The Jump Festa ’26 stage was the scene of an important announcement for Tadatoshi Fujimaki's manga adaptation. The latest promotional video for the anime Kill Blue has been shown to the public at the event.
This announcement brings certainty regarding the air schedule as well as the lineup of voice actors who will be involved in this production. New visuals for the series were also introduced along with the promotional video.
Kill Blue Release Schedule and Voice Cast
Based on the information revealed in the promotional video, anime is scheduled to debut in Spring 2026. The premiere will be in April. The video also gives a little sneak peek of the character Shin Kohazame who will appear in the story.
The main focus of this announcement is the introduction of six new cast members. They will be joined by Shunsuke Takeuchi who was previously confirmed to be voicing the protagonist Juzo Ogami in his adult form.
For the character of Juzo Ogami in teenage form, the role was given to Yuko Sanpei. The rest of the supporting cast involves familiar names in the anime industry. Fuka Izumi will be voicing the character Noren Mitsuoka.
The character of Kotatsu Nekota will be played by Shuichiro Umeda. Takeo Otsuka has been appointed to bring Tenma Tendo to life. The cast list is complete with Atsumi Tanezaki who will play the role of Chisato Shiraishi. In addition, Yumi Uchiyama has also joined the production to voice Eri Wanibuchi.
Kill Blue Story Synopsis
The story centers on the figure of Juzo Ogami. He is described as a legend in the world of underground. His name alone is enough to make others feel trepidation. He is known as a hitman who always manages to handle every job he receives.
The situation changes when Juzo wakes up and finds himself in the body of a teenager. He must find out the cause of his physical transformation.
This quest for answers forces him to infiltrate places he never expected. Juzo must re-enter the high school environment to solve the mystery that befell his body.
Production and Studio Staff
The director position for this anime is held by Hiro Kaburagi. He was previously known for his work in Great Pretender, Hozuki's Coolheadedness, and My Little Monster. Character design was handled by Miho Daidoji. Daidoji has long experience as an animation director for three seasons of Kuroko's Basketball and movies Last Game.
The main animation production was done by CUE studio. This is the first television series in which CUE acted as the main animation production studio. The studio was founded by game developer and internet service DMM in 2023.
CUE is led by Rui Kuroki who serves as president and CEO. Kuroki was previously an executive officer and production manager at Production I.G.
Background of Tadatoshi Fujimaki's Manga Works
Tadatoshi Fujimaki launched the manga in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in April 2023. The serialization of the manga ended on September 1. The 13th volume of the compilation book, the final volume, was shipped on December 4.
Alongside the final volume of the manga, a novel adaptation titled Kill Ao Secret Report by Kiyoko Hoshi was also released on the same date. Viz Media released the manga in both digital and print formats. The fourth volume of the print version was released on December 9. The MANGA Plus service also released the manga digitally.
Fujimaki was previously widely known through the manga Kuroko's Basketball which was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 2008 to 2014. The manga has inspired three seasons of television anime, two compilation anime movies, one new anime movie, sequel manga, light novels, spinoff manga, and a series of stage performances.
Before working on his latest series, Fujimaki published a one-shot in Weekly Shonen Jump in January 2020. He then published an action-comedy academy manga one-shot titled Kiruaoharu in December 2021. Now, fans can look forward to an animated adaptation of his latest work in 2026.
