News Reporting

“Sword Gai” Anime Gets New Trailer & 10 Cast Reveals


Lots of gais (and girls) with swords, here.

Earlier today, the official Sword Gai: The Animation anime website updated with a new trailer and ten cast reveals. We break the details down below:

Trailer

The 90-second trailer introduces the show’s main plot, with character dialogue delivering the major story beats. At the one-minute mark, opening theme song What is Predestined kicks in as a background track.

Cast

The series will add the following roles:

  • Aronisu: Michiko Neya
  • Ariga I: Kohei Murakami
  • Yasuko Tanaka: Urara Takano
  • Midoriko: Ayane Sakura
  • Kazuma Matoba: Takaya Hashi
  • Tatsumi: Kenji Hamada
  • Mina Hiraya: Yu Shimamura
  • Kigetsu: Masaharu Satō
  • KEI: Sumi Shimamoto
  • Hakimu: Kousuke Toriumi

A visual featuring five of the new characters was also revealed, which you can check out below.

Clockwise from Top-Left: Aronisu, Ariga I, Yasuko Tanaka, Midoriko, Kazuma Matoba

Sword Gai: The Animation will launch on Netflix’s digital platform on March 23, in all regions.

Takahiro Ikezoe (Show By Rock!!, PriPri Chii-chan!!) will serve as chief director on the project, with Tomohito Naka (New Theatrical Movie Initial D Legend 2: Racer) taking the director’s chiar at LandQ Studios. Atsuko Nakajima (Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto, Ranma ½) will serve as character designer, while series co-creator Toshiki Inoue will handle series composition.

Lead actor Yūto Uemura will perform opening theme song What is Predestined (Sadame

Other confirmed crew members include:

  • Music: Kotaro Nakagawa
  • Sound Director: Toshiki Kameyama
  • Art Director: Seiko Akashi
  • 3D Directors: Akihiko Kimura
  • 3D Directors: Kenji Isobe
  • Color design: Masato Sasaki

In addition to LandQ Studios, DLE Inc. and Production I.G. are listed on animation production.

The series will star the following:

  • Seiya Ichijō: Yuichiro Umehara
  • Gai Ogata: Yūto Uemura
  • Sayaka Ogata: Yuka Aisaka
  • Amon Ogata: Jouji Nakata
  • Naoki Miki: Tomokazu Sugita
  • Marcus Lithos: Hiro Shimono
  • Takuma Miura: Toshihiko Seki
  • Kyōka Kagami: Rina Satou
  • Grimms: Takaya Kuroda

The show was first revealed in the pages of Monthly Hero’s Magazine in 2014. At the time, the publication revealed that Sword Gai would be a co-production between entertainment company Fields and Flash anime studio DLE Inc.

The title will be based on Toshiki Inoue (Ranma ½, Ushio & Tora), Osamu Kine, and Keita Amamiya’s manga of the same name. Inoue served as writer on the project, while Amemiya produced the original character designs. Kine provided final character designs for the title.

Netflix describes Sword Gai: The Animation Series as:

A weapon that has drawn the blood of countless victims becomes legend, and at times takes on a life of its own. When such a weapon’s human host is filled with hate and murderous intent, he becomes a demonic combination of weapon and man that thirsts only for slaughter.

An organization has faced these dangerous beings over the centuries. A young man named Gai is destined to live as a weapon. As humans are enthralled by their weapons’ power, epic battles unfold with the fate of humanity in the balance in this battle action fantasy. The series will debut globally on Netflix in Spring 2018.

Sword Gai made its début in the pages of Monthly Hero’s in December 2012. The series went on to span six volumes. Sequel series Sword Gai Evolve, which brought the original creators back together, launched in Monthly Hero’s November 2015. The ongoing title spans three compiled volumes, with the most recent hitting stores on June 5.

Sources: Comic Natalie

About the author

Samantha Ferreira

Samantha Ferreira is Anime Herald’s founder and editor-in-chief. A Rhode Island native, Samantha has been an anime fan since 1992, and an active member of the anime press since 2002, when she began working as a reviewer for Anime Dream. She launched Anime Herald in 2010, and continues to oversee its operations to this day. Outside of journalism, Samantha actively studies the history of the North American anime fandom and industry, with a particular focus on the 2000s anime boom and bust. She’s a huge fan of all things Sakura Wars, and maintains series fansite Combat Revue Review when she has free time available. When not in the Anime Herald Discord, Samantha can typically be found on Bluesky.

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