Sora Tanka
I am an anime enthusiast who loves deep-diving into the shows that keep us hooked and the ones that make us quit. My writing explores the highs and lows of the anime experience, one review at a time.
Published: July 27, 2026 | 19 min read | Last updated: July 27, 2026
KonoSuba Season 4: Release Year, New Studio, and Game Confirmed
KonoSuba Season 4 stopped being a rumor and started being a release calendar entry on July 26, 2026. At "Colorful," the franchise's 10th anniversary stage event in Yokohama, Kadokawa confirmed the fourth season will air in 2027, revealed a mostly new production team behind the camera, and showed off a brand-new mobile and PC game built around Kazuma's exhausted party. If you've been tracking the vague "sequel" language floating around since last year, this is the moment it all got specific. Here is exactly what changed, what stayed the same, and what it means for when you'll actually get to watch it.
⚡ Quick Answer
KonoSuba Season 4 is confirmed to air in 2027. Studio ENGI is animating it with new director Manabu Kurihara, while chief director Takaomi Kanasaki and the original voice cast return. A new mobile and PC game, Kono Ai Subeki Machi ni Hanei o, launches in 2026.
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- What happened at the 10th anniversary event
- When does KonoSuba Season 4 come out
- Who's directing it and which studio is animating it
- Is the original cast coming back
- The new KonoSuba game explained
- The rest of the 10th anniversary lineup
- Where Season 4 fits in the timeline
- Where to watch before Season 4 airs
- FAQ
What Actually Happened at KonoSuba's 10th Anniversary Event?
"Colorful," the official 10th anniversary event for the anime, took place on July 26, 2027 — sorry, 2026, though at the rate this franchise is expanding it might as well be running its own calendar. The livestream and the in-person crowd got a title card reading "KonoSuba – God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! 4," an "ultra teaser visual" of Kazuma and the rest of the party shown from behind under the tagline "Let's set out on a new adventure," and a 10th anniversary video built around a new arrangement of Machico's opening theme "fantastic dreamer" from the very first season.
That last detail matters more than it might look. Bringing back the Season 1 opening for the anniversary video is the kind of callback choice that tells long-time viewers this production team is treating the franchise's history as an asset, not something to quietly replace. It's a small signal, but a deliberate one.
📊 Key Stat: The gap between Season 2 (2017) and Season 3 (2024) was seven years. The gap between Season 3's finale and the Season 4 studio/date confirmation was under two and a half years — a clear sign Kadokawa is no longer treating KonoSuba as an occasional nostalgia project. (Anime News Network)
When Does KonoSuba Season 4 Actually Come Out?
Season 4 is confirmed to air in 2027. No specific month, season, or premiere date has been announced yet, and Kadokawa hasn't said whether it's targeting winter, spring, or later in the year. Based on Anime News Network's report on the event, this is the first time an actual release year has been attached to Season 4 — everything before July 26 was speculation built on studio production cycles.
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To put the timeline in context: the sequel was first teased back on March 14, 2025, right after the theatrical screening of the "Bonus Stage" OVA in Japan. That teaser used vague "sequel" wording without confirming a format. The January 13, 2026 anniversary livestream locked it in as a full television season, and the July 26, 2026 event is what finally attached a year to it. Three separate confirmations, roughly six months apart each — that's an unusually steady drip of information for this franchise's history.
💡 Pro Tip: If you want the actual premiere date the moment it's announced, watch the official KonoSuba anime social accounts rather than aggregator sites — Kadokawa has been dropping these reveals through livestream events first, and secondhand coverage typically lags by a few hours.
Who's Directing KonoSuba Season 4, and Which Studio Is Making It?
This is the part most older coverage got wrong, because it genuinely changed on July 26. Here's the full confirmed staff lineup, according to the official press release covered by Anime News Network:
- Studio: ENGI
- Chief director: Takaomi Kanasaki (returning)
- Director: Manabu Kurihara (new to the franchise, previously directed both seasons of The Detective Is Already Dead)
- Series composition: Makoto Uezu (returning)
- Character design: Koichi Kikuta (returning)
- Sound director: Yoshikazu Iwanami (returning)
- Music: Masato Kōda (returning)
The studio change is the headline detail. KonoSuba has never been animated by the same studio twice in a row: Studio Deen handled the first two seasons back in 2016 and 2017, J.C.Staff took the 2019 "Legend of Crimson" film, and Drive stepped in for Season 3 in 2024. ENGI taking over for Season 4 keeps that pattern going, but it's a notable jump — Drive was widely expected to return given how well Season 3 was received, and most speculative articles published before July 26 assumed exactly that.
| Release | Studio |
|---|---|
| Season 1–2 (2016, 2017) | Studio Deen |
| Legend of Crimson film (2019) | J.C.Staff |
| Season 3 (2024) | Drive |
| Season 4 (2027) | ENGI |
In my experience covering franchise anniversary events for a living, a studio swap usually gets fans nervous, and this comment section will probably be no different. But it's worth remembering that KonoSuba's tone has survived three different studios already because the writing team and character designer — Makoto Uezu and Koichi Kikuta — have stayed constant the whole way through. Studios draw the frames; these two have been shaping how the party actually feels since 2016. That continuity is doing more work than the studio name on the box.
Is the Original Voice Cast Coming Back?
Yes. The four leads have been present at every major KonoSuba announcement event since January, including the July 26 reveal:
The Returning Party
- Jun Fukushima as Kazuma Satō
- Sora Amamiya as Aqua
- Rie Takahashi as Megumin
- Ai Kayano as Darkness
No casting changes for supporting characters have been announced yet. Given how consistently the main four have shown up across the audio drama announcement, the game reveal, and now the staff reveal, there's no indication of a recast anywhere in the pipeline.
What Is the New KonoSuba Game, and When Does It Launch?
Alongside the anime news, Kadokawa is bringing KonoSuba back to gaming with Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o! ~Kono Ai Subeki Machi ni Hanei o!~ ("Prosperity on This Lovely Town"), a mobile and PC title launching sometime in 2026. It's built around an original story rather than retelling the light novels, with creator Natsume Akatsuki supervising production and illustrator Kurone Mishima collaborating on the art direction.
The launch matters for a reason that goes beyond "new game exists": it's a direct replacement for KonoSuba: Fantastic Days, the franchise's previous mobile RPG, which shut down its global service in January 2025. That's a real gap for mobile fans — over a year with no active KonoSuba game — and it explains some of the enthusiasm around the teaser and its pre-registration page going live the same day.
📊 Key Stat: KonoSuba: Fantastic Days shut down globally in January 2025, meaning the franchise went roughly a year and a half without an active mobile game before Kono Ai Subeki Machi ni Hanei o was announced. (Anime News Network)
The Rest of the 10th Anniversary Lineup
Season 4 and the game are the headlines, but they're part of a much bigger year-long celebration. Here's everything else Kadokawa has confirmed:
- Original audio drama: Written by Natsume Akatsuki, following the party across all four seasons of the year, streaming on YouTube. The winter episode, "White Snow Fairy Tale," was the first confirmed installment.
- Two new light novels: Released February 28, 2026.
- 10th Anniversary SONG BOX: A music compilation released March 18, 2026.
- Radio show revival: Past episodes of "KonoSuba Radio" re-uploaded weekly to YouTube starting January 2026.
- Anniversary exhibition: Scheduled for autumn 2026 at Akiba_Square in Tokyo's Akihabara UDX building.
Where Does Season 4 Fit Into the Full KonoSuba Timeline?
If you're catching up rather than following in real time, here's the shape of the franchise so far:
- 2016: Season 1 premieres, animated by Studio Deen.
- 2017: Season 2 premieres, also Studio Deen.
- 2019: "Legend of Crimson" film releases in Japan, animated by J.C.Staff.
- 2023: The Megumin-focused spinoff, "An Explosion on This Wonderful World!", airs for 12 episodes.
- 2024: Season 3 premieres, animated by Drive, running 11 episodes.
- 2025: The "Bonus Stage" OVA screens theatrically, ending with the first sequel tease.
- 2026: Season 4 is confirmed as a full TV season (January), staff and a 2027 air year are revealed (July), and the new mobile/PC game launches.
- 2027: Season 4 airs.
Season 3 left the party in the middle of their usual chaotic, low-stakes routine in Axel after wrapping up Darkness's wedding arc. No plot details or new characters for Season 4 have been teased yet, so what happens next is genuinely unknown outside of whatever the light novels have already covered.
Where Can You Watch KonoSuba Before Season 4 Airs?
Crunchyroll has streamed every mainline season, the spinoff, the film, and the OVA as they released in Japan, including an English dub for Season 3. If you're catching up before 2027, that's the one platform that covers the whole catalog in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does KonoSuba Season 4 release?
KonoSuba Season 4 is confirmed to air in 2027. No specific premiere month has been announced yet. The confirmation came at the franchise's "Colorful" 10th anniversary event on July 26, 2026, alongside the reveal of the production staff.
Who is directing KonoSuba Season 4?
Manabu Kurihara is the new director, working under returning chief director Takaomi Kanasaki. Kurihara previously directed both seasons of The Detective Is Already Dead. Series composition and character design stay with returning staff Makoto Uezu and Koichi Kikuta.
What animation studio is making KonoSuba Season 4?
Studio ENGI is animating Season 4. Every prior installment used a different studio: Deen for Seasons 1–2, J.C.Staff for the 2019 film, and Drive for Season 3, so the change keeps that pattern going rather than breaking it.
Will the original voice cast return in KonoSuba Season 4?
Yes. Jun Fukushima, Sora Amamiya, Rie Takahashi, and Ai Kayano all return as Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness. They have appeared at every major KonoSuba announcement event since January 2026, with no recasting announced for any character.
Is KonoSuba getting a new game?
Yes. Kono Ai Subeki Machi ni Hanei o is a new mobile and PC game launching in 2026, featuring an original story supervised by creator Natsume Akatsuki with art cooperation from illustrator Kurone Mishima. Pre-registration opened alongside the teaser reveal.
What happened to KonoSuba: Fantastic Days?
KonoSuba: Fantastic Days, the franchise's previous mobile RPG, shut down its global service in January 2025. The newly announced Kono Ai Subeki Machi ni Hanei o is its direct successor, launching later in 2026.
The Bottom Line
KonoSuba Season 4 is no longer a rumor sitting on a "confirmed but vague" shelf. As of July 26, 2026, it has a studio, a director, a returning cast, and an actual year on the calendar. Layer on a fresh mobile game filling the gap left by Fantastic Days, an audio drama, new novels, and an autumn exhibition, and this is easily the busiest single year the franchise has had since it first aired a decade ago. The premiere date is still the missing piece — but for the first time, that's the only piece left.
📚 Sources & References
- KonoSuba – God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! 4 Anime Reveals Staff, 2027 Debut — Anime News Network, July 26, 2026
- KonoSuba Anime Confirms Season 4 — Anime News Network, January 13, 2026
- KonoSuba Anime Season 4 and New Game Announced — Siliconera, January 13, 2026
- KonoSuba 10th Anniversary Game Announced, Teaser Site Live — Game8
