Watch Golden Kamuy in release order: seasons 1 to 4, then the Final Season (season 5, January to March 2026), with the five OVAs slotted in after the season they follow. That is 62 TV episodes. The story is not finished on screen yet: the closing Runaway Train Arc is announced for this winter. The manga is complete in 31 volumes.
Image: Fan art (AI-generated)
The short answer
Quick path for a new viewer: watch seasons 1 to 4 and the Final Season in order, ignore the OVAs on a first run, and come back to them later. Each season is 12 or 13 episodes of about 24 minutes, so the whole TV run is a long weekend marathon spread over a couple of weeks.
There is only one timeline, so this is easy. The anime is a straight adaptation of one manga, and every season continues from the last. You do not need a special order for the TV series. The only choices are where to put the OVAs and whether to read the manga for the ending.
Golden Kamuy follows Saichi Sugimoto, a veteran of the Russo-Japanese War, and Asirpa, a young Ainu girl, as they hunt for hidden gold in Hokkaido while rival groups do the same. It is a seinen adventure with real history, survival detail, and a lot of dark humor next to graphic violence. If you like Vinland Saga or other mature historical stories, this is in the same neighborhood. More titles like it are in our seinen anime category.
Golden Kamuy watch order (release order)
Dates and episode counts below come from the Wikipedia episode list, checked against Anime News Network for the season 5 start date. Translated OVA titles vary between sites, so do not worry if you see different English names.
- Season 1 (April to June 2018, 12 episodes): the setup. Studio Geno.
- OVA 1 (September 2018, bundled with manga volume 15): a short side story that came with the manga volume.
- Season 2 (October to December 2018, 12 episodes): the hunt widens and the factions become clear.
- OVA 2 (March 2019, bundled with volume 17).
- OVA 3 (September 2019, bundled with volume 19).
- Season 3 (October to December 2020, 12 episodes): the last season from Geno.
- OVA 4 (September 2020, bundled with volume 23). It came out before season 3 ended, so you can also watch it right before the season 3 finale.
- Season 4 (October 2022 to June 2023, 13 episodes): now by Brain's Base. Broadcast stopped after a staff member died and restarted from episode 1 on April 3, 2023, so you may see two air dates.
- OVA 5 (October 2025): released on Blu-ray with a novel, so it is the hardest one to find.
- Final Season (January 5 to March 30, 2026, 13 episodes): often listed as season 5. It adapts the last story arc.
- Runaway Train Arc (announced for winter, not yet aired): the finale. See below.
Are the OVAs required? No. They are short extras that came with manga volumes, and the main story makes sense without them. If you want the full experience, watch each OVA after the season it follows, or use the table below.
| Entry | Year | Episodes | Skip? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasons 1 to 4 | 2018 to 2023 | 12 + 12 + 12 + 13 | No |
| Final Season | 2026 | 13 | No |
| OVAs 1 to 5 | 2018 to 2025 | one episode each | Optional |
| Runaway Train Arc | announced for winter | TBA | No |
Where the anime ends and the Runaway Train Arc
Spoiler warning: this section only describes where the story stops, not how it ends.
The Final Season ended on March 30, 2026 with episode 13, in the middle of the climax. One report says it stops at manga chapter 302, a chapter set on a train, which sets up the final battle. The Runaway Train Arc was announced on the same day to continue and conclude the story, and the announcement said it would open "this winter."
The exact premiere date, episode count and studio for the arc were not confirmed in the sources we could check. Wikipedia lists the arc for the fourth quarter of 2026, while anime news sites place it in winter 2027. We will update this page when a date is official. You can follow what else is coming in our Winter 2027 anime guide, where this arc is one of the big dark-action returns alongside Sekiro: No Defeat and Sakamoto Days season 2.
The practical advice: if you start now, you have time to finish all 62 episodes before the arc arrives.
The manga: 31 volumes, finished
The manga by Satoru Noda ran in Weekly Young Jump from August 21, 2014 to April 28, 2022. It has 314 chapters in 31 volumes. VIZ Media published the English edition from June 20, 2017 to January 16, 2024, and volume 31 is marked as the final volume. Wikipedia reports more than 29 million copies in circulation by July 2024.
Should you read it instead of waiting? The anime has been faithful, so there is no need. But if you cannot wait for the Runaway Train Arc, the ending is in print, and it will spoil the finale. Since each OVA came with a volume (15, 17, 19 and 23), the numbers also tell you roughly where those stories sit in the manga. We have not matched each season to exact chapter ranges, because we could not verify a full chapter map from an official source.
The series has won major awards in Japan, including the 9th Manga Taisho (2016) and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Grand Prize (2018).
The live-action adaptation (separate from the anime)
If you see "Golden Kamuy" on Netflix, it may be the live-action version. It is a separate production with different pacing. Per Wikipedia, the order is:
- Film, Golden Kamuy: Japan, January 19, 2024; on Netflix worldwide from May 19, 2024.
- Series, The Hunt of Prisoners in Hokkaido: Wowow, October 6, 2024; on Netflix from February 6, 2025.
- Film, The Abashiri Prison Raid: Japan, March 13, 2026; on Netflix from July 13, 2026.
- Series, Karafuto Pursuit Arc: reportedly set for Wowow on January 25, 2027 (one source only).
The anime is the better place to start if you want the whole manga story.
Is it worth starting now?
Yes, if you like survival stories, odd humor and big casts. The mix is unusual: one scene is a tense chase through snow, the next is a comic cooking sequence. The Ainu culture and the Hokkaido setting are central, not decoration, and the show spends time on food, hunting and language. The series also leans on historical figures. If you want something with a similar adult tone, try Berserk (see our Berserk watch order) or Dororo, and if you are new to the label, read what seinen means.
Content notes
- Graphic violence and gore, including fights and hunts.
- War trauma and cruelty by several villains.
- Crude humor, including nudity played for comedy. It is not ecchi.
- Sugimoto is an adult. Asirpa is a young teen and is not sexualized in the story.
It is written for adults and older teens. Not every viewer will be comfortable with the violence.
Watching and reading from the Philippines and Indonesia
Streaming rights differ by country, and availability varies by region. Wikipedia says Crunchyroll simulcast the TV series, but we could not confirm what is available in the Philippines or Indonesia, so check the library on your own account. For the manga, VIZ's English edition is the official one; check whether your local bookstore or digital store carries it. Fan searches in Indonesia and the Philippines are strong for "golden kamuy", so many people there are looking for the same answers.
Questions people ask
In what order should I watch Golden Kamuy?
Release order: seasons 1 to 4, the Final Season, with the five OVAs after the season they follow. Then the Runaway Train Arc when it airs.
Is season 5 of Golden Kamuy the last?
Not quite. The Final Season (season 5) aired January to March 2026, but it stops before the end. The Runaway Train Arc is announced to finish the story.
Do I need to watch the OVAs?
No. They are optional side stories, each one episode.
How many episodes does Golden Kamuy have?
62 TV episodes (12, 12, 12, 13 and 13), plus five OVAs.
Does the manga have more story than the anime?
Yes, for now. The manga is complete with 314 chapters. The anime has not yet shown the last arc.
How many volumes of Golden Kamuy are there?
31 volumes, in both Japan and the VIZ English edition.
Why is Golden Kamuy rated 18+ by some services?
Mostly for graphic violence and gore, plus some crude comedy and nudity. Ratings differ by service and country.
Where can I watch Golden Kamuy?
It depends on your country. Check your local streaming services; availability varies by region.
Sources
- Wikipedia, "List of Golden Kamuy episodes" (seasons, OVAs, arc announcement): en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Golden Kamuy" (manga, anime, live-action, awards): en.wikipedia.org
- Anime News Network, "Golden Kamuy Anime Reveals Final Arc's January 5 Debut, Opening Song Artists" (Final Season start date), via Wikipedia reference
- Anime News Network, "Golden Kamuy Manga Ends in 3 Chapters", April 6, 2022: animenewsnetwork.com
- VIZ Media, Golden Kamuy (final volume 31): viz.com
- Final Weapon, "Golden Kamuy Final Season Continues in Runaway Train Arc", March 30, 2026: finalweapon.net
- Essential Japan, "Golden Kamuy Final Season's Runaway Train Arc to Air This Winter": essential-japan.com
- Crunchyroll News, "How to Watch Golden Kamuy in Order", May 6, 2026 (cited by Google results; not opened): crunchyroll.com
Last checked: 5 November 2026
