The Spring 2026 anime season brought a unique story about art, ambition and the weight of talent. Eren the Southpaw (Hidarikiki no Eren) follows two young artists on very different paths. One works hard but struggles for recognition. The other has natural genius but carries deep emotional scars. The anime adaptation of Kappy’s web manga premiered on April 8, 2026, and will run for 13 episodes.
Complete Episode Release Schedule
New episodes air every Wednesday at 12:00 AM JST (Tuesday late night) on Japanese television networks. International viewers can watch on Crunchyroll.
Here is the full list of episode release dates for Season 1:
- Episode 1: April 8, 2026
- Episode 2: April 15, 2026
- Episode 3: April 22, 2026
- Episode 4: April 29, 2026
- Episode 5: May 6, 2026
- Episode 6: May 13, 2026
- Episode 7: May 20, 2026
- Episode 8: May 27, 2026
- Episode 9: June 3, 2026
- Episode 10: June 10, 2026
- Episode 11: June 17, 2026
- Episode 12: June 24, 2026
- Episode 13: July 1, 2026
The show has 13 episodes total, with each episode running about 25 minutes. The finale will air on July 1, 2026.
What the Story Is About
The story follows Koichi Asakura, a young man who dreams of studying design at art school. His plans get shaken when he discovers explosive graffiti on a museum wall. The artist is Eren Yamagishi, a left-handed girl who buried her talent after a past incident. Koichi pursues design as Eren returns to painting, but fear, ambition and old scars threaten their paths.
The manga first started as a web manga running from March 2016 to September 2017. A remake version, illustrated by nifuni, was later serialized on Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ from October 2017 to October 2022 and compiled into 24 volumes.
The story moves between two time periods. It shows the characters in high school in 1998 and later as adults working in the advertising industry in 2010. Koichi works as a designer at an advertising agency. Even though he works very hard, he does not receive recognition at his job. He decides to visit a place from his school days. Meanwhile, Eren has become a painter in New York with the nickname “The Southpaw”.
Main Cast and Characters
The show features a strong voice cast. Shoya Chiba voices Koichi Asakura, the hardworking main character who struggles with feeling ordinary. Yumi Uchiyama voices Eren Yamagishi, the gifted left-handed painter who struggles with her own talent.
The supporting cast includes:
- Yui Ishikawa as Sayuri Kato
- Akira Sekine as Akari Kishi
- Kazuyuki Okitsu as Yusuke Kamiya
- Yurina Amami as Yurina Mitsuhashi
- Koji Yusa as Hajime Yanagi (also credited as Ryuichi)
- Tarusuke Shingaki as Shun Rukawa
- Asaki Yuikawa as Yūko Akane
- Kenichirō Matsuda as Ifū Sakuma
- Natsumi Fujiwara as Sachiyo Saito (added later for Episode 6)
Production Team
Toshimasa Suzuki directs the anime. Taku Kishimoto handles series composition. Takayuki Goto provides the original character designs. Yuka Fukuchi and Akane Tama serve as character designers and chief animation directors. Takeshi Sato is the art director. PASOCOM MUSIC CLUB composes the music.
The animation production comes from Signal.MD and Production I.G, two well-known studios in the industry.
Where to Watch
Crunchyroll is the exclusive streaming home for Eren the Southpaw outside of Asia. The platform offers the series with English subtitles for audiences in North America, Europe, Australia, and many other regions.
The show is available on Crunchyroll across 41 countries, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, India, and most of Europe.
Other regional streaming options include:
- AsianCrush (USA and Canada)
- Tubi TV (USA – free with ads)
- Sony Liv (India)
- TVING (South Korea)
- Watcha (South Korea)
- Amazon Prime Video (Japan)
- Hulu (Japan)
For viewers in Japan, the anime airs on TV Tokyo and other local networks. In South Korea, it airs on Animax Korea.
How to Watch From Different Regions
USA and Canada: Stream on Crunchyroll (subscription required) or AsianCrush. Free option available on Tubi TV with ads. New episodes become available on Tuesdays at 9:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM ET (which is Wednesday early morning in Japan).
United Kingdom: Available on Crunchyroll with English subtitles. Episode release time is roughly 5:00 PM BST.
Australia: Crunchyroll streams the series. Episode release time is roughly 2:00 AM AEST (Wednesday).
India: Crunchyroll and Sony Liv both offer the show. Episode release time is roughly 9:30 PM IST (Tuesday).
Europe: Crunchyroll offers the show with English subtitles across most European countries.
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What Critics Are Saying
The anime has received mixed to positive reviews. On MyAnimeList, it holds a rating of 6.54 / 10. Critics praise its honest look at the struggles of young artists and the clash between creative passion and corporate reality. The show has been described as “a brutal, honest, and deeply relatable look at what happens when creative passion meets the cold machinery of corporate interest”.
Some reviewers noted that Episode 3 served as “a visceral, bone-chilling reminder of the cost of ‘making it’ in the creative industry” through a psychological study of Japan’s toxic work culture.
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