The Oshi no Ko anime is officially coming back for a fourth season, and this time it will be the final chapter. The news arrived right after the third season wrapped up with its hour-long finale on March 25, 2026. For viewers who have been following Aqua and Ruby’s journey through the dark side of the entertainment industry, this means the end is near.
Crunchyroll has already confirmed they will stream the final season when it releases. The announcement came with a fresh trailer and visual, giving fans a first look at what is coming next. With the third season ending on a major cliffhanger, the confirmation of a fourth season was expected, but the fact that it will be the last one makes this news especially big for the series.
What Happened in the Oshi no Ko Season 3 Finale
The third season finale, which ran for a full hour, focused heavily on the emotional confrontation between Aqua and Ruby. After learning about each other’s real identities as reincarnations—Aqua being the doctor Gorou and Ruby being his former patient Sarina—the two siblings finally understood the full weight of their shared past. This moment of truth changed everything between them.
The episode also set up the production of “The 15-Year Lie,” a movie based on their mother Ai Hoshino’s life. The film project is now moving forward, and the finale showed the pieces falling into place for its production. Miyako and Ichigo Saitou reunited, bringing the original team back together to work on this important project about Ai’s story.
What surprised many viewers was how the finale handled Hikaru Kamiki, the twins’ father and the main antagonist. There was no direct confrontation between Aqua and his father in this episode. Instead, the show focused on building up the movie project that will likely serve as the stage for their final showdown. Some fans expected more action involving Kamiki, but the finale chose to lay the groundwork for what is coming next.
What the Final Season Will Cover
With the manga already finished as of November 2024, the anime team has a complete blueprint to work from. The remaining story includes two major arcs that the fourth season will need to adapt. The first focuses on the actual filming of “The 15-Year Lie” movie, where the cast must face difficult truths about Ai’s background while working on the biographical film.
The second part covers the aftermath of the movie’s release and Aqua’s final confrontation with Hikaru. These concluding chapters, known as the “Toward the Stars and Dreams” and “End of the Play” arcs, bring the story to its end. Since the third season finished right as the movie production was about to start, the final season has a lot of ground to cover.
The Manga Ending Has Fans Talking
The manga’s conclusion in November 2024 created a lot of discussion among readers. Many fans expressed disappointment with how the story wrapped up. The ending involves Aqua and Hikaru dying in what some readers described as a murder-suicide after Aqua learns of his father’s plan to kill Ruby. Aqua sacrifices himself to save his sister.
Readers also criticized how Ruby’s story ended, with her having to hide her pain behind a smile while continuing her idol career, similar to what their mother Ai did. For many fans, the ending felt rushed and left several character arcs feeling incomplete. Some even called it one of the most disappointing manga endings in recent memory.
Could the Anime Change the Ending?
This is where things get interesting. Studio Doga Kobo, the animation studio behind Oshi no Ko, has made changes to the source material before. Earlier seasons improved scenes that felt awkward in the manga and made adjustments that viewers appreciated. This has led to hope among fans that the anime might take a different path with its ending.
There is also a precedent for this kind of change. Oshi no Ko’s creator Aka Akasaka is currently working on an anime-original ending for his other series, Kaguya-sama: Love is War. If he is open to rewriting one ending, he might be willing to make changes to this one as well. However, nothing has been officially confirmed, and the anime team may choose to faithfully adapt the manga’s controversial conclusion.
When Will Season 4 Release?
No official release date has been announced for Oshi no Ko season 4. Looking at the pattern from previous seasons gives us some idea of what to expect. Season 1 arrived in 2023, season 2 came in 2024, and season 3 started in January 2026. The gaps between seasons have been relatively short compared to many other anime productions.
Since the announcement came immediately after season 3 finished, production is likely already in progress. The animation team now needs to adapt the remaining content and decide how to handle the ending. Based on the previous release patterns, 2027 seems like the earliest possible release window for the final season.
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What Viewers Can Expect
The final season will have the challenging task of wrapping up a story that has already divided its fan base. The animation quality will likely remain high, as Doga Kobo has consistently delivered strong visuals throughout all three seasons. The voice cast, including Takeo Otsuka as Aqua and Yurie Igoma as Ruby, is expected to return for the final episodes.
For viewers who have not read the manga, the final season will be their first experience with how the story ends. Whether the anime follows the manga exactly or makes changes, the final season of Oshi no Ko will be one of the most talked-about anime releases when it arrives.
The third season is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and HIDIVE, with English dubs available for viewers who prefer them. The series has also expanded into live-action adaptations, stage plays, and even a puzzle game set for release in 2026, showing how big the franchise has become since its debut.
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