Nitroplus x Shochiku original anime "REVENGER" to start airing in January 2023! Jun Kasama, Yuichiro Umehara and others talk about the characters and how they felt when the decision was made to use them! Many scenes were cut from the show!

PV and character and cast comments have been released from the2023 winter anime"REVENGER.

This original anime by Nitroplus and Shochiku depicts the dark hero action of five assassins.

The main character, Raizo, who has been betrayed by those he trusted and has no place to return to, is picked up by the "REVENGER," an assassin who takes revenge on behalf of those without power. While pursuing the truth behind an incident that occurred in Nagasaki, they become entangled in a great conspiracy.

The broadcast is set to begin in January 2023. The "characters," who are dexterous, straightforward, and lacking in character, and the "cast," who play them with great emotion, have also been announced.

Second PV

Key Visual

The main character Raizo, who is too pure and clumsy in his way of life, is played by Jun Kasama, while Yuichiro Umehara plays the role of Yuen, the graceful, soft-spoken, but mysterious leader of the "Convenience Shop".

Shunsuke Takeuchi plays the role of Teppa, a kind and mild-mannered town doctor with a destructive impulse deep down inside; Hisako Kanemoto plays the role of Nio, a bisexual beauty who is both innocent and cruel; and Shota Hayama plays Soji, a gambler with a penchant for money and sake but a tender heart.

The five assassins "REVENGER".

Raizo Kurima
A master of swordsmanship who cuts down any target with a single sword. Silent and honest, he is the model of a samurai, willing to die for those to whom he has pledged his loyalty.
However, his way of life is clumsy. He is not very good at bargaining or gut-searching, and once he concentrates on a task, he sometimes loses sight of his surroundings. ...... His purity is taken advantage of, and he loses his way in life as a samurai.

Usui Yuen
He is the leader of the Usui Jigyosha, who uses gold leaf to dispose of his targets with splendor and ruthlessness.
On the outside, he is a maki-e lacquerware artist who is popular both at home and abroad, but on the side, he is a purveyor of anything that the townspeople need.
While he is soft-spoken and always acts with grace, he has a mysterious side that he does not reveal to others, and behind his back he hides a forbidden faith.

Teknopa Murakami
A member of the Tekuwa family, Tekuwa uses his muscular body to draw a huge karakuri bow and shoot through targets hidden in the distance, even if they are shielded from view.
A former pirate, he has a tremendous destructive urge inside, but he usually keeps it to himself and lives his life as a mild-mannered town doctor.
He is a skilled doctor who treats even those who have no money, and is widely admired by the townspeople.

Great Crested Grebe
Nio is a member of the "convenience store" that manipulates a kite string coated with pieces of glass to entangle its target.
Despite his angelic appearance, he is a hermaphrodite with no human morality or concept of right and wrong, and he has no hesitation at all in committing brutal murders.
His everyday behavior is childish for his age, but he also has a calculating and calculating nature, and he plays innocent and cunning tricks on others.

Soji
A member of a convenience store, Soji uses a dark instrument called a hanafuda (flower card), in which a piece of iron is embedded, to aim at the target's vital point.
He is a gambler who lives in a townhouse and is fond of money and liquor. He wakes up around noon and goes to the gambling hall, drinking whether he wins or loses, leading a self-indulgent life.
He is the most humane of the gang, with a foul mouth and a lot of complaints, but he is also surprisingly compassionate.

The cast members talk about when they were chosen for the role and the appeal of the characters.

Comment from Jun Kasama, who plays the role of Raizo
──What was your honest feeling when you auditioned and were chosen for the role?
It was really a feeling of "I don't have the words". The staff at the office who contacted me was happy to hear that I had been chosen and asked me in a casual manner, "Was it okay for you to call me just now? I was so happy to hear from them that I was worried about them. I was late to the game, and I was still in my infancy as an actor. I have been working hard to overcome adversity while looking up to my seniors who are all of the same age as me. It was in such a situation that I was given the lead role of "Raizo Jirima". I am of course happy to have been chosen for the role, but I am also grateful to the agency that provided me with the opportunity to audition, to the people who have supported me, and of course, to the responsibility of being the core of the production. I was in a state of inability to output the passion that welled up from deep within my body as a result of all these things coming together.

───Please tell us about the character you play. What do you find attractive about the character?
Raizo is truly "pure and innocent. However, he is a stubborn and stubborn innocent. When people hear the word "innocent," they imagine a character who is honest and flexible enough to be dyed in any way, but Raizo is completely different from that. It may sound paradoxical, but this was the Edo period (1603-1867). It was a time when the "way of being" as a samurai was unconditionally tolerated and admired by society as a whole. In such a situation, he is a "pure adult boy" who only knows how to live as a samurai. Such purity is his great appeal. However, at the same time, this way of life is a fetter that greatly constrains his own way of life. I myself am looking forward to seeing how Raizo will live his life in this work with his unquestionable pride and pride in himself as a samurai.

─ ─ Do you have a message for the fans who are looking forward to the TV anime "REVENGER"?
The entire cast and staff have worked with tremendous passion and dedication on this work. The beautiful pictures, the profound story, the great music, and the performances by the cast. I can say with confidence that this is a truly wonderful work in every respect. I myself am struggling desperately to express myself in each and every episode so that I will be able to work with the best professionals in the industry. I hope that "REVENGER," a work that everyone involved in this project has worked so hard and with so much love, will reach as many people as possible and that they will enjoy it. Please look forward to it.

Yuichiro Umehara's comment for the role of Yuyun
───What was your honest impression when you auditioned and were chosen for the role?
Actually, the character I received at the tape audition stage was not Yūyan, but I played Yūyan for the first time at the studio audition, so I was very happy when I got the call that I had been accepted.
The audition was a shouting match, so while it was easy to grasp the temperature and tempo of the conversation, I was very nervous.
Many of the cast members were close in age, so I felt a responsibility to lead the atmosphere of the work "REVENGER" with this generation.
Once the recording session started, the cast members who were playing the supporting roles were really profound and austere, and I am grateful to them for tightening up the play.

───Please tell us about the character you play. What do you find attractive about the character?
The character of Yuban is a character who has opportunities to talk with people from various walks of life and shows us many faces, sometimes wearing a mask, and sometimes revealing his true feelings.
It is sometimes difficult to decipher the true nature behind his words even when playing him.
Basically, he often calmly derives the best solution, but he is not a cold-hearted person with a good heart.
He is a fun character to play because of the gap between his soft mannerisms in everyday life and his greatness when he performs his job as an assassin. He also has some so-called "signature lines" that are sure to leave a lasting impression.

─ ─ Do you have a message for the fans who are looking forward to the TV anime "REVENGER"?
A group of assassins are working in the dark in a place called Nagasaki, amidst the footsteps of a turbulent era.
It may sound like a difficult and hard work, but it is not. It is a work that focuses on the human mind, where various human emotions and thoughts are intertwined.
I hope you will pay attention to the action, and the many fascinating characters with their own quirks will keep you on the edge of your seat.
You may enjoy it even more if you look into the historical background of the time. Of course, you can enjoy this work even without prior knowledge.
We hope you enjoy the sometimes austere, sometimes stylish atmosphere of "REVENGER. We hope you enjoy the broadcast.

Comment from Shunsuke Takeuchi, who plays the role of Tetsuya Tetsuya
───What were your honest feelings when you auditioned for the role and were chosen for it?
I was very excited to be able to bring my voice to this worldview. Both the animation and scenario are of very high quality, and I thought it would be a great challenge for me.
Personally, I am into traditional Japanese crafts, so the timing was perfect for me to work on this project.

───Please tell us about the character you are playing. What do you find attractive about the character?
He is an intellectual and muscular character, a bowman and a doctor....
Anyway, he has many faces.
He is also a balancer and a summarizer among his friends, so I think his dialogues are fascinating. His dialogue often ends with "〜だね", so I hope I can express his personality in a fun way.

─ ─ Do you have a message for the fans who are looking forward to the TV anime "REVENGER"?
Japanese style in spite of the horizontal character title! Excellent character design! I hope you will look forward to this work, which mixes various elements of hard-core and pop culture!

Comment from Hisako Kanemoto, who plays the role of "Great Crested Grebe
───What was your honest feeling when you auditioned and got the part?
I was very happy!
When I was auditioning, I looked at the material of the work. As I am a history buff, I was attracted to the time period with samurai and the detailed world setting. I had never played a character like Grebe before, so I was quite nervous during the audition, but I am very grateful to have been chosen for the role, and I will do my best to play it.

───Please tell us about the character you will be playing. What is it about the character that appeals to you?
Grebe is one of the Toshijiya. He is very good with his hands and often makes kites. He is the youngest of the members and is childlike and innocent. Even when he is doing his handyman thing, he is still somewhat innocent and having fun. Such a part of her makes me imagine how she got to this point in her life as a person named Grebe. Also, her facial expressions are rich and cute!
Even in tense situations, the air-headed grebe will make you feel relaxed!

─ ─ Do you have a message for the fans who are looking forward to the TV anime "REVENGER"?
Just the fact that the story takes place in Nagasaki during the Edo period is exciting, but how will the characters, each with their own circumstances, live their lives and move toward the future there? What exactly is the convenience thing? There is not much I can say yet, but there are some action scenes that are worth watching!
I'm sure you are wondering what kind of story it is, and I would be happy if you look forward to watching it every time!

Comment from Shota Hayama, who plays the role of Soji
───What was your honest impression when you auditioned and were chosen for the role?
When I received the notice, I was surprised, "No way! I was surprised.
It had been too long since I had been in front of a microphone to do a proper dialogue, and I felt that I had become very flustered.
I was just about to work harder, and I was grateful for the wonderful opportunity I was given.

───Please tell us about the character you play. What do you find attractive about the character?
Soji is basically like a sloppy neighborhood older brother who sometimes becomes a dependable older brother.
When I see someone who is living his life for himself with no regard for anything, I sometimes feel jealousy, but at the same time I also feel a kind of pulling power.
I think that the appeal of Soji is his honesty toward life, which is different from the other members of the convenience store and which only Soji possesses.
I like Soji the best when he is with the children, and I think he is able to express himself the most straightforwardly among the many scenes he is in.
The dialogue between Soji and Grebe is exquisite, and I hope you enjoy the various expressions on Soji's face.

─ ─ Do you have a message for the fans who are looking forward to the TV anime "REVENGER"?
I have been talking and discussing with the staff on site, and there are so many things I want to talk about in each episode...!
The stories that we see from the main characters and the sub-characters are heartwarming.
You will discover tools and parts of the backgrounds that you can glimpse, and I think you will be overwhelmed by the energy that the world view radiates.
I can't wait to watch the broadcast with you all and get excited about it.
Please look forward to it!

Original text

Work information
■Original anime "REVENGER
Official website: #Revenger_anime
Official Twitter: @Revenger_anime
Official YouTube: #

＜Broadcast Information
TV broadcasting will start in January 2023.

<Staff> Nitroplus, Shochiku
Nitroplus, Shochiku

<Cast
Raizo Kurima: Jun Kasama
Yuen Usui: Yuichiro Umehara
Teknopa Murakami: Shunsuke Takeuchi
Nioh: Hisako Kanemoto
Soji: Shota Hayama

<Story
Once upon a time, in Nagasaki, which has a different history from ours, .......
Raizo, betrayed by what he believed in, falls into a vile trap, and ends up with his father's hand on his forgiven wife.
He is in mortal danger himself, bearing the unforgivable sin, when he is saved by the town's "Toshikajiya" (convenience store), a man who does everything for a living.
In fact, they are actually "revengers," assassins who take revenge on behalf of the powerless.

YUYUAN, an elegant maki-e artist, lives by a hidden faith.
Tetsuwa, a former pirate doctor, is adored by the townspeople.
The bisexual boy, Grebe, who combines innocence and cruelty.
Soji, a gambler who lives for the day and loves to drink and gamble.

Raizo is half-heartedly picked up and joins a group of assassins who are all different from each other in one way or another.
Through their life-threatening work, a strange friendship is born between the five men, all of whom come from different backgrounds and have different principles and opinions.

Eventually, as they pursue the truth behind an incident in Nagasaki, they become embroiled in a great conspiracy...

<Introduction
Raizo is a man who has lost his place of return after being betrayed by something he believed in.
He is picked up by a hitman named "REVENGER," who takes revenge on behalf of those without power.

The men who normally run the town's "Ribenjiya," or "convenience store," have both a front and back face.
Despite their gentle and mild-mannered demeanor, they are town doctors with hidden destructive impulses.
A beautiful boy of both sexes who combines angelic innocence and unethical cruelty.
A gambler with an eye for money and booze, and a foul mouth who is harsh with others.
He is a maki-e artist with graceful appearance and cool brain who leads such unique people.

These men are clumsy, straightforward, and lacking in character.
As they spend time together, a strange friendship develops between Raizo and them.

They slay people. To resist cruel fate.
Dark hero action of five assassins!

©REVENGER Production Committee