From comedy to romance, to science fiction and fantasy, Date A Live has everything. Koshi Tachibana’s light novels began publication in March 2011 and led to the birth of an entire media franchise, including five manga adaptations, a collection of short stories, five video games, three animated movies, two OVAs, and an ongoing anime series.
The story is set in modern times, with Earth being plagued by spacial quakes that take place whenever beings from different dimensions — known as Spirits — appear on our planet. As is customary in this type of anime, Shido Itsuka, a high school boy is the only person able to put a stop to this phenomenon, since he has the ability to seal these creatures’ powers. Naturally, though, the only way to accomplish that is for him to get the Spirits to fall in love with him.
The anime series is currently the most popular of all Date A Live adaptations, with a total of 46 episodes released across four seasons, and more already confirmed to be on the way, with a fifth season planned to wrap up the story. Between the show, the movies, and the OVAs, there’s a lot of content for fans to get through, which means they can often find themselves lost when trying to crack into Date A Live. Fortunately, there is a proper order by which viewers should enjoy the series.
How to watch Date A Live in order
- Date A Live (2013)
- Date A Live: Date To Date OVA (2013)
- Date A Live Watch II (2014)
- Date A Live Watch II: Kurumi Star Festival OVA (2014)
- Date A Live: The Movie — Mayuri Judgment (2015)
- Date A Live III (2019)
- Date A Bullet: Dead Or Bullet (2020)
- Date A Bullet: Nightmare Or Queen (2020)
- Date A Live IV (2022)
- Date A Live V (TBD)
It’s worth mentioning that, while it can be fun for Date A Live enthusiasts to check out the OVAs, it’s not necessary for fans to watch them. These are best viewed as simple side stories that do not affect the main storyline, meaning folks can feel free to skip them altogether. Similarly, there’s some debate on whether the films can be considered canon, since there hasn’t been any official confirmation regarding the subject. Ultimately, it’s up to viewers to decide whether to watch them or not.
The Date A Live series is currently available for streaming on Crunchyroll, VRV, and Tubi TV.