Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’s supremacy as the most acclaimed modern shonen anime is practically unrivaled. That’s especially the case when it comes to its position on popular anime review aggregator site MyAnimeList. Frieren first surpassed longtime MAL darling Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood all the way back in March 2024, and currently holds the two top spots on the site for its first and second season, respectively. It’s safe to say that, at this point, there’s no anime that can beat it.
Sure, Solo Leveling’s victory over Frieren at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards secured Sung Jinwoo as ‘public enemy number one’ to the Frieren fandom forever. And sure, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3’s unmatched popularity has made it Frieren’s main competitor in the Winter 2026 season. But ultimately, not even those two series have a chance of usurping Frieren‘s throne to become the top anime on MAL like Fullmetal Alchemist once was. That’s why the upcoming return of FMA series creator Hiromu Arakawa with a new anime series produced by Studio Bones (the same studio that originally produced FMAB) feels like Frieren may have finally met its match again.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm is an upcoming anime produced by Studio Bones, based on the popular manga series of the same name by Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromu Arakawa. Arawaka and Studio Bones have already proven themselves the one winning combination that can rival Frieren in terms of MyAnimeList supremacy, so their new series could have a real shot at retaking the crown that FMAB lost.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm tells the story of Yuru and his twin sister Asa, who have spent their entire lives in a remote village, unable to leave. Things take a dramatic turn when a strange group of foreign visitors change everything Yuru thought he knew about him and Asa’s peaceful life.
As the series’ official description explains: “In a world where certain humans command mighty supernatural duos called Daemons, it is the birthright of ‘the children who sunder day and night’ —twins Yuru and Asa—to rule over these powerful entities.” The description continues, “Separated from a young age and unaware of the truth of their birth, brother and sister must fight to make their way back to each other, claim their birthright, and save the world.”
The main emphasis of the series centers around entities called Daemons, who are like invisible spiritual guardians who can only be seen by Seers. There are even hints of isekai tropes in Daemons of the Shadow Realm, as Yuru comes to learn about the world outside his village, which is nothing like he imagined.
As Fullmetal Alchemist fans are more than aware, Hiromu Arakawa is a mastermind at writing characters with a sibling dynamic, and that talent once again carries over into Daemons of the Shadow Realm. The bond between Yuru and Asa is just as endearing as that of Ed and Al Elrich, even if it starts out far more complicated.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm is Retaining The High Quality That Studio Bones Delivered With FMAB
One of the main reasons Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood remained the top-rated anime for so long was simply its phenomenal quality and consistency from top to bottom. Building on the strong foundation of Arakawa’s writing and art from the manga, Studio Bones delivered a perfect adaptation that was both well-animated and fully faithful to the source material. It’s clear based on some new looks at the anime that Daemons of the Shadow Realm will retain that same quality.
On February 2, Aniplex released a new trailer for the series accompanied by a key visual that showcases how great Arakwa’s latest adaptation will look. The action is fluid, the character designs are consistent, and it’s clearly very loyal to the imagery from Arakawa’s original manga. Any FMA fan who watches the new trailer can instantly recognize Arawaka’s signature art style in the characters, making this feel like a true spiritual successor to Fullmetal Alchemist.
Yuru and Asa in new key visual art for the Daemons of the Shadow Realm animeBones
The new trailer concludes with confirmation that Daemons of the Shadow Realm will begin airing on April 4, 2026. This year is already absolutely stacked with heavy-hitting anime. Aside from Frieren, Daemons of the Shadow Realm will have to compete with JJK, Dragon Ball Super, and even Ghost in the Shell’s highly-anticipated Science SARU remake. But ultimately, Daemons of the Shadow Realm’s greatest competition won’t even be Frieren, but itself.
While Daemons of the Shadow Realm isn’t quite as acclaimed a manga as FMA was, it’s still a strong story with memorable characters. Perhaps even more importantly, it’s still ongoing. Given time and with a strong ending, Arakawa’s new series could very well end up being just as universally loved.
That’s ultimately the thing that differentiates Frieren from every other modern new gen shonen this side of FMA: its consistent quality in terms of writing and animation make it near-impossible to hate. If Daemons of the Shadow Realm delivers on that same promise, it could very well be the most impressive shonen anime debut since Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and the one series that could finally dethrone Frieren on MAL.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm will begin streaming on Crunchyroll on April 4, and will run for two consecutive cours. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll, with new episodes releasing every Friday.
Release Date
September 29, 2023
Network
Nippon TV, YTV, FBS, Chukyo TV, RNB, FCT, STV, KNB, HTV, YBS, RAB, TVI, YBC, UMK TV Miyazaki, TSB, MMT, TeNY, RNC, NIB, KKT, KTK, NKT, ABS, JRT, Daiichi-TV, FBC, RKC, KYT, KRY
Directors
Kento Matsui, Kota Mori, Takahiro Natori, Morio Asaka, Lim Ka-hee, Taku Kimura, Ken Ando, Hirotaka Mori, Ayaka Tsuji
Atsumi Tanezaki
Frieren (voice)
Kana Ichinose
Fern (voice)
