When it comes to anime, oftentimes, what’s popular in Japan is also popular overseas as well. This can be seen with big mainstream anime series, such as Jujutsu Kaisen or One Piece. However, at other instances, some hits in Japan can be too niche for fans abroad. In the case of the most anticipated Summer Anime of 2026, both Japanese and international fans agree that Mushoku Tensei Season 3 is all the hype.
Recently, a new poll by Animate Times was conducted in Japan, asking fans what summer anime of 2026 they were most looking forward to. Despite competition from series like Saga of Tanya the Evil and Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, Mushoku Tensei Season 3 is the anime that fans are eagerly awaiting the most to see kickstart, and luckily, its first two episodes have just dropped on July 4, 2026.
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Animate Times’ Summer 2026 Poll Crowns Mushoku Tensei Season 3 As Most Anticipated Anime
Animate Times is a massive digital outlet news page in Japan that focuses on everything anime — from new articles to voice actor interviews, and even polls. The outlet was launched on April 27, 2016, and remains a massive destination for readers who want to read anything anime or manga related. Animate Times conducting polls give us an idea of the general opinion of Japanese netizens on various topics and series, and we were excited to see the new one, focusing on what Japanese fans believe to be the most anticipated anime series of the summer 2026 season. The poll results were revealed on June 29, 2026, with the voting having started two weeks prior to that, on June 15, 2026.
Specifically, we were given a look at the top 15 of the poll. Sadly, we don’t have the sample size of the poll or how many votes each series got, but at the very least, we know that the Animate Times audience believes Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 3 is the most exciting new release of this summer. This doesn’t exactly come as a surprise, as Mushoku Tensei has become one of the most renowned Isekai series of recent years.
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Why Mushoku Tensei Is A Summer 2026 Fan Favorite In Japan And Abroad
Mushoku Tensei is a fan favorite anime everywhere, be it in Japan or even overseas. The story was originally created by Rifujin na Magonote as a novel that was serialized between November 22, 2012, and April 3, 2015. The story garnered immense popularity, so much so that a light novel version, a manga, an audio drama, a video game, and more were created for it. Of course, from all these adaptations, the biggest and most popular rendition of the story is its TV Anime by Studio Bind that saw its debut on January 11, 2021, with Season 1.
Mushoku Tensei Season 1 put the series on many fans’ radars, and right now, the story has 2 completed seasons. Season 2 came out on July 2, 2023, and ran until July 1, 2024. Now, we finally have a third season as well, which officially began this month on Crunchyroll, although it’s still on its second episode, with two back-to-back releases on the debut date. The long-awaited Mushoku Tensei Season 3 Episode 1 and Episode 2 were released two days ago, on July 4, 2026 — a day earlier than anticipated by fans. More content is coming out weekly, and we can see why many believe this series to be the Best Summer 2026 anime.
The story of Mushoku Tensei is one of the most captivating Isekais around at the moment. The story follows Rudeus, a man who reincarnated as a baby in a magical world, who plans to live this new life to the fullest. The first two seasons were full of action and intrigue, and Season 3 is only going to get better. Already, the animation and direction of this season are looking incredible, and that’s a big upgrade from the Season 2 treatment. The story of Mushoku Tensei Season 3 is especially something fans of the novel look forward to, as it covers the most anticipated arc of the story yet — the Turning Point 4 Arc. The Turning Point 4 Arc is about to bring forward dark twists that anime-only fans won’t see coming.
Regardless, it’s clear fans are already loving this new series. With only 2 episodes out, Mushoku Tensei is climbing the rankings for overseas fans on the platform MyAnimeList. Mushoku Tensei Season 3 boasts an amazing 9.03/10 rating, making it close to breaking into the Top 10. Currently, it stands as the 11th highest rated anime of all time, with 230k user ratings. For context, it’s currently tied with Hunter x Hunter, which also has a 9.03 score on MAL, but with far more ratings in comparison. Technically, when it comes to 2026 releases, it’s placed number 3, just behind Re:Zero Season 4 and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run. With more episodes, we could see the story rank even higher, and possibly become the highest-rated anime of the year. All it needs to achieve that is steady releases with no quality drop.
Other Highly Anticipated Anime That Japan Can’t Wait To See Debut In Summer 2026
The Animate Times’ Summer 2026 Poll crowned Mushoku Tensei as their most anticipated series, but through this poll, we were able to explore 14 other series that Japanese fans are excited to see fully unfold. The final ranking stands like this:
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 3
- From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman Season 2
- The Saga of Tanya the Evil Season 2
- The Elusive Samurai Season 2
- You And I Are Polar Opposites Season 2
- Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You
- Skeleton Knight in Another World Season 2
- Hell Mode: The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World With Garbage Balancing Season 2
- The Ogre’s Bride
- The Ghost in the Shell
The summer season for 2026 isn’t as strong as the Winter or Spring seasons, but clearly, there are still some amazing anime coming through. Speaking of highly anticipated Isekai series, we also have The Saga of Tanya the Evil returning after 9 years with its second anime season. It’s debuting in just a few days, on July 8, 2026. Other standout series from the list include Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You, a new anime that many fans have already grown to love, as well as The Ghost in the Shell, releasing tomorrow on July 7, 2026.
Source: AnimateTimes