The fantasy anime The Cat and the Dragon (Japanese: Neko to Ryลซ) started its broadcast on July 4, 2026. The series comes from the popular light novel by Amara and has already gained attention for its unusual story about a dragon raised by cats.
Episode 1 and Episode 2 have already aired. Now viewers are waiting for Episode 3, which continues the story of the dragon named Nekoryu and his feline family. Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming episode, including when it releases, where to watch it, and what happened in the first two episodes.
The Cat and the Dragon Episode 3 Release Date and Time
The Cat and the Dragon Episode 3 releases on July 11, 2026. The show follows a weekly schedule with new episodes every Saturday.
New episodes arrive on Crunchyroll at 6:30 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) / 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). For viewers around the world, the release times are:
- Pacific Daylight Time (PDT): July 11, 6:30 a.m.
- Eastern Daylight Time (EDT): July 11, 9:30 a.m.
- Central Daylight Time (CDT): July 11, 8:30 a.m.
- Mountain Daylight Time (MDT): July 11, 7:30 a.m.
- Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): July 11, 1:30 p.m.
- India Standard Time (IST): July 11, 7:00 p.m.
The series has a total of 12 episodes. The full schedule includes:
- Episode 1 โ June 27 (OUT NOW)
- Episode 2 โ July 4 (OUT NOW)
- Episode 3 โ July 11
- Episode 4 โ July 18
- Episode 5 โ July 25
- Episode 6 โ August 1
- Episode 7 โ August 8
- Episode 8 โ August 15
- Episode 9 โ August 22
- Episode 10 โ August 29
- Episode 11 โ September 5
- Episode 12 โ September 12
Where to Stream The Cat and the Dragon Episode 3
Crunchyroll streams The Cat and the Dragon worldwide. The platform offers the series with English subtitles.
Viewers can also watch the show on Crunchyroll Amazon Channel. The series is not available on Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, or Apple TV+.
In Japan, the anime airs on Tokyo MX at 9:00 p.m. JST. It also broadcasts on BS NTV (starting July 6), Yomiuri TV (starting July 7), Nagasaki Culture Broadcasting (starting July 8), and AT-X (starting July 9).
Early streaming in Japan started on June 27 on ABEMA and d Anime Store.
Ani-One Asia has also licensed the series for streaming in Asian territories.
What Happened in Episode 1
Episode 1 introduces the main premise of the series. The story begins deep in a magical forest. A dragon returns to its nest and safely places its egg inside. But when the dragon goes out to hunt, it gets killed by humans.
Inside the cave, a mother cat from the magical Cait Sith race gives birth to her kittens. The magic from the kitten births causes the abandoned dragon egg to hatch. The mother cat finds the baby dragon and decides to raise him as one of her own.
The dragon grows up believing he is part of the cat family. He learns cat behaviors like grooming and napping in sunbeams. The cats affectionately call him “Uncle Wings“. As he grows older, he becomes the cats’ protector, determined to keep them safe from humans.
The episode also shows a darker side. Humans hunt the cat-sith for their fur. When the dragon sees cats being killed by humans, he takes revenge.
What Happened in Episode 2
Episode 2 is titled “The Mother Cat and the Girl” (Japanese: Hahaneko to Shoujo).
The episode continues the story of the mother cat and her relationship with the cats and the dragon. A girl summons the mother cat through magic. The mother cat goes to the magic school where the girl studies.
The episode explores more of the dragon’s relationship with the cats and his growing curiosity about humans. Viewers see a parallel story about the summoned mother cat and how she deals with a greater demon.
The episode received a high rating of 9.17 out of 10 from viewers on some platforms.
Main Cast and Voice Actors
The Cat and the Dragon features a strong voice cast with many well-known Japanese actors:
- Takehito Koyasu as Nekoryu (the dragon)
- Kikuko Inoue as Mama-nyan (the mother cat)
- Fuka Izumi as Shirotae
- Show Hayami as Kurobane
- Noriaki Sugiyama as Haibuchi
- Maki Kawase as Chiikuro
- Shinnosuke Tokudome as Kurotama
- Atsumi Tanezaki as Gally
- Chika Anzai as Anne Rossa
- Junya Enoki as Stan
- Yu Serizawa as Haneko
- Makoto Koichi as Prince
- Kazuya Ichijo as King
Production Staff
The anime is produced by Studio OLM (known for Pokรฉmon and Beyblade). The production team includes:
- Director: Jin-Koo Oh
- Series Composition: Mitsutaka Hirota
- Character Design: Rie Nishino and Chiaki Kurakazu
- Music: Takahiro Obata
Theme Songs
The opening theme song is “Nekohi” performed by suis from the rock duo Yorushika. The ending theme song is “Tadaima no Basho” (A Place to Call Home) performed by shallm.
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About the Series
The Cat and the Dragon is based on a light novel series written by Amara and illustrated by Mai Okuma. The story was first posted on the user-generated novel website Shลsetsuka ni Narล from September 2013 to June 2014. Takarajimasha published the series in print starting in April 2016. Nine volumes have been released as of November 2025.
A manga adaptation illustrated by Izumi Sasaki began serialization in September 2017 on Takarajimasha’s Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Web.
The series is described as a fantasy story focused on family, kindness, and emotional growth. The official synopsis reads:
An orphaned dragon is unexpectedly taken in by a family of magic-wielding cats and becomes their protector.
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