Kadokawa announced a new Date A Live anime called F Last Date with director Junji Nishimura at studio Fugaku, returning the original cast including Nobunaga Shimazaki and Marina Inoue.
Kadokawa unveiled a new anime project for the Date A Live franchise on April 10, 2026, announcing both the title and a new visual that has set the fanbase racing to interpret what comes next. The new entry is called Date A Live F Last Date, and arrives one year after the publisher first teased a fresh adaptation in development.
The project moves to studio Fugaku, with Junji Nishimura attached as director. Nishimura is best known for directing You're Under Arrest and Ranma 1/2, bringing decades of romantic comedy experience to the supernatural dating series. Animation production details beyond the studio and director credit have not yet been disclosed, and Kadokawa stopped short of confirming whether F Last Date will arrive as a television series, an OVA, or a theatrical project.
The cast list reads like a reunion. Nobunaga Shimazaki returns as protagonist Shido Itsuka, with Marina Inoue back as the central heroine Tohka Yatogami. They are joined by Misuzu Togashi, Ayana Taketatsu, Iori Nomizu, Asami Sanada, Maaya Uchida, Sarah Emi Bridcutt, Minori Chihara, Ayumi Mano, Hitomi Nabatame, Akari Kageyama, and Aya Endo, each reprising the spirit they originated across the previous five television seasons.
The original light novel author Koshi Tachibana and illustrator Tsunako are credited on the project, with Tsunako designing fresh formal costumes for all twelve Spirits to mark the franchise's 15th anniversary.
The first key visual centres on Tohka in a flowing white wedding gown, holding hands with an unseen partner. The image is the most overt hint the franchise has dropped about a romantic resolution after fifteen years of competing affections, and it lines up with the title's pointed use of the word Last. Tachibana, in a message accompanying the announcement, said the meaningful title and equally meaningful visual were intended to raise as many questions as they answer.
Date A Live launched in March 2011 as a Fantasia Bunko light novel and has since sold more than six million copies in worldwide circulation. Five anime seasons and two theatrical films have followed since 2013, with most produced by Production IMS, J.C.Staff, and Geek Toys at various points. The shift to Fugaku marks the franchise's fourth animation studio, and Nishimura's involvement signals a more veteran directorial hand than the series has carried in some previous adaptations.
For Indian viewers, prior Date A Live seasons have been available with English subtitles on Crunchyroll, which licensed the most recent television seasons globally. Whether F Last Date follows the same path will depend on Kadokawa's licensing strategy as the project moves toward a release window.
A new trailer, format announcement, and broadcast date are expected at upcoming Kadokawa anime showcases later in 2026. For now, the wedding gown remains the only clue Spirit fans have to chew on.
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