As the year draws to a close and a new one begins, the world of North American anime and manga prepares for a fresh wave of captivating releases. This week, spanning December 28, 2025, to January 3, 2026, marks an exciting transition, offering fans a mix of anticipated anime premieres for the Winter 2026 season and a diverse selection of new manga volumes to add to their collections. Get ready to dive into continuations of beloved series and discover new stories poised to become your next obsession.
New Anime Releases: Kicking Off Winter 2026
The winter 2026 anime season is set to deliver a robust lineup, with several highly anticipated titles making their debut or continuing their runs during this transition week and into early January. Crunchyroll, a major player in anime streaming, has already announced a comprehensive Winter 2026 lineup, which includes both new series and returning fan favorites. While many heavy-hitters like Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 are slated for early to mid-January, some series begin their simulcasts right at the cusp of the new year.
Anime Premieres and Continuing Simulcasts
Several exciting titles will be available to North American audiences, many with both English subtitles and dubs.
- Sentenced to Be a Hero: This new series, animated by Studio KAI, is set to premiere on January 3, 2026.
- Fate/strange Fake: Fans of the Fate franchise can look forward to this new entry, also launching on January 3, 2026.
- Jack-of-All-Trades, Party of None: This anime is scheduled for release on December 31, 2025.
- Hana-Kimi: A new adaptation from Studio Signal.MD, with its subbed version airing January 4, 2026.
- Noble Reincarnation: Born Blessed, So I’ll Obtain Ultimate Power: Studio CompTown’s new series, with subtitles set for January 4, 2026.
- Golden Kamuy Final Season: The highly anticipated final chapter of this acclaimed series will begin its simulcast on January 5, 2026.
- My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2: The spin-off series continues, with its subbed airtime slated for January 5, 2026.
- You Can’t Be In a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends!: This title is also scheduled to be released on January 5, 2026.
It’s also worth noting that the One Piece anime will be releasing the final episode of its Egghead Arc on December 28, before taking a break and returning in April 2026.
New Manga and Light Novel Releases
This week also brings a variety of new manga and light novel volumes to North American shelves, catering to diverse tastes. Publishers like Seven Seas Entertainment and others have several titles lined up for December 30.
Manga Volume Releases on December 30, 2025
Readers can expect a range of genres, from fantasy and action to romance and drama.
- 12 Dirty Deeds to Unite the Princess and Her Heroine Volume 3 (Manga)
- A Certain Magical Index NT Volume 5 (Light Novel)
- Bastard (WEBTOON) Volume 3 (Manhwa)
- Become You Volume 2 (Manga)
- Berserk of Gluttony (Manga) Volume 13
- Box of Light Volume 4 (Manga)
- Brunhild the King’s Sister (Manga)
- Dance in the Vampire Bund: Age of Scarlet Order Volume 16 (Manga)
- Demons’ Crest Volume 3: Demonspawn Awakening (Light Novel)
- Divine Incursions Volume 1 (Manga, Light Novel)
- Does it Count if You Lose Your Virginity to an Android? Volume 6 (Manga)
- Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist (Light Novel) Volume 8
- Gabriel Dropout Volume 15 (Manga)
- GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST! Volume 5 (Manga)
- Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Comic / Manhua) Volume 12
- Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash (Light Novel) Volume 20
- Hell Is Dark with No Flowers Volume 4 (Light Novel)
- Honey Trap Shared House Volume 6 (Manga)
- I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness 9 (Manga)
- Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? II Volume 6 (Manga)
- Lord of Mysteries Volume 2: The Clown, Part II (Manga)
- Marriage of Convenience Volume 2 (Manga)
- Monsterholic Volume 3 (Novel)
- My Husband and I Sleep in a Coffin (Novel) Volume 2
- My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s (Light Novel) Volume 5
- My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren’t Wicked Volume 7 (Manga)
- No Love Zone Volume 5 (Manga)
- Pandora Seven Volume 6 (Manga)
- Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling (Manga) Volume 8
- Sasaki and Peeps Volume 4 (Manga)
- semelparous Volume 4 (Manga)
- Slow Life In Another World (I Wish!) (Manga) Volume 9
- Solo Leveling Volume 14: Side Stories 1 (Comic)
- The Case Files of Jeweler Richard (Light Novel) Vol. 11
This week promises a rich haul for enthusiasts of Japanese animation and comics, offering fresh narratives and continuing sagas to enjoy as we usher in the new year.
