The must-watch anime to look out for in summer 2025

Being an anime fan nowadays means never being starved for new content to watch, and the summer 2025 anime season is lining up to be another exciting one. After the spring season whet fans’ palates with Solo Leveling season 2 and Lazarus from Shinichirō Watanabe, summer sees the return of several fan favorite series, including DAN DA DAN and Kaiju no 8.

There’s also the debut of a couple of newcomer series, such as Gachiakuta and Lord of Mysteries (which will have a two-episode premiere), two series that are already the talk of the community due to the high expectations they generated. Of course, some ongoing anime from last season are still being released, like One Piece, Anne Shirley, and Witch Watch. We’ll update this list in the future with premiere dates and confirmed streaming platforms as we get closer to the season.

Let’s dive into Polygon’s selection of what anime from the summer season you should not miss!

Lord of Mysteries 

Release date: June 28
Where to watch: Crunchyroll

Lord of Mysteries is based on a Chinese web novel that already boasts a huge fan base, making this anime an anticipated debut this season. If you’re a fan of steampunk, Lovecraftian horror, and Victorian era-inspired worlds, Lord of Mysteries manages to blend all three. In a spin on the popular isekai genre, Zhou Mingrui is a Chinese man who “transmigrates” into the body of Klein Moretti after the latter’s suicide. In a new world, he masquerades as a god while rising in the ranks of the occult, looking for a way to go back home.

DAN DA DAN season 2

Release date: July 3
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu 

In 2024, Dan Da Dan captured the hearts of anime fans globally, so much so that it was in contention for winning Anime of the Year at the Anime Awards. Momo is a popular girl raised by a spirit medium, and Okarun is a socially awkward boy obsessed with aliens. After becoming friends and getting entangled with both the occult and outerworld creatures, their bond grows stronger, and a romance begins to blossom. In season 2, the duo will set out to help Momo’s childhood friend Jiji, who is tormented by a ghost, while unraveling a mystery in an apparently quiet country village. The series is shaping up to be Science Saru’s magnum opus as it has already become part of the pop culture zeitgeist.

Call of the Night season 2

Release date: July 4
Where to watch: HIDIVE

One restless night, Ko meets Nazuna, a playful and mysterious girl who offers him a place to crash. Turns out, Nazuna’s a vampire; she just bit him, and now she’s hooked on the taste of his blood. But Nazuna keeps coming back every night, and it isn’t just for Ko’s blood. The relationship between the two gets more complicated in season 2 when someone from Ko’s past reappears, vying for his attention. Fans have been waiting for an announcement for season 2 for a while, and they were finally satisfied with a trailer revealing that Creepy Nuts, popular for providing themes for Mashle and Dan Da Dan, will also be performing the opening theme for Call of the Night.

My Dress-Up Darling season 2 

Release date: July 5
Where to watch: Crunchyroll

When Marin Kitagawa and Wakana Gojo met, they grew close over their love for cosplay, and season 2 continues to explore their budding love life together. My Dress-Up Darling is always cute, sometimes sexy, and absolutely gorgeous to look at, thanks to CloverWorks’ photorealistic art direction. Best of all, it’s a great look into the lifestyle and hard work that goes into being an avid cosplayer.

Gachiakuta

Release date: July 6
Where to watch: Crunchyroll

Gachiakuta, one of Weekly Shōnen Magazine’s most celebrated manga, is finally getting an anime adaptation by one of Japan’s best animation studios, Studio Bones (Soul Eater, My Hero Academia). In a skybound city where the wealthy dump their trash and the unwanted, the story follows Rudo, who is framed for murder and cast into the Pit, a wasteland crawling with mutated garbage beasts. He harnesses a strange new power and joins the Cleaners, a rebel force that fights back. But Rudo isn’t just hunting monsters—he’s coming for the corrupt who threw him away.

Nyaight of the Living Cat 

Release date: July 6
Where to watch: Crunchyroll

An anime where the world gets overrun by a virus that turns people into cats? Who can’t see the comedy in that? Anytime cats rub against a human, they turn the person into a cat. It’s a hilarious take on the zombie genre, right down to its Night of the Living Dead-inspired name. Find out this summer if humanity can fight its urge to pet cats to survive in this post-apocalyptic litter box of a world.

Dr. Stone Science Future part 2

Release date: July 10
Where to watch: Crunchyroll

Dr. Stone is a shonen that trades fists for complex science-based problem solving, that’s finally wrapping up after its original successful debut in 2019. Thousands of years after humanity turns to stone, science genius Senku awakens and sets out to rebuild civilization from scratch. In its final season, Senku and the Kingdom of Science set sail for America, chasing resources for their bold mission to the Moon.

Leviathan

Release date: July 10
Where to watch: Netflix

Set in an alternate version of 1914, Leviathan explores a world on the brink of war, where mechanized war machines clash with genetically engineered beasts. The story follows a runaway prince, Aleksandar, and a daring girl disguised as a boy, Deryn, as they wind up aboard a living airship that could alter the fate of history. From BEASTARS’ Studio Orange, with new music by Studio Ghibli favorite Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke), this Scott Westerfeld adaptation is expected to turn heads.

Sakamoto Days part 2

Release date: July 14
Where to watch: Netflix

Yuto Suzuki’s hit manga Sakamoto Days, which follows legendary ex-hitman Taro Sakamoto, forced to dust off his deadly skills to protect his quiet life and beloved family, had a hotly anticipated debut last year. After taking down some elite assassins in the first part of season 1, tensions explode in a three-way showdown between Sakamoto’s team, The Order, and the enigmatic villain X (aka Slur) in this second part. Although its original outing didn’t make as many waves as fans hoped, its second “cour” is expected to get to the meat of what makes this franchise so beloved.

Kaiju No. 8 season 2

Release date: July 19
Where to watch: Crunchyroll

Kaiju No. 8 season 1 turned heads with its standout debut, grabbing the attention of anime fans everywhere. Now with momentum on its side, the animation has leveled up, looking sharper than ever. This season brings even more intense action as Kafka leans into his Kaiju powers to help the First Division battle monstrous threats, especially the looming menace of Kaiju No. 9, the Defense Force’s most dangerous enemy yet.