Squid Game 3, My Hero Academia 8 and The First Frost: Top 10 foreign-language dramas you need to stream before 2025 comes to an end

2025 has seen a huge transformation when it comes to OTT. This year witnessed a significant increase in the popularity of Asian dramas, particularly those from Korea, China, and Japan. In India, the most-streamed content was Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. The Spanish trilogy, which included the film Culpa Mia (My Fault), recently concluded with Culpa Nuestra (Our Fault), but it failed to make a significant impact. With it, Asian content (series in particular) became the most-streamed in the Indian market once again.

Top Foreign Language/Asian dramas to stream before 2025 ends

When Life Gives You Tangerines

Featuring IU, Park Bo-gum and Kim Seon-ho, When Life Gives You Tangerines was not just a K-Drama. It was a whole emotion, and the netizens felt it. Right from Kim Seon-ho's flattering gesture to Park Bo-gum going out of his way to be the ideal husband, this Korean drama saw it all. PS: It is the same drama that was initially termed as Barfi (Ranbir Kapoor-Priyanka Chopra-Ileana D'Cruz)'s Korean remake.

Solo Leveling season 2

Where Japanese anime was ruling, here came an anime adapted from Korean manga (manhwa). Solo Leveling season 2, which commenced in 2024, dominated the first half of 2025 to the extent that many started searching for the 'next Solo Leveling' but couldn't find any. Sung Jin-woo's solo journey to becoming the best in his profession – hunting – led him to new challenges that were both gripping and visually appealing for the viewers.

The Trauma Code: Heroes On Call

Ju Ji-hoon-led The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call is more than just a medical drama. It is a human story where a professional with a mysterious past is the best at his job. He can lose his temper regularly, but when the situation demands him to save a life, he would go miles for that, literally.

The First Frost

The only Chinese drama that makes it to the list, The First Frost is the spin-off of another classic C-Drama, Hidden Love. While Hidden Love beautifully unfurled the love between Sang Zhi (played by Zhao Lusi) and her brother's friend/her tuition teacher Jia Xu (Chen Zheyuan), The First Frost deals with the delicate love story that her brother Sang Yan (Victor Ma in Hidden Love, Bai Jingting in The First Frost) lived through.

My Hero Academia season 8 

After battling numerous hurdles in his life – right from being born quirkless to losing his hands – Deku, aka Izuku Midoriya, fights his final battle to protect One For All from All For One. The Japanese anime reached its beautiful finale recently, giving fans a peak MHA moment.

Dr. Stone Season 4

Dr Stone lived an end and saw a new beginning. The Japanese anime, already popular among the curious souls, restarted with a new perspective. Despite the turning back of time, there was hope and experience. The season, based on new circumstances, unfolded at a crucial moment when the anime first began. Thus, it was the end of a new beginning. The journey is expected to continue further.

Dear Hongrang

Dear Hongrang, which coincidentally stars Lee Jae-wook, is a compelling alternative for fans of K-dramas such as Alchemy of Souls. Set in the Joseon era with a mystery about the lead character being central to the story, Dear Hongrang has everything that made Alchemy of Souls (and now this series) great.

Last Samurai Standing

The only Japanese drama on the list, Last Samurai Standing deserves a spot on the list since it broke barriers earlier this year. If you have been a fan of Korea's Squid Game, Japan has its own version of that with Last Samurai Standing. This time, they are trained warriors, aka samurai, fighting a battle for their lives to win 100 million Japanese yen. 'Manslaughter' Shujiro (Junichi Okada) is trying to hide his dark past until he is forced to confront it all through the intense battles in the limited series.

Squid Game 3

Although not as appealing as the original season, Squid Game season 3 (the final season of the Korean series) is something that cannot be ignored. It unfolded cruel moments, gave us a lens into the extremely unfair world and left us with a vague promise of the franchise expanding into a new universe. The Korean drama, once a phenomenon, came to an end in Korea but could continue in another part of the world.

Bon Appetit, Your Majesty

If you have been a fan of Mr Queen in the past, Bon Appetit, Your Majesty is absolutely tailored for you. Time-travelling to the Joseon period, specialising as a chef and an enemy-to-lovers story make the crux for both series. It's the classic definition of potato-pohtato, and chemistry between the leads in both series is still the winning factor.

Special movie mention: K-Pop Demon Hunters

Yes, K-Pop Demon Hunters is a movie, but Huntrix vs Saja Boys continues to receive love on a global scale. The musical quickly gained popularity on the internet due to its portrayal of the timeless tale of good versus evil, emphasising the importance of accepting both sides as one's own in enhancing life. The movie set is an example of how animation with a human storyline told while dancing to the tunes of life can be truly marvellous.

Top Foreign Language series FAQs

Q. What is The First Frost all about?

A. The First Frost is the spin-off of the famous Chinese drama, Hidden Love. The drama became one of the most talked about throughout 2025 for various reasons – whether involving the actors' health situation or moments that caused heartbreak and healed it soon after.

Q. Why is K-Pop Demon Hunters on the list?

A. K-Pop Demon Hunters has become the voice of the globe ever since the Korean movie was released on OTT. A story about good vs evil through the K-pop boy vs girl bands – Saja Boys and Huntrix, respectively – the story of K-Pop Demon Hunters is about bringing the world together with the power of music. The movie's message resonated strongly with viewers, leading to its popularity even during the Golden Globes 2025.

Q. Which language dramas dominated the Indian market in 2025?

A. While Korean dramas continued to win hearts across the globe throughout 2025, anime (mainly from Japan) finally became mainstream this year. Thus, a combination of both Korean dramas and anime dominated the markets in India and the West in particular.