Honestly, if you're a fan of the Matsuno sextuplets, you’re used to waiting. You’re also used to being messed with. This is a show that literally started its first season with a parody so aggressive it got wiped from streaming services and home video releases. It thrives on chaos. But even by Pierrot’s standards, the silence surrounding Mr. Osomatsu Season 4 is starting to feel a bit heavy. We’ve had three seasons of pure, unadulterated garbage-human behavior, a couple of theatrical movies, and some shorts, yet the official greenlight for a fourth televised outing remains elusive.
It’s been a minute since Season 3 wrapped up in 2021. Since then, the franchise hasn't exactly been dead, but it’s been pivoting. We saw the release of Mr. Osomatsu: The Hipipo Quest and the Glowing Fruit in 2022 and Mr. Osomatsu: The Soul’s Takoyaki Party and the Legendary Sleepover in 2023. These theatrical outings kept the momentum going, but for the hardcore fans, a 60-minute movie isn't the same as a weekly dose of Neat-culture satire.
The reality is that Mr. Osomatsu Season 4 is currently in a state of "when," not "if," though the "when" is getting further away than most of us anticipated.
The Production Reality of Mr. Osomatsu Season 4
Studio Pierrot is busy. That’s the simplest explanation, though it's never that simple in the anime industry. Look at their current slate. They’ve been pouring massive resources into Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, which is a visual powerhouse. They have the Boruto hiatus and eventual return to manage. When you have a studio juggling massive shonen hits, a cult-favorite comedy about six identical losers often gets pushed to the back burner.
Yoichi Fujita, the director who has been the creative soul of the series, is known for his specific, surreal comedic timing. You can't just swap him out. If Fujita isn't ready, or if the writing staff—led by the brilliant Shu Matsubara—hasn't found a new angle to exploit the "Neat" lifestyle, the production won't move.
There is a weird misconception that because the Blu-ray sales for Season 3 weren't as astronomical as Season 1, the show is "dead." Let’s clear that up. Season 1 was a freak of nature. It sold over 100,000 copies. That doesn't happen. It was a cultural phenomenon in Japan that spawned cafes, endless merch, and a level of fujoshi devotion rarely seen. Season 3 "only" selling a few thousand copies per volume isn't a failure; it’s a normalization. The franchise is still a massive cash cow for Pierrot and TV Tokyo through licensing and collaborations.
Why the 10th Anniversary is the Real Target
If you want to bet on a date, look at 2025.
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The Osomatsu-kun franchise—the original 1960s work by Fujio Akatsuka—is legendary, but the Mr. Osomatsu (Osomatsu-san) iteration specifically celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2025. In the world of Japanese media marketing, anniversaries are everything. It is the perfect window to announce Mr. Osomatsu Season 4.
Think about the pattern:
- Season 1: 2015
- Season 2: 2017
- Movie: 2019
- Season 3: 2020
- Special Movies: 2022, 2023
The gaps are widening, sure. But the intellectual property is too valuable to leave dormant. The sextuplets are basically the unofficial mascots for a certain subculture of Japanese youth.
What the Story Even Looks Like Now
Where do you go after you've already turned your protagonists into 8-bit sprites, explored their existential dread of never getting a job, and had them literally die and go to hell multiple times?
The beauty of the show is that it doesn’t need a plot. It needs a vibe. Mr. Osomatsu Season 4 would likely lean harder into the "aging" aspect of the brothers. We’ve seen them struggle with the fact that they are in their 20s and still living with their parents. As the real-world audience ages, the show usually adjusts its satire to match. We’re moving from the "struggling Neat" era into the "what do we do now that we're almost 30" era.
There's also the Totoko factor. Her character arc—if you can call it that—has become increasingly unhinged. Fans are speculating that a new season would have to shake up the status quo for the side characters like Iyami and Chibita. Iyami, specifically, has shifted from a pure antagonist to a weirdly sympathetic, albeit still disgusting, uncle figure.
The Voice Actor Powerhouse
One of the biggest hurdles (and strengths) for Mr. Osomatsu Season 4 is the cast. You are looking at the Avengers of voice acting:
- Takahiro Sakurai (Osomatsu)
- Yuichi Nakamura (Karamatsu)
- Hiroshi Kamiya (Choromatsu)
- Jun Fukuyama (Ichimatsu)
- Daisuke Ono (Jyushimatsu)
- Miyu Irino (Todomatsu)
Getting these six men in a room at the same time is a logistical nightmare and an expensive one. They are some of the highest-paid and most in-demand seiyuu in the business. However, they've all expressed immense love for these roles. They get to say things in this show they would never be allowed to say in a standard shonen or romance anime. That creative freedom usually brings talent back to the booth, even if the schedule is tight.
The Streaming Impact
Don't ignore the "Netflix/Crunchyroll effect." While the show is quintessentially Japanese—riddled with puns and cultural references that are nearly impossible to translate perfectly—it has a massive international cult following. Mr. Osomatsu Season 4 wouldn't just be for the Japanese domestic market.
Global streaming platforms want content with established fanbases. If TV Tokyo feels like they can get a significant licensing bump from an international co-production or a high-bid streaming exclusivity deal, the greenlight happens tomorrow. Comedy is harder to export than action, but the visual gags in Osomatsu are universal. Everyone understands the pain of being the "lame" sibling.
What to Do While Waiting
Since we are in this weird limbo, the best move isn't just refreshing Twitter (or X) every five minutes.
First, watch the two recent movies if you haven't. They actually contain some of the best character work for the brothers in years. The Soul’s Takoyaki Party is surprisingly cozy for a show that usually features projectile vomiting and public indecency. It captures that specific feeling of "hanging out" that made Season 1 so popular.
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Second, check out the Osomatsu-san stage plays or the live-action movie starring the boy band Snow Man. It’s... an experience. It’s not the anime, but it shows just how much Japanese producers are willing to experiment with the brand. It proves the brand is still "hot" in the eyes of investors.
Finally, keep an eye on Studio Pierrot's official "Pierrot Films" rebranding. They are moving toward higher quality, shorter-run productions. This might mean Mr. Osomatsu Season 4 could be a tighter, 12-episode run rather than the traditional 25, allowing for higher animation quality and faster turnaround.
The sextuplets aren't gone. They're just being lazy. Which, if you think about it, is the most "on-brand" thing they could possibly do.
Actionable Steps for Fans:
- Track the 2025 Anniversary: Follow the official Japanese @osomatsu_PR Twitter account; this is where the 10th-anniversary project leaks will first appear.
- Support Official Releases: High viewership numbers on Crunchyroll for the existing seasons and movies are the primary metric used to justify the budget for a fourth season.
- Rewatch the "Selection" Shorts: There are several "special" episodes and collaboration shorts (like the horse racing crossovers) that many Western fans missed but are considered canon-adjacent content.
The wait for the return of the world's most famous NEETs is long, but given the franchise's history of sudden, explosive returns, it's usually worth the patience.