Anime News Weekly: MAPPA's 15th Anniversary, Ghost in the Shell Returns, and Summer 2026 Begins
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It's been an absolutely stacked week for anime news. From MAPPA gearing up for a blockbuster anniversary stream to Crunchyroll officially kicking off the Summer 2026 season, there's almost too much to keep up with. Let's break it all down.
MAPPA's Massive 15th Anniversary Event — Tomorrow, June 19
The biggest news drop of the week hasn't even happened yet. MAPPA announced a special 15th anniversary lineup presentation streaming live on its official YouTube channel on June 19. The event streams at 8:00 PM JST and is free to watch with no sign-up required.
Here's what's confirmed to get dedicated segments:
Jujutsu Kaisen will get a "Jujutsu Talk Special Edition" featuring guest appearances by the voice actors for Yuji Itadori and Yuta Okkotsu. MAPPA will also reveal new details about Jujutsu Kaisen Season 4, as speculation over an official anime adaptation of Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo continues to grow.
Chainsaw Man will receive new information about its upcoming anime sequel, the "International Assassins Arc," confirmed at Jump Festa 2026. As part of the 15th anniversary build-up, MAPPA also released the first of three commemorative key visuals — this one for Chainsaw Man: The Movie — Reze Arc.
Dorohedoro Season 3 was previously confirmed and will receive fresh updates at the event.
Ranma ½ Season 3 has been confirmed and will include a special talk segment featuring original voice cast Kappei Yamaguchi, Noriko Hidaka, and Koichi Yamadera.
Attack on Titan gets a segment framed as a "memories" talk — no new project announcement expected, just a retrospective celebration.
And perhaps most intriguing of all: one brand-new, unannounced project is being kept entirely under wraps until the night itself.
MAPPA will also premiere an original anniversary film set to "My Life," an original song by PEOPLE 1, the band behind Chainsaw Man's iconic episode 10 ending theme.
This is easily the most anticipated anime event of the month. Set your alarms for 8 PM JST on June 19, and we'll have a full breakdown of every reveal right here on MangaMotive.
Crunchyroll Drops Full Summer 2026 Slate
Crunchyroll unveiled their Summer 2026 slate today, June 18, and it's packed. New titles include BLACK TORCH, Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, and Clevatess Season 2. Returning heavyweights include Daemons of the Shadow Realm, ONE PIECE – Elbaph Arc Part 2, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4.
All-new series kicking off at the end of June include:
Heroine? Saint? No, I'm an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! — June 24
From Overshadowed to Overpowered: Second Reincarnation of a Talentless Sage — June 25
The Oblivious Saint Can't Contain Her Power — June 30
Further announcements are still expected. Summer 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most loaded seasons in recent memory.
Ghost in the Shell (Science SARU) — Global Streaming Confirmed
The highly anticipated Ghost in the Shell reboot by Science SARU has confirmed global streaming, with Amazon Prime Video set to simulcast the anime across 240+ countries and territories.
The series premieres in July 2026 and will hold its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival from June 21–27, with the first two episodes screening in English on June 26. It will also have its U.S. premiere at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles, featuring Episodes 1 and 2, a staff panel, and autograph sessions with director Moko-chan and character designer Shuhei Handa.
This is the first new adaptation directly based on Masamune Shirow's original 1989 manga, animated by Science SARU — the studio behind Tatami Time Machine Blues and Inu-Oh. For fans of the franchise, this is a monumental moment.
Black Clover Season 2 — October 2026, New Director Confirmed
Black Clover Season 2 will air in October 2026, more than five years after the previous season concluded. Studio Pierrot returns with a refreshed creative team: Ayataka Tanemura takes over as director, Keiichiro Ochi oversees scripts, Itsuko Takeda and Kumiko Tokunaga handle character designs, and Minako Seki composes the music.
The manga, written by Yūki Tabata, finished with three final chapters published in Jump Giga in May 2026 — meaning the anime now has a complete source to adapt from. Asta voice actor Gakuto Kajiwara and director Tanemura will be at Anime Expo 2026 in July to present the first episode before the October broadcast. Crunchyroll will stream it exclusively outside of Japan.
The Fake Alchemist Gets a TV Anime
KADOKAWA officially announced the television anime adaptation of The Fake Alchemist (Nisemono no Renkinjutsushi), revealing a commemorative trailer and teaser visual. Passione is handling the animation.
The premise: in the city-state of Orichalconia, a reincarnated Paracelsus hides his cheat skills while working as an alchemist. After contracting with a shaman slave-girl and encountering a disabled elf, what begins as a small rescue escalates into a battle involving alchemy, sorcery, and the gods. The manga has surpassed 1 million copies in Japan and is being described as a "monumental" adaptation.
Spring 2026 Finale Season — Key Drops This Week
Several major Spring 2026 titles are hitting their penultimate or finale episodes. Witch Hat Atelier released a preview video of its finale (Episode 13) this week. Re:ZERO Season 4 revealed the Episode 11 preview (Episode 77 overall). And My Hero Academia released a special 10th anniversary commemorative video to close out the chapter.
Quick Hits
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War — The Calamity is getting early U.S. theater screenings of its first three episodes from June 25–29. If you've been waiting for the next cour, this is your chance to see it on the big screen before the broadcast premiere.
Studio Ghibli is opening its first-ever official U.S. store on June 23. This is a landmark moment for the franchise's retail presence in North America. Details on the exact location are still incoming.
The American Manga Awards 2026 nominees were announced on June 15 — we'll have a dedicated follow-up editorial breaking down the nominees and our picks soon.
The Week Ahead
All eyes are on MAPPA's June 19 anniversary stream — that mystery new project reveal could be the biggest announcement of the summer. Meanwhile, the Summer 2026 season officially starts rolling from June 24, and we'll be covering premiere impressions across the board.
Stay locked in with MangaMotive. It's going to be a wild summer.