Neko to Ryuu (*The Cat and the Dragon*) revealed its supporting cast and a new promotional video Thursday, ahead of a July 4, 2026 premiere. OLM is adapting Amara's long-running light novel about a forest cat who raises an orphaned baby dragon as one of her own kittens — a low-stakes, high-warmth premise that stands out against the season's isekai and noble-romance crowd.
Quick answer Neko to Ryuu premieres July 4, 2026 at 9:00 p.m. on Tokyo MX, with later broadcasts on BS NTV and Yomiuri TV. OLM animates, with Jin-Gu Oh directing, Mitsutaka Hirota on series composition, character designs by Chiaki Kurakazu and Rie Nishino, and music by Takahiro Obata. The newly announced cast includes Yuu Serizawa as Haneko, Makoto Koichi as Prince, and Kazuya Ichijou as King. It adapts Amara's light novel, serialized on Shōsetsuka ni Narō since 2013 and published by Takarajimasha since 2016 (ninth volume out November 2025). SenpaiRanks logs Neko to Ryuu on the summer 2026 board with no Consensus or Quality score yet — early ratings set its opening position.
The pitch Deep in a forest of beasts and magical creatures, a cat takes in an orphaned baby dragon and raises it like her own. It is a healing-fantasy hook, not an action one — the appeal is the odd-family dynamic, and OLM has the slice-of-life pedigree to land it.
Who's making it Jin-Gu Oh directs at OLM, Mitsutaka Hirota writes the series, Chiaki Kurakazu and Rie Nishino share character design, and Takahiro Obata scores. Source material is Amara's light novel, a slow-built Narō web series that ran more than a decade before this adaptation.
The cast so far Yuu Serizawa voices Haneko, Makoto Koichi plays Prince, and Kazuya Ichijou voices King — the supporting trio confirmed alongside the new promo.
How to read it on the board A gentle original-adjacent fantasy is exactly the kind of show a single aggregate score flattens. Once votes arrive, SenpaiRanks splits the read into Consensus (how broadly liked) and Quality (whether it holds up) so the healing-fantasy crowd and the skeptics both get a clear answer. It is unscored for now — see its Neko to Ryuu summer 2026 page, the full summer 2026 anime ranking, and the what to watch this summer guide, and compare it to fellow July original Mebius Dust.
Frequently asked questions Q: When does Neko to Ryuu premiere? A: July 4, 2026, at 9:00 p.m. on Tokyo MX, then BS NTV and Yomiuri TV.
Q: What studio is animating Neko to Ryuu?
A: OLM, directed by Jin-Gu Oh.
Q: What is Neko to Ryuu about?
A: A forest cat raises an orphaned baby dragon as one of her own kittens.
Q: Who is in the cast?
A: Yuu Serizawa as Haneko, Makoto Koichi as Prince, and Kazuya Ichijou as King.
Q: What is it based on?
A: Amara's light novel, serialized on Shōsetsuka ni Narō since 2013 and published by Takarajimasha.
Q: How is it ranked on SenpaiRanks?
A: It is on the summer 2026 board with no Consensus or Quality score yet — your rating helps set its opening rank.