Mushishi watch order
Ginko wanders a timeless rural Japan as a 'mushishi', helping people troubled by mushi, primitive life forms that most can't see. Studio Artland's quiet, episodic adaptation of Yuki Urushibara's manga: a 2005 series, then a 2014 continuation (Zoku Shou, 'The Next Passage') with two specials and a final film.
First time? Watch Mushishi (26 episodes), then The Shadow That Devours the Sun, Zoku Shou episodes 1–10, Path of Thorns, Zoku Shou 11–20 and the film Drops of Bells. That's release order, and it covers the whole manga.
Release order
Everything in the order it came out, which is also the order to watch. There's no continuing plot, so this is the only order you need.
- Mushishi
One self-contained story per episode, adapting the first 26 manga chapters in a shuffled order. Episodes 1–20 aired on Fuji TV; the last six came later on BS Fuji. Episode 12 tells Ginko's own origin, and episode 20 introduces Tanyuu, who returns in the specials.
- Mushishi: The Shadow That Devours the Sun
A 44-minute TV special (Hihamukage) that brought the series back after eight years, adapting a side story the author wrote in 2013 about a village after a solar eclipse. Standalone; watch it between the two series.
- Mushishi Zoku Shou (episodes 1–10)
The continuation (released in English as The Next Passage), same studio, director and cast, carrying on through the rest of the manga in the same episodic style.
- Mushishi Zoku Shou: Path of Thorns
A 47-minute special (Odoro no Michi) aired between the two halves of Zoku Shou, adapting a two-part chapter about Tanyuu and the Minai clan. It works as episodes 11 and 12 in all but name.
- Mushishi Zoku Shou (episodes 11–20)
The second half, numbered 11–20 to continue the first.
- Mushishi: Drops of Bells
A 47-minute theatrical special (Suzu no Shizuku) adapting the manga's final arc. The end of the anime.
Explained
Can I watch it in any order?
Mostly, yes. Nearly every episode stands alone, and the first series shuffles the manga's chapters anyway. A few things do build: Ginko's past (episode 12), Dr Adashino, and the archivist Tanyuu, who appears in episode 20 and again in both specials. Watch the 2005 series before Zoku Shou so those land.
What are Zoku Shou and The Next Passage? Is it a second season?
The same thing. Zoku Shou ('continued chapter') is the 2014 continuation, sold in English as Mushi-Shi: The Next Passage. It was split into two ten-episode halves with the Path of Thorns special in between, and it picks up the manga where the first series left off, with the same staff and cast.
Is the ending the end of the manga?
Yes. Drops of Bells adapts the manga's last arc, so between the two series, the two specials and the film, the whole ten-volume manga has been animated. There's no cliffhanger; Ginko simply walks on.
Is there an English dub?
Only for the 2005 series, by Funimation, with Travis Willingham as Ginko. Zoku Shou, the specials and the film were released by Aniplex of America subtitled only, as far as we know. In 2026 Kodansha began streaming the first series free on YouTube, sub and dub, in English-speaking countries.
Is anything new coming?
No new Mushishi anime has been announced as of October 2026; the manga finished in 2008 and has been fully adapted. There's also a 2006 live-action film by Katsuhiro Otomo, which is its own thing.