Chinese animation had a great impact recently among anime fans, striving to catch up with Japanese productions by presenting diverse stories with spectacular animation on Crunchyroll, such as To Be Hero X. However, donghuas now aspire to conquer one of the most iconic anime genres: isekai.
This spring 2026 season is packed with excellent isekai shōnen anime like Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun Season 4 and surprising parodies like My Ribdiculous Reincarnation. Yet, donghuas may offer more substance for those looking for grounded stories set in another world that doesn’t fall into the isekai tropes.
In 2025, viewers got a taste of the quality of Chinese isekai novels with Lord of Mysteries, which hit Crunchyroll like a hurricane. Luckily for those isekai fans who were left craving more, another donghua could be the perfect viewing while they wait for the second season of Lord of Mysteries, exchanging deities and mystical powers for witches and city development. The series Release That Witch is going terribly unnoticed, but it might be even better than That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4 for fans to follow it during Crunchyroll’s spring simulcast.
Crunchyroll Might Already Found its Best Isekai Where the Hero Builds a Kingdom
Main visual Release That Witch
Based on Er Mu’s popular Chinese fantasy web novel, the donghua adaptation Release That Witch premiered on Crunchyroll on March 2, 2026. And although it hasn’t generated as much hype since it started almost a month before anime’s spring season, it’s already shaping up to be the best isekai series of 2026. The story follows Cheng Yan, an engineer who awakens in a medieval magical world in the body of Roland Wimbledon, the fourth prince of the kingdom of Graycastle.
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01
Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) became one of the most-watched anime on Crunchyroll. The story takes place in a world where humanity lives behind massive walls to protect themselves from giant humanoid creatures. What are these creatures called?
✓ Correct! The giant humanoid creatures are called Titans. In the original Japanese, they’re referred to as “Kyojin” (giants). Eren Yeager’s quest to destroy all Titans after they breach Wall Maria became one of the most gripping storylines in anime history.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Titans. Kaiju are giant monsters from Japanese cinema like Godzilla, Hollows are the enemy creatures in Bleach, and Demons appear in series like Demon Slayer. In Attack on Titan, these towering humanoid creatures are specifically called Titans.
02
Studio MAPPA has become one of the most prominent anime studios in recent years, producing several massive hit series. Which of these popular anime was NOT produced by MAPPA?
✓ Correct! Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) is produced by ufotable, not MAPPA. Ufotable’s stunning animation quality — especially the breathtaking fight sequences — became a hallmark of the Demon Slayer franchise. MAPPA produced Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan: The Final Season, and Chainsaw Man.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Demon Slayer. Demon Slayer is animated by studio ufotable, renowned for its gorgeous visual effects. MAPPA has produced Jujutsu Kaisen, took over Attack on Titan: The Final Season from WIT Studio, and animated Chainsaw Man.
03
Solo Leveling became a massive hit anime in 2024 after being one of the most popular manhwa (Korean comics) in the world. The story follows a weak hunter who gains the unique ability to level up. What is the protagonist’s name?
✓ Correct! Sung Jin-Woo is the protagonist of Solo Leveling. Originally the weakest E-Rank hunter, he gains the power of the mysterious System, allowing him to level up infinitely. His transformation from the “World’s Weakest Hunter” to the most powerful Shadow Monarch captivated millions of readers and viewers.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Sung Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo Sung reverses the name order (Korean names place the surname first). Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk are protagonists from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, another popular Korean series. Sung Jin-Woo is the iconic Shadow Monarch of Solo Leveling.
04
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards celebrate the best in anime each year. Which anime won Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards?
✓ Correct! Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End won Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. This beautifully contemplative series about an elven mage reflecting on mortality and the passage of time after her hero party’s quest ends charmed audiences and critics alike with its unique, introspective storytelling.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. While Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, Oshi no Ko, and Vinland Saga Season 2 were all critically acclaimed, it was Frieren’s meditative exploration of time, memory, and connection that captured the top prize at the 2024 ceremony.
05
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is consistently rated as one of the greatest anime of all time. The story follows two brothers who attempted a forbidden alchemical technique. What taboo did Edward and Alphonse Elric commit?
✓ Correct! Edward and Alphonse attempted human transmutation to bring their deceased mother back to life. The attempt failed catastrophically — Edward lost his left leg and then sacrificed his right arm to bind Alphonse’s soul to a suit of armor. This event drives the entire series as they search for the Philosopher’s Stone to restore their bodies.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is human transmutation — specifically, attempting to resurrect their dead mother. In the world of FMA, human transmutation is the ultimate taboo in alchemy. The brothers’ failed attempt cost Edward his limbs and Alphonse his entire body, setting the stage for their epic journey.
06
Spy x Family became a worldwide phenomenon with its wholesome yet action-packed story of a found family. The father, Loid Forger, is secretly a spy. What is his spy codename?
✓ Correct! Loid Forger’s spy codename is Twilight, and he’s considered the top agent of Westalis’s intelligence service, WISE. His mission, Operation Strix, requires him to build a fake family — leading him to adopt the telepathic Anya and marry the assassin Yor, creating one of anime’s most beloved found families.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Twilight. Agent Dusk and Shadow are fictional names, while Nightfall is actually the codename of another WISE agent, Fiona Frost, who has a crush on Loid. Twilight is Westalis’s greatest spy and the heart of Spy x Family’s charming story.
07
Crunchyroll merged with another major anime streaming service to become the dominant platform for anime. Which streaming service was absorbed into Crunchyroll?
✓ Correct! Funimation was merged into Crunchyroll after Sony’s acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T in 2021. The merger consolidated the anime streaming market, bringing Funimation’s massive library of dubbed anime together with Crunchyroll’s simulcast catalog, making Crunchyroll the world’s largest dedicated anime platform.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Funimation. Netflix Anime is part of Netflix and operates independently, HIDIVE is Sentai Filmworks’ streaming service, and AnimeLab was a smaller Australian service. Funimation — once Crunchyroll’s biggest rival — was fully absorbed into the Crunchyroll platform.
08
Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are legendary in the anime world. Miyazaki’s final film was released in 2023 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. What is the title of this film?
✓ Correct! The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka) was released in 2023 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2024. The deeply personal, surrealist fantasy film was widely considered Miyazaki’s farewell masterpiece, exploring themes of grief, imagination, and the passage between worlds.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is The Boy and the Heron. Spirited Away 2 and Ponyo Returns don’t exist. The Wind Rises was Miyazaki’s previous “final” film from 2013. The Boy and the Heron marked his true farewell, winning the Oscar and cementing his legacy as anime’s greatest storyteller.
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Although Roland keeps a cool head when suddenly inhabiting a negligent monarch, he soon realizes that executing those believed to be witches is commonplace in his kingdom. With the knowledge he gained from his previous life, Roland will see witches as more than just threats from the darkness. With great animation and muted colors that match the tone of the story, the series transports viewers to an ancient era, exploring how the protagonist combines modern ideas with magic, seeking to improve the harsh living conditions of the locals.
In Release That Witch, Roland uses magic as a useful asset for implementing technologies in the kingdom that will aid its advancement, not only protecting the population but also improving his own standing in the race to become king. However, the main appeal of Release that Witch, which sets it apart from other kingdom-building isekai like That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime and Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy, isn’t that Roland starts out as a prince, but rather that he has nothing but political power on his side, possessing neither magic nor extraordinary physical strength.
Release That Witch Is the Perfect Mix of Genres
Roland Wimbledon from the donghua Release That Witch
Thus, although demonic forces loom over the kingdom, in Release That Witch, Roland is not the typical power fantasy protagonist who defeats all enemies. Instead, he focuses on understanding the nature of witches’ powers, helping them to become stronger and control themselves so that they can use those abilities for the kingdom.
Fans will have several good isekai to follow in the coming months. Here’s a complete guide to every isekai anime premiering in Spring 2026.
While it has a slower pace than most isekai, Release that Witch has a compelling narrative and well-developed characters. The story is packed with politics, economic strategies, and magic, making it a more mature and rounded fantasy story. Furthermore, the donghua gradually introduces new mysteries that keep viewers glued to the screen. With 7 of its 8 episodes already available on Curnyroll, Release that Witch is a must-see donghua for isekai fans.
