The Fall anime schedule is always packed with highly anticipated sequels, buzzy new discoveries, and quirky gems, and 2025 is no different.
The highlight of the autumn months is undoubtedly the final season of My Hero Academia, a series that started all the way back in 2016 and is now being finished by long-time production company Studio Bones, which has done an amazing job adapting the source material thus far. Other notable new arrivals include the continuing adventures of the Forger family in Spy x Family and a new season of the reboot of Ranma ½.
We’ve done our best to sample some of the more anticipated titles of the season, previewing the first episodes of the season’s most exciting premieres.
This Monster Wants to Eat Me
Release Date: October 2
Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
Hinako Yaotose is a high school student who lives alone in a seaside town. She wasn’t always alone and finds herself frequently questioning why she’s the only one who is still alive after losing her family in a tragic accident. To say that she’s suffering from some deep depression is an understatement. She feels largely disconnected from the world around her, and while unable to take her own life, she certainly has suicidal ideation.
In case you weren’t aware of the metaphor of quite literally drowning in depression, This Monster Wants to Eat Me repeats that motif frequently in its premiere. The only hope for Hinako comes when she encounters a mysterious girl named Shiori Oumi, who is secretly a man-eating mermaid. Shiori promises that when Hinako has “ripened,” she’ll happily devour the girl, fulfilling both of their desires.
If this is going to turn into some kind of light romance, this first episode of This Monster Wants to Eat Me didn’t make that impression. This is a dark show, with mature themes, about a girl who is seeking salvation from the death that awaits her. It’s not exactly a show for me, but it more than delivers on its premise.
Let’s Play
Release Date: October 2
Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
Based on a popular romantic comedy webcomic by Leeanne M. Krecic (Mongie), Let’s Play follows Sam Young, an aspiring indie game developer. One of her relatable traits is her crippling social anxiety, which instantly sets the stakes for the show. How can Sam overcome her anxiety and become a successful developer at the same time, particularly when so much of that industry is driven by the personalities of its creators? Despite this lofty challenge, Sam has released a playable build of her passion project, Ruminate. Even though the game initially received glowing reviews, a prominent YouTube streamer, Marshall Law, has dismissed the game entirely. And, to make matters worse, Marshall Law has just become her new neighbor!
Usually, anime with adults struggling with their careers presents a nice change of pace from the more typical high school drama fare. The problem is that Let’s Play is horrendously written, almost to the point that it seems the creator pivoted from making a dating sim to making a web comic instead. On top of grappling with her social anxiety, Sam is also interested in a few different men, including her childhood bestie, her manager at her father’s company, and even Marshall Law. Maybe the series will be grow more thoughtful in terms of how it touches upon mental health and the gaming culture over the course of its run, but I won’t be sticking around to find out.
May I Ask for One Final Thing?
Release Date: October 3
Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
One of the biggest surprises of the 2025 Fall anime season might be May I Ask for One Final Thing? It’s based on a web novel series by author Nana Otori and tells the story of Scarlet El Vandimion, a heroine who has spent years putting up with the verbal and emotional abuses of her betrothed, Prince Kyle, only for their relationship to suddenly end when he decides to marry another woman. After being humiliated in front of everyone in the court, Scarlet makes a request for the show’s titular final thing. He obliges her, and then she quickly walks up to her replacement and asks, “May I knock that bitch on her ass?”
The two-episode premiere initially details the abuse that Scarlet has had to deal with over the years and introduces a few other characters, including Prince Kyle’s older brother, Prince Julius, who has a strange interest in Scarlet. Adding a second installment works well for the show because the first episode is so self-contained. I imagine a lot of viewers would drop off otherwise. The second half of the series debut does a lot of world-building, showing some additional characters and setting up Scarlet’s journey. If the show continues to shine a spotlight on this kick ass heroine who punches anyone in her way, sign me up.
A Star Brighter Than the Sun
Release Date: October 3
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Based on the manga series by Kazune Kawahara, A Star Brighter Than the Sun is a simple delight. At its core, it’s a story about two childhood friends (Sae and Koki) who grow up together, but are too naive and young to notice that they’ve got the hots for one another. When Koki was younger, he was a timid child and notably never wanted to drink his milk. Sae became a protective figure for him, not only drinking his milk for him, but also using her greater height (and proportionally her weight) to protect him from bullies. She has insecurities about her body and believes she’ll never be enough for Koki now that he’s one of the cutest boys in school. He similarly has put Sae on a pedestal in his mind.
As far as the adaptation goes, the series invites easy comparisons to Kimi Ni Todoke, another long-running Shoujo where the characters are too naive to realise they are mutually attracted to each other. But that show, despite being quite a few years older, looks much better than A Star Brighter Than the Sun. There isn’t too much to tease into the next episode, except that Sae might have a new challenger to Koki’s affections. But if you are looking for a cute Shoujo this season, A Star Brighter Than The Sun does just enough to merit a look.
My Hero Academia Final Season
Release Date: October 4
Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
It’s been a long time coming, but the final season of My Hero Academia has arrived and is set to bring one of the biggest anime series of all time to an end.
My Hero Academia follows Deku and his classmates at U.A. High School, teenagers with special abilities known as Quirks, who must work together to fight evil. This season promises the big battles that fans have been waiting for, with All Might vs. All For One and Deku vs. Shigaraki being the highlights. For those who have been following My Hero Academia all along, this final season premiere will feel like a lot of rehashed material. All Might is still in a heated battle with All For One, but the animation from Studio Bones is so good, it’s not so terrible to get a refresh.
Elsewhere, Aoyama shines (literally) while dispatching a villain and teaming up with previously invisible girl Toru Hagakure. While I’m not sure any of this will actually make sense if you haven’t been watching all along, those who’ve been committed to My Hero Academia throughout its run will be pleased as the long-running series barrels towards its finale.
Spy x Family Season 3
Release Date: October 4
Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
The third season of the action/comedy series Spy x Family ably continues the exploits of the Forger family. To maintain peace between rival nations, a secret agent is tasked with spying on a prominent politician. Since that politician is reclusive, the only real way to get close enough is through his son, Damian. Code name “Twilight” forms a family known as the Forger family with his partner, Yor, and their child, Anya. Unbeknownst to him, Yor is secretly a professional assassin, and Anya is a telepath.
The first episode is split into two small stories. The first sees the Forger family enjoying a nice time in the park when Anya and her dog, Bond (who has precognition abilities), identify a future where the park is destroyed. The Forger family snaps into action and saves the day. The second half of the episode is dedicated to two members of the extended cast, Fiona and Franky. Fiona’s defining personality trait is that she’s obsessed with Loid “Twilight” Forger, which doesn’t exactly make her the most compelling character to spend time with. Thankfully, Loid is barely in this episode, so her interactions are mostly with Franky. And it works.
Spy x Family works best as a balancing act between action and comedy, and this story proves that the series is second to none in that regard. The only bummer is that this installment feels a bit ike a filler episode, since we haven’t gotten any further into the Forger’s grand mission. Maybe the next episode, which promises to look into Loid’s past, will be more exciting.
Ranma ½ Season 2
Release Date: October 4
Where to Watch: Netflix
Adapting more material from the classic manga series by Rumiko Takahashi, this season is more of the same for Ranma and his fiancée, Akane Tendo. At its core, Ranma ½ is an action /romantic comedy hybrid, as more foes come to challenge Ranma to satisfy their own ego or to try and win the hand of Akane. (Though it should be made clear that Akane is incredibly capable of taking care of herself.)
The Season 2 premiere introduces the creepy classmate Gosunkugi, who has an unhealthy obsession with Akane and uses voodoo dolls to curse his enemies, and the episode is primarily focused on discovering Ranma’s weakness. Once we do learn what Ranma is afraid of and why, it’s hard to imagine a worse father than Ranma’s, Genma Saotome. There are plenty of characters that I remember fondly from the old anime adaptation of Ranma ½ that I’m excited to see make an appearance (and some I’m dreading), and that might be worth the journey alone.
Max Covill is a freelance writer for Paste Magazine. For more anime, movie, and television news and reviews you can follow him, @mhcovill.
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