Highlights
- Date a Live V premieres on April 19, 2024, with 12 episodes.
- The series blends comedy, action, and romance, with a unique plot involving Spirits and Shido’s bond with them.
- Fans of previous seasons can expect fantasy, action, and new challenges.
With spring upon us, there are many new anime to look forward to (as well as many anime returning with new seasons). Ever since Date a Live premiered and viewers were witness to the “spatial quake” on the Eurasian continent, the series has become a fan favorite in anime circles, with many fans finding special characters they can connect to in a story that is vast and epic.
Though a fifth season wasn’t a guarantee, fans will be visiting Eurasian one more time with the upcoming fifth season of Date a Live V. What can they expect from the fifth season and are new fans at a disadvantage if they jump in now?
The Date a Live Franchise
Date a Live is a blend of romantic comedy, supernatural action, and harem elements. The story unfolds in a world plagued by catastrophic events called spatial quakes, which are caused by enigmatic entities known as Spirits. To combat this threat, the protagonist, Shido Itsuka, becomes involved with a secret organization tasked with dealing with the Spirits.
Shido’s unique ability allows him to seal the powers of the Spirits by forming bonds with them through dates. Each Spirit possesses distinct personalities, powers, and backgrounds, making each encounter a new adventure for Shido. As he interacts with the Spirits, he must navigate complex emotions, conflicting loyalties, and personal growth.
Throughout the series, Shido forms deep bonds with the Spirits, leading to heartwarming moments, comedic misunderstandings, and intense battles against otherworldly threats. Alongside his companions, including his adoptive sister Kotori and the enigmatic Spirit, Tohka, Shido embarks on a journey filled with romance, danger, and self-discovery.
Installments of the Date a Live Series
Date a Live is a huge franchise in Japan, and as such its reach spans multiple mediums. Some of them include:
1. Light Novels:
- Date a Live
- Date a Live: Encore
- Date a Live Fragment: Date a Bullet
2. Anime:
- Date a Live
- Date a Live II
- Date a Live III
- Date a Live IV
3. Manga:
- Date a Live (Serialized in Monthly Dragon Age magazine)
4. Video Games:
- Date a Live: Rinne Utopia (PlayStation 3)
- Date a Live: Arusu Install (PlayStation 3)
- Date a Live Twin Edition: Rio Reincarnation (PlayStation Vita)
It should be noted that, with the exception of the games, most of these mediums follow the core story in the light novels with minor changes to their format.
Date a Live V
It was announced on X that there would be a fifth season of Date a Live premiering on April 19, 2024.
In keeping with tradition, the new season will be titled Date a Live V. The post also announced that the season will run for 12 episodes like the previous seasons have. Also, like previous seasons, it will contain a single storyline that will be wrapped up by the end of the season, making it easy for new viewers to jump into the franchise. Finally, there will be a collectors BluRay for fans of physical media.
Critical Acclaim of Date A Live
According to anime database website MyAnimeList, fans have given the previous seasons the following collective scores:
- Date a Live – 7.27/10
- Date a Live II – 7.47/10
- Date a Live III – 7.51/10
- Date a Live IV – 7.77/10
What to Expect
As with previous seasons of the show, you can expect a lot of fantasy, a lot of action, and love triangles galore. Fans of previous seasons will be happy to learn that all of their favorite characters – Yatogami, Itsuka, Tokisaki, and many more – will be returning this season. The story of the teaser does promise one major event that has not been seen yet: Shido is going to lose his memory. How he loses it is unknown at this point. However, it is being suggested that this may be the work of the new antagonist.
The new antagonist not only seems to be hinting that he is behind the memory loss, but he is fully aware that Shido has re-written history in this world, and seems to have taken particular interest in this fact. He also is in command of a large fleat of war machines and flying ships, and brags that his strength is equal to that of Shido’s. The memory loss is a great way to make new fans not feel lost with the current season (while giving fans who are already invested in the franchise a new angle on everything). Regardless of exactly what happens, fans can likely expect another epic season of this anime.
Date a Live is available to stream on Crunchyroll
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