Now that it’s the new year, it’s time to anticipate more animated shows, cartoons and anime alike. While there are way more shows coming than I could even count, I wanted to highlight some ones I’m personally looking forward to this year! 

Hazbin Hotel 

Hazbin Hotel is an adult musical comedy created by Vivienne Medrano. As of writing this, the first four episodes have already been released on Friday, January 19th, on Prime Video. The next two episodes are slated to release on Friday, January 26th, and then the final two on Friday, February 2nd. I have already seen the episodes and enjoyed them, but I will not go into them here since they have just been released, and I would rather cover the entire season in a separate article. The show follows the smashing success of the pilot, released in October 2019 on YouTube, amassing 90 million views. 

It follows the Princess of Hell, Charlie Morningstar, as she tries to save demons from Heaven’s yearly exterminations and redeem them. She opened a hotel called Hazbin Hotel to achieve this. She means well, but it’s not going well in a world full of sinners who are proud of that fact and laugh at her attempt. The show follows her journey in this cause, along with others in the hotel.

Arcane season 2 

Since the first season’s release in 2021, fans have been patiently awaiting the next season, coming in November of this year, and is based on Riot Games’ League of Legends. Earlier this month, they released a teaser trailer that personally left me on the edge of my seat. 

For the uninitiated, Arcane follows two sisters as they grow up in the underground, oppressed by the above-ground city of Plitover. It’s difficult to say much more than that without giving things away, but the season finale left off on a gripping cliffhanger that I’m so excited to see what finally happens. Accompanied by good music and stunning animation, it’s highly regarded for a reason, and I can’t wait to see more.

Demon Slayer Season 4

Coming this spring, it’s a little bittersweet to talk about the anime Demon Slayer since I know the series is slowly coming to a close. It’s a show I’ve been following since 2021. There are still more seasons on the way, but it’s getting close to the series finale. The series follows young Tanjiro Kamado, and when his sister, Nezuko, turns into a docile demon, he joins the Demon Slayer Corps in hopes of finding her a cure and turning her back to human. Season 4, Hashira Training Arc, will be as it sounds like as he trains to become the highest-ranked slayer. The ending of season 3 also left me on the edge of my seat as there’s a new development with Nezuko, putting them even more in danger of Muzan, the most powerful demon. The show becomes increasingly heartbreaking and action-packed as it goes on, and I’ll be sad when it’s over.

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft

Coming to Netflix sometime this year, Lara Croft has her anime series. The popular Square Enix character has had plenty of games and adaptations about her story, but this is the first time an anime is being made about her. 

Now, I haven’t engaged in any media about the character Lara Croft, but it certainly piqued my interest when I found out there’s an anime series about her on the way. I enjoy anime, so maybe this could be a good segway into consuming more media about her and getting to experience the Tomb Raider franchise. 

Devil May Cry

While not the first time they made an anime for this video game franchise, Devil May Cry is getting another anime adaptation this year. The original franchise created by CapCom follows the character Dante as a demon hunter. 

Devil May Cry is another series I’m not familiar with, but I’m interested in learning what the story is about, especially since it’s such a popular series. Whenever it eventually comes out, I can’t wait to take a look!

There are plenty more shows I’m excited about this year, but these are some highlights. Perhaps when they come out, I’ll review them!