Kinema Citrus | GameTrader.SG

Everything Confirmed for Season 5

Season 5 was first teased at the end of Season 4’s final episode, but the Anime Expo announcement was the first proper look: a full trailer, a new key visual, and confirmation of the production team. Kinema Citrus continues as the animation studio, with Hitoshi Haga returning to direct — he guided both Seasons 3 and 4. Keigo Koyoagi is back on series composition, and the character design trio of Franziska van Wulfen, Sana Komatsu, and Masahiro Suwa returns. Crucially, composer Kevin Penkin is once again on music duties; his work has been one of the defining elements of the series since the very first episode.

On the cast side, all the main leads are reprising their roles: Kaito Ishikawa as Naofumi Iwatani, Asami Seto as Raphtalia, and Rina Hidaka as Filo. Season 5 is expected to push Naofumi toward his long-building confrontation with the Phoenix, with the allies he has gathered across four seasons finally put to the test.

A Darker Key Visual That Sets the Tone

A character scene from The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 5 trailer

Image courtesy of Kinema Citrus / KADOKAWA

The Season 5 key visual is a striking stylistic step. Where earlier seasons leaned into colour and warmth, this one goes almost entirely monochrome — charcoal and grey tones with Naofumi at the centre and his party flanking him in a dense, tension-filled formation. The only colour is the vivid red calligraphic title treatment: The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 5. The message is clear: this season is going somewhere harder and heavier.

How to Watch — and Where to Catch Up

A scene from The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 5 featuring new characters

Image courtesy of Kinema Citrus / KADOKAWA

Season 5 streams on Crunchyroll for viewers outside Japan — no specific premiere date within 2027 has been announced yet, but Singapore fans can expect the same day-and-date access they’ve had for every previous season. All four existing seasons are on Crunchyroll now for anyone who wants to get ahead of the story before next year. For more anime premieres and announcements this season, check our Manga & Anime section.

Kinema Citrus — the studio behind Made in Abyss — has dropped the third promotional video for its upcoming original anime Goodbye, Lara, and it delivers two notable reveals: the ending theme song “Hearts Glow” performed by singer-songwriter Hana Hope, and a pair of new cast additions joining the show when it premieres on Crunchyroll this July.

Goodbye, Lara | Official Trailer — via Crunchyroll on YouTube

What the Goodbye, Lara PV3 Shows

The new promotional video previews the ending theme in context, giving audiences their first feel for how Hana Hope’s music fits the show’s bittersweet, fairy-tale-meets-modern-Japan atmosphere. Alongside the musical reveal, the Crunchyroll announcement accompanying the PV also unveiled a fresh key visual and expanded the cast with two more named characters.

Two New Cast Members Join the Ensemble

Minami Tsuda voices Risa, Lara’s fourth oldest sister, while Kazutomi Yamamoto takes on Kōta, a new human character. They join a lineup that already includes Hana Hishikawa in the lead role of Lara, alongside Nana Kawaishi, Rica Fukami, Ayumu Murase, and Masaki Terasoma.

The Story: A Mermaid Reborn at Lake Biwa

Loosely inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, Goodbye, Lara follows a mermaid princess who wished to be loved by a human — a wish that cost her everything. Two centuries later, she awakens at Lake Biwa in modern-day Shiga Prefecture, Japan, with one last chance at life and love before she vanishes for good.

Director Takushi Koide leads the production at Kinema Citrus, with Anna Kawahara overseeing series scripts, Shiori Tani handling character design, and Yuma Yamaguchi composing the score. The project is published by Kadokawa.

Goodbye Lara key visual — Crunchyroll anime Summer 2026 — Image courtesy of Crunchyroll / Kadokawa

When and Where to Watch in Singapore

Goodbye, Lara premieres in Japan on 5 July 2026, with Crunchyroll simulcasting for international audiences — including Singapore and Southeast Asia. It is part of Crunchyroll’s Summer 2026 anime season lineup, which includes a strong mix of returning titles and originals this year.

Last words

With a studio pedigree like Kinema Citrus behind it and Hana Hope lending emotional weight to the ending theme, Goodbye, Lara looks set to be one of the more quietly affecting picks of Summer 2026. Singapore fans catching the new season on Crunchyroll would do well to give this one a slot on their watchlist — 5 July is closer than it feels.

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Rising of the Shield Hero Season 5 Confirmed for 2027 — First Trailer Drops at AX