Will there be a Season 3 of the 86 Anime? While significant character arcs have wrapped up for both Lena and Shin, many fans feel the mecha anime still has a lot to offer, and they are correct. Through production troubles and delays, the anime still managed to maintain a stellar quality, and it'll be missed. Here's what we think is going to happen now.
About 86
In case you missed the hype, 86 is one of the best 2021-22 dystopian anime to check out. Unfolding through two main viewpoints, it tells the story of Lena; an elite soldier of the Republic of San Magnolia, who handles supposedly unmanned mecha to fight a war against the Gead Empire, protecting her country's 85 districts - and Shin; a soldier from the lesser-known 86th area.
Shin and his fellow soldiers - all young people who have led hard lives - are forced to fight for the Republic that has given them nothing in return, with no chance of escape until they die. Lena is the only handler to treat them as anything other than expendable and grant them human dignity, but she has a lot of preconceived notions to unlearn before she can advocate real change.
Will There Be a Season 3 of 86?
Many fans of 86 would love to see more of Lena and Shin's tragic yet hopeful story. But would a Season 3 be possible? First, we need to unpack what we mean by season 3. The episodes of 86 we've seen so far were all meant to be part of the same first season, but were released over two anime seasons with a break between. This is known as a cour in anime.
Related: Do Shin and Lena Ever Meet and Do They End Up Together in 86?
That being the case, the two cours of 86 were still extremely different thematically, so you'd be excused if you considered them as two different seasons. Whether you call it 86 Season 3 or 86 Season 2, the studio has not yet confirmed either way, but there's plenty of 86 light novel and manga content, so things look good in that regard.
Given the production difficulties for 86 Part 2, it might be a while before we have a definitive update, but we'll update this space with as much information as possible if an announcement is made!
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