Crunchyroll Summer 2025 Anime Lineup

The Streaming Shake-Up

Not since the dawn of Toonami’s golden age—or the shockwaves of Akira on late-night VHS—has the anime landscape experienced a seismic event quite like Crunchyroll’s Summer 2025 campaign. For decades, streaming platforms have jousted for the global anime throne, but this year, Crunchyroll has taken the “go big or go home” mantra to heart. Their new lineup isn’t just ambitious—it’s the playbook, the game, and the stadium, rolled into one neon-lit, speaker-shattering package.

Make no mistake: this isn’t mere market competition. It’s a full-scale, multi-pronged assault designed to entrench Crunchyroll as the only address that matters in the anime metaverse. Over 40 new and returning series debuted this season, marking the culmination of years of backroom negotiations, studio courtship, and significant investment in streaming infrastructure. Suppose you’ve ever marveled at a hand-drawn explosion or debated the best Gundam timeline. In that case, you’ll recognize that this is the culmination of strategic vision and some old-school otaku stubbornness writ large. So, how did we get here? Let’s break down Crunchyroll’s game plan, pillar by meticulous pillar:

Crunchyroll’s first move is classic—anchor the schedule with returning juggernauts. DAN DA DAN, Kaiju No. 8, My Dress-Up Darling, and Dr. STONE aren’t just back; their premieres are engineered to be cultural touchstones. Next comes the expansion: high-potential newcomers elbow their way onto the scene. Crunchyroll is betting big on dark-horse contenders like Gachiakuta and the lavishly produced donghua Lord of Mysteries—the latter proving that the future of anime no longer begins and ends in Tokyo. It’s nimble, it’s global, and for those of us who once imported dubious HK bootlegs at anime cons, it feels like the next evolution in what it means to be a fan.

You can’t storm a castle if the moat runs dry—and Crunchyroll’s is positively overflowing. Forty-plus simulcasts, curated and relentless, turn the platform from a service into a social necessity. Try keeping up with this tidal wave on anything else—consider this the 2025 equivalent of taping over your parents’ Sunday football for a new episode of Macross. Lose one week, and you risk being lost in the discourse forever. In perhaps the boldest move, Crunchyroll is actively stretching the boundaries of “anime” by championing non-Japanese content, with Chinese titles taking pride of place. For anyone tracing anime’s roots back to Tezuka and the earliest televised epics, this pivot is as radical as it is pragmatic. The message is clear: anime is now Asia’s export to the world, and Crunchyroll is determined to own that narrative as fully as possible.

The Aftershocks: What’s Next for the Market? With Netflix and other platforms scrambling for response, expect subscription wars, content arms races, and perhaps even a new definition for “must-watch anime.” For those of us watching from both sides of the Pacific, it’s an unprecedented moment—equal parts Akira’s Neo-Tokyo rebellion and the optimism of a fresh World Trigger season. Crunchyroll isn’t just pushing the envelope in Summer 2025—they’re redrawing its borders, handing the pen to the fans, and challenging the rest of the world to keep up. Grab your popcorn. It’s going to be a legendary ride.

The Returning Titans: Securing the Core with Blockbuster Sequels

The foundation of Crunchyroll's Summer 2025 strategy rests upon a formidable roster of returning franchises. These are not merely continuations but cultural events in their own right, serving as the primary assets for subscriber retention and sustained engagement. Each title leverages a powerful combination of a dedicated, pre-existing fanbase, the pedigree of a renowned animation studio, and the momentum of a popular source manga.

DAN DA DAN Season 2: The Genre-Bending Juggernaut

• Momo Ayase (spirit medium) and Okarun (occult geek) are back—chaos in tow. Season 2 dives into the "Cursed House" and "Evil Eye" arcs, launching our odd couple to a haunted hot spring to help Momo’s friend, but things get messy fast (think sinister clans, curses, and something huge lurking under the floorboards). Expect horror, comedy, and wild genre-mashing, all at breakneck pace.
• Science SARU returns—meaning kinetic, eye-popping animation and the exact kind of visual energy this series deserves (if you’ve seen Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, you know the vibe).
• Crunchyroll isn’t just airing this—they made it an actual “event,” with the first three episodes dropping in theaters before streaming. The signal is clear: this season’s not just a return, it’s a spectacle meant to get everyone buzzing and tuning in week after week.

Kaiju No. 8 Season 2: The Modern Shonen Behemoth

• Following the climactic events of the first season, where the protagonist Kafka Hibino publicly revealed his ability to transform into the titular Kaiju No. 8, he is now in the custody of the Defense Force. Season 2 is poised to introduce Gen Narumi, the formidable captain of the elite First Division, who will take Kafka and his prodigy colleague Kikoru Shinomiya under his wing. The story will delve into the "Kaiju Weapon Arc" and the "Compatible User Arc," exploring new threats and delving deeper into the lore of the kaiju.  
• The series returns to Production I.G., an industry titan renowned for its exceptional work on high-octane action series, such as Haikyuu!! and landmark sci-fi such as Ghost in the Shell. This ensures the continuation of the high-quality animation and thrilling combat sequences that defined the first season and that fans have come to expect.  
• Kaiju No. 8 was a breakout global hit in 2024, and securing its sequel is critical for Crunchyroll to maintain its position as the premier destination for major shonen action anime. The platform is further stoking anticipation by releasing a special episode, "Hoshina's Day Off," on July 5, serving as a narrative appetizer to re-engage the massive fanbase just before the primary season's premiere on July 19.  

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2: The Rom-Com Cultural Phenomenon

• Marin and Gojo are back—more cosplay projects, more blushing romance, and even more fans. The first season was a runaway hit for a reason: it featured heartfelt moments, respect for cosplay culture, and visuals that sparkled.
• CloverWorks, a studio that has carved out a stellar reputation for producing emotionally resonant and beautifully animated romance and drama series, returns for the second season. The studio's name alone is a powerful mark of quality for fans of the genre.  
• A three-year wait and a manga finale mean hype is out of control—fittingly, the premiere shares Saturday night with another CloverWorks title (“Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus”). Fans are already calling it “CloverWorks Romance Saturday.” For romance lovers, Crunchyroll has just booked your weekend.

Dr. STONE SCIENCE FUTURE Cour 2: The Grand Scientific Finale Continues

• Senku and the Kingdom of Science aren’t done yet. Cour 2 rockets straight into the “America Arc”—Pacific crossed, new continent, new foes. With Dr. Xeno as the big brain of this leg, things become both survivalist and cerebral.
• Veteran studio TMS Entertainment, which has helmed the series since its inception, continues to provide the consistent and well-regarded animation that has defined the show.  
• A three-part finale keeps Dr. STONE in the mix for a whole extra year, showing Crunchyroll knows how to keep fans coming back—and keep that hype simmering through every last high-concept experiment.

Other Key Sequels

And it’s not just the headliners—Crunchyroll’s lineup this season is a buffet. From the chaotic college comedy Grand Blue Dreaming S2, to the supernatural hijinks of Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun S2, shield-slinging with Shield Hero S4, and the return of everyone’s favorite vending machine isekai, there’s something for every niche. The message: no matter what kind of anime you crave, they’ve got you covered.

The Vanguard of Premieres: Forging the Next Generation of Hits

It’s not just about sequels—Crunchyroll’s out here planting flagpoles for the next big obsessions. Summer 2025’s debut lineup is stacked with fresh blood: bold stories, top-shelf studios, and IPs with serious breakout potential.

Gachiakuta: The Dark Fantasy Heir Apparent

• Based on the gritty manga by Kei Urana, Gachiakuta is a dark fantasy shonen series set in a stratified society where the wealthy reside in a floating city, discarding their trash into an abyss below. The story follows Rudo, a boy from the slums who is framed for the murder of his foster father and exiled to this garbage-filled "Pit." There, he discovers the ability to bring life to objects and joins a group of "Cleaners" who battle monstrous "trash beasts".  
• Studio Bones is animating this bad boy—translation: expect crisp action and gorgeous chaos (if you loved Mob Psycho, you’ll feel right at home).
• Gachiakuta is being positioned as a tent-pole franchise from its inception. This is evident in Crunchyroll's unprecedented "Gachiakuta World Takeover" campaign, a massive global marketing initiative developed with Kodansha and Avex. This campaign includes advanced screenings in 15 countries, immersive installations, and interactive online promotions.

Lord of Mysteries: The Donghua Disruption

• Victorian steampunk, secret societies, and cosmic nightmares? That’s just a Tuesday in Lord of Mysteries—a mega-popular Chinese web novel making its animated debut. Modern-day Zhou Mingrui wakes up as Klein Moretti and is thrown headfirst into a world of magic, intrigue, and world-altering secrets.
• Studio Pedigree: Animated by the Chinese studio B.CMay Pictures, the series has generated immense hype based on preview footage that has been lauded for its "extraordinary" and "new standard" setting animation quality. Early buzz suggests its visual fidelity could rival or even surpass that of the massively successful Korean-IP-turned-anime, Solo Leveling.  
• Crunchyroll’s dropping this with a double-episode premiere and full English dub—a sign it’s betting hard on donghua. This isn’t just about new content; it’s a strategic move, blurring the “anime” line to claim the global animation throne.

Nyaight of the Living Cat: The High-Concept Horror-Comedy

• What do you get when cuddling is a post-apocalyptic death sentence—and also your last shot at affection? Nyaight of the Living Cat wins “most original” for Summer 2025: a viral plague is turning people into cats (literally), and amnesiac loner Kunagi is at the center of the ensuing furball.
• Animation’s in the skilled hands of OLM (of Pokémon and The Apothecary Diaries fame), but the real curveball? Takashi Miike—yes, that Miike, infamous for pushing boundaries in Audition and Ichi the Killer—is in the director’s chair, promising an extra layer of unfiltered weird.
• Crunchyroll’s not just betting on this show’s meme potential; they’re doubling down with a Dead by Daylight collab, launching in-game cat-astrophe cosmetics to pull horror fans into the cuddlepocalypse. It’s weird, it’s fresh, and it might be the sleeper viral hit of the season.

Other Notable Premieres

Crunchyroll’s “something for everyone” strategy is in overdrive this summer. Here are a few more you might want on your watchlist:

Fantasy & Isekai Slate

• Secrets of the Silent Witch: A shy powerhouse mage protects a prince, with Studio Gokumi’s soft but stylish touch.
• Clevatess: Think “dark fantasy odd couple”—a hero reborn and a baby who could save or doom the world (Lay-duce keeps it sharp and shadowy).
• Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra: Another spin on the isekai formula—this time, our protagonist reincarnates as the god of an evil empire. Maho Film brings the world-building.

Original Productions

• Onmyo Kaiten Re:Birth Verse: The first original from David Production (yes, JoJo’s people)! A time-looping punk battles fate in a neon Heian-kyo.
• Turkey! Time to Strike: High school girls, bowling, and the energetic motion of Bakken Record. It’s a sports anime with a fresh spin.

Slice of Life & Comedy

• With You and the Rain: A gentle, quirky comedy from Lesprit—think “woman adopts a tanuki, but thinks it’s a dog.” Heartwarming vibes guaranteed.
• Solo Camping for Two: The must-have iyashikei of the season. Follow a pro camper and a newbie as they (slowly) find peace in the wild, from SynergySP.

Roundup

I have been a Crunchyroll subscriber for many years, and when they discontinued the discussion board, I dropped it. Many of us who are anime fans are well aware of Crunchyroll’s past and some of its questionable behaviors, and some of us have no problem sailing the Seven Seas. On the other hand, not everyone wants to deal with downloading or torrenting, and for those who don't, there are legal ways to stream. Look, I’ll always have my misgivings about mega-corps gobbling up the anime landscape. The fact is, Crunchyroll is delivering both quantity and quality this summer. From truly left-field concepts to global-scale marketing muscle, they’re making sure every type of fan finds a reason to log in. Do I think they’re perfect? No. Can I ignore the scale and variety on offer? Also no. Whether you’re into romance, shonen slugfests, high-concept comedy, old-school comfort, or just chasing the next viral sensation, odds are there’s something (or several somethings) you’ll want to check out. Grab your metaphorical popcorn, keep your expectations sharp, and as always, don’t let the business side dull your love for the art. I’ll see you in the queue, grumbling but excited, just like the old days.