Strawberry Production just dropped a bombshell that’s sent the anime fandom into meltdown mode. At the fan appreciation event in Tokyo, the official teaser visual for Oshi no Ko Season 4 — confirmed as the Final Season — was unveiled alongside a teaser trailer, and every frame screams this will be unlike anything we’ve seen before. If you thought Season 3’s finale was intense, buckle up.
But here’s the detail that has everyone talking: Ai Hoshino is in the visual — standing alongside Aqua, Ruby, Kana Arima, Akane Kurokawa, and MEM-cho. The idol killed in the series’ shocking first episode, the mother whose absence has haunted every arc of this story, is back in a central position on the promotional art. What does it mean, and how does it tie into the anime’s battle with its manga’s controversial ending? Let’s break it down.
What We Know About Oshi no Ko Season 4
Season 4 was formally announced on March 25, 2026, and will stream exclusively on Crunchyroll — marking the first time the anime’s entire run from Season 1 through the finale will be available on a single platform for international fans. The teaser visual, revealed August 16 at the Strawberry Production Fan Appreciation Event in Tokyo, was met with thunderous applause from the crowd of over 2,000 fans in attendance.
The teaser trailer, uploaded to YouTube shortly after the event, has already crossed 2.3 million views in less than 24 hours. The official YouTube title confirms what we all feared and hoped: “OSHI NO KO Season 4 (Final Season) — Official Teaser.” There’s no ambiguity left. The anime is heading toward its conclusion, and it’s pulling out all the stops to get there.
Season 3, which wrapped up its 11-episode run in early August 2026, adapted the climactic stages of the 15-Year Lie film arc — the production of the movie that unravels the truth behind Ai Hoshino’s life, career, and tragic death. Season 4 appears poised to adapt the manga’s final arc, including the events that follow the film’s completion. That’s where things get complicated.
The Manga’s Controversial Ending: Will the Anime Change It?
For the uninitiated — major spoilers ahead for the manga — Oshi no Ko’s manga concluded in November 2024 with one of the most divisive endings in recent manga history. In the final chapters, Aqua Hoshino sacrifices his own life to destroy his father Hikaru Kamiki — the man responsible for Ai’s murder — during the climax of the 15-Year Lie movie shoot. His death leaves Ruby devastated but also liberated; she carries on her mother’s legacy as the world’s greatest idol, taking B-Komachi’s name to unprecedented heights.
The fandom was split down the middle. Some saw Aqua’s sacrifice as the logical and tragic conclusion to a character driven entirely by revenge since Episode 1. Others felt it was rushed, unearned, and robbed the story of a more hopeful resolution. A vocal portion of the fanbase has long theorized that the anime adaptation would take a different path — and the presence of Ai Hoshino in the Season 4 visual has only fanned those flames.
Why Ai’s Presence Changes Everything
The most immediate question is why Ai appears in the promotional material when the manga never revived her beyond flashbacks and the 15-Year Lie movie’s actress portrayals. Here are the leading theories circulating across Japanese fan forums and the international community:
Theory 1: Extended Flashback Arc. The visual might hint that Season 4 will adapt a substantial flashback sequence exploring Ai’s final days — events the manga touched on but never fully depicted — showing her relationship with the twins in the weeks before her death.
Theory 2: Dream or Imagination Sequence. Several fans believe Ai’s appearance is symbolic — representing Aqua and Ruby’s internal struggle as they process their grief during the final act. The teaser’s cryptic opening line — “It’s been six months since…” — could reference this introspective framing.
Theory 3: Anime-Original Ending. The boldest theory: Season 4 will adapt an anime-original conclusion. Aka Akasaka has spoken in interviews about his complicated feelings regarding the final chapters — some fans believe the anime gives him a chance to revisit the ending with more breathing room, perhaps allowing Aqua to live.
Theory 4: Ruby’s Journey to Becoming the Next Ai. Ai positioned behind Ruby could be literal — her legacy watching over Ruby as she steps permanently into the spotlight. The manga’s final volumes made Ruby’s identity as Ai’s daughter public, forcing her to confront whether she’s living for herself or as a tribute to her mother.
What Season 4 Will Adapt: The Manga’s Final Arc
The final arc of Oshi no Ko’s manga — chapters 160 through 166 — covers the fallout of the 15-Year Lie movie’s premiere and the confrontation between Aqua and Hikaru Kamiki. Key moments include:
- The public’s reaction to the 15-Year Lie movie, which exposes the dark side of the Japanese entertainment industry
- Aqua’s internal crisis as he weighs revenge against the life he’s built with Ruby and his friends
- Kana Arima’s emotional arc as she grapples with Aqua’s growing distance
- Akane Kurokawa’s investigative subplot, as she begins uncovering the truth independently
- MEM-cho’s role as B-Komachi’s anchor, keeping the group together as everything unravels
- The final confrontation between Aqua and Hikaru — and the devastating price of Aqua’s choice
With 7 chapters still to adapt and a full season’s worth of content (likely 12-13 episodes), Season 4 has the runway to expand every one of these beats far beyond what the manga could offer. Spy x Family’s recent Season 3 premiere proved fans still crave character-driven anime conclusions — Oshi no Ko has the chance to deliver one that resonates even deeper.
Why This Season Matters: The Bigger Picture
Oshi no Ko Season 4 isn’t just the final chapter of a hit anime — it’s a test case for whether an anime can revise a controversial manga ending without betraying its audience. The manga’s finale was divisive enough to affect volume sales during its final run, with the final volume moving 340,000 copies in its first week — strong, but below the franchise’s peak. An ending that lands better could revitalize the entire franchise, as this season’s anime preview shows.
There’s also the matter of emotional payoff. Fans who’ve followed since the manga began in 2020 deserve an ending that doesn’t feel like a narrative shortcut — and with Akasaka reportedly involved in production alongside Doga Kobo, there’s genuine reason for optimism.
If you’re into anime that challenge their source material, the current season is already delivering — Jujutsu Kaisen Season 4’s Sukuna teaser sent fans into a similar frenzy earlier this year.
Streaming and Release Window
Oshi no Ko Season 4 will stream on Crunchyroll worldwide. While no official premiere date has been announced yet, the teaser’s production quality suggests early-to-mid 2027 — putting it in the Spring 2027 anime season, which is shaping up to be one of the most stacked in recent memory. For those catching up, all three previous seasons are available on Crunchyroll right now.
The Final Question: What Do You Think?
The Oshi no Ko fandom has been debating the manga’s ending for nearly two years now. With the anime’s final season confirmed and Ai Hoshino literally watching over the cast in the teaser visual, is this the moment Doga Kobo and Aka Akasaka rewrite the ending — or will they stay faithful to the source material, no matter how painful it is?
Drop your theories in the comments below — we want to hear your wildest predictions for Oshi no Ko Season 4. Will Aqua live? Will Ruby surpass her mother? And what exactly does that teaser visual mean?
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