Akane-banashi is getting a second season, TV Asahi confirmed on Saturday following the first season finale. The new season premieres in January 2027 and will pick up after the events of the Karaku Cup Arc.

The announcement came with six new cast additions for characters introduced in the season one finale. The voice actors joining are Hōchū Ōtsuka, Ryōtarō Okiayu, Hiroshi Naka, Mutsumi Tamura, Shinichirō Miki, and Tomokazu Seki, who will voice Miroku Kashiwaya, Shomei Tsubakiya, Enso Sanmeitei, Urara Ransaika, Ryu'un Kenputei, and Chocho Konjakutei respectively.

Season 2 follows Akane after she officially becomes an apprentice of Shiguma Arakawa and takes on her new professional name, Akane Arakawa. The first season, which wrapped up this past Saturday, adapted the rakugo-themed story from Yūki Suenaga's manga with illustrations by Takamasa Moue.

The anime aired on TV Asahi's "IMAnimation" programming block starting April 4, with widespread international distribution through multiple platforms. Free episodes stream on the "Akane-banashi Global" YouTube channel for North America and Latin America, while Netflix is airing the English dub in select regions. The series also reached viewers across Europe through aniverse, ADN, and Anime Box, plus numerous platforms throughout Asia and Southeast Asia.

Director Ayumu Watanabe (Children of the Sea) helmed the first season at studio ZEXCS, with character designer Kii Tanaka returning for season two. The creative team includes assistant director Yu Harima, series composer Michihiro Tsuchiya, and music composer Akio Izutsu. Tanaka contributed a celebratory illustration marking the renewal.

With the second season greenlit, fans of this comedy about competitive rakugo storytelling have another year to wait before following Akane's continued professional growth in this traditional Japanese performance art.