8 anime to catch up on for 2023’s biggest releases

We’re only one month into 2023 and already anime fans have a bevy of exciting new premieres to look forward to all year round. From Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Jujutsu Kaisen to Attack on Titan and so many other exciting anime, the return of beloved anime series is just around the corner, with yet more still on the horizon. It can be hard to keep track of just what exactly one should catch up on in order to be prepared for this year’s biggest premieres to come, let alone keeping up with the release of new episodes of anime currently airing right now. That’s why we’re here to do it for you!

Below is a short list of all the biggest anime series set to return this year, when they’re scheduled to be released, and where you can catch up on the previous episodes. There’s likely more major announcements of returning anime series to come in the weeks and months ahead, but for now — here’s our rundown on all the anime you have to watch and when you should watch them by. Happy marathoning!

Attack on Titan

Number of episodes: 87

Attack on Titan, the colossal (and controversial) epic dark fantasy anime based on Hajime Isayama’s acclaimed manga, will return this March for the first half of the final part of its fourth and final season (I know, it’s complicated — don’t think too much about it). If you somehow haven’t seen this massively popular anime about a group of humans fighting an apocalyptic war of survival against a horde of man-eating giants and other humans (again, it’s complicated), you technically have enough hours left in the days between now and when this new season premieres to catch up and see what all the hubbub is about.

Attack on Titan is available to stream on Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Hulu. The series will return with the premiere of the first half of its final season in March.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Number of episodes: 44

Image: Ufotable/Aniplex

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, the shonen martial arts fantasy anime based on Koyoharu Gotouge’s popular manga, is returning for a third season later this year. Set after the events of last season, which adapted the Mugen Train arc and Entertainment District arc of the manga, this upcoming season is set to cover the events of the Swordsmith Village arc, which will follow series protagonist Tanjiro and his sister, Nezuko, journeying to a legendary village of swordsmiths in order to repair his Nichirin sword following his climactic battle against the demon Gyutaro and his sister, Daki. While there, Tanjiro will fight alongside Muichiro Tokito and Mitsuri Kanroji, the “Mist” and “Love” Hashira captains of Demon Slayer Corps respectively, as they take on Doma, the second most powerful lieutenant of series’ antagonist Muzan Kibutsuji’s personal demon army.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is available to stream on Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Hulu and will return for a third season in April.

Fire Force

Number of episodes: 48

Image: David Production/Crunchyroll

Fire Force, the shonen dark fantasy adventure anime based on Soul Eater creator Atsushi Ohkubo’s manga of the same name, is coming back for a third season later this year. For those not familiar, the series takes place in a post-apocalyptic Japan where spontaneous combustion is the norm, transforming ordinary humans into murderous supernatural creatures called “Infernals.” In order to combat this threat, special fire brigades made up of similarly gifted individuals are tasked with fighting back against Infernals and securing the safety of society. Fire Force follows Shinra Kusakabe, a third-generation pyrokinetic orphan who joins Special Fire Force Company 8 in hopes of finding and killing the Infernal responsible for murdering his mother and younger brother.

Fire Force is available to stream on Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Hulu and will return for a third season later this year.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Number of episodes: 24

Image: MAPPA/Crunchyroll

Jujutsu Kaisen, the wildly popular shonen anime based on Gege Akutami’s dark fantasy manga, will return with a second season set to premiere this July. The season will jump back and forth between the past and present day, following the story of Satoru Gojo’s time as a student at the Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School while also picking up after the events of last season’s exciting conclusion. Jujutsu Kaisen follows the story of Yuji Itadori, an athletically gifted high school student who becomes the unwitting host to a powerful cursed spirit named Ryoumen Sukuna who wishes to take over Yuji’s body and conquer the mortal world. With no other choice, Yuji chooses to become a Jujutsu sorcerer in other to protect others while searching for a way to expel and banish this evil spirit. And if you’re already caught up on Jujutsu Kaisen, here are nine more anime like it for you to check out next.

Jujutsu Kaisen is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Hulu and will return for a second season later this year.

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War

Number of episodes: 37

Image: A-1 Pictures/Aniplex

The romantic comedy anime Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War concluded its third (and presumably final) season last summer. “Wait — if Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War just wrapped up, why do I need to prioritize watching this year?” That’s a great rhetorical question, hypothetical reader! The answer is: Because there’s a feature-length anime film, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War – The First Kiss That Never Ends, coming to American theaters for Valentine’s Day! If you’re not familiar with one of the best, if not arguably the best, anime rom-coms in recent memory, here’s how my colleague Petrana Radulovic summed up the show’s premise and appeal:

After learning that everyone on campus thinks they’d make a cute couple, class president Miyuki Shirogane and vice president Kaguya Shinomiya independently decide to get the other to confess their love. Each of them thinks that they will most definitely not fall for the other — and that ends up spectacularly backfiring, as they both end up with massive crushes on one another. But of course, they can’t lose their self-imposed game, so it turns into the sort of battle where every win is also a bit of a loss.

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is available to stream on Crunchyroll. Kaguya-sama: Love Is War – The First Kiss That Never Ends is coming to U.S. theaters on Feb. 14.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury

Number of episodes: 12

Image: Sunrise/Crunchyroll

Following the bloody and climactic conclusion of its first season, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury is set to return this year, with the second half of the series scheduled to premiere sometime during the spring anime season (April through June). If you’re not yet familiar with the series and would like to know more before diving in, here’s the elevator pitch: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury is the first stand-alone Gundam series since 2015’s Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans and follows a young mech pilot named Suletta Mercury whose nascent friendship (and possibly more) with a young classmate is complicated by her unknowing role in a Machiavellian plot of deceit and revenge against an alliance of tyrannical megacorporations. It’s Revolutionary Girl Utena meets Mobile Suit Gundam — what more could you possibly want?

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury is available to stream on Crunchyroll and will return for a second season this spring anime season (April through June).

SK8 the Infinity

Number of episodes: 12

Image: Bones/Aniplex

The original coming-of-age sports drama anime SK8 the Infinity is returning this year with a new season! Last season followed the story of Reki, a second-year high school student with a passion for skateboarding, who befriends Langa, a new classmate who possesses an extraordinary knack for skateboarding himself. As the two navigate the highs and lows of competing in the underground skateboard racing tournament “S,” these two fast friends face the challenges of not only rising to the top but overcoming the hurdles of life that come with growing up.

SK8 the Infinity is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Funimation and will return for a second season later this year.

Tsurune

Number of episodes: 13

Image: Kyoto Animation/Sentai Filmworks

Tsurune, the anime adaptation of Kotoko Ayano and Chinatsu Morimoto’s young adult light novel series about a group of boys who join their school’s archery club and befriend one another, is already partway through its second season, titled Tsurune: The Linking Shot. That doesn’t mean you can’t (or shouldn’t) catch up on it, though. Tsurune is steadily proving to be one of this winter season’s most impressive anime, with exquisite character animation, beautifully rendered backgrounds, and a storyline that expands on the themes of adolescence and finding one’s way in the world that were present in the original manga series. If you haven’t watched Tsurune yet, you absolutely must make the time to do so — it’s more than worth the time investment.

Tsurune is available to stream on Crunchyroll. The second season, Tsurune: The Linking Shot, is currently being simulcast and is available to stream on Hi-Dive.