New Japanese Shows & Movies Coming to Netflix in 2025 & Beyond

Pictures: Netflix While Japanese dramas don’t carry the same weight as K-dramas, year after year, they continue to get increasingly popular with subscribers worldwide. We’ve put together a preview of the exciting Japanese dramas you can expect to see on Netflix in 2025 and beyond. We’ve omitted any anime projects from the preview to condense the list. You can find our ongoing preview of anime coming to Netflix in 2025 here. Here are the Japanese dramas you can look forward to watching on Netflix in 2025 and beyond. Japanese Shows & Movies Coming to Netflix in Q1 2025 Demon City (2025) Director: Seiji Tanaka Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime | Runtime: 106 Minutes Cast: Tôma Ikuta, Masahiro Higashide, Miou Tanaka, Ami Tôma, Tarô Suruga Netflix Release Date: February 27th, 2025 Picture: Toma Ikuta in Demon City – Netflix The film stars Toma Ikuta, who was previously seen in the heart-wrenching Netflix series Beyond Goodbye.  Ikuta plays the role of Shuhei Sakata, a hitman on a quest to avenge the deaths of his wife and daughter. Sakata’s fight is against a shadow organization of masked criminals that control the city of Shinjo.  Japanese Shows & Movies Coming to Netflix in Q2 2025 Bullet Train Explosion (2025) N Director: Shinji Higuchi Genre: Action, Crime, Drama | Runtime: TBA Cast: Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Ken Takakura Netflix Release Date: April 23rd, 2025 As part of the 50th anniversary of the original Bullet Train movie, a remake of the classic is headed to Netflix in 2025. Any fans of Shin Godzilla should be excited for Bullet Train Explosion as director Shinji Higuchi is at the helm of the film.  The film is centered around a group who attempt to extort money from the government by planting a bomb on the Bullet Train and threatening to blow it up. Japanese Shows & Movies Coming to Netflix in Q3 2025 Glass Heart (Season 1) N Episodes: TBA Genre: Drama, Music | Runtime: TBA Cast: Satoh Takeru, Miyazaki Yu, Suda Masaki, Machida Keita, Shison Jun Netflix Release Date: July 2025 Adapted from Mio Wakagi’s novel, Yu Miyazaki will lead Netflix’s adaptation as Akane Saijo. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the novel receive an anime adaptation. Aspiring drummer Akane Saijo is suddenly kicked out of her band but is invited to join a new ensemble when Naoki Fujitani stumbles upon her talent. Soul Mate (Season 1) N Episodes: 8 Genre: Drama, Romance | Runtime: TBA Cast: Isomura Hayato, Ok Taec Yeon Netflix Release Date: August 2025 Picture: Ok Taec Yeon (left) and Isomura Hayato (right) Isomura Hayato and Ok Taec Yeon star as two young men who fall in love over the course of a ten-year story, taking place in cities across the world, such as Berlin, Seoul, and Tokyo. Japanese Shows & Movies Coming to Netflix in Q4 2025 Romantic Anonymous (Season 1) N Picture: Romantics Anonymous – Netflix Episodes: TBA Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance | Runtime: TBA Cast: Oguri Shun, Han Hyo Joo, Akanishi Jin, Nakamura Yuri, Song Joong Ki Netflix Release Date: October 2025 Romantic Anonymous is a collaboration between Korean and Japanese artists and creators and can potentially be a big hit for Netflix.  Sosuke and Hana have a chance encounter thanks to their love of chocolate. However, due to their social anxiety, Sosuke can’t touch, and Hana can’t make eye contact, which brings unique challenges to their budding relationship. Last Samurai Standing (Season 1) N Episodes: TBA Genre: Drama, Period | Runtime: TBA Cast: Okada Junichi, Takayuki Yamada Netflix Release Date: November 2025 Picture: Okada Junichi (left) – The adaptation of Shogo Imamura’s novel, Last Samurai Standing promises to deliver on some incredible fight choreography as the series is centered around 292 warriors, who during the late 19th Century in the Meiji period, gather at the Tenryuji Temple in Kyoto, to take part in a bloody competition that will see the winner walk away with 100 billion yen. 10Dance (2025) Director: Otomo Keishi Genre: Romance | Runtime: TBA Cast: Machida Keita, Takeuchi Ryoma,  Netflix Release Date: December 2025 Picture: 10dance – Netflix In this romantic Japanese drama, Machida Keita stars as Sugiki Shinya, and Takeuchi Ryoma stars as Suzuki Shinya. The pair play rival ballroom dancers who have mastered their respective fields. Still, one day, Sugiki invites Suzuki to compete with him to conquer the competition of all ten competitive dances.  Alice in Borderland (Season 3) N Episodes: 8 Genre: Thriller | Runtime: 60 Minutes Cast: Yamazaki Kento, Tsuchiya Tao Netflix Release Date: 2025 Easily the most successful and popular Japanese live-action adaptation returns for one final round later this year! Japanese Drama Shows Coming to Netflix Beyond 2025 Human Vapor (Season 1) N Episodes: TBA Genre: Drama, Legal | Runtime: TBA Cast: Yû Aoi, Shun Oguri Netflix Release Date: TBA Picture: The Human Vapor (1960) – Toho Studios One of the iconic films of Japanese cinema in the 1960s, finally decades later, the film is now being adapted into a television series. The series is centered on a man who is granted the ability to transform himself into a gaseous state, but rather than using his new powers for good, he starts robbing banks. Quiztopia (Season 1) N Episodes: TBA Genre: Thriller | Runtime: TBA Cast: Takayuki Yamada Netflix Release Date: TBA Picture: Takayuki Yamada (left) and Kokumin Kuizu manga cover (center) – Kato/OHTA Publishing Company Takayuki Yamada stars as eccentric, charismatic, and tyrannical K-ichi, the host of Japan’s government-mandated and dystopian quiz show. The series takes place in an alternate reality in Japan, where a quiz show has a tyrannical hold over the people after being established by the Japanese Constitution. High risk and high reward, the winners are granted one wish by the government, but the losers face fines, forced labor, or conscription. The show pushes contestants to their limits, causing them to pursue their heart desires no matter who and what the cost. Japanese Drama Movies Coming to Netflix in 2025 My Hero Academia  Director: Shinsuke Sato Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure | Runtime: TBA Cast: Leon Masuda, James Marler Netflix Release Date: TBA It remains unclear where in the development phase My Hero Academia is, but it should be one of the biggest live-action adapted releases on Netflix thanks to the franchise’s popularity. The story is centered around Izuku Midoriya, a powerless human in a world where superpowers called quirks are commonplace, but only the best-become crime fighters. Despite being quirkless, this doesn’t deter Modoriya from dreaming of becoming the world’s greatest hero. What Japanese dramas are you excited to watch on Netflix in 2025? Let us know in the comments below!