Crunchyroll has rolled out English dubs for two Spring 2026 anime titles: The Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King and Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 5. According to Anime News Network, both dubs debuted on Thursday, adding another option for viewers who prefer watching anime in English or just want something easier to follow while multitasking.
For Malaysian and SEA fans, this is the kind of update that matters more than it sounds. Subbed anime still dominates the hardcore crowd here, sure, but English dubs are useful for casual watching, family viewing, second-screen sessions, or when you’re catching up after work and don’t want to stare at subtitles every second. Especially during a packed season, dub availability can be the difference between “I’ll watch later” and actually finishing the show.
The Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King gets its dub rollout
The Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King is based on Noriaki Kotoba’s manga, known in Japanese as Hime Kishi wa Barbaroi no Yome. The anime premiered in Japan on April 9 at 9:30pm on AT-X, with broadcasts also running on Tokyo MX, BS NTV, Kansai TV, and WOWOW.
Crunchyroll is streaming the series as it airs worldwide, excluding Japan and mainland China. That means SEA viewers should have a decent chance of finding it through the platform, though as always, Malaysian availability can depend on local licensing and catalogue settings.
The anime also had a bit of a bumpy journey before launch. It was originally planned for October 2025, but later shifted to April 2026. For fans who had it on their watchlist since last year, the English dub arriving now makes it easier to jump in without feeling too far behind.
The English manga release is handled by Seven Seas Entertainment, which publishes it under the title The Barbarian’s Bride. So if the anime clicks with you, there’s already an English-language manga route to continue the story.
For the English dub production, the listed staff includes Bonny Clinkenbeard as adaptation supervisor, with Domonique French and Blair Rowan on adaptation. Aaron Campbell and Seth Magill are credited as assistant voice directors.
Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 5 continues the long ride
The other dub update is for Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 5, a series that needs almost no introduction if you’ve been anywhere near anime Twitter, TikTok edits, or romance anime discourse over the past few years.
This new season first began streaming on DMM TV on April 8 at 10:00pm in Japan. It then moved to TV broadcast through the Animeism block on MBS, TBS, and CBC, starting late night on April 10 at 2:23am, which effectively places it on April 11.
One detail worth noting: this “fifth season” is technically the previously announced second cour of the fourth season. The fourth season started last July on DMM TV and d Anime Store, then wrapped in September with its 12th episode. It had already been planned as a split two-cour release, so this continuation is basically the back half of that run.
The first season of Rent-A-Girlfriend aired back in July 2020 on the Animeism block and ran for 12 episodes. Crunchyroll streamed that first season worldwide except in Asia, which is a reminder that SEA anime access has always been a little complicated compared to Japan or the US market.
Still, English dub support for newer seasons is a good sign for international fans. For Malaysia, where anime viewing is spread across Crunchyroll, Netflix, YouTube channels, and “bro where to watch ah?” group chat recommendations, more official language options are always welcome.
Bottom line: if you’re following Spring 2026 anime and prefer dubs, both shows just became easier to slot into your weekly rotation.
Source: Anime News Network