Review of Beastars Final Season: Is it any good?

The Beastars series has reached its end, but could it have been better?

The series is based on the manga written by Paru Itagaki, which depicts a wildlife universe where animals with anthropomorphic characteristics reign instead of humans. This might cause some initial friction due to the character designs or the 3D animation style, but the story becomes quite surprising over time. It features a world similar to Disney's Zootopia, where the culture is built upon animal traits and, most importantly, their primal instincts.

The story follows the life of a teenager named Legoshi, a grey wolf who experiences a forbidden love with a rabbit while trying to understand himself in a world full of different species that display human traits at every turn.

The most striking elements of the series are the moral dilemmas and social conflicts. These present situations outside of our daily reality while offering profound reflections. For instance, since there are no humans, there are specific rules for social welfare such as the segregation between carnivores and herbivores. This creates a major societal taboo: the consumption of meat.

World Building

All environments are adapted for both small and large animals. There are specific spaces designed to help different species manage their instincts, such as play areas for canines, scratching posts for felines, or basking spots for reptiles. In short, it is a well-planned world with its own unique organization. It is fascinating to see how the culture is structured with so many possibilities for different lifestyles.

With such diversity among marine, terrestrial, and avian species, the entire ecosystem reflects the wide variety of the animal kingdom. Urban planning serves everyone. In schools, for example, they attempt to group animals that coexist better collectively while isolating more independent ones. Clothing brands produce a vast range of sizes. There is even a unique religion based on dinosaurs, who are viewed as almost divine entities from before the rise of civilization. Different types of labor exist as well, where certain animals find more success in specific fields, such as rabbits in botany or apex predators in sports.

As in any civilization, crimes still occur. It is not illegal to consume eggs or milk or to use wool. The series even shows a dairy company that hires animals capable of large-scale milk production. However, consuming meat is strictly forbidden for both ethical reasons and because it stimulates aggressive instincts in carnivores. Despite this, there is the so-called Black Market where meat and even living beings are traded. A large portion of the series takes place in this location, which maintains a very heavy atmosphere.

Recapping the First Seasons of Beastars

Returning to the protagonist, Legoshi is often misunderstood because he is a tall, strong wolf with a serious expression. Many fear him, including smaller animals and even some larger ones. However, his personality is extremely gentle, and his actions are defined by delicacy because he always seeks to cause the minimum amount of discomfort to others.

Despite the initial fear he provokes, those who get to know him are surprised by his true nature. This makes him very popular in the drama club, where a large part of the series unfolds.

Cherryton Academy is a renowned institution and serves as the primary setting for the first two seasons where the central characters are introduced.

The main plot of the anime is the forbidden romance between Legoshi and Haru. They are a wolf and a rabbit, a threatening carnivore and a vulnerable herbivore. The anime tackles several reflective themes through this couple, who constantly question if their relationship is truly possible given their differences and the strength of their instincts.

Legoshi struggles to control his hunting impulses while Haru faces her fears and insecurities to move forward without getting hurt. Both learn about the world, life, and their own feelings, making the journey engaging and emotional to follow.

There are several subplots involving other characters, each with their own complexities influenced by their species. For example, Legoshi’s best friend is a dog who has difficulty saying no and is extremely needy. These are typical traits of his breed that eventually lead him into a state of deep depression. There is also Juno, another wolf who becomes involved in a forbidden romance with someone of a different species. Finally, Louis faces pressure from his father to become the successor of a large corporation. He excels at everything while setting aside his passion for theater and his friendship with Legoshi, who manages to capture the red deer's attention from the very beginning. Various conflicts continue to develop as the school terms progress.

The third season was split into two parts, with the first dropping in December 2024 and the second following in March 2026. This is where the story shifts gears, moving away from its philosophical roots to focus heavily on action. Legoshi remains as introspective as ever, but his journey is now driven by the hunt for the series' ultimate villain, Melon.

As Legoshi leaves school to navigate life in the city, the familiar halls of Cherryton Academy and the drama club begin to fade into the background. New faces emerge while the original cast appears less frequently. Back at school, tensions rise as the administration enforces a strict policy of segregation, forcing herbivores and carnivores to work in complete isolation from one another.

The tragedy of this policy is that these characters actually thrive when they are together. The series does an excellent job of tackling themes like prejudice and systemic division, showing how individuals become prisoners of a reality reinforced by society. Despite the barriers, the drama club finds ways to resist. They use their craft to create a play that champion's unity and exposes the toxicity of segregation. These social movements give the story a layer of complexity that keeps the viewer emotionally invested, with Juno standing out as a key figure in holding the community together.

The Villain: Melon

The core of the season follows Legoshi as he teams up with the current Beastar, Yahya, to track down a psychopathic criminal. This antagonist is flooding the city with a substance that causes carnivores to lose their minds and surrender to their predatory instincts, resulting in absolute chaos.

The villain, Melon, is a hybrid born from a gazelle and a leopard. In a society that fears and rejects such unions, his very existence is a provocation. His physical design is a masterclass in contrast: he possesses the lethal strength and instincts of a hunter, yet these are wrapped in the delicate, agile frame of a herbivore.

Melon is a fascinatingly dark character. Because his hybrid biology rejects both meat and vegetation, he is unable to taste food or experience physical pleasure. This sensory void leaves him feeling hollow and detached from the world. Even his sense of pain is muted, leading him to undergo the excruciating process of getting melon-leaf tattoos to mask the leopard spots inherited from his mother.

The creator’s eye for detail shines here: Melon chooses a sloth to be his tattoo artist. This makes the procedure agonizingly slow and almost unbearable, yet it results in a hauntingly beautiful finish.

However, this is also where the series begins to lose its grip. For those who have read the manga, the adaptation of this arc felt a bit shaky. The plot pivots hard into a chase narrative as Melon takes over the Shishigumi (the lion yakuza) and prepares for an event known as "Meat Day", a brutal turf war between rival gangs.

This segment felt somewhat rushed compared to the source material. While the manga takes its time to develop the secondary characters and the stakes of the conflict, the anime moves at a breakneck speed that sacrifices some of the weight of the story.

The show could have also spent more time on Melon’s tragic upbringing, specifically his strained relationship with his mother and the psychological torment he suffered at the hands of his peers and teachers. These moments are present, but they flash by too quickly to leave a lasting impact. Furthermore, the anime misses a chance to dive deeper into Legoshi’s empathy for Melon. Legoshi doesn't just want to stop a criminal; he sees in Melon a potential future for his own children with Haru. This personal connection could have added a much stronger emotional core to their confrontation.

Beastars is a one-of-a-kind experience. While it shares the "talking animal" aesthetic of movies like Zootopia or The Bad Guys, its status as an adult drama allows it to explore far more visceral conflicts. It is a show defined by dry humor, complex social dilemmas, and characters who feel genuinely alive.

The world-building remains top-tier. From the cultural significance of a lion's mane to the unique social rules of marine life and the specialized training for venomous species, the series builds a civilization that feels lived-in and authentic. It is a story about animals that is, at its heart, profoundly human.

While the first two seasons felt more balanced in their character development and romance, the final season’s hyper-fixation on the Melon conflict can feel a bit draining. Melon is a great villain, but the pacing of his arc makes the journey feel more like a marathon than a sprint.

Final Score: 7.5/10

If you can get past the 3D animation style and the anthropomorphic designs, you will find a deeply captivating, dialogue-driven story.

What did you think of the conclusion to Legoshi’s journey? Let us know in the comments below, and we'll see you in the next review!