The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Last updated: 1 November 2026

About The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Maomao is a clever young apothecary who solves medical mysteries inside the imperial palace. In Season 3, which premiered on Friday 2 October 2026, the story grows beyond the palace walls: after the Shi clan's rebellion shook the court, Maomao returns to her old life as a pharmacist in the pleasure district, but the court's secrets will not leave her alone, and Jinshi, now openly carrying the heavy duties of the emperor's brother, still needs her mind. The season is airing in two parts: the first cour runs through autumn 2026, and the second cour follows in April 2027. The production also shifts, studio OLM now animates the series on its own, with director Akinori Fudesaka returning from Season 2, while TOHO animation STUDIO steps back after co-producing the first two seasons. Expect the same slow, smart mysteries as ever: poisons, plagues and palace politics, solved by a heroine who would honestly rather be tasting toxins than attending banquets. A theatrical film with an original story by the author follows in Japanese cinemas in December 2026.

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 is a TV anime from 2026, first released in Fall 2026. It belongs to the Mystery and Drama genres and is listed as currently airing. The summary above is written by the AnimeYug team in our own words.

Official Trailer

▶"The Apothecary Diaries" Season 3 Trailer 2: Eve "AIYOU" · TOHO animation

Story & Plot

Maomao grew up in the pleasure district, raised by an apothecary who taught her everything about herbs, poisons and the human body. Kidnapped and sold into service at the imperial palace, she planned to keep her head down, until babies in the emperor's household started falling ill, and her quiet deductions caught the eye of Jinshi, the palace's beautiful and powerful manager of the rear palace.

Across two seasons Maomao has untangled poisoned cosmetics, staged accidents and a clan rebellion, rising from laundry maid to a lady-in-waiting whose reasoning the court quietly depends on. Season 3 begins in the aftermath of that rebellion: the Shi clan is fallen, its surviving children scattered, and Maomao is back among the apothecaries and courtesans of the pleasure district. But locusts are gathering on the horizon, a mysterious 'immortal maiden' is drawing crowds, and Jinshi's true position, revealed at last, drags them both toward responsibilities neither can refuse.

The mysteries stay small and human even as the stakes turn national, which is exactly the series' charm: empires wobble, but everything still turns on one observant girl noticing one small, wrong detail.

Story Arcs & Episode Guide

The The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 anime is split into story sagas. Here is every saga in order, with its episodes and years.

Why Watch The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

• A detective story in palace dress: every case turns on medicine, poison and one small overlooked clue.
• Maomao herself, deadpan, brilliant and funnier than almost any heroine in anime right now.
• The story widens beyond the palace: the pleasure district, the provinces and a looming locust plague.
• Jinshi's revealed identity finally moves the central relationship onto new ground.
• Yorushika's opening and Eve's ending give the season a signature sound from its first episode.

Who Is It For?

Aimed at teens and adults who enjoy slow-burn mystery and court drama more than action. Expect poisonings, illness, death and palace intrigue handled thoughtfully rather than graphically, plus a dry, witty tone throughout.

Maomao

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Jinshi

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Gaoshun

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Gyokuyou

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Lihua

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Lishu

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Ah-Duo

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Lakan

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Suirei

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Shisui

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Xiaolan

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Lihaku

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Basen

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Lahan

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Pairin

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3

Voice Actors

The Japanese voices behind the main characters of The Apothecary Diaries Season 3.

• MaomaoMain character: a sharp young apothecary who solves the court's medical mysteries
  Japanese voiceAoi Yuki
• JinshiMain character: the beautiful palace official who keeps pulling Maomao into bigger secrets
  Japanese voiceTakeo Otsuka
• GaoshunJinshi's loyal, unflappable aide
  Japanese voiceKatsuyuki Konishi
• GyokuyouThe emperor's favoured consort, Maomao's mistress at the Jade Pavilion
  Japanese voiceAtsumi Tanezaki
• LihuaA high-ranking consort whose early tragedy first proved Maomao's skill
  Japanese voiceYui Ishikawa
• LishuThe young, timid Virtuous Consort
  Japanese voiceHina Kino
• Ah-DuoA former consort with a deep connection to Jinshi's past
  Japanese voiceYuko Kaida
• LakanA brilliant, unsettling strategist with a personal interest in Maomao
  Japanese voiceTakuya Kirimoto
• SuireiA mysterious court lady tied to a forbidden resurrection drug
  Japanese voiceKaori Nazuka
• ShisuiA cheerful, insect-loving maid who befriends Maomao: and is more than she seems
  Japanese voiceAsami Seto
• XiaolanMaomao's bright, gossip-loving fellow servant and friend
  Japanese voiceMisaki Kuno
• LihakuA good-hearted military officer often roped into Maomao's investigations
  Japanese voiceKenji Akabane
• BasenGaoshun's son, a earnest young officer serving Jinshi
  Japanese voiceTatsumaru Tachibana
• LahanA numbers-obsessed official from Lakan's clan with his own agenda
  Japanese voiceToshiyuki Toyonaga
• PairinA famed courtesan of the Verdigris House, one of Maomao's big-sister figures
  Japanese voiceAmi Koshimizu

Staff & Production

Original Creator

Hyuganatsu (Natsu Hyuga)

Animation Studio

OLM (Season 3; TOHO animation STUDIO co-produced Seasons 1–2)

Director

Norihiro Naganuma (Season 1); Akinori Fudesaka (Seasons 2–3)

Character Design

Yukiko Nakatani

Music

Satoru Kosaki, Kevin Penkin and Alisa Okehazama

Manga & Source Material

The Apothecary Diaries began as a web novel by Hyuganatsu (Natsu Hyuga), first posted online in 2011, before becoming a light novel series illustrated by Touko Shino. Unusually, it has two different manga adaptations running at the same time.

• Written by Hyuganatsu and illustrated by Touko Shino
• Light novels published by Shufunotomo's Hero Bunko imprint since August 2014; 16 volumes as of 2025, and the series is ongoing
• Two manga adaptations began in 2017: Square Enix's Monthly Big Gangan version drawn by Nekokurage, and Shogakukan's Sunday Gene-X version, Maomao's Notes on the Inner Palace, drawn by Minoji Kurata
• The franchise passed 57 million copies in circulation worldwide by 2026
• The anime's third season adapts the novels' post-rebellion story, and an original film written by Hyuganatsu follows in December 2026

Music

Each cour of The Apothecary Diaries brings a new opening and ending pair, and the artists are major names, from Ryokuoushoku Shakai and Lilas Ikuta to Mrs. GREEN APPLE. Season 3's pair, Yorushika and Eve, both return to the series after earlier anime hits.

Opening Themes

• “Hana ni Natte”by Ryokuoushoku ShakaiSeason 1, first cour opening (2023)
• “Ambivalent”by UruSeason 1, second cour opening (2024)
• “Hyakka Ryoran”by Lilas IkutaSeason 2, first cour opening (2025)
• “Kusushiki”by Mrs. GREEN APPLESeason 2, second cour opening (2025)
• “Kumo o Nukekazashimo e Watashidake”by YorushikaCurrentSeason 3, first cour opening (2026): this season

Ending Themes

• “Aikotoba”by Aina the EndSeason 1, first cour ending (2023)
• “Ai wa Kusuri”by wacciSeason 1, second cour ending (2024)
• “Shiawase no Recipe”by Dai HiraiSeason 2, first cour ending (2025)
• “Hitorigoto”by OmoinotakeSeason 2, second cour ending (2025)
• “AIYOU”by EveCurrentSeason 3, first cour ending (2026): this season

Series Timeline

1. 2011

   Hyuganatsu begins posting The Apothecary Diaries as a web novel online.

2. 2014

   The light novel edition begins under the Hero Bunko imprint, illustrated by Touko Shino.

3. 2017

   Two manga adaptations launch in the same year, in Monthly Big Gangan and Sunday Gene-X.

4. 2023

   The anime's first season premieres in October and runs for 24 episodes.

5. 2025

   Season 2 airs from January to July, ending with the Shi clan rebellion storyline.

6. 2026

   Season 3 premieres on 2 October; an original theatrical film follows in Japanese cinemas on 11 December.

7. 2027

   Season 3's second cour begins in April.

Release Schedule

Japanese broadcast

Fridays at 11:00 p.m. on Nippon TV's Friday Anime Night block

Premiere

Friday 2 October 2026 (episode 49 of the series overall)

Latest episode

Episode 5 of Season 3 (episode 53 overall), aired Friday 30 October 2026

Next episode

Episode 6 is due Friday 6 November 2026

Streaming

Crunchyroll streams new episodes weekly in most countries; Netflix carries the season in select regions of Asia

Cour 2

The season's second part is set for April 2027

Schedule information as of 1 November 2026. Dates can change, check the official announcements for the latest news.

Quick Answers

News

2 November 2026

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Episode 6 Arrives Friday 6 November on Crunchyroll

Maomao's next case lands this week. The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Episode 6 is out on Friday, 6 November 2026 on Crunchyroll. Here are the release times.

2 October 2026

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Is Now Airing: New Episodes Every Friday

Maomao returned to the imperial court on Friday, 2 October 2026. The palace mystery series is back, with new episodes every Friday.