Halloween is right around the corner as the Fall 2026 anime season is dropping all the new shows. It’s the final quarter of the year and possibly the biggest one so far thanks to the return of major shows such as Black Clover, The Apothecary Diaries, and more. While fans are busy with the exciting series of the season, a lot of upcoming series are also dropping new information in the meantime. Over the decades, Shueisha’s Shonen Jump magazines have always released some of the most exceptional series in the industry. The monthly magazine Jump Square falls within the category as it includes monthly Shonen manga series across all genres, including action, horror, and more.
One such series is Dark Gathering, an underrated horror manga written and illustrated by Kenichi Kondo. While the manga began serialization in 2019, it’s nowhere near its finale. On the other hand, an anime adaptation premiered in 2023, and it’s all set to return with a new season. Since spooky season is finally here, Dark Gathering dropped a new visual to hype fans for its return. The official X handle of Pony Canyon Anime shares the visual while confirming it features Kubizuka Daimyojin, a shrine that can be seen in the middle of eerie mist.
The anime is all set to return in 2027, but so far an exact release date hasn’t been confirmed yet. However, fans can expect new updates during Jump Festa 2027, which is scheduled to be held on December 20th and 21st. Jump Festa is the largest annual convention held by Shueisha, as it focuses on new announcements for anime, manga, and games, interactive exhibits, and unique merchandise that is often available only at the convention. As confirmed on Jump Festa’s official website, Dark Gathering will be holding a panel during the event’s Jump Studio stage.
Fans might get an official key visual or even a teaser, along with more updates during the event. Since the manga runs on a monthly schedule, the anime took four years to return so that the animation studio would have enough chapters for another season. We can expect the series to return to HIDIVE, where you can catch up with the first season. Furthermore, the anime is now also available on Prime Video, but fans still can’t find it on Crunchyroll or Netflix.
Among Shonen Jump series, Dark Gathering is known for its gritty details and gory visuals that aren’t suited for the faint of heart. Before the second season’s episode count is revealed, it’s impossible to determine how many chapters or arcs the anime will cover. The first season released 25 episodes, but there’s always a chance the sequel will return with only one cour that spans 12 to 13 episodes. The story follows Keitaro Gentoga, who wants to put his supernatural abilities behind him and live a normal life as a college student. However, his life takes a drastic turn when he meets Yayoi, a girl with similar supernatural abilities.
He soon finds himself entangled in her mission of capturing and enslaving violent spirits to prepare for battle against the spirit that stole the soul of Yayoi’s mother. The first season adapted 34 chapters from the manga, which means the sequel will at least wrap up the Kyoto Arc, where Yayoi, Keitaro, and Eiko travel to Kyoto to confront dangerous new ghosts and mysterious state-made gods. We can also expect the story to get even more intense with the introduction of more powerful monsters with unique abilities.
