I originally wrote this post on March 2, 2020, and have made several follow-up posts: one on April 14, 2020, one on April 21, 2020, one on April 28, 2020, one on May 5, 2020, one on May 12, 2020, one on May 19, 2020, one on May 26, 2020, one on June 2, 2020, and one on June 9, 2020.

A premiere date has been announced for Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld Part 2. Another anime has now been pushed back from Summer 2020 to Fall 2020. A new anime has been pushed back from Fall 2020 to Winter 2021.

As of this writing, these anime had an episode (or episodes) delayed due to the effects of coronavirus:

  • A Certain Scientific Railgun T (after the airing of the delayed episode, it’s been announced that two “special programs” will air in early March 2020 instead, but no reason has been given as to why there is a delay of new episodes). On April 18, 2020, it was announced that the 13th episode of the series would be delayed due to COVID-19. The episode was scheduled to air on April 24, 2020, but the 12th episode will be aired on that date instead. The staff later announced that the 13th episode will air on May 1, 2020. It was announced on May 2, 2020 that the 14th episode of the series has been delayed due to COVID-19 affecting production. The episode was scheduled to air on May 8, 2020, but the 13th episode will re-air on that date instead. The official website for the A Certain Scientific Railgun T anime announced on May 23, 2020 that the anime’s 16th episode has been delayed to July 24, 2020 due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The anime’s production committee planned for the anime’s broadcast to end in early June 2020, but it is now planning for the season to extend into September 2020. Beginning on May 29, 2020, the production committee will rebroadcast episodes chosen by the cast every week, followed by one episode voted for and chosen by fans on July 10, 2020. Episode 15 will then rebroadcast on July 17, 2020.
  • Infinite Dendogram
  • number24 (Episodes 11 and 12 were delayed, and according to FUNimation, they would be streaming these episodes on April 8, 2020 and April 15, 2020, respectively)

A3! Season Spring & Summer began airing in January 2020, but due to the coronavirus outbreak exacerbating scheduling problems in the production, the series has been put on hold and will begin again in April 2020 from the first episode. The second half of the series, A3! Season Autumn & Winter, is scheduled to premiere in October 2020.

These series are being delayed from Spring 2020 to Summer 2020:

  • The Misfit of Demon King Academy: The official website for The Misfit of Demon King Academy: History’s Strongest Demon King Reincarnates and Goes to School with His Descendants anime has announced that the series will be premiering on July 4, 2020.
  • Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld Part 2: Aniplex producer Shōki Niwa confirmed during the live-streamed “SAO Gensaku/Anime/Game Matomete Shin Jōhō SP” (Sword Art Online Novel/Anime/Game News Roundup Special) program that the Sword Art Online: Alicization War of Underworld Part 2 anime’s staff and cast are still aiming to premiere Part 2 in July 2020. He acknowledged that even though Part 2 was already delayed from April 2020, the anime staff and cast cannot currently handle dialogue voice recording. He added that some staff can do some work from home, such as writing the story scenarios. However, it is difficult to do a considerable amount of the anime production work outside of the studio. On June 10, 2020, it was announced that the series will premiere on Japanese television on July 11, 2020.
  • The second season of the Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World- anime
  • The third season of the My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU anime
  • The second half of the No Guns Life anime: The official website for the No Guns Life anime has announced that the show’s second half will premiere in July 2020. The anime was previously scheduled to premiere in April 2020, but was delayed due to the effects of the spread of COVID-19.

The following anime began airing in the Spring 2020 season, but will be delaying new episodes in the middle of the season due to COVID-19:

  • The second season of the IDOLiSH7 anime will be delayed starting with the fifth episode. Channels that aired the anime will air a selection of episodes from the first season starting on April 26, 2020. The anime’s website and Twitter account will reveal the new broadcast date and release schedule at a later date.
  • Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater will air through Episode 3, which is as far as the production got before being affected by COVID-19. The site and the show’s official Twitter account will announce new airing and streaming dates for the rest of the episodes when they have been decided. On June 2, 2020, the production committee announced that the anime will restart its airing from the first episode on July 7, 2020.
  • The Millionaire Detective – Balance: UNLIMITED aired its first two episodes. The official website for the series announced that the airings of the anime’s third episode and onward were delayed until further notice in consideration of the spread of COVID-19. Reruns of tsuritama started airing in this series’ time slot in Japan. On April 23, 2020, the official website announced that the anime will restart airing from the first episode on July 16, 2020.
  • Appare-Ranman! will be delayed starting with the fourth episode. The website and the anime’s official Twitter account will announce the new broadcast and streaming premiere dates for the fourth and later episodes after they are decided.
  • Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma: The Fifth Plate will be delayed starting with the third episode. The anime’s website and Twitter account will announce future television broadcast and streaming schedules when they have been decided. For the airings on April 24, May 1, and May 8, 2020, stations will air the first episodes of the fourth season of the series. It was announced on May 12, 2020, that Episode 3 and later episodes will be delayed “until July or later” due to COVID-19. On May 30, 2020, it was announced that the series will resume on July 3, 2020.
  • The official website for the Digimon Adventure: reboot anime has announced that they will delay further episodes due to the spread of COVID-19. The anime was scheduled to air its fourth episode on April 26, 2020. The website will reveal at a later date when new episodes will resume. Reruns of GeGeGe no Kitarō will air during the series’ timeslot on Japanese television. On May 31, 2020, the official Twitter account of the Digimon franchise announced that the Digimon Adventure: anime will restart its broadcast on June 7, 2020 and that it will restart from Episode 1.
  • The production committee for the Kingdom anime has announced that it is delaying the broadcast of Episode 5 and later episodes of the third season. The committee explained that production had been going forward with enough time allotted, but the government’s state of emergency declaration against COVID-19 greatly impacted the production schedule. Episode 4 of the third season will still air as scheduled on April 26, 2020, but Episode 5 will not air as scheduled on May 3, 2020. The anime’s official website and Twitter account will announce the start date of new episodes when the committee has decided it.
  • The official website for Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE Season 2 has announced that the anime’s episodes will be delayed beginning with Episode 19, which was scheduled for May 14, 2020, due to the effects of COVID-19 on the show’s production. Episode 18 will still debut as scheduled on May 7, 2020.
  • The staff of Extra Olympia Kyklos has announced that the broadcast and streaming of the fifth and later episodes will be delayed due to the effects of the spread of COVID-19. The announcement stated that photography and editing work are delayed due to the effects of COVID-19. The series is scheduled to return with the fifth episode on June 22, 2020. The series will debut as planned through the fourth episode, which will debut on May 11, 2020. The anime’s first four episodes will re-air until the series resumes.
  • The official Twitter account for the Gal & Dino (Gal to Kyōryū) anime has announced that the series is delaying future episodes due to COVID-19 making part of the series’ production process difficult. While Episode 7 will air on May 16, 2020 as scheduled, the series will rerun the first five episodes, starting on May 23, 2020. The series’ official website, Twitter account, and Instagram account will announce when the anime will resume new episodes as soon as it is decided.

The following long-running anime series are also being affected by COVID-19:

  • It has been announced that the staff are temporarily suspending part of its production on the current Pokemon anime series due to the COVID-19 situation, and as a result, new episodes are delayed. The staff will announce when the anime will return at a later date. Channels will begin re-airing older episodes.
  • Toei Animation’s official website for the One Piece anime has announced that the anime is delaying the 930th episode and later episodes due to the spread of COVID-19. The episode was scheduled to air on April 26, 2020, but the anime’s broadcast will instead rerun from the 892nd episode (the first episode of the Wano Kuni arc). The staff will reveal later when the 930th episode and later episodes will air.
  • The official website for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has announced that new episodes of the anime will be delayed from May 3, 2020 onwards due to the state of emergency declared in Japan against the spread of COVID-19. The series was scheduled to air its 155th episode on that day, but will now begin re-running the show from the first episode instead. The 154th episode scheduled for April 26, 2020 will still air.
  • The official website for the Black Clover anime has announced that the anime’s production committee is delaying the broadcast of the anime’s 133rd episode and later episodes, due to the effects of the spread of COVID-19 on the production. The 21st and 22nd combined issue of Weekly Shonen Jump had revealed earlier that the anime would rerun its first episode on May 5, 2020, the original scheduled air date of the 133rd episode. The 132nd episode will still air on April 28, 2020.

The following series have been pushed back from Summer 2020, with no new release date announced:

  • The official website for the new Higurashi: When They Cry anime project has announced that the anime has been delayed from its scheduled July 2020 premiere due to the effects of COVID-19 on the production schedule. The staff will announce the new premiere date on the anime’s official website and Twitter account as soon as a decision is made.
  • The official website for Haikyu!! To The Top, the fourth season of the Haikyu!! anime, has announced that the anime’s production committee has delayed the premiere of the anime’s second half. The committee cited the consideration given to the safety measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. The site will announce a new premiere date for the anime at a later time. The second half, consisting of Episodes 14 to 25, was originally planned to premiere in July 2020.
  • The official website for J.C. Staff’s original television anime Skate-Leading Stars has announced that the anime’s production committee has delayed the anime’s premiere, due to the effects of COVID-19 and the resulting government declarations on the anime’s production. The site will announce a new premiere date when it is decided. The anime was originally scheduled for a July 2020 premiere.
  • The official website for the EX-ARM anime has announced that the anime has been delayed to “fall 2020 or later.” The English translation on the website merely stated that it is “scheduled to start broadcasting in autumn 2020.” The production committee cited the effects of COVID-19 and vowed to produce a quality work while keeping the safety of the staff and cast in mind. EX-ARM was scheduled to premiere in July 2020 before the delay.

The following anime have been pushed back from Summer 2020 to Fall 2020 due to COVID-19:

  • The official website for the second season of The irregular at magic high school television anime has announced that the anime is delayed from July 2020 to October 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19.
  • Too Kyo Games and Studio Pierrot’s official website for their original television anime series Akudama Drive has announced that the anime is delayed from July 2020 to October 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19.
  • The production committee for the Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Rhyme Anima anime has announced that the anime’s broadcast and streaming premiere has been delayed from July 2020 to October 2020. The committee explained that it is prioritizing the health and safety of the staff and cast, in light of COVID-19 and the resulting government declaration of the state of emergency. The committee will announce more details, such as the new premiere date, on the anime’s official website as soon as they are decided.
  • The official Twitter account and website for Aniplex’s original anime Warlords of Sigrdrifa (Senyoku no Sigrdrifa) has announced that its broadcast and streaming has been delayed from July 2020 to October 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19. The anime’s production committee said that the website will announce more details such as the precise premiere date when they have been decided.
  • The official website for Kadokawa’s original television anime Maesetsu! has announced that the series is delayed to October 2020 due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the anime’s digital distribution and television broadcast are delayed. The anime was previously scheduled to premiere in Summer 2020.
  • The official website for the Assault Lily mixed-media franchise has announced that Assault Lily Bouquet, the franchise’s television anime, has delayed its premiere date to October 2020 to prioritize the safety of its cast and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. The anime was originally scheduled to premiere in July 2020.
  • The official website for Fujino Ōmori and Suzuhito Yasuda’s Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? light novel series has announced that the third anime season has been delayed from July 2020 to “October or later.” The website cited the effects of COVID-19, and the website and the anime’s official Twitter account will announce the new television and streaming premiere dates as soon as they are decided.
  • Tsukiuta The Animation 2: The official website for the Tsukiuta. THE ANIMATION anime franchise has announced that the Tsukiuta. THE ANIMATION 2 sequel is delayed again from July 2020 to October 2020. The staff cited the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for the delay. The anime was originally scheduled to premiere in 2019, before being delayed to April 2020, and then again to July 2020 before this latest delay.
  • The official website for the Dropout Idol Fruit Tart (Ochikobore Fruit Tart) anime has announced that it has been delayed from July 2020 to October 2020, due to the effects of the spread of COVID-19. The production committee will announce more details such as the precise premiere date on the anime’s website and Twitter account, as soon as they are decided.

The following anime has been pushed back from Fall 2020 to Winter 2021 due to COVID-19:

  • The official Twitter account for The Promised Neverland manga announced that the premiere date of the second season of the television anime adaptation of the manga has been pushed back from October 2020 to January 2021 due to the effect of COVID-19 on the production. The planned rerun of the first season has similarly been postponed from July 2020 to October 2020.
  • The official website and Twitter account for The Quintessential Quintuplets anime has announced that the second season has been delayed until January 2021 due to the effects of COVID-19. The season, titled The Quintessential Quintuplets ∬, was originally scheduled to premiere in October 2020.
  • NHK has announced that Log Horizon: Entaku Hōkai (Log Horizon: Fall of the Round Table), the third season of the Log Horizon anime, is delayed from October 2020 to January 2021 due to COVID-19.

The following anime has been pushed back from Fall 2020 to an undetermined date:

  • The official Twitter account for Ichigo Animation and Mamoru Oshii’s new anime series Vladlove has announced that the series is delayed due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement stated that the producers want to protect the anime’s staff, and they will announce the new release schedule after it is decided. Vladlove was previously scheduled to premiere in Fall 2020 and run for 12 episodes.
  • The production committee for Nanatsu no Taizai: Fundo no Shinpan (The Seven Deadly Sins: Anger’s Judgment), the Seven Deadly Sins franchise’s new television anime series, has announced that it is delaying the series from its previously scheduled October 2020 premiere date due to the spread of COVID-19. The anime’s official website and Twitter account will announce a new premiere date when it is decided.

Two anime related to That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime have also been pushed back:

  • The official website for the That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime anime has announced that the upcoming second season of the anime has been delayed. The production committee explained that the production had allotted enough time, but the state of emergency in Japan due to COVID-19 greatly affected their production schedules. The first cour (quarter of a year) of the second season has been delayed from October 2020 to January 2021, while the second cour is delayed from April 2021 to July 2021. In addition, the television anime of Shiba’s spin-off manga The Slime Diaries: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime has been delayed from January 2021 to April 2021.

This list focuses on series that are also being simulcast or streamed outside of Japan. I am also not listing the various anime films that have been delayed in Japan due to the virus… with one exception. I will mention Evangelion 3.0+1.0, since we already knew this was going to be released both inside and outside of Japan. It’s a little frustrating that after all these years of delays, after finally getting a release date for June 2020, to have the film delayed AGAIN due to this. Hopefully this film will be released at some point during our lifetime.

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