We fans still talk about The Eminence in Shadow just like a favourite memory. The mix of comedy, chaos and cool moments gave us fans a unique experience. Season 1 ran for 20 episodes from October 5, 2022, to February 15, 2023. Season 2 gave 12 more episodes from October 4 to December 20, 2023. And the final scene of Season 2 made everyone wait for the next instalment. So the main question now is, when is The Eminence in Shadow: Lost Echoes’ release date?
We saw the first teaser right after Season 2 ended. Then we saw the trailer months later. So let us go through everything we know, step by step.
The Eminence in Shadow: Lost Echoes Release Date
Lost Echoes was announced on December 20, 2023. This was the same day the final episode of Season 2 aired in Japan. The official reveal used the title Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! Zankyo-hen. A visual came out and confirmed that this would be a theatrical sequel film.
A full trailer was released on May 26, 2024. It showed proper scenes from the movie. It also repeated that the film continues the story after Season 2. But there was no fixed date mentioned. Only soft lines like “coming soon” were used.
Right now, none of the official teams or partners have confirmed a Japanese release date for “The Eminence in Shadow: Lost Echoes”. Most listings treat Lost Echoes as a 2025 movie. But sadly, 2025 ended without any more information, so we can expect the movie to be released in mid-2026 at the earliest or late 2026.
Expected Cast and Crew for Lost Echoes
Lost Echoes keeps the same people who built the anime’s identity. The original story stays with Daisuke Aizawa. The character designs stay with Tōzai. The direction stays with Kazuya Nakanishi. The screenplay supervision stays with Kanichi Katou. And the character design work stays with Makoto Iino. The animation studio also remains Nexus.
On the voice side, only one name is officially listed for the film right now: Seiichiro Yamashita as Cid Kagenou / Shadow. But since Lost Echoes is a direct sequel, the rest of the cast will naturally return. So we expect Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta and Eta along with characters like Alexia, Rose and Claire.
A Small Recap Before Lost Echoes
It is always nice to take a quick recap before the next story.
Plot: Cid first lived as Minoru Kageno in modern Japan. He wanted to act like a mastermind. After reincarnation, he became Cid Kagenou in a fantasy world. He tried to act like a mob character but still worked from the shadows. By saving an elven girl who became Alpha, he formed the start of Shadow Garden.
Season 1 covered the academy, the capital, and the Bushin Festival. Cid acted harmlessly in public but broke cult bases under the city. He defeated Iris and Beatrix in the arena while still pretending that he was a nobody. By the end, Shadow Garden became a quiet but strong enemy to the Cult of Diablos.
Season 2 moved into the Lawless City arc and the Oriana Kingdom / Black Rose arc. Lawless City brought the Red Moon and the Blood Queen. Cid walked in for fun but ended up clearing the chaos. Then the story shifted to Oriana. Rose faced a forced marriage and a deeper political trap. The Black Rose opened a path to the Fourth Realm and brought monsters into the capital. Shadow stepped in with full force and ended the disaster. Rose then took the name 666 in Shadow Garden and later became the queen of Oriana.
By the end of Episode 32, Shadow Garden grew stronger. The Cult took heavy damage but still moved in the dark. Rose ruled a broken kingdom linked to a dangerous artefact. And Cid kept treating everything like his personal drama. Lost Echoes starts from here.
READ MORE: My Dress Up Darling Season 3 Release Date
How Much Story Is Left for Lost Echoes to Adapt
The light novel has 6 volumes. Each volume has around 9 chapters and a high page count. The anime covered the early part of the story, but not everything.
Here is a simple table that shows the current position:
Light Novel Progress vs Anime
| Volume | What It Covers | Anime Episode Range | Status After Season 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | Midgar Academy, early cult clashes | Episodes 1–9 | Fully adapted |
| Vol. 2 | Capital events, Bushin Festival setup | Episodes 10–20 | Fully adapted |
| Vol. 3 | Lawless City, Red Moon, Blood Queen | Episodes 21–27 | Fully adapted |
| Vol. 4 | Oriana Kingdom, Black Rose crisis, aftermath | Episodes 28–32 (half) | Only half adapted |
| Vol. 5 | New arcs after Oriana | None | Unadapted |
| Vol. 6 | Major later-story developments | None | Unadapted |
Season 2 stops around the middle of Volume 4. The rest of Volume 4 contains political fallout and character movements that the anime has not shown yet. Volumes 5 and 6 remain untouched in any episode.
Together, these 2.5 volumes hold around 800–1,000 pages of major story content. Lost Echoes can use the remaining Volume 4 chapters or jump into key moments from the next volumes. Fans even point at Volume 6 chapters as perfect movie material. But no official chapter list is announced yet.
READ MORE: Lord of Mysteries Season 2 Release Date
Where to Watch The Eminence in Shadow: Lost Echoes
Right now, Lost Echoes does not have a streaming list or a theatre list. The movie is confirmed as a theatrical release, but no platform has been revealed for any region.
In the United States, the series streams on HIDIVE, the HIDIVE Amazon Channel and Hulu. Digital purchase appears on Amazon Video, Apple TV and other stores. In Japan, the anime streams on Disney+. Some regions in Europe show it on Netflix or Prime Video.
With this pattern, the movie will likely reach HIDIVE later because Sentai Filmworks controls the TV rights there. But until the teams announce it, nothing is confirmed.
Will There Be an English Dub for Lost Echoes
Lost Echoes does not have an English dub announcement yet.
Season 1 received a full English dub starting on December 26, 2022. Season 2 went even bigger because HIDIVE streamed the dub on the same day as Japan. That showed how strong the demand is. Even later announcements listed the series again inside HIDIVE’s active dub lineup.
With two complete dubbed seasons, it is easy to expect that Lost Echoes will also receive a dub. The main cast for Cid, Alpha, Beta, Gamma and the rest will most likely return. The dub will release after, or possibly close to, the theatrical run.
Final thoughts
The Eminence in Shadow grew into a fan favourite because it mixes style and fun in a way that feels different from other fantasy anime. We fans remember the Bushin Festival, the Lawless City fights and the Black Rose blast even now. Lost Echoes takes the story into a bigger space with a theatrical scale.
If you want to share what part of the light novel you are waiting for the most, write your thoughts in the comments below.