1
Cells at Work!
13 episodes (2018). Each episode covers one job or one threat inside the body, from pneumococcus in the first episode to hemorrhagic shock in the two-part finale.
5 titles
Updated Oct 10, 2026
Cells at Work! Watch Order (2026 Guide)
Inside one human body, some 37 trillion cells work around the clock. A rookie Red Blood Cell who keeps getting lost on her delivery routes and a White Blood Cell who hunts down invading germs keep crossing paths as the body deals with everything from a scraped knee and the flu to heat stroke and cancer.
Recommended Order
Quick answer
- Cells at Work!
- Cells at Work!: The Common Cold
- Cells at Work!!
Plus 1 optional extra and 1 more title.
3 titles · 22 episodes · ~9 hours
Watch the first season, the one-off episode The Common Cold, then Cells at Work!!, the second season. The Blu-ray shorts and the spin-off CODE BLACK, which is set in a different body, are optional and can come afterward.
2
Cells at Work!: The Common Cold
One standalone episode (December 2018) about an ordinary cell that falls in with a prankster. Some services list it as episode 14 of the first season.
⚠ Some streaming listings stop at episode 13 and leave this one out.
3
Cells at Work!!
The second season: 8 episodes (2021) in the same body with the same cast. Includes a second Cancer Cell story that follows up on the one in Season 1. Episodes 4-8 were shown in Japanese theaters in 2020 before the TV run.
Optional Extras
4
Cells at Work! Specials
Five shorts of about four minutes each, made as bonuses for the Japanese Blu-ray and DVD volumes of the first season.
⚠ In English these are on the Aniplex of America Blu-ray set. They are not part of the streaming episode lists.
5
Cells at Work! CODE BLACK
13 episodes (2021) from a different studio and cast. Set in another body, that of an adult man worn down by smoking, alcohol and stress, with its own Red Blood Cell and White Blood Cell. It has no story links to the main series and can be watched on its own.
⚠ A separate show from the main series on streaming services. Its manga is rated Mature 18+ in English.
Why This Order
The main series is episodic: each episode takes one job or one threat inside the body, so the order matters less here than in most shows. Even so, the second season assumes you know the cast and returns to the Cancer Cell from Season 1, so start with the 13 episodes from 2018. The Common Cold is a single extra episode made after that season, and Cells at Work!! adds eight more episodes in 2021. Below the line are two things you can leave out. The Specials are five four-minute shorts made as Blu-ray bonuses. CODE BLACK is a 13-episode spin-off by a different studio, set in the unhealthy body of an adult man with its own lead cells; it shares the idea and nothing else, so it works on its own at any point.
How Many Episodes and Seasons Does Cells at Work! Have?
Cells at Work! has 2 seasons and 1 other entry in the main run — 22 episodes altogether.
Main Run
| Title | Type | Episodes | Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cells at Work! | TV Series | 13 episodes | July 2018 |
| Cells at Work!: The Common Cold | Special | 1 episode | December 2018 |
| Cells at Work!! | TV Series | 8 episodes | January 2021 |
Optional Extras
| Title | Type | Episodes | Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cells at Work! Specials | Special | 5 episodes | October 2018 |
| Cells at Work! CODE BLACK | TV Series | 13 episodes | January 2021 |
3 titles · 22 episodes · ~9 hours
Source Material
Where each part of the anime lines up with the source, so you know where to pick up reading.
Manga
Completed
Cells at Work!
Season 1, The Common Cold and Season 2 (22 episodes)
Source Chapters 1 - 26
Cells at Work! Spin-offs and Side Stories
Only spin-offs that tie into the main story are listed here — anthologies, fan books and the like are left out.
Cells at Work! CODE BLACK
Spin-off Manga
The anime adapts the manga's chapters out of order. Chapters 1-26 are all animated, and what remains is in Vol. 6: Chapters 27-29 and one extra chapter. Vol. 6 opens with Chapter 26, which Cells at Work!! used for its first episode. Nothing in the main series is anime-original. CODE BLACK rearranges the first three volumes of its own manga into one story, so its readers are better off starting again from Vol. 3 than jumping to Vol. 4.
Cells at Work! Watch Order FAQ
Where should I start with Cells at Work!?
Start with the first season from 2018, 13 episodes. It introduces the Red Blood Cell, the White Blood Cell and the rest of the cast, and the second season builds on it.
What is the correct order to watch Cells at Work!?
Cells at Work! (13 episodes), The Common Cold (one episode), then Cells at Work!! (8 episodes). The five Blu-ray shorts and the spin-off Cells at Work! CODE BLACK are optional and can be watched afterward.
Do I need to watch Cells at Work! CODE BLACK?
No. CODE BLACK is a spin-off set in a different body, with different lead cells, a different studio and a different English and Japanese cast. Nothing in the main series depends on it, and it can be watched on its own, before or after the main series. It aired in early 2021, the same season as Cells at Work!!.
Is The Common Cold episode 14?
In practice, yes. It is a one-off episode that aired in Japan in late December 2018, three months after the first season ended. Japanese TV listings and Crunchyroll count it as episode 14, while the official site and the US Blu-ray call it a special episode. It tells a self-contained story.
Is there a Cells at Work! movie?
There is no separate anime film. A theatrical release in Japan on September 5, 2020 was an advance screening of episodes 4-8 of Cells at Work!!, so it is the same material as the second season. A live-action film opened in Japan on December 13, 2024 and came to Netflix on June 13, 2025. Two short extras are not in the list above: a three-minute Platelets short shown with the 2020 screening and a 2019 web commercial made with Pocari Sweat.
How many episodes does Cells at Work! have?
The main series has 22 episodes: 13 in the first season, The Common Cold, and 8 in Cells at Work!!. That is about 9 hours. CODE BLACK adds 13 episodes, about 5 hours more.
Is Cells at Work! finished, and will there be a Season 3?
The latest episodes aired in early 2021, and no third season or new anime has been announced as of October 2026. The manga by Akane Shimizu ended in January 2021 with six volumes, and the anime has already adapted Chapters 1-26, leaving only three chapters and one extra in the final volume.
Where does the Cells at Work! anime leave off in the manga?
Pick up the manga at Volume 6, Chapter 27. The anime adapted the chapters out of order but covered everything up to Chapter 26, which opens Volume 6 and became the first episode of Cells at Work!!. For CODE BLACK, the anime rearranges the first three volumes of its manga, so reading on from Volume 3 is the safer place to resume.
Are there any filler episodes?
No. Every episode of the main series, including The Common Cold, adapts a chapter of the manga, though not in the manga's order. CODE BLACK also follows its manga but restructures it into a single body's story.
Is there an English dub?
Yes. Aniplex of America produced the dub of the first season in 2019, with Cherami Leigh as Red Blood Cell and Billy Kametz as White Blood Cell, and both returned for Cells at Work!! in 2021. CODE BLACK has its own dub with Kyle McCarley and Allegra Clark in the lead roles.
Where can I watch Cells at Work!?
In the United States, the main series and CODE BLACK both stream on Crunchyroll and Netflix. CODE BLACK is listed as a separate show. Availability varies by region.
Can I read the Cells at Work! manga in English?
Yes. Kodansha USA has published all six volumes of Cells at Work! and all eight volumes of Cells at Work! CODE BLACK, so both series are complete in English.