Where to Watch The Elusive Samurai Season 2 (2026)
Short answer: The Elusive Samurai season 2 streams on both Crunchyroll and Prime Video, with a same-day English dub — and it airs on Fridays, not Thursdays as several English listings claim. Japan gets it on Fuji TV’s noitaminA block at 23:30 JST, and the international simulcast follows the same day. There is one more quirk worth knowing: inside Japan, Prime Video runs four days ahead of every other service. Below: the exact schedule, the platform split, and why Netflix shows it in Japan but not to you.
The Friday/Thursday mix-up, and why we say Friday
This is a small thing that trips up a lot of pages. Multiple English write-ups describe season 2 as a Thursday release — but Aniplex’s own announcement puts it on Fuji TV’s noitaminA block every Friday at 23:30 JST, starting July 17, 2026. And July 17, 2026 was a Friday. The international simulcast follows the Japanese broadcast rather than preceding it, which lands it on Friday morning in the Americas — around 10:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. PT. Times can shift, so check your app, but the day is Friday.
The other correction worth making: this is not a Crunchyroll exclusive. Crunchyroll and Prime Video both carry it as a global simulcast.
| Where you are | Platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| International OFFICIAL | Crunchyroll **and** Prime Video | Fridays, approx. 10:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. PT; same-day dub |
| Japan — TV | Fuji TV noitaminA | Fridays 23:30 JST (AT-X from July 24) |
| Japan — fastest streaming | Prime Video | From July 17, 24:00 JST — four days ahead |
| Japan — everyone else | Netflix, Hulu, ABEMA, U-NEXT, dAnime, DMM TV and more | From Tuesday July 21, 12:00 JST |
Japan’s four-day gap, and the Netflix split
Japan’s rollout has an unusually wide internal spread. Prime Video gets it first, from July 17 at 24:00 JST, and every other Japanese service — Netflix, Hulu, ABEMA, U-NEXT, dAnime Store, DMM TV, Disney+, Lemino, FOD, TELASA — only starts on Tuesday July 21 at 12:00 JST. That is a four-day wait for anyone in Japan not on Prime Video.
That list also produces a familiar trap: Netflix and Hulu carry this show inside Japan, but not internationally. If you search and see ‘it’s on Netflix’, that information is describing Japan. We saw exactly the same pattern with Mushoku Tensei III, and it is why we track availability country by country with sources rather than platform by platform.
Who makes it, and where it picks up
CloverWorks animates, with Yuta Yamazaki directing, Yoko Tomita on series composition and Taishi Nishiya on character designs — the core team returning from season 1. The opening theme is ‘Onigoto’ by Kento Nakajima. It adapts Yusuke Matsui’s Weekly Shonen Jump manga about Hojo Tokiyuki, a boy who survives the fall of the Kamakura shogunate by being extraordinarily good at running away.
Season 1 is required viewing — season 2 continues directly, and season 1 (12 episodes, 2024) is on Crunchyroll. On episode count for this season, reports vary and nothing is officially confirmed, so we are not going to state a number.
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Watching from abroad? Because Prime Video and Netflix set their catalogues per country, the same title can appear at home and vanish when you travel — and this show is a clear case, since Netflix carries it only inside Japan. How region locks work, and how existing subscribers handle travel, is covered in our anime streaming VPN guide. Each service sets its own terms; where a local official option exists, start there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch season 2?
On **both Crunchyroll and Prime Video** — it is a global simulcast, not a Crunchyroll exclusive, which is a detail many listings get wrong. It is not on Netflix or Hulu outside Japan.
What day do episodes come out?
**Fridays.** Japan airs it on Fuji TV's noitaminA block at 23:30 JST, and the international simulcast follows shortly after — roughly 10:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. PT. Several English write-ups say Thursday; July 17, 2026, the premiere date, was a Friday.
Is the English dub delayed?
No — the dub streams **the same day** as the subtitled version. That is unusually fast, and worth knowing if you compare it with something like Mushoku Tensei III, whose dub ran about two weeks behind.
How many episodes is it?
Not confirmed at the time of writing. Reports range from 12 to a possible longer run, so we are not printing a number as fact. Season 1 was 12 episodes.
Do I need to watch season 1?
Yes. This continues Tokiyuki's story directly from the first season, which is also on Crunchyroll.
