The third Frieren character poll closed with 12,700,122 votes and Genau, a first-class mage, taking first place, ending Himmel's two-poll streak. The Mimic, entry number 140, finished 21st, but 6th once votes were capped at one per person. "The Bone She Bought" made the top ten and is getting merchandise.
Dorohedoro Season 2's main PV revealed the Cross-Eyes voice cast: Koki Uchiyama as Dokuga, Daiki Hamano as Tetsujo, plus four more. (K)NoW_NAME returned for the themes, streaming ran April 1 to May 27, and Season 3 is confirmed.
Re:Zero Season 4's second key visual has dropped, with 19 episodes set to air from April 2026. But while Japanese fans voice fatigue after Season 3's divisive reception, overseas fans are calling Arc 6 the series' masterpiece. Why is there such a stark enthusiasm gap between domestic and international audiences? We explore what Japanese anime fans really want now.
April 2026 saw Slime season 4 (five cours), Re:Zero season 4, Classroom of the Elite season 4, Witch Hat Atelier, and One Piece's Elbaf arc all launch at once. Slime held the top on viewership, but the satisfaction rankings went to Yomi no Tsugai, which nobody saw coming. A look back at the haken race, with lessons from Chainsaw Man and The Promised Neverland season 2.
ARASHI's first new song in 5 years and 5 months, "Five," achieved 3.2 million streams on its release day—the highest first-day record in Oricon history, surpassing BTS. With lyrics echoing their debut single "A・RA・SHI," the track has fans in tears ahead of their farewell 5-dome tour. Here's why Japan's biggest idol group still commands record-breaking devotion.
Tokyo rock trio Mrs. GREEN APPLE made history by debuting at No. 13 on the IFPI Global Artist Chart 2025 — becoming the first Japanese act ever to break into the top 15. Their 10th-anniversary best album "10" also landed at No. 10 on the Global Album Chart, with over 1 million physical copies sold. Find out who they are and why the world is listening.
ONE PIECE manga has surpassed 600 million copies worldwide! Creator Eiichiro Oda has written down the secret of the One Piece treasure for the very first time and, with help from Japan's JAMSTEC ocean research agency, sealed it 651 meters beneath the sea. The answer will only be revealed when the manga ends. Here's everything you need to know about this extraordinary event.
Japan tightened its foreign driver's license conversion test in October 2025: the written exam went from 10 to 50 questions and the pass mark from 70% to 90%, a certificate of residence became mandatory, and tourists can no longer apply. National figures the police released in March 2026 show the knowledge test pass rate falling from 90% to 40% and the practical test from 30% to 10%. A look at the accidents behind the reform and how other countries handle conversion.
On February 28, 2026, Ado released "Vivarium," her first live-action music video, showing her profile and eyes for the first time. The song ties in with the autobiographical novel Vivarium: Ado to Watashi, written by Narumi Komatsu and published by Bungeishunju on February 26. Here is who made the roughly 300-cut video, what she said in her Billboard JAPAN interview, and how her two Nissan Stadium nights and the Zipangu festival in Los Angeles went.
XG announced that their second world tour "XG WORLD TOUR: THE CORE" will continue as scheduled despite the arrest of producer JAKOPS (SIMON). After careful deliberation, the seven members are going ahead with the remaining Japan shows in March and April, plus legs in Asia, North America, Europe, Australia, and Latin America. Full tour dates, ticket refund details, and how fans are rallying behind XG.
16-time Grammy winner Bruno Mars marked his first solo album in a decade, 'The Romantic,' with the world's only collaboration cafe, at SHIBUYA TSUTAYA in Tokyo. Album-inspired drinks, Japan-exclusive artwork, and the long list of reasons Bruno keeps coming back to Japan.
YOASOBI will make history as the first-ever J-Pop artist to perform at OSHEAGA in Montreal, Canada. Following appearances at Coachella and Lollapalooza, this marks their Canadian live debut. Full details on the festival lineup, ticket info, and J-Pop's expanding global footprint.
Born from an April Fools' joke in 2008, virtual singer Kasane Teto now boasts 150M+ YouTube views on hit songs. Her long-awaited best compilation album '0401 - The Best Days of Kasane Teto 2026' and the inaugural DJ event TETO SONIC 2026 at Shibuya WOMB mark a new chapter for the eternal 31-year-old icon of Japan's Vocaloid culture.
TK from Ling tosite sigure wrapped his first North American tour on June 7, 2026, playing seven shows in six cities to about 8,000 people, with five dates sold out. Here is what the run showed about his audience abroad, what Spotify's play map says, and what comes next through Budokan in December.
A brand-new Evangelion series was announced at the franchise's 30th anniversary festival. NieR: Automata creator Yoko Taro will handle series composition and screenplay, with NieR composer Keiichi Okabe on music. The "NieR team" joining Eva has stunned fans worldwide. Directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki and Toko Yatabe, produced by Studio Khara × CloverWorks. Following the $70M finale of Shin Evangelion, this unexpected crossover of gaming and anime talent has set Japanese social media ablaze with excitement.
NieR:Automata has surpassed 10 million copies in worldwide shipments and downloads. During the 9th anniversary livestream on February 20, 2026, a commemorative video ended with the tantalizing words "to be continued," sparking massive speculation about what's next. Here's everything announced, from developer comments to new collab merchandise.
Ado, the anonymous Japanese singer who conquered the world without showing her face, has released "Vivarium," a song she wrote and composed herself, alongside her autobiography. For the first time, her single cover carries a real photograph of her. From closet recordings to sold-out arenas, this is the biggest turning point yet in the 23-year-old's career.
KID PHENOMENON, a seven-member dance & vocal group from LDH JAPAN, has been selected to perform at SXSW 2026 in Austin, Texas, the legendary festival that launched Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran, and Kendrick Lamar. Discover how their "TOKYO NEO POP" concept is charting a new path for Japanese artists going global.
Eve, the voice behind Jujutsu Kaisen's viral hit "Kaikai Kitan," teams up with Yorushika vocalist suis for "Kaze no Anthem," the opening theme of TV anime Witch Hat Atelier (premiering April 2026). It is their third collaboration. Here is why this Eisner Award-winning manga adaptation drew so much attention outside Japan.
On February 19, 2026, Rakuten Group and Google announced Japan's first YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program partnership, letting viewers buy Rakuten Ichiba products without leaving the video. Japan is the 12th market for the program, after 11 earlier ones.