Umamusume: Pretty Derby watch order
Horse girls, who carry the names and destinies of famous real Japanese racehorses, train and race at Tracen Academy. Cygames' franchise has three separate anime lines, each following a different generation of racers, plus a pile of comedy shorts.
First time? Start with Season 1 and go through Season 3, or jump straight into Cinderella Gray, which stands on its own. Road to the Top and Beginning of a New Era make a third, shorter path.
Story order
The three lines one after another: the TV seasons with their extras, then Road to the Top and Beginning of a New Era, then Cinderella Gray. They don't continue into each other, so you can take the lines in any order. The comedy shorts and the Road to the Top movie are left out.
- Season 1
Special Week transfers to Tracen Academy and joins Team Spica, looking up to the star runner Silence Suzuka. By P.A. Works.
- BNW's Oath (optional)
A Blu-ray bonus: the BNW trio (Biwa Hayahide, Narita Taishin and Winning Ticket) have drifted apart, and Team Spica tries to bring them back together in a relay race. Watch after Season 1. Optional.
- Season 2
Team Spica returns, now centered on Tokai Teio and her bond with rival Mejiro McQueen. By Studio Kai.
- 1st Anniversary Special (optional)
A seven-minute short showing Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond enrolling at Tracen. Leads into Season 3. Optional.
- Season 3
Kitasan Black takes the lead, with Satono Diamond at her side. The finale of the main TV line.
- Road to the Top
A short series about a different generation: the rivalry between Narita Top Road, T.M. Opera O and Admire Vega. By CygamesPictures; a separate story from the TV seasons.
- Beginning of a New Era
Jungle Pocket sets out to beat Agnes Tachyon, with Manhattan Cafe and Dantsu Flame as rivals. Set after Road to the Top and written by the same team, but it works on its own.
- Cinderella Gray
Oguri Cap, a country girl dominating the regional races at Kasamatsu, gets her chance to move up to the big leagues in Tokyo. Adapts the Cinderella Gray manga and stands on its own.
- Cinderella Gray Part 2
Continues Oguri Cap's story through her clashes with Tamamo Cross and the international field at the Japan Cup, ending at the Tokyo Daishoten. The manga goes further than the anime.
Release order
Everything in the order it came out, shorts included.
- Season 1
Special Week transfers to Tracen Academy and joins Team Spica, looking up to the star runner Silence Suzuka. By P.A. Works.
- BNW's Oath (optional)
A Blu-ray bonus: the BNW trio (Biwa Hayahide, Narita Taishin and Winning Ticket) have drifted apart, and Team Spica tries to bring them back together in a relay race. Watch after Season 1. Optional.
- Umayon (optional)
Comedy shorts based on the four-panel manga, with more released on Blu-ray. Optional.
- Season 2
Team Spica returns, now centered on Tokai Teio and her bond with rival Mejiro McQueen. By Studio Kai.
- 1st Anniversary Special (optional)
A seven-minute short showing Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond enrolling at Tracen. Leads into Season 3. Optional.
- Umayuru (optional)
Three-minute comedy shorts on YouTube. Optional.
- Road to the Top
A short series about a different generation: the rivalry between Narita Top Road, T.M. Opera O and Admire Vega. By CygamesPictures; a separate story from the TV seasons.
- Season 3
Kitasan Black takes the lead, with Satono Diamond at her side. The finale of the main TV line.
- Road to the Top (movie) (optional)
A theatrical re-edit of the four Road to the Top episodes. Watch this or the series, not both. Optional.
- Beginning of a New Era
Jungle Pocket sets out to beat Agnes Tachyon, with Manhattan Cafe and Dantsu Flame as rivals. Set after Road to the Top and written by the same team, but it works on its own.
- Cinderella Gray
Oguri Cap, a country girl dominating the regional races at Kasamatsu, gets her chance to move up to the big leagues in Tokyo. Adapts the Cinderella Gray manga and stands on its own.
- Umayuru: Pretty Gray (optional)
Comedy shorts built around gray-coated horse girls, released alongside Cinderella Gray. Optional.
- Cinderella Gray Part 2
Continues Oguri Cap's story through her clashes with Tamamo Cross and the international field at the Japan Cup, ending at the Tokyo Daishoten. The manga goes further than the anime.
- Umayuru: Full Gate! (optional)
A new run of comedy shorts, airing weekly from September 2026. Optional.
Explained
Is there a watch order?
Only within each line. The three TV seasons follow one another with a recurring cast, Beginning of a New Era follows Road to the Top, and Cinderella Gray is its own story. Fans generally say the different series are self-contained, so start with whichever lead appeals to you.
Do I need to know horse racing or play the game?
No. Each horse girl is named after a real Japanese racehorse, and the stories draw on those horses' real careers, so racing fans will spot references, but the anime doesn't expect you to know them. The game (released worldwide in June 2025) isn't required either.
Which is the best place to start?
Season 1 is the original and introduces the setting gently. Cinderella Gray is the most self-contained and is often recommended as a sports anime on its own terms. Road to the Top is only four episodes, so it's a quick sample of the newer style.
What can I skip?
Umayon and the Umayuru series are comedy shorts, the 1st Anniversary special is a seven-minute bonus, and the Road to the Top movie is a re-edit of the series. BNW's Oath is a fun extra after Season 1.
Is more coming?
Umayuru: Full Gate! began airing in September 2026. No new TV season, film or Cinderella Gray continuation had been announced as of autumn 2026, even though the Cinderella Gray manga goes further than the anime.