Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend film announced as completing the anime series
Steven Reynolds 
Well, if you thought Christmas was officially over after the final episodes of the supernatural romance anime Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus aired earlier today, it’s apparently not.
That’s because its sequel, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend has already been announced.
Not an anime series, though, but a film that will officially end the Rascal Does Not Dream franchise for good.
And no, I’m not complaining, are you?
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend’s theatrical release was announced via the anime franchise’s official X account, along with a teaser trailer for the film.
That trailer gives us a quick shot of an idol singer standing on a stage holding a microphone, and announcing “I am Kirishima Touko”.
Yep. It’s about that time, eh?!
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend, by the way, is currently scheduled to hit movie theaters some time in 2026.
The Rascal Does Not Dream… franchise details
Like its previous anime series and three films, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend is based on the light novel series written Hajime Kamoshida and illustrated by Kēji Mizoguchi.
It is being published in English by Yen Press, with 14 volumes currently out, and Volume 15 — Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend — due out in January, 2026, over a year after it released in Japan.
The series also has a 16th book, Rascal Does Not Dream of Beach Queen, already published in Japanese.
Meanwhile, the latest anime series in the franchise, … Does Not Dream of Santa Claus… dropped its final episode today.
It was directed by Soichi Masui, with series composition from Masahiro Yokotani, and character designs created by Satomi Tamura.
CloverWorks, who has animated the two previous anime series and the three films, animated this one and is likely to be animating the final film in the series.
Crunchyroll, who has streamed every IP in the franchise, is also likely to stream its final one.
We’ll keep you abreast of that situation as it develops.
Until then, enjoy the fact that, unlike some anime we grow to love, Rascal Does Not Dream… will be getting the conclusion this utterly superb series deserves.
And that makes me very, very happy. Doesn’t it you?
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Michelle Topham 
