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Magic Knight Rayearth Anime Casts Saori Hayami, Yuki Ono, Mika Kikuchi

The casting of Mika Kikuchi, who began her voice acting career as Mokona in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, marks a rare instance of a voice actor returning to the same character role across different CLAMP adaptations two decades later.

Key Facts

  • Mika Kikuchi, who voiced Mokona in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, returns to the same role for the new Magic Knight Rayearth anime more than 20 years later.
  • Saori Hayami voices Princess Emeraude, Yuki Ono voices Zagato, and Mika Kikuchi voices Mokona in the new Magic Knight Rayearth anime.
  • The anime premieres in October 2026 on TV Asahi's IMAnimation W block on Wednesdays at 11:45 p.m. JST.
  • A world premiere screening of episodes 1 and 2 takes place at Anime Expo 2026 on July 4, with appearances by voice actors Rie Takahashi and Saori Hayami.
  • The series is directed by Yui Miura in his series directorial debut, with E&H Production handling animation and UNLIMITED PRODUCE by TMS producing.

Reporting from 4 sources: Anime News Network, Anime Corner, Anime Anime, The Fandom Post.

Magic Knight Rayearth Anime Casts Saori Hayami, Yuki Ono, Mika Kikuchi

The new Magic Knight Rayearth anime has added three cast members, the production announced on June 5. Saori Hayami will voice Princess Emeraude, Yuki Ono will play the priest Zagato, and Mika Kikuchi will voice the creature Mokona. The anime is set to premiere in October 2026 on TV Asahi's IMAnimation W block. A world premiere screening of episodes 1 and 2 will take place at Anime Expo 2026 on July 4, with appearances by voice actors Rie Takahashi and Saori Hayami. The series is directed by Yui Miura in his series directorial debut, with E&H Production handling animation. Shigeru Murakoshi is writing the series scripts, Satomi Watabe is designing the characters, and Yuki Kajiura, Takumi Ozawa, and Shiho Terada are composing the music. UNLIMITED PRODUCE by TMS is producing the project. Previously announced main cast members include Ayane Sakura as Hikaru Shido, Rumi Okubo as Umi Ryuzaki, and Rie Takahashi as Fuu Hoji.

Mika Kikuchi, who voiced Mokona in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, said in a statement that Mokona "was the start of my voice acting career." She added, "I had always wished to meet Mokona again someday, but I never imagined it would actually come true." Kikuchi's return to the role comes more than 20 years after her first performance as the creature.

Saori Hayami, cast as Princess Emeraude, said she approached the recording "hoping to imbue Princess Emeraude's delicate emotions into my voice." Yuki Ono, voicing the priest Zagato, said the audition "was extremely challenging, but that made it rewarding." He added that he wants "to perform while empathizing with his own 'wishes.'"

The world premiere screening at Anime Expo 2026 on July 4 will include appearances by Rie Takahashi, who voices Fuu Hoji, and Hayami. The anime will air in October 2026 on TV Asahi's IMAnimation W block on Wednesdays at 11:45 p.m. JST.

Synthesized by Yomimono from the 4 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.

Magic Knight Rayearth Saori Hayami Yuki Ono Mika Kikuchi

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