Rilakkuma Anime Debuts on TBS April 4 With YOASOBI Vocalist Lilas Ikuta Narrating

A new short form Rilakkuma anime began airing on TBS on April 4, 2026, with YOASOBI vocalist Lilas Ikuta serving as narrator and theme song performer. The series is animated at Production I.G under co directors Yoshimi Itazu and Yumi Kamakura, marking a fresh adaptation of San X's beloved bear character for a new audience.

Time slot and format

The anime broadcasts every Saturday morning at 9:25 a.m. JST on TBS and its affiliated channels, an early weekend slot that puts it directly in front of family audiences. Each episode runs in a short form format, much shorter than a standard 23 minute anime, with bite sized stories tailored for the morning broadcast. The exact episode length and total episode count have not been disclosed by Aniplex, the project's lead producer.

Lilas Ikuta's role

Lilas Ikuta, also known by her solo artist name ikura, is best known as the lead vocalist of YOASOBI, the Japanese pop duo whose work on Oshi no Ko, Frieren, and Bocchi the Rock theme songs has made it one of the most successful anime music acts of the past five years. Her involvement with Rilakkuma is split between two roles: she narrates each episode and performs the new theme song stay with me, which was written specifically for the anime.

The casting is a notable choice for a children's slot. Ikuta's main YOASOBI work has trended adult pop, and Rilakkuma represents her first major lead role anime music collaboration outside the duo. Aniplex has also released the theme song to streaming services on the day of broadcast.

The production team

Yoshimi Itazu and Yumi Kamakura share directing duties at Production I.G. Itazu has worked as a key animator on a string of Production I.G titles including Joker Game and several feature films, while Kamakura has focused on younger skewing properties earlier in her career. Chiyo Morita is responsible for character design, adapting San X's flat art Rilakkuma look into a style that suits an animated short. Music for the show is composed by Kota Yokoseki, Yoshiya Ikeda, and Mizuki Kanno.

A new chapter for Rilakkuma

San X's Rilakkuma character launched in 2003 and has been one of the most commercially successful Japanese mascot brands ever since, spawning merchandise lines, themed cafes, and a Netflix stop motion series titled Rilakkuma and Kaoru that aired in 2019. The new TBS short anime is a clean break from the Netflix stop motion series and uses traditional 2D animation, returning the character to the visual style of the original San X stationery and merchandise art.

Why TBS chose now

San X is celebrating multiple anniversaries across its character lineup in 2026, and Aniplex has been increasing its investment in family and children's programming after several years of focusing on late night anime. The April 4 debut also positioned the launch immediately after Japan's school year began, when families were most likely to be tuning in to morning television.

For fans outside Japan, Aniplex has not announced an international streaming home for the new short anime. Rilakkuma's previous Netflix series remains available globally, but the new TBS production currently has no confirmed worldwide release path.