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Shakugan no Shana watch order

High schooler Yuji Sakai learns he died some time ago and is now a Torch, a fading stand-in left behind after a monster ate his existence, and that he carries a rare treasure inside him. A sword-wielding Flame Haze girl he names Shana takes it on herself to guard him. J.C.Staff adapted Yashichiro Takahashi's light novels in three TV seasons, with a movie, OVAs and many chibi shorts.

First time? Watch Season 1 (with the hot-spring OVA after episode 13 if you like), Season II, the Shakugan no Shana S OVAs, then Season III (Final). The movie and the Shana-tan shorts are optional.

Story order

The recommended order. The hot-spring OVA goes after episode 13, where it's officially set. The movie retells the start of Season 1, so it's placed after the season as an optional alternate take. The Overture episodes of Shakugan no Shana S are set before Season 1, but they're meant to be watched after Season II.

  1. Shakugan no Shana (episodes 1–13) TV, 2005, 13 episodes

    Season 1, first half. Yuji meets Shana and learns about Torches, Crimson Denizens and Flame Haze, from the fight with Friagne to the arrival of fellow Flame Haze Margery Daw.

  2. Shakugan no Shana SP: Koi to Onsen no Kougai Gakushuu! (optional) OVA, 2006, 1 episode

    Optional. A comedy episode about a class trip to a hot spring, with Shana and Kazumi competing over Yuji. Officially episode 13.5, so it slots in here; nothing in it matters to the plot.

  3. Shakugan no Shana (episodes 14–24) TV, 2006, 11 episodes

    Season 1, second half. The last stretch (episodes 20–24) is a largely anime-original ending against the Bal Masqué, written before the novels got that far. Season II carries on from it anyway.

  4. Shakugan no Shana: Naze Nani Shana (optional) Special, 2006, 8 episodes

    Optional. Four-minute glossary shorts in which Friagne and Marianne explain the series' terms. Watch them after Season 1 if at all.

  5. Shakugan no Shana-tan (Season 1 specials) (optional) Special, 2006–07, 4 episodes

    Optional. Super-deformed parody shorts from the Japanese DVDs, starring a chibi Shana-tan. No story.

  6. Shakugan no Shana: The Movie (optional) Movie, 2007, 1 episode

    Optional. An alternate retelling of the first light novel, the same events as the start of Season 1, mixing reused TV footage with new scenes and a different final stretch. It isn't a sequel and doesn't fit into the TV continuity.

  7. Shakugan no Shana: Season II TV, 2007–08, 24 episodes

    Picks up from Season 1. The first several episodes are anime-original (the opening two adapt the PS2 game) and the novels' story resumes around episode 8 as the Bal Masqué closes in on Yuji. The closing episodes are again mostly anime-original.

  8. Shakugan no Shana: Naze Nani Shana 2 (optional) Special, 2008, 8 episodes

    Optional. A second set of glossary shorts with Friagne and Marianne.

  9. Shakugan no Shana-tan (Season II specials) (optional) Special, 2008–09, 3 episodes

    Optional parody shorts from the Season II DVDs. These are the only extras for Season II; there's no separate story OVA.

  10. Shakugan no Shana S OVA, 2009–10, 4 episodes

    Four side stories based on the novels: a Shana and Yuji body swap, Yuji and Wilhelmina tailing Shana, and the two-part Overture, which shows Shana's early days as a Flame Haze before she came to Misaki City. Not required, but the best of the extras; watch before Final.

  11. Shakugan no Shana-tan (S specials) (optional) Special, 2009–10, 4 episodes

    Optional parody shorts from the Shakugan no Shana S discs.

  12. Shakugan no Shana: Season III (Final) TV, 2011–12, 24 episodes

    The final season and the end of the story. It follows the last novels (volumes 16–22) closely and moves fast, drawing on novel material the earlier seasons skipped.

  13. Shakugan no Shana-tan (Final specials) (optional) Special, 2012, 2 episodes

    Optional. The last pair of Shana-tan parody shorts, from the Final discs.

Release order

How it came out in Japan. The hot-spring OVA arrived on disc after Season 1 had finished, and the shorts came out alongside the DVD volumes.

  1. Shakugan no Shana (episodes 1–13) TV, 2005, 13 episodes

    Season 1, first half. Yuji meets Shana and learns about Torches, Crimson Denizens and Flame Haze, from the fight with Friagne to the arrival of fellow Flame Haze Margery Daw.

  2. Shakugan no Shana: Naze Nani Shana (optional) Special, 2006, 8 episodes

    Optional. Four-minute glossary shorts in which Friagne and Marianne explain the series' terms. Watch them after Season 1 if at all.

  3. Shakugan no Shana-tan (Season 1 specials) (optional) Special, 2006–07, 4 episodes

    Optional. Super-deformed parody shorts from the Japanese DVDs, starring a chibi Shana-tan. No story.

  4. Shakugan no Shana (episodes 14–24) TV, 2006, 11 episodes

    Season 1, second half. The last stretch (episodes 20–24) is a largely anime-original ending against the Bal Masqué, written before the novels got that far. Season II carries on from it anyway.

  5. Shakugan no Shana SP: Koi to Onsen no Kougai Gakushuu! (optional) OVA, 2006, 1 episode

    Optional. A comedy episode about a class trip to a hot spring, with Shana and Kazumi competing over Yuji. Officially episode 13.5, so it slots in here; nothing in it matters to the plot.

  6. Shakugan no Shana: The Movie (optional) Movie, 2007, 1 episode

    Optional. An alternate retelling of the first light novel, the same events as the start of Season 1, mixing reused TV footage with new scenes and a different final stretch. It isn't a sequel and doesn't fit into the TV continuity.

  7. Shakugan no Shana: Season II TV, 2007–08, 24 episodes

    Picks up from Season 1. The first several episodes are anime-original (the opening two adapt the PS2 game) and the novels' story resumes around episode 8 as the Bal Masqué closes in on Yuji. The closing episodes are again mostly anime-original.

  8. Shakugan no Shana: Naze Nani Shana 2 (optional) Special, 2008, 8 episodes

    Optional. A second set of glossary shorts with Friagne and Marianne.

  9. Shakugan no Shana-tan (Season II specials) (optional) Special, 2008–09, 3 episodes

    Optional parody shorts from the Season II DVDs. These are the only extras for Season II; there's no separate story OVA.

  10. Shakugan no Shana S OVA, 2009–10, 4 episodes

    Four side stories based on the novels: a Shana and Yuji body swap, Yuji and Wilhelmina tailing Shana, and the two-part Overture, which shows Shana's early days as a Flame Haze before she came to Misaki City. Not required, but the best of the extras; watch before Final.

  11. Shakugan no Shana-tan (S specials) (optional) Special, 2009–10, 4 episodes

    Optional parody shorts from the Shakugan no Shana S discs.

  12. Shakugan no Shana: Season III (Final) TV, 2011–12, 24 episodes

    The final season and the end of the story. It follows the last novels (volumes 16–22) closely and moves fast, drawing on novel material the earlier seasons skipped.

  13. Shakugan no Shana-tan (Final specials) (optional) Special, 2012, 2 episodes

    Optional. The last pair of Shana-tan parody shorts, from the Final discs.

Explained

Is the movie canon?

Not to the TV series. It's a separate retelling of the first light novel, made by the TV staff with a mix of reused and new footage, and it covers the same ground as the start of Season 1. Watch it only if you want a second take on that story.

Why does Season II start so slowly?

Its opening episodes aren't from the novels: the first two adapt the PlayStation 2 game and the next several are anime-original. The novel story picks up around episode 8, and Final later leans on novel material that was skipped, which is why it can feel dense.

What are Shana-tan and Naze Nani Shana?

Bonus shorts. Shana-tan is a series of chibi parody shorts released with the Japanese discs of every season and the movie, and Naze Nani Shana is a pair of glossary series hosted by Friagne and Marianne. None of them affect the story.

Is it dubbed?

Yes, all three seasons, the movie and Shakugan no Shana S. Season 1 was dubbed for Geneon by a Vancouver cast; Funimation dubbed everything after it with a new Dallas cast, so every English voice changes between Season 1 and Season II.