The must-watch anime to look out for in summer 2024

We’re officially halfway through 2024, and so far the year has boasted a wealth of exciting new anime throughout its winter and spring seasons. With the summer anime season (which runs from July through September) coming fast, there’s tons of premieres and returning anime to look forward, so let’s take a look at what we have on the horizon! This summer has a little something for everyone: reboots of classic super robot anime like Grendizer U, historical adventure epics like The Elusive Samurai, action fantasies like Suicide Squad Isekai, and more. We’ve also got new seasons of great anime like Oshi no Ko and Time Patrol Bon, as well as the highly anticipated Terminator: Zero anime from Production I.G! We’ll continue to update this list as we get a clearer picture of everything this upcoming anime season has to offer, but in the meantime, here are some of the most exciting anime airing this summer that you should look forward to. Our latest update added Girls Band Cry. Suicide Squad Isekai [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsLAMV7lQX4] Release date: June 27 Where to watch: Max, Hulu The Suicide Squad (aka Task Force X) have gotten into a lot of mishaps over the years, but being transported into a fantasy universe? That’s a new one. Produced by Wit Studio (Attack on Titan, Ranking of Kings), Suicide Squad Isekai follows the members of Amanda Waller’s elite covert team who are sent on a “peacekeeping mission” to an alternate dimension of swords and sorcery. After being unexpectedly cut off from Waller’s control, the Suicide Squad will have to devise a plan to return to their own dimension in time before their subdermal bombs are activated. No pressure! Oshi no Ko season 2 [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unJObVA22Og] Release date: July 3 Where to watch: HIDIVE One of last year’s most unique anime returns this summer with an all-new season! Based on Aka Akasaka’s supernatural drama manga, Oshi No Ko follows the story of the son and daughter of a murdered pop idol who vow to find their mother’s killer and exact revenge. The son and daughter also happen to be the reincarnation of the pop idol’s biggest fan and a young girl who knew the other in their previous lives. It only gets wilder and weirder from there! Nier: Automata Ver1.1a season 2 [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=441v-JXm0CE] Release date: July 5 Where to watch: Crunchyroll Nier: Automata Ver1.1a was one of Polygon’s favorite anime of 2023, adapting PlatinumGames and Square Enix’s 2017 smash-hit action RPG with the help of series creator Yoko Taro, who helped to weave the anime’s existence into the franchise’s dense and exceedingly meta continuity. It was also one of the most frustrating watches of last year, with several production delays brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully the second season, which premieres this summer, won’t be afflicted with the same problems as the first. We live in hope! Dungeon People [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOhm_AZqhW0] Release date: July 6 Where to watch: HIDIVE If you’re saddened that you don’t have any more Delicious in Dungeon to look forward to this year, this new anime based on Sui Futami’s ongoing manga may be just the thing to satiate your appetite for lighthearted, expectation-subverting fantasy adventure. Dungeon People centers on Clay, a talented warrior trained from youth by her father to become a member of the thieves’ guild. Following his disappearance in the depths of a notorious dungeon, Clay embarks on mission to rescue him. Reaching deeper than anyone has before, she meets Belle, the “caretaker” of the dungeon, who invites Clay to join her in learning about its many inhabitants while maintaining its ecosystem. So, kinda like Delicious in Dungeon, only without the cooking! Grendizer U [Media: https://youtu.be/V1TbpqV9VPs] Release date: July 6 Where to watch: TBA Fans of Go Nagai (Devilman, Cutie Honey) and giant robots, rejoice: The classic Mazinger series is getting a new anime reboot this season! Based on Nagai’s original 1975 manga, the anime follows the story of the last known survivor of an alien species who flees to Earth after his homeworld is conquered by a villainous empire led by King Vega. When Vega’s forces arrive at Earth, the survivor — now named Daisuke Umon — must join forces with his friends Koji and Hikaru to pilot a giant alien robot named Grendizer to defend the planet. Mitsuo Fukuda (Mobile Suit Gundam Seed) and art director Shun Kudo (Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans) will co-direct this new adaptation of Grendizer. Tatsuo Higuchi (Fuuto PI) will be the series’ lead screenwriter, while mechanical designs will be made up of a team of veteran artists including Ko Inaba (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury) and Junichi Akatsu (Mobile Suit Gundam Seed). The Elusive Samurai [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnsKUHUgMQc\u0026pp=ygUTVGhlIEVsdXNpdmUgU2FtdXJhaQ%3D%3D] Release date: July 6 Where to watch: Crunchyroll Based on Yusei Matsui’s historical manga, The Elusive Samurai follows the story of Tokiyuki Hojo, the heir of a powerful family who flees with a handful of his most loyal retainers after his clan is betrayed and overthrown by a tyrannical traitor. Prophesied to one day become the ruler of Japan, Tokiyuki and his entourage strive to seek revenge and attain his destiny using his single greatest talent: The ability to hide, dodge, and flee! Tower of God season 2 [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H9U6SugSzk] Release date: July 7 Where to watch: Crunchyroll Tower of God, the anime series based on the popular 2010 manhwa webtoon created by S.I. U. (Lee Jong Hui), returns with an all-new season this summer. The second season follows Ja Wangnan, a young warrior who just can’t seem to progress beyond the 20th floor of the mysterious Tower. After joining forces with a powerful stranger named Viole, the pair embark on a journey to conquer the Tower’s heights and achieve greatness. Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZB76FMtf4A] Release date: July 8 Where to watch: Netflix If you’re anything like me, an anime fan who grew up around the turn of the century, you’re most likely familiar with the superhero wrestling series Kinnikuman from having watched Ultimate Muscle, the English-dubbed version of the Kinnikuman Nisei anime, which aired in the United States in 2002. This new anime adapts the 2011 manga created by writer Takashi Shimada and artist Yoshinori Nakai to pick up after the end of the original Kinnikuman manga in 1987. Created to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the original anime, Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc follows the story of Kinnikuman, a clumsy superhero from another planet who eventually becomes the strongest wrestler in the world. Produced by Production I.G (Kaiju No. 8, Heavenly Delusion), Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc will be directed by Akira Sato (Release the Spyce) with scripts written by Makoto Fukami (Psycho-Pass). Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-mfa1N0nU8] Release date: July 14 Where to watch: Crunchyroll This romantic comedy anime about a group of teenage girls unlucky in love follows Kazuhiko Nukumizu, a high school wallflower who for the most part keeps to himself and doesn’t stand out among his peers. After inadvertently witnessing Anna Yanami, one of the most popular girls in his class, being rejected by her childhood friend, Kazuhiko consoles her in her heartache. Before he knows it, Kazuhiko finds himself surrounded by other classmates in his school, all of whom have similarly been turned down by their lifelong crushes. Can Kazuhiko help these poor girls find love and happiness beyond their initial expectations? T・P BON (Time Patrol Bon) season 2 [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py2SlAsTLRo] Release date: July 17 Where to watch: Netflix Based on the beloved sci-fi adventure manga by Doraemon creator(s) Fujiko Fujio, Time Patrol Bon follows the story of an ordinary high school student recruited to join a team of time-traveling heroes tasked with saving people’s lives across different eras across the world. Following the anime’s premiere in May, a second season of 12 episodes is set to premiere this June. Delico’s Nursery [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRmrQj57gPw] Release date: Aug. 7 Where to watch: Crunchyroll Now here’s something you don’t see every day — a supernatural slice-of-life anime following the heir of an aristocratic family of vampires who is tasked by a council of vampiric elders to investigate a rash of mysterious murders targeting members of their coven. Problem is, he flatly declines the mission, as he’s just way too busy raising his rambunctious kids! With no other option, three members of the council agree to take care of Dali’s family while he’s off hunting the perpetrator. After all, how hard could childcare be? Based on the popular gothic stage play series Trump, Delico’s Nursery is being produced by J.C. Staff (Bakuman) with Hiroshi Nishikiori (Azumanga Daioh) attached as director and Kenichi Suemitsu (Touken Ranbu Kai Kyoden) acting as screenwriter. Girls Band Cry [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn9yHqIa8UA] Release date: Aug. 13 Where to watch: Fandango At Home, The Microsoft Store, Prime Video, Hoopla Girls Band Cry is the most underrated anime to premiere this year so far, and the reason is fairly simple, albeit inherently confusing. For whatever reason, the new original CG anime from Toei Animation has not simulcast outside of Asia when it premiered in April. That however, is about to change, as Toei Animation announced that Girls Band Cry will finally be made available in North America this August — but only via digital purchase. It’s unknown if or when the series will coming to streaming, but if you’re as curious as I am to check out one of the most elusive anime to premiere in 2024, now is the time to! Directed by Kazuo Sakai (Love Live! Sunshine!!) and written by Jukki Hanada (Nichijou - My Ordinary Life), this slice-of-life anime centers on Nina Iseri, a high school dropout who moves to Tokyo to prove that she can fend for herself and enroll in a good university. After meeting Momoka Kawaragi, a fellow dropout and one of Nina’s favorite guitarists, the two play together during an impromptu street performance and hit it off immediately. Together with three other dropouts, the girls form a new band and navigate the challenges that come not only with navigating the music industry, but of living as a young adult in the city. While the premise sounds reminiscent of Bocchi the Rock, one of the breakout anime hits of 2023, that’s not what’s made Girls Band Cry such darling among audiences since it first aired. Rather, it’s the quality of the show’s animation, which fans have singled out as one of the most impressive examples of well-done CG animation in recent memory. Rick and Morty: The Anime [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASis6aJCnM8] Release date: Aug. 15 (English version), Aug. 17 (Japanese version) Where to watch: Adult Swim, streaming next day on Max Rick and Morty is getting an anime spin-off! Directed by Takashi Sano, the director of Tower of God and the “Rick and Morty vs. Genocider” and “Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil)” animated shorts, Rick and Morty: The Anime is a 10-episode anime that follows everyone’s favorite alcoholic mad scientist and his grandson sidekick as they gallivant across the multiverse exploring the unknown and causing havoc wherever they go. Details are scant as to the actual plot of the series, but we can probably expect the series’ usual episodic shenanigans, albeit with a more explicit anime twist! Terminator Zero [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvXbAQOpocQ] Release date: Aug. 29 Where to watch: Netflix First announced in 2023, the new anime series set in the universe of the Terminator franchise is quickly shaping up to be one of the most anticipated premieres this summer. Produced by Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell) and directed by Masashi Kudo (Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War), Terminator Zero will follow Eiko (Sonoya Mizuno), a human survivor who travels back in time on a mission to protect the creator of AI system with the power to combat Skynet. Timothy Olyphant (Justified) will voice the Terminator assassin she’ll be forced to fight against, and Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Leftovers) will voice one of the leaders of the human resistance. Uzumaki [Media: https://youtu.be/RapL7_C4MzY?si=Ws9INPxGzmURsFYE] Release date: Sept. 28 Where to watch: Adult Swim, streaming next day on Max The long-awaited anime miniseries based on Junji Ito’s supernatural horror manga is finally bursting its way onto television screens this season! Directed by Hiroshi Nagahama (Mushi-Shi, Flowers of Evil), Uzumaki follows the story of Kirie Goshima and Shuichi Saito, two high school sweethearts living in the rural Japanese town of Kurouzu-cho. When a mysterious “spiral curse” begins to afflict the townspeople through a series of disturbing, inexplicable incidents, Kirie and Shuichi must find a way to survive these horrors before they become the curse’s next victims. Ito’s manga is known for its grotesque, violent imagery and disturbing sense of pacing, and from the look of the latest teaser trailer, Nagahama’s anime seems intent on faithfully realizing those elements in their full gruesome detail. We’ll have to see just how gnarly the series gets when it premieres later this summer.