Oshi no Ko Season 3 Episode 5 arrived on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, and delivered one of the most stressful and emotionally brutal chapters of the anime so far. What started as a hopeful episode centered on Kana Arima finally taking control of her stalled career quickly spiraled into a setup for public humiliation. The episode makes it clear that Kana’s private meeting with a film director was not a secret at all. A photographer was waiting outside, and the person who set her up is someone she trusted as a friend.
Kana’s Desperation to Leave B-Komachi’s Shadow Leads Her to Take Big Risks
For several episodes now, Oshi no Ko has shown Kana struggling with her place in the entertainment industry. While Ruby Hoshino climbs higher and Akane Kurokawa earns critical praise, Kana feels stuck. Episode 5 makes this frustration the center of its story. Kana knows she is talented. She has been acting since she was a child. But within B-Komachi, she is the least popular member, and the group’s current direction does not fit what she originally wanted for her career.
The episode shows Kana receiving a message from her friend, actress Mako Azami, inviting her to drinks with a young director named Masanori Shima. Kana sees this as her chance. She does not tell her agency president Miyako Saito about the meeting. She tells herself she is an adult and can make her own professional connections. This decision becomes the first step in her undoing.
At the bar, Kana connects with Shima immediately. He knows her past work, compliments her honestly, and complains about the industry in a way that feels genuine rather than fake. Kana leaves the meeting feeling hopeful. She has his contact information, and he seems interested in working with her.
A Second Meeting Alone Raises Red Flags That Kana Ignores
Days later, Kana meets Shima and Mako again at a bar. But this time, Mako does not show up. Kana is now alone with the director. The conversation continues smoothly, and when the bar is about to close, Shima suggests they move to his office to keep talking. Kana hesitates but agrees. She sends a text message to Mako letting her know where she is going, thinking this is enough protection.
When Kana arrives at the office, she immediately regrets coming. The space is empty. There is a bed in the room. Shima is honest with her. He says he is interested in her and will not do anything to hurt her. As he moves closer, Kana freezes. Her internal monologue races. She thinks about going through with it because this might be her only way to get a serious acting role.
Then she thinks about Aqua Hoshino. She stops Shima, tears in her eyes, and tells him she likes someone else. Shima does not push further. Instead, he asks her about the boy, and Kana, embarrassed but unable to stop herself, begins excitedly complaining about Aqua. The mood shifts from dangerous to almost funny. Shima tells her she is entertaining, and the night ends without anything physical happening.
Kana leaves the building the next morning. She thinks she dodged a bad situation. She has no idea what is actually waiting for her.
The Final Minutes Reveal Kana Was Set Up by Someone Close to Her
Oshi no Ko Season 3 Episode 5 saves its most devastating moment for the very end. As Kana steps out of Shima’s office building, a photographer sitting in a parked car lifts a camera and snaps multiple photos of her. The camera shutter clicks are loud. The angle clearly captures Kana leaving the location. The implication is immediate and ugly.
Worse, the episode strongly suggests that Mako Azami is the person who hired the photographer. She was the one who invited Kana to meet Shima. She stood them up on purpose. She knew exactly what would happen. Kana walked into a trap thinking she was networking, but she was actually being set up for a fall.
The entertainment industry in Oshi no Ko has always been portrayed as ruthless, but this moment feels personal. Kana did not betray anyone. She did not break any laws. She simply wanted to work again, and someone she considered a friend used that desire to destroy her.
Akane Works Alone to Protect Aqua From His Father’s Identity
While Kana’s storyline takes center stage in Episode 5, Akane Kurokawa moves forward with her own risky plan. Akane has confirmed that actor Hikaru Kamiki is likely Aqua’s biological father and that he was only 15 years old when Ai Hoshino became pregnant. This detail changes everything. If Aqua goes to the police, Ai would be the one facing public judgment, not Hikaru.
Akane decides she cannot tell Aqua the truth. She believes that if Aqua knows who his father is, he will dirty his own hands to get revenge. He will become a killer. Akane refuses to let that happen. She begins investigating Hikaru on her own, hoping to find enough evidence to expose him through legal channels. She is willing to put herself in danger to save Aqua from himself.
The episode draws a clear contrast between Akane and Kana. Akane moves in the shadows, collecting information and controlling what Aqua knows. Kana moves toward the spotlight, trying to reclaim her visibility, and gets burned immediately. Both women are trying to protect something they care about. Only one of them sees the trap coming.
Streaming Details and Global Release Information for Episode 5
Oshi no Ko Season 3 Episode 5 premiered in Japan on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at 11:00 p.m. JST on Tokyo MX and over 30 other television networks across the country. International audiences can stream the episode on Crunchyroll in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Latin America, and Europe. The platform carries the original Japanese audio with English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian subtitles.
Viewers in India can access the episode through Crunchyroll as well, with English subtitles available at launch. Fans in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and the Philippines, can stream Oshi no Ko Season 3 on iQIYI, BStation, and the Ani-One Asia YouTube channel. Netflix Japan carries the series domestically, but international Netflix libraries do not currently include Season 3.
Crunchyroll releases new episodes at 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time / 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time / 3:00 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time on Wednesdays. The episode runs for approximately 23 minutes. Studio Doga Kobo returns for animation production, maintaining the high visual quality the series is known for.
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What Episode 5 Means for Kana and B-Komachi Moving Forward
The setup at the end of Episode 5 suggests that Kana’s scandal will break publicly in the coming episodes. The photographer did not take those pictures for personal collection. Those photos will be sold to magazines or posted online. B-Komachi, which is finally gaining real traction, now faces a public relations crisis involving one of its three members.
Kana has no idea this is coming. She left Shima’s office feeling relieved, maybe even a little proud that she stopped herself from making a mistake. She does not know that her friend betrayed her, that her career is about to be used as tabloid fuel, and that everything she worked for is now in danger. The dramatic irony is painful. Viewers watch Kana walk away thinking she is safe, knowing full well she is walking directly into a firestorm.
Oshi no Ko continues to show that in the entertainment world, talent and hard work are not enough. Connections can be weapons. Friends can be informants. A single night can erase years of effort. Episode 5 does not offer Kana an escape route. It simply locks the door behind her.
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