The 10 Best Anime Returning in 2024 (2024)

Looking back, 2023 was a fantastic year for anime fans all over the globe, with all four seasons packing some incredible animated series, some new and some returning. While fans loved new arrivals like Oshi no Ko and Mashle: Magic and Muscles, it's often the returning titles that make the biggest waves, such as the second seasons of Jujutsu Kaisen and Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. The same will be true for 2024, which has more than a few returning titles up its sleeve.

Throughout 2024, especially in the Winter and Spring anime seasons, fans can look forward to a variety of familiar titles. Some of them are getting a second season, a fourth season, or even a seventh season, and many of them promise to be the highlights of the year. All of these anime series have proven their worth as must-watch shows based on their earlier seasons, so fans know they're in for a wonderful time when these series launch their new seasons across 2024.

10 Kingdom Charts the Rise of a Great Military Leader in Ancient China

Kingdom (2012)

Historical

In ancient China, a young boy dreams of becoming the greatest general of the Qin Kingdom.

Release Date

June 4, 2012

Creator

Yasuhisa Hara

Cast

Masakazu Morita , Jun f*ckuyama , Rie Kugimiya

Seasons

4

Studio

Pierrot

Number of Episodes

129

Kingdom is based on the ongoing seinen manga series by author Yasuhisa Hara. The Kingdom franchise is a great pick for anyone who enjoys historical anime like Vinland Saga, except Kingdom takes place in China's Warring States period rather than medieval Europe.

In Kingdom, protagonist Li Xin is an orphan who dreams of becoming a great general despite his rather impulsive personality. Xin has the charisma and inspirational personality needed to become a fine leader in a time of war, and anime fans will watch him as he slowly rises in the ranks in the Qin kingdom.

9 My Hero Academia Is Gearing Up For the Final Battle of Heroes vs Supervillains

My Hero Academia (2016)

TV-14

Action

Adventure

Izuku has dreamt of being a hero all his life—a lofty goal for anyone, but especially challenging for a kid with no superpowers. That’s right, in a world where eighty percent of the population has some kind of super-powered “quirk,” Izuku was unlucky enough to be born completely normal. But that’s not enough to stop him from enrolling in one of the world’s most prestigious hero academies.

Release Date

May 5, 2018

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

6

Production Company

Bones

Number of Episodes

145

My Hero Academia, has long since established itself as a modern shonen must-watch. It's a superhero action anime in a world where Quirks mean everything, with pro heroes clashing with villains and criminals all over the world. Protagonist Izuku Midoriya dreams of becoming a great hero, and by Season 7, he has largely realized that dream.

Season 6 was brutal, with many heroes and villains losing their lives as the all-out final war between good and evil began. Izuku nearly cracked under the strain, hence his Dark Deku persona, but now he is ready to face the forces of evil with a clear head and save Japan from the likes of Tomura Shigaraki and All For One. Season 7 will also introduce Star and Stripe, the #1 American pro hero, who should help shake things up.

8 Classroom of the Elite Takes Place in a Competitive School With Intriguing Secrets

Classroom of the Elite

TV-14

When Kiyotaka enters government-sponsored elite high school, he finds out just how merit-based this education system is.

Release Date

July 17, 2017

Main Genre

Thriller

Studio

Lerche

Main Cast

Shouya Chiba, Akari Kitou, Justin Briner and Felecia Angelle

See Also

Classroom of the Elite Manga – Bände und Guide » OtakuYoukoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoush*tsu e

Classroom of the Elite is no ordinary high school anime series. Like Kakegurui and Food Wars!, this anime puts a cool spin on the high school formula, taking place in a specialized school where the students have much more to think about than homework and grades. The Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School educates the sons and daughters of society's elite, preparing them to become future leaders of the entire nation.

Protagonist Kiyotaka Ayanokoji is a student at this elite school, a boy who craftily got mediocre scores on purpose, possibly to hide his true abilities. Kiyotaka ended up in the ungalmorous Class-D, where he will advance his own plans and use everyone around him. However, there's more to this advanced school than anyone realizes, and Kiyotaka might soon get to the bottom of it.

7 That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Stars Rimuru Tempest, the Monster Nation Builder

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

TV-PG

Action-Adventure

Average 37-year-old Minami Satoru dies and is reincarnated as the most unremarkable creature imaginable-a slime.

Release Date

October 2, 2018

Creator

Fuse

Cast

Miho Okasaki , Megumi Toyoguchi , Mao Ichimichi , Makoto Furukawa

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

2

Studio

Eight Bit

Sequel

The Slime Diaries

Number of Episodes

48

Even if the premise of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime sounds generic as an isekai title, this anime has become one of the most popular isekai series thanks to its excellent writing and production values. Also known as Tensura for short, this anime stars the overpowered protagonist Rimuru Tempest, a blue slime who will transform the world around him.

Rimuru may be OP, but he never makes anything about himself. Instead, he will unite the feuding monster races to form a new nation of tolerance and peace, a place that anyone can call home. Tensura is ultimately about nation-building and bringing out the best in others, even brutal orcs and savage dire wolves. The anime has ample action, comedy, fun characters, and drama to keep viewers engaged, and Season 3 promises to be more of the same. Rimuru has now become a true world leader and a part of Octogram, but that means he will attract the attention of new rivals, such as Hinata Sakaguchi, who's determined to take him down.

6 Mashle: Magic and Muscles Is More Than a Harry Potter Riff

Mashle: Magic And Muscles

TV-14

Comedy

Fantasy

Into a world of magicians is born Mash, a young boy who lacks magic but is the strongest person around. His existence and destiny will change his world.

Release Date

April 8, 2023

Creator

Hajime Kōmoto

Cast

Chiaki Kobayashi , Katsuyuki Konishi , Takuya Eguchi

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

1

Studio

A-1 Pictures

Number of Episodes

12

The semi-obscure manga series Mashle: Magic and Muscles became more mainstream with the release of its anime adaptation in 2023, quickly earning a good reputation for being an effective One-Punch Man meets Harry Potter story. The Mashle anime has plenty of goofy and subversive elements, but it's not just Harry Potter punching Slytherins.

The Mashle anime has thematic overlap with My Hero Academia, since both series are all about the consequences of building a society where supernatural gifts create an unforgiving hierarchy of haves and have-nots. In Mash Burnedead's world, magic means everything, and he has none. So, Mash will enroll at a magic school and prove that the "magic" of strength and heart are all a person needs to succeed in life.

5 Sound! Euphonium Is About the Power of Music and Faith in Oneself

Sound! Euphonium

Drama

Kumiko, a girl with absolutely no ambition, decides to change herself now that she has started her high school life and try to leave her hobby, playing euphonium in orchestra aside but she totally cannot forget it anyway.

Release Date

April 8, 2015

Creator

Ayano Takeda

Cast

Tomoyo Kurosawa

Seasons

2

Studio

Kyoto Animation

Production Company

Ponycan USA (North America)

Number of Episodes

26

Sound! Euphonium is an anime series primarily based on making music, not unlike anime such as Love Live! Sunshine!! and Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad. Sound! Euphonium takes place in the fairly ordinary Kitauji School, whose concert band used to take part in national championships. However, the band has since lost some of its luster, so the students are determined to make it championship-worthy once again.

Protagonist Kumiko Oumae is an indecisive and timid girl who plays the euphonium, and she wishes that she had more resolve. Kumiko cannot make her wishes come true like this, but with the power of music and friendship, she just might reforge herself into someone who can become a great musician if she puts her mind to it.

4 Tower of God Takes Place in a Gigantic Tower With Many Mysteries

Tower of God

Reach the top, and everything will be yours. At the top of the tower exists everything in this world, and all of it can be yours.

Release Date

April 1, 2020

Creator

S.I.U. (Lee Jong Hui)

Seasons

1

Studio

Telecom Animation Film

Number of Episodes

13

Tower of God is an anime series taking place in a truly enormous Tower, which is home to a variety of civilizations and intelligent races. Each floor of this mammoth Tower has its own ecosystem and society, with the outer section of each layer being a living zone and the inner section being the key to ascending the Tower. Only by passing tests of strength, wit, and dexterity in the inner tower can people ascend toward the Tower's top.

Protagonist Twenty-Fifth Bam wishes to ascend the Tower so he can get answers about his friend Rachel, who entered the Tower to reach its top layer no matter what. Tragically, Rachel used and betrayed Bam, making her a hugely unpopular anime character. That makes the quest to find Rachel and ascend the Tower even more personal for Bam, and anime fans can't wait for more in the new season.

3 Konosuba Is an Isekai Parody With a Lovable Team of Dysfunctional Heroes

KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! (2016)

TV-14

Comedy

Adventure

It was a happy day for Kazuma - right up to the moment he died. A goddess intervenes and offers him a second chance in a magical land.

Release Date

January 14, 2016

Cast

Jun f*ckushima , Sora Amamiya

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

3

Studio

Studio Deen, Drive

Number of Episodes

20 + 2 OVAs

Konosuba! has become immensely popular as one of the best parody/comedy anime series out there, poking fun at the isekai industry with its silly antihero characters and its irreverent plot. The sleazy protagonist Kazuma Sato was a NEET who got isekai'd to a fantasy world, where he formed a team with the juvenile goddess Aqua, the explosion-loving witch Megumin, and the silly crusader Darkness.

The first two seasons of Konosuba! involved aimless but fun adventures as Kazuma and his friends learned to get along and fight as a dysfunctional team, all while meeting the likes of Megumin's rival Yunyun and the kind shopkeeper Wiz. Fans have been waiting quite some time for Konosuba!'s next season even with a movie to sate them, and the Spring 2024 season will deliver.

2 Urusei Yatsura Paved the Way For Tsundere Love Stories and Modern Magical Girls

Urusei Yatsura

Action

A young man cursed with misfortune finds himself tied to an alien wife.

Release Date

October 14, 2022

Creator

Rumiko Takahashi

Production Company

David Production

Number of Episodes

23

Cast

Jade Kelly , Jack Stansbury

Urusei Yatsura is one of the first mainsteam series from famed author Rumiko Takahashi, who is also known for Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha, and Mermaid Saga. In fact, Urusei Yatsura helped establish major trends that anime fans take for granted today, such as the tsundere archetype and the "alien girl" concept. The manga got an anime in the 1980s, but modern anime fans will probably prefer the remake.

Urusei Yatsura is a comedy featuring a race of aliens called the Oni who arrive at Earth to challenge humanity to a series of competitions. Protagonist Ataru Moroboshi is an ordinary young man who competed against the alien princess Lum and ended up engaged to her, leading to all kinds of wacky antics as Ataru gets used to his tsundere reverse-isekai fiancée.

1 Mushoku Tensei Is One of the Best Fantasy Isekai Series, Starring Rudeus Greyrat

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

TV-14

Action

Adventure

A 34-year-old underachiever gets run over by a bus, but his story isn't over. Reincarnated as an infant, he'll embark on an epic adventure.

Release Date

January 11, 2021

Creator

Rifujin na Magonote

Cast

Yumi Uchiyama , Tomokazu Sugita , Ai Kakuma , Toshiyuki Morikawa

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

2

Studio

Studio Bind

Mushoku Tensei may sound like a generic isekai anime based on its premise, but its conventional elements still came together to form a highly compelling story that made Mushoku Tensei popular among anime fans. The story stars a 30-something NEET who was hit by Truck-kun, only to end up in a fantasy world, reborn as an infant.

Now known as Rudeus Greyrat, the dejected NEET will take advantage of his new life and finally make something of himself, including his new talents for magic. He will even attend a magic school to learn the ways of sorcery, but it's not all good news. A great catastrophe will threaten the entire world, and Rudeus must do whatever he can to survive.