TOUGEN ANKI flips the famous Momotaro Japanese tale on its head in this season’s anime adaptation of the Shōnen Champion manga. In the heroic tale of a boy whose life sprang from a giant peach that his adoptive parents found, Momotaro’s tale of defeating the Oni continues to influence Japanese stories today. Despite its frequent adaptations, Kazuki Ura, the voice behind protagonist Shiki Ichinose, and Takanori Matsuoka, the producer of TOUGEN ANKI, sat down with Anime Trending at Anime Expo 2025 to explain exactly why this story is important and how they hope the audience will interpret it.
Anime Trending: We’re so happy to see you in LA! How has your trip been so far? Anything exciting that’s happened?
Kazuki Ura: Actually, since I just arrived, I haven’t been able to enjoy LA at all yet! I am super looking forward to sightseeing, hopefully seeing Shohei Ohtani, and maybe going to the beach.
California does have good beaches!
Takanori Matsuoka: I would love to see a Dodgers game after the stage event, but unfortunately, I don’t think I have time for it. I’ve already been to AX several times, so in regards to LA, I’ve been to the main spots already. However, I am really looking forward to enjoying the food.
TOUGEN ANKI is almost here! With only a few more days to go, how do you all feel about its release?
Kazuki Ura: I’m happy that I can finally show everyone the show, but at the same time, I’m like, “Is it really ready?” I’ve been working on recordings and media interviews for a long time with the staff. Although I’m happy to finally see it about to air, I’m truthfully a bit nervous about what people’s reactions are going to be.
Takanori Matsuoka: I want fans to come and enjoy it, and I’m looking forward to their reactions. When I was planning the anime, I felt like [the release date] of July 2025 was a long, long time away. But now, I’m like, “It really isn’t, it’s already here!” Time really passes so quickly.
What about TOUGEN ANKI drew you to the series?
Kazuki Ura: TOUGEN ANKI is definitely a shonen manga classic where the characters help the weak and defeat the strong. Each character has very interesting elements to them, and you can see those elements through the battles, and that’s why TOUGEN ANKI drew me in.
Takanori Matsuoka: I think the most interesting thing about TOUGEN ANKI is how the protagonists are not always “right.” Back when I was young, the storyline was always about justice defeating the bad guys. But in this story, depending on which side you come from, who represents justice and who represents villainy changes. For both sides, heroes can turn villainous, and the definition of justice changes. The “good” side is the “bad” side for another character. This change in perspective is what I found most interesting.
How would you describe TOUGEN ANKI’s story and characters?
Kazuki Ura: TOUGEN ANKI’s story is like throwing a wrench into the concept of what’s right and wrong. It’s based on the Japanese folklore about Momotaro. However, in TOUGEN ANKI, “Momotaro” is actually in “the wrong” to my character, Shiki, because he’s on the side of the Oni. As Matsuoka-san said, it’s like the good turns bad, and the bad turns good. This kind of story changes how I feel about what defines something as normal and made me ask, “Is that how it is in real life?” If the character were in a different situation, they would be affected by different things and see things differently.
Takanori Matsuoka: There is one theme — what is justice? Each of the characters has a different interpretation in their mind, and depending on which side they stand on, everything changes. If they had a bad experience, like the Oni with the Momotaro people, that changes how they feel about the other side as well. Viewers shouldn’t feel obliged to think, “Who is in the right?” but if you like philosophy, it will be interesting to look at TOUGEN ANKI in that light.
Kazuki Ura on Voicing Main Character Shiki Ichinose
How did you get the role for Shiki? Or more specifically, what was your journey like from auditioning to getting the call that you got the role?
Kazuki Ura: Firstly, I sent out my voice recording for the first audition. In the second audition, I went to a studio and acted in front of the actual staff, which was the final test. Through that, thankfully, the staff chose me to voice Shiki.
You mentioned in an interview that you aspired to be like Shiki — honest, straightforward, and able to communicate effectively to draw people to you. As you’ve continued your journey voicing him, has any of this changed? What new developments have you seen in Shiki that you didn’t think of before?
Kazuki Ura: From what I answered in the previous interview, my aspiration for Shiki’s straightforward and honest nature hasn’t changed. But as the story progresses, Shiki develops different relationships with different characters, both positively and negatively, and because of that, his sense of values change constantly. Therefore, it also makes me feel complicated because of these precarious influences on Shiki.
Do you need to practice to get into a specific role? How do you go about embodying Shiki compared to the other characters you’ve voiced in the past?
Kazuki Ura: For Shiki, I never actually need any preparation. Previously, I acted as another character that needed acute articulation, so I had to do tongue exercises. But for Shiki, he speaks straightforwardly and casually, so to capture that naturalness in his speech, I’d just listen to other actors act and try to react as naturally as possible.
Aside from Shiki, are there any other characters you are excited to see from the series?
Kazuki Ura: I can’t say much because it would be a spoiler! But there’s a character named Tsubakiri on the Momotaro side, and he’s really, really bad. However, he has a backstory that explains why he turned out that way. I want people to see how Tsubakiri became the way he is, and I look forward to seeing his interactions with Shiki.
If you had the Blood Eclipse Release ability, what kind of weapon would you want?
Kazuki Ura: This is super difficult because Blood Eclipse Release can do anything! If I had to choose, I would want Naito Mudano’s rollerblades, or even a jetpack on my back so I can be where I need to be. I don’t like traveling or commuting, so that’s what I’d want.
That’s relatable!
Takanori Matsuoka on Producing TOUGEN ANKI
How were you approached to be the producer of TOUGEN ANKI?
Takanori Matsuoka: I came across TOUGEN ANKI when I was exploring the bookstore. I saw the first volume of the manga and thought the cover looked really interesting, so I read several volumes of it. When I finished, I contacted the publisher, and that’s how I got involved.
TOUGEN ANKI seems to be one of your biggest forays into battle-action series. What was it like juggling the production schedule and workload of such a high-profile series?
Takanori Matsuoka: All I can say is that Studio HIBARI is working really hard on TOUGEN ANKI, and there’s nothing I can help out in that way. What I do is work closely with the original mangaka, Yura Urushibara-sensei, and the editor to make sure the project becomes something that everyone is satisfied with. That’s how I help out on the production side.
What was it like working alongside Ato Nonaka, a veteran in action anime such as Fate/Zero to deliver TOUGEN ANKI?
Takanori Matsuoka: Not just with Nonaka-san, the staff working on TOUGEN ANKI, but also the other staff from other anime have had different ideas, views, techniques, and methods. There’s always something new that I learn whenever I work with different creators that I haven’t worked with before.
What’s unique about working on Tougen Anki compared to the other series you’ve been involved in?
Takanori Matsuoka: It’s definitely the blood element that they use as their weapon. Expressing liquid materials in anime is really hard. I found that element to be particularly difficult, but it was also interesting exploring ways in which we could express that motion within the anime.
What are you most excited about seeing when the anime is released?
Takanori Matsuoka: I’m really looking forward to the fan reactions, like what part of TOUGEN ANKI they find interesting, who their favorite character is going to be, or if they’re going to have different opinions from mine.
For the fans eagerly waiting for the release of this anime, please give them a few words about what they have to look forward to.
Kazuki Ura: Now having seen the anime, I guarantee it’s going to be really good. Please watch it from the beginning! Enjoy the journey and look forward to the shonen action battle scenes.
Takanori Matsuoka: As I’ve mentioned several times, each character has a different backstory, so please find your favorite character! There’s also going to be a lot of [other forms of] media like games, stage-plays, and things that aren’t anime, so please enjoy the series in its different mediums and find your favorite. We look forward to hearing what you say about TOUGEN ANKI.
TOUGEN ANKI is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix, etc. Give the series a watch and let the production team know which side you stand on and what you like about the anime!
