Crunchyroll revealed the main visual for MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES The Tri-Magicathlon Divine Visionary Final Exam Arc earlier today, the 3rd season of the anime based on Hajime Komoto's manga. The official Japanese anime site has also set the premiere for January 9, 2027, at 24:00 JST on Tokyo MX and BS11, which is 8:00 AM MST that Saturday. Check out the official post down below:
Crunchyroll announced on October 28 that it will stream the new season worldwide, excluding Japan and China. The anime has 2 seasons and 24 episodes so far, all produced by A-1 Pictures, and the official site lists the project as a complete adaptation of the manga.
What Is MASHLE: Magic And Muscles?
Komoto's manga ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from January 27, 2020, to July 3, 2023, and Shueisha collected it in 18 volumes. VIZ Media published it in English, both digitally on its Shonen Jump service, which lists all 162 chapters, and in print from July 6, 2021, to December 3, 2024. The official anime site puts the series at more than 12 million copies worldwide.
The story is set in a world where everyone uses magic, and the marks on a person's face show how much magic they have. Mash Burnedead was born without any. His adoptive father, Regro, raised him in a forest and trained his body instead, giving Mash enough strength to lift boulders and run on water. Because the Magic-less are hunted and executed, Mash sets out to become a Divine Visionary, the highest honor a student can earn, so that he and Regro can live in peace.
MASHLE Watch Order
The anime has aired in release order with no films or side stories in between:
- MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES Season 1 (2023): 12 episodes, April 8 to July 1, 2023
- Episode 6.5, "Mash Burnedead and the Mysterious Letter" (2023): recap special of Episodes 1 to 6, aired May 20, 2023
- MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam Arc (2024): 12 episodes, January 6 to March 30, 2024
- MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES The Tri-Magicathlon Divine Visionary Final Exam Arc (2027): premieres January 9, 2027
Season 1: Magic And Muscles
Season 1 aired on Tokyo MX and other channels, and Crunchyroll began streaming it on April 7, 2023, in North America. Tomoya Tanaka directed, Yosuke Kuroda handled series composition and Masaru Yokoyama composed the music. Taiiku Okazaki performed the opening theme "Knock Out," and The Dance for Philosophy performed the ending theme "Shu Cream Funk."
Here is Crunchyroll's original teaser for the anime:
A police officer named Brad gives Mash a fake mark so he can take the entrance exam for Easton Magic Academy, where he breaks out of the final maze by smashing through its walls. At Easton, students are split into 3 dorms, Adler for bravery, Orca for intelligence and Lang for ambition. Mash lands in Adler with Finn Ames, a timid classmate who becomes his closest friend, and Lance Crown, a mage with 2 marks who uses gravity magic. Dot Barrett and Lemon Irvine round out the main group.
Students compete for coins awarded for achievements, and collecting enough gold coins earns a place among the Divine Visionary candidates. The second half of the season pits Adler against Magia Lupus, a group of Lang students led by Abel Walker, a puppet magic user. The season ends with the arrival of a mage from Innocent Zero, the organization that will drive the rest of the story, and Mash's first fight with him.
Season 2: The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam Arc
Season 2 opens with Mash exposed as Magic-less and summoned before the Divine Visionaries of the Bureau of Magic, several of whom call for his execution. Orter Madl spares him on a condition: Mash has to prove his worth by legitimately becoming the newest Divine Visionary. The rest of the season covers the Candidate Exam, starting with 12 entrants competing for 9 keys while avoiding magic-immune minotaurs, followed by matches against Carpaccio, whose Master Cane transfers his injuries to his opponent, and Margarette Macaron.
Innocent Zero attacks Easton during the exam, which brings Easton's principal, Wahlberg Baigan, into the fight. Finn's older brother, Rayne Ames, is already a Divine Visionary, and Season 2 gives him and Finn their own episodes.
The season's opening theme, "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" by Creepy Nuts, won the Hot 100 category at the Billboard Japan Music Awards in 2024, as well as the Music category at the Yahoo! Japan Search Awards. Season 2 itself won Best Comedy at the 9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards, while "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" was nominated for Best Anime Song and Best Opening Sequence. Here is the official opening from Aniplex USA:
The Tri-Magicathlon Divine Visionary Final Exam Arc
The official Japanese synopsis has Mash and his friends, who passed the Candidate Exam despite Innocent Zero's attack, entering the Tri-Magicathlon Divine Visionary Final Exam, which brings together top students from elite magic schools as new enemies begin to move. The new cast includes Soma Saito as Domina Blowelive and Ryota Suzuki as Levi Rosequartz, both students at Vulkis Magic Academy.
The Adler cast returns with Chiaki Kobayashi as Mash, Reiji Kawashima as Finn, Kaito Ishikawa as Lance, Takuya Eguchi as Dot and Reina Ueda as Lemon. Tanaka, Kuroda and Yokoyama also return, while Hisashi Higashijima steps away from character designs.
Here is Crunchyroll's official trailer for the new season:
The official site has also announced a Japan premiere screening on December 13 at TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills, with the 5 Adler voice actors plus Saito and Suzuki scheduled for a talk show. In Japan, the season also streams on ABEMA and d Anime Store, with other platforms to follow.
How Far The Anime Has Adapted The Manga
Season 1 ends where Chapter 39 in Volume 5 of the manga picks up. The Season 2 finale closes the Candidate Exam arc at Chapter 74, then flashes ahead to a scene from Chapter 81, and the Final Exam arc begins with Chapter 75 in Volume 9. Shueisha published the 18th and final volume in October 2023, alongside an official fanbook.
Where To Stream MASHLE
Crunchyroll streams Seasons 1 and 2 with Japanese audio, an English dub and dubs in several other languages, and its series page carries a Violence and Smoking content advisory. The English dub of Season 1 premiered on May 26, 2023, and the Season 2 dub launched on March 23, 2024, with Aleks Le as Mash, Stephen Fu as Lance, Brian Anderson as Finn, Anjali Kunapaneni as Lemon and Ben Diskin as Dot. The dub also aired on Adult Swim's Toonami block, with Season 1 starting on November 10, 2024, and Season 2 on November 9, 2025.
The franchise is also heading to theaters in Japan. A live-action MASHLE film directed and written by Yuichi Fukuda, with Mackenyu as Mash, opens on March 19, 2027, through Toho.
Which Season 2 opponent gave Mash his toughest fight before the Final Exam: Carpaccio, Margarette or Innocent Zero's forces?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.