Five days. That’s all that separates the world from the biggest comeback in donghua history — and almost nobody saw it coming this soon. Link Click Season 3 Part 1 officially premieres August 14, 2026 on Bilibili, a full two months earlier than the October window fans were told to expect. The announcement, sealed with a brand-new trailer and a poster that fractures the timeline in half, has the fandom’s collective brain on fire — because this season doesn’t just continue the story. It doubles it.
Why Did Link Click Season 3 Move Up Two Months?
Originally slated to premiere in October 2026, the third season of Link Click (Shiguang Dailiren) shocked everyone when Bilibili revealed the new date on June 19, 2026 alongside a mind-bending PV. It follows the franchise’s 5th anniversary celebration on April 30, 2026 — the date creator Li Haoling‘s team marked with a special video teasing “the starting point of igniting change.”
But the bigger shock? This isn’t a normal 12-episode season anymore. Link Click Season 3 is a full 24-episode split-cour beast:
- Part 1: 12 episodes starting August 14, 2026 at 11:00 AM (Beijing time) on Bilibili
- Part 2: 12 more episodes expected in Spring/Summer 2027
For a series that has always moved at breakneck pace — sometimes to its own detriment — doubling the runtime is a huge statement. Studio LAN is betting that the story behind the Bahati fire case, the disappearance of Xia Fei, and the organization pulling strings in the shadows finally gets room to breathe.
The Trailer Teases the Mystery We’ve Waited For
The new PV opens on a fractured, static-soaked shot of Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi — the two photojournalist-turned-time-travelers who run Time Photo Studio. Cheng Xiaoshi dives into photos to relive the past; Lu Guang can see 12 seconds into the future. The teaser ends with a young Cheng Xiaoshi calling out to Lu Guang across a jagged timeline — under the tagline “Past or Future, Let Them Be.”
Fans immediately noticed what’s at stake: with Xia Fei still missing after the Bridon Arc, and the return of Vein plus Qiao Ling‘s suddenly awakening powers, the mysterious organization’s conspiracy is clearly about to collide with the main timeline. There’s also the unresolved mystery of Cheng Weimin and Shao Yuanyuan — Cheng Xiaoshi’s parents — and the question that has haunted the series since Episode 1: where do these abilities even come from?
Why 24 Episodes Changes Everything
Previous main seasons each ran 12 episodes — tight, tense, but crammed. Fans watching thirsted for gaps in the relationship dynamics between Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang, and the show constantly dropped mysteries faster than it could pay them off. With a 24-episode format, we finally get:
- Deeper development of the core characters: Cheng Xiaoshi, Lu Guang, Qiao Ling, and the returning Xu Shanshan
- Proper, deliberate pacing for the massive conspiracy arc
- Less production pressure on Studio LAN’s animation team — meaning fewer rushed cuts, more of that signature cinematic storytelling
It’s the same split-cour logic that’s making anime teams across Asia breathe easier, and it’s arguably the healthiest thing that could happen to the franchise.
Time to Finally Unpack the Time-Photo Rules
One of the biggest open questions for Season 3: what happens when time powers obey a “can’t change the past” rule that itself is based on how much future Lu Guang can see? The PV’s theme is unmissable — even if you can see 12 seconds ahead, how much of that future can you actually control? That’s the hook that pulled millions into the Time Photo Studio, and it’s the hook that will break hearts again in a week.
Where to Watch and How to Catch Up
Link Click Season 3 Part 1 airs on Bilibili starting August 14, 2026. If you haven’t seen it yet, the series also streams on Crunchyroll in many regions — catch up on Seasons 1, 2, and the Bridon Arc before Friday. And since this is premiere season, size up with our Re:Zero Season 4 Part 2 premiere coverage and our Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle box-office breakdown to keep the hype train rolling.
What do you think?
Are you ready for Link Click Season 3’s earlier premiere? Do you think a 24-episode season will actually change the pace — and were you one of those who predicted Lu Guang’s 12-second power would finally break? And who exactly is hidden behind the Bahati fire case? Drop your theories in the comments — we’re reading every single one this week.
