Since its release in late 2023, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has quickly become a standout anime. It currently holds the highest rating of all time on MyAnimeList, proving its popularity with fans. The second season, released in Winter 2026, has received widespread praise, and early episodes suggest it’s living up to the hype as one of the year’s best anime.
The new season has actually gotten a better initial response than the last one, and it’s gaining a lot of popularity. However, while it’s doing very well, several other anime released this year seem more likely to win Anime of the Year. Three titles, in particular, are strong contenders – and two of them are currently being released at the same time as Frieren Season 2.
3) Sentenced to Be a Hero
While Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is a strong contender for Anime of the Year, the new anime Sentenced to Be a Hero is quickly becoming a major competitor. It made a huge splash with its first episode and is already being called the best new anime of Winter 2024 – and potentially the entire year. This fast rise in popularity is mostly due to its exciting and dark fantasy story.
I’m absolutely captivated by how different these two anime are! Frieren is all about taking your time and appreciating the little things, while Sentenced to Be a Hero is a gripping tale of revenge that really makes you think about what it means to be a hero. And honestly, it’s so refreshing to see something other than isekai dominating the fantasy anime scene. A strong story with a really focused idea can be just as amazing! While Frieren is still a top contender for Anime of the Year, Sentenced to Be a Hero is quickly becoming one of my favorites and I think it’s a serious contender for Best New Anime of 2026.
2) Bleach Final Season Final Part
The return of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War has been a huge success for the anime world. This beloved series, considered one of the ‘Big Three,’ is at last showing fans the ending they’ve waited years to see. Three parts of the final story have already been released, and the fourth and final part is coming out this summer.
Given its massive popularity, the ending of this long-running anime is expected to be spectacular, particularly with the original author, Tite Kubo, directly involved in its creation. There’s also talk that the finale will include entirely new animated scenes, suggesting a strong finish that could even top Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 as the best anime of the year.
1) Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3
With Season 3 now available, Jujutsu Kaisen is proving to be the standout anime of 2026. The show’s incredible animation keeps getting better, and the new story arc – a high-stakes tournament – is shaping up to be the most exciting one since Dragon Ball Super‘s Tournament of Power, firmly establishing it as a top contender for anime of the year.
Currently, popularity heavily influences the Anime of the Year selection, particularly at events like the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Considering Jujutsu Kaisen‘s huge international fanbase and its past wins for previous seasons, Season 3 is a very strong contender – and possibly the frontrunner – compared to Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and any other anime expected to be released this year.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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2026-03-04 22:10