Anime to watch while you wait for your favourite show's next season

Every anime fan knows the feeling. The season finale ends on a cliffhanger, the studio says nothing for months, and suddenly you’ve got a free slot on your evenings and nothing you want to fill it with. Rewatching is one option. A better one is finding a show that scratches the same itch, ideally one that’s already finished, so you can’t get stuck waiting all over again.

So instead of guessing which show you’re waiting for, we’ve sorted these by the kind of show you’re missing. Most of them are complete, so you can binge without worrying. Streaming availability varies by country and changes often, so check your local services (JustWatch-style search sites are handy for this) before you start.

If you miss big shōnen battles: Hunter x Hunter (2011)

Madhouse’s 148-episode adaptation ran from 2011 to 2014 and is still the benchmark for long-running action anime. It starts out light, with a boy setting off to find his father, and gets steadily darker and cleverer. The fights are about rules, tactics and tricks as much as power. It’s a big commitment, but it’s ideal if you’re waiting on a shōnen hit and want something with a similar sweep.

Note: the manga is still unfinished, so the anime stops at a natural break rather than a true ending. It’s a satisfying place to stop, though.

If you miss stylish action with a big heart: Mob Psycho 100

Three seasons (2016, 2019 and 2022), around 37 episodes in total, and finished. Mob is an incredibly powerful psychic middle-schooler who’d much rather be normal, and his con-artist mentor Reigen is one of the funniest characters in anime. The animation is wild when it needs to be, but the real reason people love it is how kind it is.

If you miss a slow, gentle fantasy: Mushishi

If you’re waiting for more of a quiet, reflective fantasy, this is the one. Ginko travels the countryside dealing with mushi, strange life forms that sit somewhere between nature spirits and illness. Each episode is mostly a standalone story, so it works brilliantly one episode at a time, an evening at a time. The first series (26 episodes, 2005–06) was followed by Mushishi: The Next Passage in 2014, plus a special and a film.

If you miss character drama that hits hard: March Comes in Like a Lion

Rei is a 17-year-old professional shogi player who lives alone and is struggling, until a family of three sisters across the river slowly pulls him back into the world. Two seasons of 22 episodes each (2016–18). It’s about depression, found family and quiet determination, and you don’t need to know anything about shogi. A great pick if you’re missing a show that made you cry in a good way.

If you miss sweeping, grown-up storytelling: Vinland Saga

What starts as a brutal Viking revenge story becomes something much more thoughtful in its second season, which is almost a different show and arguably a better one. Two seasons so far (2019 and 2023). It’s not finished, so it’s a risk if you hate waiting, but there’s plenty to get through.

If you miss something short and brilliant: Ping Pong the Animation

Just 11 episodes (2014), from director Masaaki Yuasa. Two childhood friends, a table-tennis club and a lot of feelings about talent and effort. The art style takes a minute to get used to and then you won’t want it any other way. You can finish it in a weekend, which makes it the perfect palate cleanser between seasons.

How to pick

• Lots of time? Hunter x Hunter.
• A few evenings? Mob Psycho 100 or March Comes in Like a Lion.
• One weekend? Ping Pong the Animation.
• One episode a night before bed? Mushishi.

New to anime, or buying for someone who is? Start with our best anime for beginners. Want something newer? Try our underrated anime from the last five years, and keep the Fall 2026 watchlist handy for what’s airing now. Sub or dub is up to you, and we’ve already had that argument.