is a Japanese anime television series produced by Doga Kobo, based on the manga series Oshi no Ko written by Aka Akasaka and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari. It follows a doctor and his recently deceased patient who were reborn as twins to a famous Japanese pop idol, as they navigate the highs and lows of the country's entertainment industry while growing up together. The anime series premiered in April 2023 with a feature-length first episode. As of March 2026, it has aired three seasons. A fourth and final season has been announced.

The series quickly gained critical and commercial success, with critics praising its storytelling, animation quality, thematic boldness, portrayal of idol culture, media exploitation, and parasocial relationships. It has won numerous awards, including Animation of the Year at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival.

Plot Premise Gorou Amamiya is a gynecologist working in a rural area and a fan of the idol Ai Hoshino, a member of girl group B-Komachi. While preparing to assist Ai during her secret pregnancy, Gorou is murdered shortly before she gives birth. He is subsequently reincarnated as one of Ai's twin children, Aquamarine "Aqua" Hoshino, retaining memories of his previous life. The other twin, Ruby Hoshino, is revealed to be the reincarnation of Sarina Tendōji, a former patient of Gorou who had been terminally ill and had expressed a desire to become an idol.

Ai raises Aqua and Ruby while concealing their identities from the public and continuing her career as an idol. Several years later, Ai is murdered by a stalker who obtained her home address through leaked information. Aqua witnesses the incident and later determines that the stalker had received guidance from another individual connected to Ai. Aqua suspects that this person is his biological father and decides to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ai's death.

As Aqua and Ruby grow older, they enter the entertainment industry through different paths. Aqua becomes involved in acting and media productions to obtain information related to Ai's past, while Ruby pursues an idol career inspired by her mother. Their activities bring them into contact with various professionals and organizations within the industry as Aqua continues his investigation.

Season 1 Ai Hoshino secretly gives birth to twins, Aquamarine and Ruby Hoshino, while maintaining her public image as an idol. The twins grow up under her care, hiding their reincarnated identities. Several years later, Ai is murdered by a stalker who had obtained her personal information. Aqua witnesses the incident and later begins investigating the people connected to Ai before her death, suspecting his biological father to be behind the murder.

As teenagers, Aqua and Ruby begin participating in entertainment-related activities. Ruby aims to become an idol, while Aqua accepts acting roles to gain access to individuals associated with Ai's career. He appears in various productions, beginning with a TV adaptation of the manga "Sweet Today", where he meets Kana Arima, a former star child actor. This is followed by a reality dating show in which he meets Akane Kurokawa, a talented actress who faces a massive controversy during the show, and MeM-cho, whom he later introduces to Ruby. The reality show ends with Aqua and Akane as the star couple, having overcome the controversy, and, believing he can make use of Akane's brilliant analytical abilities, Aqua enters a fake relationship with Akane.

Meanwhile, Ruby forms a new version of the idol group B-Komachi under Strawberry Productions. She recruits Kana Arima and later MeM-cho as members. They decide on Kana as center performer, and are offered an opportunity to perform at the Japan Idol Festival by a producer Aqua had previously worked with. Their debut goes well, and they begin to attract attention, especially from fans of the old B-Komachi.

Season 2 Aqua, Akane, and Kana are cast in a stage adaptation of the manga "Tokyo Blade", alongside several other actors such as Melt Narushima who played in the "Sweet Today" adaptation and the star actor Taiki Himekawa from the same theater group as Akane. Rehearsals highlight differences in acting styles, experience levels, and approaches to performance.

As production progresses, the author of the source material takes issue with the script, and the play is delayed as they reconcile the issues with the help of Yoriko Kichijouji, the author of the "Sweet Today" manga. The reworked script is very ambitious, putting more pressure on the cast. A particular scene triggers Aqua's PTSD, and, after supporting him, Akane learns of his mission for revenge.

During the performance of the play, several important character moments are highlighted. These include: Melt's desire to improve from his formerly bad acting skills, the rivalry between Akane and Kana which dates back to their childhood, Kana's hesitance to take the spotlight, and Aqua's complicated relationship with acting.

Shortly after, Aqua learns from a DNA test that the star of the play, Taiki Himekawa, is his half brother. He confronts Taiki, who tells him that his biological father died many years ago in a murder-suicide. Aqua, shocked by this information, feels freed from revenge, and resolves to live his own life. This involves sorting out his relationships with Kana and Akane, both of whom express interest in him. When discussing his future with Akane she realizes a loophole in the DNA test evidence, and suspects that Aqua's true biological father is in fact still alive, although she hides this from him.

After the play's run is complete, B-Komachi is scheduled to travel to Aqua and Ruby's hometown to film a music video, and Aqua and Akane are invited to come along. While there, Ruby discovers the corpse of Gorou Amamiya, who she loved in her past life, and spirals into despair. Meanwhile, Aqua decides to start truly dating Akane.

Season 3 The cast continues pursuing their careers within the entertainment industry, growing in popularity. In the case of Ruby, now motivated by revenge, this comes at the expense of her values. Aqua, guided by concern, finds her secret advisor, Ichigo Saitou, the former manager of Strawberry productions. He explains that Ai's killer is already dead, but Ichigo points out crucial flaws in the information, challenging Aqua's new peaceful life.

Meanwhile, Kana, who lacks energy and motivation after being rejected by Aqua, pursues a new source of work by getting close to an up-and-coming director who expresses interest in casting her. But, although innocent, tabloid capture photos of her entering and leaving his apartment, threatening her career. The publication is prevented by Aqua, who offers a bigger story in exchange. He exposes the truth about Ai and her children, which leads to him cutting ties with Ruby and Akane, and recommitting fully to revenge.

As a means to this goal, him and his mentor, Director Gotanda, start work on a film exploring Ai's story: "The Fifteen Year Lie". The casting process brings all the main characters together, including Akane, who's determined to stop Aqua, and the members of B-Komachi, who, with the exception of Kana, lack acting experience. The role is the final straw for Ruby, who, overworked, depressed, and alone, starts to break down. Aqua, who realizes her past life identity, reveals his own to her, and realizing her beloved doctor was by her side the whole time gives Ruby the strength to go on and be true to herself.

Aqua also orchestrates the return of Ichigo to their production agency, which alleviates much needed stress just in time for them to take on the massive project of the film. And, needing child actors, he invites a mysterious girl who seems to know the nature of their reincarnation to join the production.

Series overview

Cast and characters

Character Japanese English / Takeo Ōtsuka (Aqua, teen)Yumi Uchiyama (Aqua, child)Kent Itō (Gorou) Jack Stansbury (Aqua, teen)Chaney Moore (Aqua, child)Jeremy Gee (Gorou) Yurie Igoma (Ruby)Tomoyo Takayanagi (Sarina) Alyssa Marek (Ruby)Savanna Menzel (Sarina) Megumi Han Natalie Rial Manaka Iwami Kristen McGuire Rie Takahashi Donna Bella Litton Hisao Egawa Brandon Hearnsberger Lynn Christina Kelly Rumi Okubo Juliet Simmons Mamoru Miyano Austin Tindle Yasuyuki Kase Ty Mahany Masaki Terasoma Justin Doran Asami Seto Annie Wild Hina Yōmiya Brittany Lauda Taishi Murata Andrew Love Shizuka Itō Kelly Greenshield Ayane Sakura Jad Saxton Kenichi Suzumura Alejandro Saab GOA Daisuke Ono Dylan Godwin Koki Uchiyama Daman Mills Seiji Maeda Bryson Baugus Atsushi Tamaru Gabriel Regojo Hina Kino Luci Christian

Release

An anime adaptation was announced in June 2022. The anime, later revealed to be a television series, was produced by Doga Kobo and directed by Daisuke Hiramaki, with Chao Nekotomi serving as assistant director, Jin Tanaka writing the scripts, and Kanna Hirayama handling the character designs. It aired from April 12 to June 28, 2023, on Tokyo MX and other networks. The 90-minute first episode, "Mother and Children", also premiered at selected theaters in Japan on March 17 of the same year.

A second season was announced after the airing of the eleventh episode of the first season. It aired from July 3 to October 6, 2024.

A third season was announced after the airing of the thirteenth episode of the second season. The season premiered on January 14, 2026. It ended with a one-hour special, which aired on March 25 of the same year.

A fourth and final season was announced after the airing of the eleventh episode of the third season.

International release The series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks and has been available for streaming on Hidive. An English dub premiered on May 24, 2023. The first season was released on Blu-ray on June 25, 2024. The second season was released on January 6, 2026. Medialink licensed the series in Asia-Pacific and streamed it on the Ani-One Asia YouTube channel. It premiered on Animax Asia on October 30, 2024. Crunchyroll is streaming the third season along with Hidive. On February 25, 2026, Crunchyroll announced that it had acquired the streaming rights for the first two seasons of the series in collaboration with Hidive. The first season was made available immediately, while the second season was added a month later on March 25, 2026.

Music The music for the series was composed by . The original soundtrack album for the first season was released on September 27, 2023. The original soundtrack album for the second season was released on October 9, 2024. The original soundtrack album for the third season was released on April 8, 2026.

The opening theme for the first season is , performed by Yoasobi, and the ending theme is , performed by Queen Bee. The opening theme for the second season is , performed by Gemn (composed of Tatsuya Kitani and Kento Nakajima), and the ending theme is "Burning", performed by Hitsujibungaku. The opening theme for the third season is "Test Me", performed by Chanmina, and the ending theme is , performed by Natori.

The anime also features several original songs, including "Pop in 2", "Star T Rain", and "B's Revenge" by the in-series group B-Komachi.

Reception Popularity