Summer 2025 also brings a new wave of anime series. We're recommending 10 shows that are kicking off with their very first season.
This summer, you’ll be traveling to the future with Rudo and to the past with Klein Moretti. Image source: Kei Urana, Hedeyoshi Andou, KODANSHA / B.CMay PICTURES
Whether fantasy epics, heart-warming slice-of-life series or gripping action thrillers - the anime summer of 2025 has something for everyone. While familiar series are returning with new seasons, it's particularly worth taking a look at the brand new series premiering this year. We have put together 10 promising new releases for you that you should definitely put on your watchlist.
Gachiakuta
Genre: Dark Fantasy / Action | Platform: Crunchyroll | Release: Weekly starting July 6
Gachiakuta is set in a gritty, dystopian world on a floating city where the gap between rich and poor couldn’t be bigger. Our main guy, Rudo, suddenly gets accused of murder and is thrown over the edge - straight into the wastelands where all of humanity’s trash ends up. But the reeking piles of garbage are the least of his worries. The surface of the Earth is so polluted that it’s crawling with terrifying, mutated monsters. To survive, Rudo teams up with a group called the Cleaners, who specialize in hunting these beasts.
The anime adaptation brings Kei Urana’s manga to life, blending dark fantasy with edgy, urban vibes, all wrapped in Hideyoshi Andou’s stunning graffiti-style art.
The Summer Hikaru Died
Genre: Horror / Slice of Life | Platform: Netflix | Release: Weekly starting July 6
The slice-of-life anime The Summer Hikaru Dies takes a different, but equally haunting turn. This summer, tragedy strikes two close friends. Yoshiki and Hikaru live in a quiet rural town, but when Hikaru returns from a hiking trip eerily changed, strange events begin to unfold.
Yoshiki soon discovers that the real Hikaru died during that trip and is now inhabited by a mysterious entity that shares his memories. From that moment on, Yoshiki finds himself torn between his deep bond with Hikaru and the unsettling mystery that surrounds what his friend has become.
Hell Teacher Nube
Genre: Dark Fantasy / Comedy Horror | Platform: YouTube on “It's Anime powered by REMOW” (North America) | Release: July 2
The iconic story from the 1990s is getting a fresh, modern anime reboot. Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube follows Meisuke Nueno, known simply as Nube - a teacher with a demonic hand that he uses to save his students from all kinds of supernatural dangers. Along the way, he also wields other spiritual weapons to perform exorcisms and fight off dark forces.
Back in the late ’90s, Toei Animation already produced a 49-episode TV series. This time, Studio KAI is taking the reins. The first half of the new series has been streaming on the ‘It’s Anime’ YouTube channel in North America since July 2, with the second half set to release in January next year.
Tougen Anki
Genre: Dark Fantasy | Platform: Crunchyroll | Release: Weekly starting July 11
It’s not just teachers who can wield demonic powers - sometimes rebellious teenagers discover them too. In Tougen Anki, a boy named Shiki learns the shocking truth after surviving an attack by an assassin: the blood of demons runs through his veins, and he is actually an Oni. For centuries, beings like him have been relentlessly hunted. Long ago, the legendary warrior Momotarou drove the demons into hiding, and since then, his clan has continued the battle. When Shiki’s adoptive father, Tsuyoshi - once a member of the Momotaro clan - is killed, Shiki vows to take revenge.
The series is based on the manga of the same name by Yura Urushibara, which has been serialized in Akita Shoten’s shōnen magazine Weekly Shōnen Champion since 2020.
Bullet/Bullet
Genre: Action | Platform: Disney+ | Release: July 16
The world of Bullet/Bullet is a bleak wasteland in the not-so-distant future. Humanity survives in poverty, clinging to the scraps of past civilizations. The story follows Gear, a scrapper and occasional thief, who teams up with the robot Qu-0213 and a gambling polar bear named Shirokuma to retrieve stolen goods.
One day, the trio crosses paths with the mysterious Noah, who hires them for a high-stakes job: stealing a valuable object. But they’re not the only ones after it. Soon, they find themselves hunted by assassins, as the item they’re chasing holds a secret that could shake the very foundations of their world.
The first 8 episodes have been streaming on Disney+ since July 16, with the final 4 episodes dropping on August 13.
Ruri Rocks / Introduction to Mineralogy
Genre: Adventure | Platform: Crunchyroll | Release: Weekly starting July 6
Ruri Rocks - also known as Introduction to Mineralogy - is all about shimmering gems and sparkling stones. We follow high school student Ruri Tanigawa, who, after stumbling upon crystal jewelry during a visit to a jewelry store, becomes inspired to search for these beautiful materials herself. During one of her explorations, she meets Nagi Arato, a mineralogy student who introduces her to the fascinating world of rocks and minerals.
The anime is based on the manga by Keiichirō Shibuya, which has been serialized in Harta magazine since 2019. The adaptation is produced by Studio Bind and directed by Shingo Fujii.
With You and the Rain
Genre: Comedy | Platform: Crunchyroll | Release: Weekly starting July 6
On a rainy day, novelist Fuji stumbles upon a box with an animal inside, believing that it’s a dog. In reality, it’s a tanuki who asks her to take him in, and she begins calling him ‘You.’
But You is no ordinary creature. He understands human emotions and communication, and he can even write messages on flipcharts to express himself. Together, Fuji and You navigate their everyday lives in With You and the Rain, crossing paths with various people - among them their neighbor Kii Krause and her Shiba Inu, who isn’t exactly a fan of the tanuki.
The anime is adapted from the manga series by Ko Nikaido, which has been serialized in Kodansha’s seinen magazine Weekly Young Magazine since 2020.
Lord of Mysteries
Genre: Dark Fantasy / Lovecraft Horror | Platform: Crunchyroll | Release: Weekly starting June 28
Lord of the Mysteries is a Chinese donghua series based on the web novel of the same name by Cuttlefish That Loves Diving.
Set in a steampunk-inspired 1349, the story follows Zhou Mingrui, a young Chinese man who suddenly finds himself in the body of Klein Moretti - a university graduate who has taken his own life. Surrounded by steam engines, colossal warships, and occult horrors, Zhou is determined to find a way back home.
To perform a ritual that might make this possible, he disguises himself as a god-like being and establishes the mysterious Tarot Club. Newly awakened as a Beyonder, he begins unraveling the dark mystery behind Klein Moretti’s death while collecting supernatural powers to pave his way back to his own world.
The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity
Genre: Romantic Comedy | Platform: Netflix | Release: Weekly starting July 6
After all the supernatural chaos, it’s time for a little romance - and The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity delivers just that.
Rintaro Tsumugi and Kaoruko Waguri couldn’t come from more different worlds. Rintaro attends Chidori High, a school known for taking in delinquent boys, while Kaoruko goes to the prestigious Kikyo Private Academy, home to refined and noble girls. But when the two meet at Rintaro’s family café, sparks fly instantly.
The question is, can they bridge the gap between their very different backgrounds? The anime is based on the manga by Saka Mikami, which has been serialized on the Magazine Pocket website since 2021.
Detectives These Days Are Crazy!
Genre: Comedy / Mystery | Platform: Crunchyroll | Release: Weekly starting July 1
To wrap things up, here’s something to make you laugh with just a hint of mystery. Nagumo Keiichirō was once a legendary detective, but these days his toughest case is… getting old. Twenty years ago, no mystery could stump him - even back when he was still in high school.
In Detectives These Days Are Crazy!, Nagumo is now plagued by aching joints, a bad back, and an almost empty wallet as his detective agency gathers dust. That is, until the energetic high school girl Mashiro Nakanishi shows up at his door, eager to learn from the great detective himself. At first, Nagumo wants nothing to do with her, but when Mashiro helps him crack a tricky case, he reluctantly takes her on as his assistant.
The anime is based on the manga by Masakuni Igarashi, which has been running in Dengeki Maoh magazine since 2016.