.
Call of the Night Season 2
Studio: LIDENFILMS
Release Date: July 4, 2025
LIDENFILMS returns exactly three years after the Summer 2022 original, with a new opening song by Creepy Nuts that promises to capture that same nocturnal energy that made the first season’s soundtrack so memorable. The series will stream on HIDIVE, continuing that platform’s strong relationship with atmospheric, character-driven anime. The way they captured that liminal feeling of late-night wandering, when the world feels both empty and full of possibility, tapped into something universal about youth and the search for belonging.
Ko and Nazuna’s relationship exists in this fascinating gray area between romance, friendship, and something altogether more complex. The series has been gradually peeling back layers of vampire mythology while keeping the focus on character psychology, treating the supernatural elements as extensions of emotional reality rather than plot devices.
Call of the Night Season 2 Trailer
The nighttime Tokyo setting became almost a character itself in season one, with LIDENFILMS using lighting and atmosphere to create this dreamlike quality that made every episode feel like a midnight stroll through a city that only exists after dark. The visual language they developed – all neon reflections and shadow play – perfectly matched the story’s themes of transformation and self-discovery.
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Season 2 Part 2
Studio: LERCHE
Release Date: July 6, 2025
LERCHE continues the supernatural school mystery with Part 2 of Season 2, announced immediately after Episode 12 as a direct continuation rather than a separate third season. Director Yohei Fukui remains at the helm, ensuring consistency in the series’ distinctive visual approach and storytelling rhythm. Their approach to the supernatural school setting has created this unique aesthetic that feels both nostalgic and otherworldly, like stepping into a twisted fairy tale version of every school-based urban legend you’ve ever heard.
The Seven Wonders mythology has been unfolding with the kind of careful pacing that lets each revelation feel earned rather than rushed. Part 2 promises to delve deeper into the academy’s supernatural ecosystem, with LERCHE’s distinctive art style perfectly suited to the increasingly complex relationship between the human and spirit worlds.
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Season 2 Part 2 Trailer
The series has been building toward larger revelations about the balance between the living and supernatural realms, with each character’s personal stakes becoming increasingly intertwined with the overarching mythology.
Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus
Studio: CloverWorks
Release Date: July 5, 2025
CloverWorks returns to the Bunny Girl Senpai universe with this new entry that marks only the second TV anime for the franchise since 2018. The intervening years brought us three movies covering volumes 6-9 of the light novels, making this feel like a proper return to television format after exploring the characters through film narratives. A preview episode has already been released, generating early buzz about how the Santa Claus phenomenon will integrate into the series’ established mythology. The series has always excelled at using adolescence syndrome as a lens for examining real psychological and social pressures, making each case feel both fantastical and deeply relatable.
The Santa Claus concept opens up interesting possibilities for exploring themes around childhood, belief, and the transition to adulthood – territory that the series has always handled with surprising depth and sensitivity. CloverWorks’ track record with character-driven supernatural drama suggests they’ll find ways to make even this seemingly whimsical premise feel psychologically authentic.
Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus Trailer
Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon Season 2
Studio: Gokumi & AXsiZ
Release Date: July 2, 2025
Studios Gokumi and AXsiZ return exactly two years after the Summer 2023 original to continue Boxxo’s mechanical adventures. The timing feels deliberate – just long enough for the novelty to feel fresh again without losing the audience that embraced the series’ unique charm. The first season proved that constraint can breed creativity – when your protagonist can only communicate through pre-recorded messages and product selections, every interaction becomes a puzzle to solve.
The dungeon exploration elements have been surprisingly well-developed, with the series finding clever ways to make a stationary character integral to party dynamics and combat strategy. The relationship between the vending machine protagonist and the human characters has developed this odd but touching dynamic that shouldn’t work but absolutely does.
Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon Season 2 Trailer
Studio DB has been gradually expanding the world-building in ways that feel organic rather than forced, suggesting they understand that the series’ strength lies in character interaction rather than just the novelty of the premise.
Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2
Studio: Zero-G
Release Date: July 7, 2025
Zero-G brings back the diving comedy after over six years, with director Shinji Takamatsu returning in a triple role as director, scriptwriter, and sound director alongside studio Liber. The extensive creative control suggests a very personal vision for this continuation, and new voice cast additions hint at expanding the already chaotic social dynamics. The diving club that barely dives has become this perfect metaphor for how college organizations often become about everything except their stated purpose, with the series finding genuine comedy in the gap between intention and reality.
Iori’s continued descent into the chaos of university social life has been both hilarious and oddly touching, as the series explores how friendships form through shared trauma and terrible decision-making. The drinking culture elements are handled with just enough awareness of their problematic aspects to keep things funny rather than concerning.
Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2 Trailers
The rare moments when the characters actually engage with diving create these beautiful tonal shifts that remind you why they’re supposedly there in the first place, making those sequences feel earned rather than obligatory.
Dr. Stone: Science Future Part 2
Studio: TMS Entertainment
Release Date: July 10, 2025
TMS Entertainment continues the fourth season after a three-month break, with the series confirmed to run for three split cours total. KANA-BOON returns for the theme song, maintaining the musical identity that’s become integral to the series’ energetic approach to scientific discovery. Their approach to visualizing complex concepts has created this unique aesthetic where laboratory equipment and chemical reactions feel as dynamic as any action sequence.
Senku’s scientific revolution has reached this fascinating inflection point where the knowledge itself is becoming a form of power that reshapes social and political structures. The series has been exploring the implications of rapid technological advancement in ways that feel relevant to contemporary concerns about innovation and social change.
Dr. Stone: Science Future Cour 2 Trailer
The kingdom-building elements have been developing with increasing complexity, as different communities adopt and adapt scientific knowledge in ways that reflect their own values and priorities, creating genuine cultural and political tension.
Sakamoto Days Part 2
Studio: TMS Entertainment
Release Date: July 14, 2025
TMS Entertainment continues after a three-month break, expanding the cast with Daiki Yamashita as Mafuyu Seba, M.A.O as Akira Akao, and Mamiko Noto as Rion Akao. The series debuts on Netflix with Japanese fans getting a double-episode premiere and a week-early release schedule, showing how streaming strategies are becoming increasingly sophisticated in recognizing different audience priorities. The contrast between Sakamoto’s domestic life and his lethal skills has created this ongoing tension that keeps the series unpredictable – you never know when the convenience store owner will need to become the legendary assassin.
Sakamoto Days Part 2 Trailer
The family dynamics have been developing in ways that feel genuine rather than forced, with Sakamoto’s protective instincts creating natural conflicts between his desire for a quiet life and the reality of his past catching up with him. The supporting cast of fellow assassins and ordinary citizens has been expanding in ways that enrich the world without overwhelming the central relationships.
I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability Season 2
Studio: Tsumugi Akita Anime Lab
Release Date: July 9, 2025
Studio Tsumugi Akita Anime Lab returns alongside Kaiju No. 8 this season, mirroring their Spring 2024 scheduling. The new season introduces musical elements through Escher (Manaka Iwami), a sister with a beautiful singing voice, and Saria (Minami Tsuda), Lloyd’s musically knowledgeable older sister. Nako Misaki joins as Lami, suggesting the series is expanding its scope beyond pure magical experimentation into broader character dynamics. The protagonist’s genuine fascination with magical theory has created storylines that feel more like scientific discovery than simple wish fulfillment.
The royal court dynamics have been developing with increasing sophistication, as the series explores how intellectual curiosity can be both an asset and a liability in political environments. The magic system has been gradually expanding in ways that feel systematic rather than arbitrary, suggesting careful world-building behind the scenes.
I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability Season 2 Anime Trailer
New Trailer of Arknights: Rise From Ember Season 3 is OutArknights: Rise from Ember
Studio: Yostar Pictures
Release Date: July 4, 2025
Yostar Pictures brings the third season with theme songs by ReoNa and Hana Itoki, continuing the musical collaboration that’s become a signature of the franchise’s anime adaptations. Following 2022’s Prelude to Dawn and 2023’s Perish in Frost, Rise from Ember represents the maturation of this mobile game adaptation into a sustained anime franchise. The complex world-building and character relationships from the game offer rich source material, but translating interactive narrative into passive viewing requires careful attention to pacing and character development.
The series has been building toward larger conflicts between different factions, with the political and military elements offering opportunities for sophisticated storytelling that goes beyond simple good-versus-evil narratives.
Arknights: Rise from Ember Anime Trailer
![Arknights TV Animation [RISE FROM EMBER] Official Trailer](https://i0.wp.com/i.ytimg.com/vi/hxZBu_x3Byk/hqdefault.jpg?w=1170&ssl=1)
New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
Studio: Studio Trigger
Release Date: July 2025
Studio Trigger takes over from GAINAX (acquiring the rights in 2023) to revive this series after an absolutely unprecedented fifteen-year gap since the original Fall 2010 run. Director Hiroyuki Imaishi returns alongside co-directors Hiromi Wakabayashi and Akira Furukawa, bringing both continuity and fresh perspectives to this long-awaited continuation. The production will include both censored and uncensored versions in Japan, showing Trigger’s commitment to preserving the series’ boundary-pushing content.
The series promises to maintain the boundary-pushing content and visual experimentation that made the original a cult classic, while potentially exploring how the characters and their world have evolved during the long hiatus.
New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt Anime Trailer
Why Summer 2025 Feels Different
What makes this season special isn’t just the sheer number of sequels – it’s the variety and the fact that most of these series are hitting their creative stride rather than just capitalizing on initial success. We’re seeing studios that have had time to refine their approaches, creators who understand what worked about their first seasons, and storylines that are moving into more complex territory.
The industry confidence reflected in green-lighting this many sequels simultaneously suggests a mature understanding of audience loyalty and the long-term value of consistent quality over quick profits. When studios are willing to invest in continuing stories rather than constantly chasing new trends, it creates an environment where both creators and audiences can develop deeper relationships with the material.
Looking Ahead
Summer 2025 represents a unique moment in anime history – a season where the industry’s growing confidence in long-term storytelling converges with unprecedented audience engagement. These sixteen sequels aren’t just content; they’re continuations of relationships between creators and audiences that have been developing over years.
Whether you’re drawn to romance, action, supernatural, mystery, or completely bizarre comedy, this season offers not just variety but depth. These aren’t just new seasons; they’re the next chapters in ongoing conversations between storytellers and the communities that have grown around their work.
Summer 2025 is shaping up to be a season that reminds us why we fell in love with these series in the first place, while pushing them into territory that justifies our continued investment. Clear your schedules – this is going to be one for the history books.
