Three Mystery Guests and a "Jealous Girl" Pop Song
The story behind the guest casting starts at a concert. In his comment for the announcement, Bocchiboromaru, who performs as a self-styled alien and calls himself a devoted fan of the series, said he had been wanting to write something lovely when he happened to catch a Hinatazaka46 live show. Three members stood out so much that he pitched them on the collaboration, and he describes the finished track as a sweet, heart-fluttering pop song about a jealous girl.
Which three members he recruited is the part fans will be guessing at all week. According to Japanese anime news site Anime Hack, the lineup stays under wraps until Season 2's first episode airs on July 17.
Back for Round Two After "Kamakura STYLE"
This is a reunion. Bocchiboromaru also handled "Kamakura STYLE," the ending theme for Season 1, so he returns to the franchise as a known quantity rather than a wild-card pick.
The Elusive Samurai adapts the historical manga by Yusei Matsui, the Assassination Classroom creator, serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump. The story opens in 1333, when the Kamakura shogunate falls to Ashikaga Takauji's uprising. Its rightful heir, the young Hojo Tokiyuki, escapes to Suwa and turns the samurai code on its head: instead of fighting and dying with honor, he runs and lives, quietly building the strength to take Kamakura back. The series frames the whole conflict as a nationwide game of tag with the country as the prize.
Season 2 keeps the core team intact. CloverWorks (Spy x Family, Bocchi the Rock!) returns as the animation studio, with director Yuta Yamazaki and character designer Yasushi Nishiya both back, and GEMBI and Akiyuki Tateyama composing the music. On the theme-song side, the new ending pairs with an opening theme, "Onigoto," performed by Kento Nakajima.
Looking Ahead
Season 2 premieres July 17, 2026, in Fuji TV's late-night Noitamina block, airing Fridays at 11:30 p.m., and also runs on AT-X. In Japan, Prime Video streams new episodes the same day, with other platforms following from July 21, per Aniplex. Internationally, Crunchyroll has the series in its Summer 2026 lineup. And the first order of business once the premiere airs: finding out which three Hinatazaka46 members are singing over those end credits.