When it comes to anticipated isekai anime returns, 2026 is a pretty phenomenal year on multiple fronts. All the Isekai Big Three are returning with new seasons, with Re:Zero and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime already in full swing as of the Spring 2026 anime season. But the long-awaited return of the best-animated of the three, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, may have its impact dulled by an anime which built its hype as if inside a pressure cooker. Following its glorious 2017 debut, a strong 2019 movie continuing its adaptation, and one special aired in 2021, there was a whole nine years between full seasons of Saga of Tanya the Evil.
Utterly unlike practically any popular isekai around, Saga of Tanya the Evil had a distinct elevator pitch that hooked into light novel readers and anime viewers instantly. The series boldly asks, “What if reincarnated, but in alternate WWI-era quasi-Europe with magic?” Needless to say, the bonkers premise turned heads and garnered an impressive following, so strong that it handily surpasses both Mushoku Tensei and Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War on MyAnimeList’s hottest new anime coming in Summer 2026. With a dedicated fan base finally ready for a new season this July, Saga of Tanya the Evil has the potential to rule the summer with an iron fist.
Forget Mushoku Tensei, The Hottest Returning Summer Isekai Is This 2017 Hit
There’s plenty to be excited about for Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation season 3, to its loyal followers’ credit. Rudeus Greyrat has grown immensely, recently shouldering the harrowing trauma of losing the father who raised him in his new life, while Roxy Migurdia joined Sylphiette as Rudeus’ second wife, with season 3 promising a returning old flame. But not everything is as it used to be. Eris Boreas Greyrat’s return is complicated not just because she’s Rudeus’ second cousin; she’s grown too, becoming a formidable warrior following her sudden departure. Despite all this, there’s plenty of reason to be just as thrilled, and more, for Saga of Tanya the Evil season 2.
One of the cheap shots one can easily take when comparing the two is, there’s less expectation put on the viewer to excuse the protagonist in Saga of Tanya the Evil. Tanya Degurechaff, a reincarnated amoral salaryman in the body of a precocious young girl, is a cold, ruthless, calculating pragmatist more interested in picking fights with God than any of Rudeus’ more problematic pursuits. The controversial elements of the series are in full view and observed through a satirical lens, turning the ruthlessly efficient salaryman into the ultimate soldier too good to keep on a desk job, despite it being what she wants.
Saga of Tanya the Evil season 2 will retain the following staff from previous installments:
Kenta Ihara: Series Composition
Shuji Katayama: Music
Saboru Hirayanagi: Art Director
Yuji Hosogoe: Chief Animation Director
Masato Takahashi: 3D Director
Yoshikazu Iwanami: Sound Director
There’s so much to be excited about with Saga of Tanya the Evil, and it can’t be overstated how much of this begins with season 2 retaining much of the staff who worked on season 1 and the movie. While Mushoku Tensei has some of the cleanest, most filmic animation around, Saga of Tanya the Evil’s greatest strengths aside from a carefully-rendered grim wartime vibe and fantastic character design execution is its top-notch sound direction. The return of Yoshikazu Iwanami means fans will once again enjoy the breathtaking and occasionally overpowering sounds of magic and divine power joining 20th-century armaments for a perfect dark blend of military fantasy.
There Is No Isekai Quite Like Saga Of Tanya The Evil
While there are recurring elements of isekai all over Saga of Tanya the Evil, including but not limited to reincarnation, the genre-prerequisite other world, fantasy elements, and a flawed protagonist in a previous life, this series does plenty to carve out its own identity. The salaryman protagonist was perfectly happy to ruin the lives of desperate employees below him, and when said employee pushes him in front of a train (note: not Truck-kun) time freezes, and the salaryman is confronted by God. Promised a new life but with inevitable strings attached, the salaryman refuses to acknowledge or praise the deity, spitefully calling him Being X before being sent to the new world.
Sent away from modern Japan and instead landing in the middle of clashing forces clearly representing Europe in World War I, the salaryman is reborn as Tanya Degurechaff. Born with immense magical aptitude, Tanya quickly catches on that mages are rapidly conscripted due to their abilities being vital to the war effort in her home, the Empire (effectively Imperial Germany). Her answer: join the mage force as a trained officer, angling for a promotion to a position too remote to participate in frontline combat. But her plan consistently backfires, her past life as a ruthless company man proving her to be the perfect soldier.
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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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The added kicker is, Being X consistently visits Tanya, pressuring her to worship him in exchange for using his abilities. The downside is, as Tanya soon learns, this condition erodes her psyche despite achieving enormous feats through such power, and this is all part of Being X’s design. A petty and vengeful god, he contrives Tanya’s situation in a bid to force her to pray to him, each instance gradually making her believe the words as they leave her mouth. This only serves to stoke Tanya’s resentment, the spirit of the atheist salaryman within still ablaze by season 1’s ending, even after Being X empowers others to fight her.
War is intensifying on multiple fronts ahead of Saga of Tanya the Evil season 2. Tanya has survived combat against the Republic and again against the Russy Federation. With on-the-nose nations like the Unified States, the Allied Kingdom, and other obvious real-world WWI stand-ins in a continuously escalating conflict preventing Tanya from safely getting the comfortable promotion she craves, Studio NUT’s long-awaited return is mere weeks away at this point. One can only hope that everything from the immaculate sound design to phenomenal performances and absolute banger opening music will continue with Saga of Tanya the Evil season 2.
