Description: VIVANT season two has scored at least 15% in Japan's Kanto household TV ratings for ten straight episodes. See every result, the November 8, 2026 finale date and why AI Hayato can still make viewers quit after one episode.
VIVANT season two has fallen from its premiere but remains a ratings success. Its opening episode reached 18.8%, the tenth scored 15.5%, and the ten-episode mean is 16.01%. Every episode broadcast by October 14, 2026, cleared 15%. [1]
Yet a viewer can meet AI Hayato in the premiere and immediately give up. Japanese TV households are holding on; one remote control handed in its resignation on day one. How can both things be true?
Japan's first ten episodes, in numbers
TBS continues the episode numbering from 2023, so season two starts with episode 11 overall. These figures are average household TV ratings in Japan's Kanto region, not a worldwide viewing share. [1]
| Season 2 | Overall | Air date | Household rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 2026-07-26 | 18.8% |
| 2 | 12 | 2026-08-02 | 16.4% |
| 3 | 13 | 2026-08-09 | 15.1% |
| 4 | 14 | 2026-08-16 | 16.6% |
| 5 | 15 | 2026-08-23 | 15.2% |
| 6 | 16 | 2026-08-30 | 15.0% |
| 7 | 17 | 2026-09-06 | 17.1% |
| 8 | 18 | 2026-09-13 | 15.0% |
| 9 | 19 | 2026-10-04 | 15.4% |
| 10 | 20 | 2026-10-11 | 15.5% |
The show dropped from 18.8% to 15.1% in episode three, bounced to 16.6% in episode four and hit 17.1% in episode seven. The low of 15.0% occurred twice; the last two installments posted 15.4% and 15.5%. Fifteen percent is the floor so far, not a promise about future episodes.
Season one took the opposite route: 11.5% for its premiere, 19.6% for its finale and roughly 14.3% on average. Season two's 16.0% average is higher. “Lower than its own premiere” and “higher than the original season's average” can both be true. [1]
Popular does not mean universally loved
A household rating is not a week-to-week loyalty measure or a satisfaction survey. U-NEXT separately reported a platform record for viewers during the season's first seven weeks of availability. Streaming viewers and TV household percentages cannot simply be added together. [6]
Filmarks showed 4.1 out of 5 from 6,768 reviews for season two on October 14; season one had 4.3 out of 5. [3][4] Enthusiastic viewers are more likely to keep watching and leave reviews, so those scores do not erase people who walked away.
Why AI Hayato can be a deal-breaker
AI Hayato is the secret unit Beppan's powerful computer assistant. Introduced in the season-two premiere and voiced by Minami Takayama, it helps analyze surveillance footage and other information. [5]
A spy thriller can be exciting because we watch people earn an answer, mistake by mistake. An almost all-knowing assistant may feel like a speaking answer sheet barging into the mystery halfway through. To some, that speeds up the fun; to others, it steals the pleasure of discovery.
That's a reaction to how the story hands over clues, not a judgment on the voice actor's talent. Someone who came for globe-spanning espionage can suddenly feel trapped in a briefing room with a very efficient digital presenter.
How many episodes? When can you binge it?
Season two has 14 episodes, and its finale is scheduled for Sunday, November 8, 2026. Combined with season one's ten, the series totals 24. A TBS programme notice dated September 29 explicitly gives the November 8 finale and six remaining installments from October 4. [2]
Four broadcasts remain after October 11: October 18, October 25, November 1 and November 8. Marketing described a two-block run, but the announced finale date beats guesses about December. [7]
Waiting until the end can make a dense weekly series easier to watch at your own speed. It cannot force you to like AI Hayato. Ratings tell you how the show is doing. The remote still decides whether you want another hour.
