Second Emulation

Winter 2026 Anime Looks Stacked

• Shawn Juarez • Episode 92

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Hype without overcrowding. That’s the rare mix this winter brings, and we’re here for it. We scan the full Crunchyroll lineup and map out a smarter watch plan: which sequels to anchor your week, which sleepers deserve a shot, and how to keep your queue balanced between adrenaline and heart.

We start with the heavy hitters. Jujutsu Kaisen’s next arc raises the ceiling on choreography and consequence, while Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End returns with that quiet, reflective power that says more with a glance than some shows do in a monologue. Trigun and Hell’s Paradise round out the core, each with something to prove and plenty to offer. With the solo leveling hype cycle finally easing, there’s space for nuanced storytelling to get oxygen—and for different fandoms to shine without stepping on each other.

Then we dig into the wildcards. Sentenced to Be a Hero twists fantasy into a cycle of coerced heroics, poking at agency, punishment, and the price of “good” deeds. Scum of the Brave retools the Grim Reaper into a demon-lord hunter, flirting with dark mythology that could blossom into rich worldbuilding if it stays focused. For hidden gems, we spotlight Oshi no Ko’s sharp industry drama and Daily Life as a Part-Time Torturer, a dark-comedy premise that only works if tone and intent are in sync. Consider these your palette cleansers between the blockbusters.

To make it all easier, we built a shared MyAnimeList watchlist so you can follow along, see progress, and swap picks with us all season. Prioritize Jujutsu Kaisen and Frieren, add Trigun and Hell’s Paradise, and give one wildcard a genuine three-episode try. If the spotlights land and the sequels deliver, this season jumps from a strong B to an easy A. Hit play, grab the list from our link hub, and tell us your dark horse pick. If you’re vibing with the show, subscribe, share it with a friend, and drop a quick review—it helps more fans find their next favorite series.

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Hi, hello, welcome to Second Emulation! Okay, you are just so lucky right now, because you are literally about to spend, like, the best time with my amazing friend, Shawn.

He is, like, the expert on all things movies, anime, and gaming, and he just has, like, the best opinions. Seriously, talking to him is, like, a whole thing, in the best way.

So, get comfy, maybe with a little drink—I don't know, a kombucha, a latte, whatever is your thing—because Shawn is going to take you on, like, a total journey.

Okay, luv that. Here he is

Introduction and Overview

Hey everyone. Welcome back to Second Emulation, a show where we dive deep into the latest anime news and reviews. I'm Sean, your host, and today we're gonna be talking about Crunch Rows lineup for the winter 2026 anime season. Plus, I'll be sharing my anime list watch list, so you can follow along with me as I watch these shows.

Stick around as I break down the most exciting news, hidden gems, and what you should be watching or adding to your watch list. So let's get into it. 

Winter 2026 Anime Season Preview

So the general thought for, uh, this winter 2026 anime season, it pretty much looks stacked. Stacked    typically from  quarter to quarter, you know, there's always gonna be one or.

Two animes that are gonna be highlighted. They're gonna make up  the overall season. And then there's a lot of like one shot original content. And of course Akai slot. This actually is gonna be the most stacked  season by far because we're getting a lot of fantasy slice of life, some Issa Kais, but a lot of action as well.

And the reason why I say that is that we're getting a lot of sequels, continuing animes, and there's a lot of high, we're coming off  the end of my hero academia, but we're also gearing up with C  the spinoff anime for that. And then for the much. Anticipated  animes that I'm really excited for.

So I think this season we're getting a well balanced    anime season for winter as opposed to what we've had in the past. And there's just so much to be excited for  this season, which I can't wait to get into now. 

Highly Anticipated Anime Sequels

The things that I'm most, that are so anticipated  as in regards to anime, is that we're getting Jujitsu.

Kaizen, season four, the Colin Game, hell's Paradise, season two, tri Gun Stargaze. That's a Season two Em Beyond Journeys and Season two. And the list just goes on that we are just getting  hit after hit some big  sequels, continuing animes. And I think  now that solo leveling is done and Furin  ended quite some time ago along with.

You know, solo leveling and then  my hair, academia just ended. There needs to be that void. There's this big vacuum of space for    these anime in particular to shine and not be overshadowed by other animes. I know previous  seasons, there was a lot of, um. Controversy with solo leveling winning  anime of the year over Furin.

But the thing is, solo leveling was going to win no matter what. The fact that they had put  furin beyond Jonice end with at least,  the same time  airing for that, there was no way that FI was going to shine or be anything bigger than it was because you had the hype train of solo leveling.

So I think now that there's actually a more coru board of anime and  for people to watch and there's nothing  I wanna say, there isn't anything as big as solo leveling other than jujitsu, kaizen, but. Kaizens, uh, season three isn't gonna be like something where it's gonna overpower or just put a big shadow over fear in Tri Gun or, or Hell's Paradise just to name a few.

I think with this, you know, smorgasbord of of anime, there's gonna be enough for everyone to have views and let their fandom expand. So I think. This.  I wanna say we as anime fans are gonna be eating good. Like you can just chef kiss and just be so excited for the new year. And then not to mention also.

For anime news, we just got announcements for  reincarnate. I've been reincarnated as a slime that they announced they're gonna be doing  a.  Full seasons, at least up to 26 episodes. I think they're breaking it up to several different cores, so they're not going to be taking a break.  When it comes to like the end of a season or end of like, whatever.

Cons, whatever episode number constitute as the end of a season, they're gonna continue. So we are gonna get nonstop just continuations of  reincarnated as a slime. And I've been waiting for that show. To come and there's been  work, I've been seeing, you know, rumors saying it's gonna be coming like in the middle of the anime of the winter season or on the tail end.

So I'm really happy and I can't wait  for that. So, I mean, again, just good  good anime on the horizon that I feel like we are just getting spoiled. 

Spotlight on New Anime

Now I want to like put a spotlight on anime that I think will stand out. That will kind of be  I won't say the pinnacle, but for me, um.

They're  give you  the ingredients of what's gonna make, uh, this anime season, winter season lineup that much better.  So I picked about three.  Uh, the first one,  is, uh, sentenced to be a hero. This is an original series from Studio Kai. The story follows, A convicted goddess killer is condemned to a cycle of eternal punishment of bounding, hoards of enemies.

I think what makes this anime stands out is that it's dealing with a very different subject matter, like for. Normally when we get this type of like synopsis, we're always getting like, you know, this person was killed in the modern world and they've been isaka to this world.  You know, I know I'm throwing a little bit of shade of the shield hero, but.

You know, and then other ISI guys that follow that template, but Shield Hero, I feel

 did something very interesting that pushed the envelope. And I feel like this anime in itself, dealing with something that, you know, in a fantasy type setting where,  modern punishment    and imprisonment is normally done by like  the scum, the worst criminals.

 But now we're seeing like  as punishment, you would have to do the opposite. Almost like they're enslaved. They're enslaved to fight for eternity. It's, that's exactly what we're seeing is that we're seeing this anime shed light on, what you wanna say, indentured servants.    Subject matter, and I feel like that's gonna be very interesting  pushing the envelope, that would make you cringe a bit.

I know Shield Hero did a little bit of that subject matter where they were doing something very unorthodox and they pressed the envelope, which in my opinion, I feel like. A good anime though it might be in that same genre, but it, if it does something that kind of sets it apart and has good character development and helps build and make that character human and not superhuman, then you're gonna have a good fan base.

And I feel like  with this type of subject matter storyline similar to. Kind of like in the same realms of, you know, I was reincarnated as a slime.  Uh. So I'm gonna say jobless reincarnation  the shield hero.  Those, I feel like they're in this specific genre of fantasy and I think overlord as well.

They're in this realm of fantasy and  maybe kind of like isaka, but I feel like what they do. Is very unique is that though they, they're in that realm, they're tackling different type of  subject matters that you wouldn't normally see that kind of, you know, dive deep into what it is to be a human.

Like if you were, if you yourself were to somehow this happened to you, what would you be dealing with?  Either the, the mental fortitude, the. The trauma you might be experienced just like  the, just maybe dealing with death like this. You were reincarnated to live in this fancy world where everything can fucking kill you.

You are  as squishy as can be, and you're still going to die    so there's different like areas that they kind of.  Focus on, which are very unique. It's not that typical trope of like  I've been Issa and now I'm super op and nothing can beat me, though they have some hints there, but still I feel like the undertones they deal, deal with, um, uh, very sensitive subject matter.

So I'm very excited for this anime to see where it goes and hopefully,  it progresses beyond the first episode. Next we have Scum of the Brave. This is a new anime.  Your shero is a grim reaper, reluctantly takes Kai Yoga mind as an apprentice to hunt down demon lords. I think what makes this very different is that we're still kind of like riffing on that.

Grim Reaper, soul Reaper, um, just like in death in general, but the fact that like there might be some kind of like, you know, happy go lucky there where the Grim Reaper is looking to take down demon lords. So. Kind of like an interesting concept and we typically, you know, associate the grim reaper with death in the afterlife.

So I'm wondering if like, maybe, you know, the demon lords have already died and their soul's wandering and he has to hunt them down.  But I feel like this might be a good. Interesting concept because we do have like  animes who the person dies and they become undead is a lynch king.  So there's various natures and this might be kind of like a rift on that type of subject matter.

So it might be interesting to see  which is, I  wanted to put a spotlight on this 'cause it, it has an interesting premise that I'm, you know, kind of. Looking forward to hopefully  for me that they kind of stick to that and not like veer off. Because normally some animes they have a good  storyline, but they themselves try to do too much and then.

They kind of lose the sauce midway to the season, or even as early as the first episode or into the second episode. So this is one I feel like you should, uh  keep your eyes on just in case, because I feel like how's a good premise? There's a lot of room for growth for this an. Hopefully there's a fan base that comes after this.

Finally, let's talk about fearing Beyond Journey's End season two. The story follows on the road to Endy fear and confronts past bonds and rising threats with her new found party. This is actually a continuation of season one, which I myself can gladly say. I'm finally caught up and I do understand  the controversy that people who watch Fear in and then were making about solo leveling.

I can understand that, but my opinion on that matter still stands true. Is that. Uh, pretty much Furin is a good anime with a long, in depth  I wanna say storyline, that  it has a point a, it has a beginning, middle, and end. And for her, we understand Furin is like an elf that has lived for  a thousand years.

So like, if anything, she's kind of devoid. Of, of life. And so for her re-experiencing those, the things that make you human is very interesting.  Through a different lens, and though there is some action, we're also dealing with like a different subject matter of just like  what if. You  were isolated and  or detached from the world, and how would you try to  reintegrate yourself into that society and make yourself more human?

And I feel like fear and Season One did a lot of those  I wouldn't say, answered a lot of those questions. But either asked more questions of like what trajectory  does fear and have? And so she only has, you know, she has eternal life and everyone for around her is she deems as children because she's gonna outlive them.

And so I think there's been like movies that kind of like try to answer that. Some vampires, I think shows or anime try to, it's like to answer what do you do with eternal life or what do you do when you are immortal?  And I feel like it's very interesting because this. F Furin, which last season has already stated that she's, I believe, the last of her kind,  she's the only elf, which makes her unique. And so the controversy was that  solo leveling was lots of actioned and high packed, high intensity and fed to a fan base. So a Dragon Ball Z  bros. Where people were trying to make the claim that Fi was like more sophisticated and you know, like a fine wine.

And both could be true. But I would just like to put those claims to rest and say, Hey  the way they stacked, fearing in the same season, or,  some anime lineup with solo leveling didn't do it justice. It didn't allow for  for that fan base to breathe without having  or allow it to shine because it was gonna be in the shadow of another anime.

And I feel like that was poor planning. If they had done it at a later date and allowed it to  in a diff, you know, maybe a winter or spring lineup where there weren't any big anime coming up, then I felt like what we got for those type of, uh, questions or those criticisms wouldn't have been made.

Now, do I think that.  Furin could have won Anime of the year. I don't think so. I mean, even with everything going for it. It still is an anime that's more narrative driven  than action. And this is me just saying like for a lot of the anime fan base who are much older now, who grew up on Dragon Ball, Z Bleach, one piece, nato, and you know.

 The, essentially the, the bearers of those anime that branched off from them. It is hard to not find  an anime that's not gonna feed into that. But Furin does do a good job. It's very narrative story base, and I think that it does something very different.  I think maybe if in this year for Anime of the Year, I think Furin may have a shot.

Now  who's to say that De Kaizen may not win that, but. I know Furin has been a long time coming. I'm excited because it's very anti anticipated. I haven't run read the Manga, but season two I'm finally caught up to watch season two. And I'm looking forward to it because again, I think what Firn has going for is good character development with the characters and not only the studio behind it does a very good job of moving the story without actually any dialogue, but just tone and body language.

And I feel like if an anime could do that, then it's gonna go far. So I'm very excited for this to be watching, uh, season two of Furin. Uh, beyond journey end. 

Hidden Gems of the Season

Now moving on to what I'm gonna considered the hidden jams. Uh, they're gonna fly under the radar and I had to go through a lot of like this season's lineup just to see what was, uh, what's coming down the pipeline.

And I was able to find two. Now this one  is I feel like  probably has flown under the radar. I am surprised. I seen, uh, it, they're on their season third, their season three, and that's gonna be oshi, no coal, which is on sea. They're on their season three. And this is  done by Studio Doga, cobol.

And the story follows. B Kochi is about to get their big break as Ruby continues her pursuit of the truth. I think it's worth checking out 'cause it's a continuation of a series, but just with a very sensitive material. I do remember somewhere I made a, watched it  season one, but like very early on in the episode  it does deal with some sensitive,  subject matter that, you know, kind of sets up the  whole storyline and maybe also rebirth in some way, but I. Couldn't continue it  just because there were other anime coming around. But I feel like this one is a sleeper because I didn't know there was a season two and apparently a season three.

And so there is a fan base for this and I think like.  This is one of those I believe will continue to go under the radar just because  you don't see much marketing for it as you would furin or  jisu kaizen. It's not like  as big enough to be  next to solo leveling.

But, and I think for this anime that works in its favor. Another, that another.

Blah, blah, blah. Another that's gonna be under the radar is going to be daily life. As a part-time torturer, this slice of life, fantasy, dark, the story follows zero. Treats torture, like a part-time job, blending casual humor with grim violence. I think this is worth watching just because it's dealing with a different type of subject matter, which is death and the fact like torture when you  bring that in mind, torture is never.

Funny and it's very dark and grim and lots of violence behind it. So just that alone has intrigued me into wanting to know about this anime. And I feel like everyone has a dark sense of humor. They're all, they're probably gonna give this a shot, and I, myself included, but I feel like. Because of this  I'm more curious to see how they pulled this off, because again, there's a couple ways how this might, you know, lean if it goes  in one way, if it goes a little far in one direction, then it could be too dark.

And gruesome, or if it goes into the other, like, you wanna know, what's the sensity level for an anime that's literally titled  part-time torturer, and you're kind of curious as to what that is. I feel like just the title alone grabs your attention, but then you get curious  because now you're thinking.

Okay. I have a tiny idea what this is, and I'm, I'm hoping I'm wrong, but I'm also curious to see w. Do they like, does what I'm thinking actually match up to what this anime's really about? And I feel like that's something that's really gonna bring people in and kind of make this a hidden gem for like a lot of people.

And I feel like don't count this one out because it's going to create its own fan base just because of how wacky it might end up being. I think it might be on on par with Death Parade. There's another anime that's kind of like this, I dunno the name of it on the top of my head, but it deal dealt with a subject matter like this where people died and in order to like decide where they go, heaven or hell, they had to play the game.

 And if they lose the game, they get dragged off to hell. And if they win then they're allowed to move on. But I felt like some, and the, the people who like were end up being the game masters were very serious. So I'm wondering if they might go in that approach. And also this, this anime might also be in the realms of,  was it Wonderland? I believe? I don't know the full name, but I can, the only  that's popping up in my mind is Wonderland, which is like humans who are being  homegrown on a ranch for demons to eat because. The human world and D world have created a truce for like humans to be grown as cattle and  be eaten so that way they don't go to the human world and start hunting the people they have.

They've been kind of like domesticated, and so there's that. So I feel like it might be on that par. We never really get as many  animes that kind of teeter on that dark. Dark or grim violence. They always like to pad it with like happy go lucky type anime. 

My Anime Watch List and Community Engagement

Next we're gonna pivot on to my anime list, watch list, and watch along.

So for those who don't know, we've created a, um, a list. So that people can, you know, view stuff that we decide that we're watching per season. And I'd love for you guys to follow along with me and watch these shows. It's a great way for us to connect and share our thoughts.  As the season progresses. So this really just came about because I was trying to find something that I could share with my listeners or the listeners and  interact with them.

In the past, we did something like a. I would share my list through Crunchyroll, but end up finding out that if you didn't have a subscription, you wouldn't, you would have to, I guess, be pay walled or have a trial and you wouldn't be able to watch it. And so that.    Put a damp in that plan and I stopped doing that and I was looking for an alternative.

And then my anime list was the perfect alternative to that, where I can  we can create a list. A seasonal list based on animes that are coming out that season, and then put those on our list and then engage with  our listeners or just fans of the anime where there could be like community reviews  things of that.

And just like talk with people who  watch the same enemies as we do  that is something that you know, you'll be able to gain access to. It's gonna be in the episode show description. It's not gonna be the URL, but what you're gonna see is actually  our website. Website link. And in that link it's gonna have, once you click on it, you're gonna be brought to our website splash page, where then you'll be able to go onto  our anime list and see what animes we're watching, what you know, what, where are, where we are in the progress of that anime and which ones we completed.

And. You know, going forward we will have, you know, every season  curated which anime we're gonna be watching  per season basis. So I feel like that's something that we're going, that's gonna be nice to see. And hopefully, uh, we can do like a screen capture on social media to kind of show you what we're gonna be currently watching, so that way you don't have to go through the whole    go through the whole hurdles, but I feel like I wanted to bring attention to that because it is something that we're gonna be more engaged in doing going forward because you know, there's just more banging anime that are coming out and I wanna be able to  capitalize on that. And we might be also.

Expanding where we watch our anime. So right now we do Crunch World, but we're looking at other a avenues where we can watch all animes  no matter what platform. So that's something we're also gonna be looking into as well. 

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

So final thoughts on the season overall? Winter anime season 2026 looks promising.

There's a lot to look forward to, whether you're into action pack adventures or heartfelt romances or even slice of life. I feel like this, uh, season is, can be, is a little bit more balanced, that there is a lot more,  high value anime. And what I mean by that, I mean like anime that have like a huge fan base like Jisu, Kaizen, um, trigon.

And, uh, firn just to name a few. And those respectfully have their own fan base. And so stuff like that, you're not gonna be like, prior where we had my hero academia and because it had such a shoe fan base behind it, they couldn't  add any other animes that were in just as big because they didn't wanna split.

The views. So I feel like this time around we have a more better offering to, uh, of animated watch. And I want to con, I want to see that continue across Crunch roll.  I do understand that Crunch Roll right now. There are people who hate Crunchy roll and who either might. Wanna watch it pirated or find a different avenue to watch that.

And fortunately, I myself will at this point in time will always use Crunch Roll. I've been  a member since I think first started back in 2010, so I've been a user for a very long time. And I do understand the controversy. For me, it's like I'm already there. I'm already paying. I pay, I think the, for the year, once a year.

So to, for me, it. I don't see it as an issue, but I do understand the criticism that they get and the monopoly that CR role is kind of having. And they're coming from someone who's only access to anime was Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, and you know, having to wait  the next week or Saturday to watch those anime.

We've come a long place. Wherever you can watch the anime is perfectly fine. That's, I'm just letting you know where I watch it and I think, um, you know, I want to give a grade for this season. I'll give it around a b plus, um, because it's. It's right up there. So I'm, I'm really excited for this season and if I had  choose any of my top picks  for the season, I think Jujutsu, jujitsu, Kaizen, season three of the Colin Games, and, uh, Rin  beyond Journeys and season two are probably gonna be my two top picks, just because I feel like those are the two you're gonna be prioritizing.

 Health Paradise. I wanna say  a three, but because you know, Juju, Kai Interferon had been long weighted, I wasn't even sure they were going to make a season two of Hell's Paradise. So the. I don't know if the family is still there. I hopefully people are gonna watch  watch season two. But I think the most anticipated is to choose Kaizen season three and fear in season two.

And those I think you should have prioritize.  And then slowly mix in  hell's Paradise and Trigon  stargaze, which will round it up and then again. The gems that I mentioned, which  I'm not saying that they're the gems that everyone should watch. I'm saying that what I found  those are the gems that in my opinion, which you might have a different opinions than mine, but that's perfectly okay.

But I feel like this season, fearing Beyond Journeys and season two. And Jisu Kaizen, season three. The calling games are gonna be the ones I think you should prioritize going forward. 

Closing Remarks

Again, I wanna say thanks for tuning into this episode of Second Immigration Podcast. If you enjoy the show, don't forget to subscribe.

Leave a review and share it with your friends. You can also follow us on our social media. You're gonna find the link in the. Episode description. Again, once you click that link, it's gonna take you to our website where you'll be able to see  our socials where we'll be heading to for conventions. Our Twitch account where we stream and review games, our.

Podcast episodes and you can contact us  on the page as well. So you're gonna see all that one giant kind of information board that    gets you to what you want or where you need to go in regards to like social media, podcast episodes, streaming, uh, book reviews, all of that. And we're looking to add more.

And again  we're looking to. I think we've announced this in a prior episode, but we are looking to start a discord. So hopefully once we get  that going, we can integrate our website  splash page in there.  And then you could see us live, what episodes we're watching for, uh, when it comes to anime or movies and things of that nature.

All right    this brings this episode to a close and I wanna say thank you everyone for tuning in, and then I'll catch you in the next one.  Catch you later. Bye.



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