The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 to premiere in October 2026

A massive new expansion of The Apothecary Diaries anime has been officially announced, with a third season and a feature film both in production.

The announcement was made today via a “2nd Anniversary Commemorative Trailer.”

The highly anticipated third season of the TV anime is scheduled to be a split two-cour (quarter of a year) broadcast.

The first cour is scheduled to premiere in October 2026, with the second cour following in April 2027.

In addition to the new season, a brand-new, original theatrical film has also been announced.

The movie, which is scheduled for a December 2026 release, will feature a completely new story with an original concept by the series’ author, Natsu Hyūga.

A new “super teaser visual” for the third season has been released, which features a striking image of the protagonist, Maomao, with a determined expression.

The tagline on the visual reads, “In her eyes, a supreme mystery flickers.”

The third season is set to follow the story from the novels as Maomao’s journey moves from the rear palace out into the city.

She and Jinshi will be confronted by new challenges, including the premonition of a national disaster, a mysterious shrine maiden, and the new duties that have been imposed on Jinshi as the imperial brother.

Noriaki Akitaya will return to the director’s chair for the third season, while Norihiro Naganuma, who directed the first season, will be directing the new, original film.

The first two seasons of the anime, which were produced by TOHO animation STUDIO and OLM, were a massive critical and commercial success, leading to a surge in popularity for the original light novel and manga series, which now has over 24 million copies in circulation.

To celebrate the announcements, a special retrospective screening of the TV anime is scheduled to be held in Japan starting in February 2026, and an official Apothecary Diaries exhibition will begin a tour of Asia, starting in Hong Kong this November.