Ayumu Murase is no longer the voice of Kanon Himeno in The Idolmaster SideM after a decade in the role, with Koki Ino set to succeed him. He remains attached to several announced projects, including Now That We Draw, Magic Knight Rayearth, Inherit the Winds, Soara and the House of Monsters, and a Switch port of Otogibanashi.
Ayumu Murase's SideM departure is the throughline of the most recent coverage. Bandai Namco Entertainment announced on August 18, 2026 that he would leave the role of Kanon Himeno, a character he had voiced for over 10 years, and on August 28 named Koki Ino as his successor. Existing audio in 315 Production episodes will not be replaced for now, though some parts may be replaced in future operations, and Murase continues to voice Himeno in the MONTHLY THEME SONG 10 Mofumofuen release and in some performances within THE IDOLM@STER SideM 11th STAGE ~EVER EVER@FTER~.
Elsewhere the casting announcements cluster in the second half of 2026. Murase is Heisuke Todo in Inherit the Winds, which premieres in January 2027 on the Agaru Anime block across CBC, TBS, and 26 affiliates with an early theatrical preview in 2026. He is Ascot in the new Magic Knight Rayearth anime, which debuts October 7 in the IMAnimation W programming block on TV Asahi and affiliated channels. In Now That We Draw he stars as Yuki Uehara opposite Sayumi Suzushiro as Niina Miyamoto, with a January 2027 premiere at ROLL2. Kirik in Soara and the House of Monsters, Blacklist in Daemons of the Shadow Realm, and a role in Ojisan wa Kawaii Mono ga Osuki. round out the television slate.
Game and franchise work continues alongside it. HuneX's Switch version of Otogibanashi releases December 24 with a newly recorded voice for Hinode by Murase, and the Bananya anniversary anime Bananya At Home Party premiered July 10 with Murase returning to the cast. The Bakumatsu-era role in Inherit the Winds and the fantasy parts at FelixFilm and Bones Film place him across production committees rather than in one studio's stable.
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The Psyren television anime's official account announced Thursday that Reiko Suzuki voices Elmore Tenjuin and Ayumu Murase voices Van Tenjuin. The series debuted on October 5, with Crunchyroll streaming it worldwide outside Japan and China alongside an English dub. Satelight animates, Katsumi Ono directs, and Shin Yoshida oversees series scripts. REMOW has said the anime will adapt the manga to its conclusion.
HoYoverse will stream the preview program for Genshin Impact Version 7.2, subtitled "When the End Comes," from 21:00 on October 23. The broadcast runs on the official Genshin YouTube channel and official X account. Yusuke Kobayashi (voice of Mitiya), Ayumu Murase (voice of Venti), and Gen Sato (voice of Alyosha) are listed as the cast for the program. The thumbnail image for the stream shows Anastasia alongside Mitiya, Vesna, and Noi. Noi is voiced by Shinichiro Miki and was named as one of the new characters at the opening of Snezhnaya. Other new characters have since appeared in the game, but Noi has yet to be addressed in the story. The illustration set the keyword "Noi-san" to No. 1 on X. HoYoverse announced the program on October 21, 2026. Inside also renders the subtitle as "When Descending to the End."
A Japanese dub of Michael, the biographical film about Michael Jackson, opens at 225 theaters nationwide from October 30. Mamoru Miyano voices Michael (Jaafar Jackson) and Akio Otsuka voices Joseph (Colman Domingo). Wendarland Asada George plays young Michael and Kyoko Sakai plays Katherine. A trailer is out. In Japan the film has drawn over 5.56 million admissions and 8.7 billion yen.
The television anime of Kyu Takahata and Yuji Kaba's Now That We Draw manga released its first full promotional video and character visuals on Thursday, and the video sets a January 2027 premiere. Shunsuke Ishikawa is directing at ROLL2, with Deko Akao supervising and writing the series scripts and Hiromi Nakagawa designing the characters. The newly announced staff includes Sub-Character Design by Momoka Izumi, Color Key Artist Yurie Matsuura, Art Director Arei Saiga, Compositing Director of Photography Hayato Kifune, 3D CG by Masashi Watanabe, Editing by Mai Hasegawa, Sound Director Fumiyuki Go, Sound Effects by Ryuta Nakahara, and Music by Yoshiaki Miura, with Infinite producing. Ayumu Murase and Sayumi Suzushiro star as Yuki Uehara and Niina Miyamoto, the two aspiring manga creators who agree to a fake relationship to gain the romantic experience their work lacks. The manga runs in Hakusensha's Young Animal. Seven Seas Entertainment licensed it, and the eighth Japanese volume is due September 29.
The KyoMAF special stage for the new Magic Knight Rayearth anime revealed a second main trailer on Sunday, along with two theme songs and four additional cast members. Toaka performs the opening theme "Otome no Tsurugi" (A Young Lady's Sword), and Yurina Kawaguchi performs the ending theme "Hoshiakari" (Starlight); the trailer previews both. Mamiko Noto joins as Alcione, Ayumu Murase as Ascot, Hitomi Ueda as Caldina, and Hiroki Yasumoto as Lafarga. The event also confirmed the anime will air for two consecutive cours, a half-year run. It debuts on October 7 in the IMAnimation W programming block on TV Asahi and affiliated channels at 11:45 p.m. (10:45 a.m. EDT). Ayane Sakura, Rumi Okubo, and Rie Takahashi lead as Hikaru Shido, Umi Ryuzaki, and Fuu Hououji. Yui Miura directs in his series directorial debut, with E&H production animating, Shigeru Murakoshi on series scripts, Satomi Watabe designing characters, and Yuki Kajiura, Takumi Ozawa, and Shiho Terada composing.
HuneX announced on September 17 that the Nintendo Switch version of Otogibanashi will release on December 24 at 8,580 yen for packaged and download editions. The port, from the dramatic create brand, adds a newly recorded voice for Hinode by Ayumu Murase, new Case Files episodes and voice, a BGM viewing mode, a voice save function, and multilingual subtitles in Japanese, English, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), and Korean.
Aniplex released the second cast-reveal PV for the original TV anime Kaze wo Tsugu Mono on September 12. The video carries the first character voices for Ryohei Kimura as Shinpachi Nagakura, Ayumu Murase as Heisuke Todo, Shinba Tsuchiya as Sanosuke Harada, Takeo Otsuka as Keisuke Yamanami, and Yasuyuki Kase as Kamo Serizawa. Comments from the five actors were also released.
Bandai Namco Entertainment announced on August 28, 2026 that voice actor Koki Ino will succeed Ayumu Murase as the voice of Kanon Himeno in The Idolmaster SideM. Murase's graduation from the role was announced on August 18, following amicable discussions between both parties about the character's future. Ino expressed his intention to cherish what has been built so far while giving his best in the role. A special live stream to welcome Ino is scheduled for September 1 at 19:00 JST on YouTube and Niconico Live. The stream will feature Shugo Nakamura as Teru Tendo, Sho Kano as Yukihiro Kamiya, Shogo Yano as Nao Okamura, Keisuke Furuhata as Shiro Tachibana, and Ino as Kanon Himeno. During the program, staff will announce Kanon Himeno's future voice schedule and share details about the event 315 Production presents FANTASIC BATTLE FES ~Wanna step in~. The announcement notes that existing audio in 315 Production episodes will not be replaced for now, though some audio may be replaced in future operations. Ino will appear in the upcoming FES performances and related content announced after August 28.
Voice actor Ayumu Murase is leaving the role of Kanon Himeno in THE IDOLM@STER SideM, Bandai Namco Entertainment announced on August 18. Murase's agency, Aster Nine, said the decision came from discussions between both parties with the future of the character and the work in mind, and that the parting is amicable. Murase has voiced the character for over 10 years. Kanon Himeno is a former child model idol and a member of the kids idol unit Mofumofuen, alongside Shiro Tachibana (voiced by Keisuke Furuhata) and Nao Okamura (voiced by Shogo Yano). A new cast member will be added to support Mofumofuen, with details to be announced later. Audio already released in 315 Production episodes and other content will not be replaced for now, though some parts may be replaced in future operations. Murase will continue to provide the voice for Kanon Himeno in the MONTHLY THEME SONG 10 Mofumofuen release and in some performances within THE IDOLM@STER SideM 11th STAGE ~EVER EVER@FTER~. The replacement schedule and the new cast member will be announced at a later date.
The Ojisan wa Kawaii Mono ga Osuki. TV anime revealed its October 4 premiere date, a key visual, and three new cast members on Friday. Takuya Eguchi, Yūki Kaji, and Ayumu Murase join the series, which stars Kazuyuki Okitsu as Mitsutaka Oji and Miyu Tomita as Pugtaro.
The original TV anime Inherit the Winds announced Ayumu Murase will play Todo Heisuke, assistant vice commander of the Mibu Roshigumi. The show premieres in January 2027 on the Agaru Anime block across CBC, TBS, and 26 affiliates, with an early theatrical preview in 2026. The cast includes Daisuke Sakuma, Yuki Kaji, and others.
Kadokawa announced on Wednesday a television anime adaptation of Hidenori Yamaji's manga *Soara and the House of Monsters*, with a 2027 premiere window. The announcement came alongside an ultra teaser promotional video, an ultra teaser visual, and the reveal of the main cast and staff. Ikumi Hasegawa voices Soara, a girl raised to fight monsters who finds herself out of work when peace is declared. Ayumu Murase voices Kirik, a dwarf architect who builds homes for monsters. Takaharu Ozaki, known for *BASTARD!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy-* and *Goblin Slayer*, directs the series at FelixFilm. Ayumu Hisao handles series scripts, Tomoko Iwasa designs the characters, and Hinako Tsubakiyama composes the music. The manga launched on Shogakukan's Sunday Webry website in November 2021 and has seven compiled volumes, with the seventh releasing in Japan on August 10. Seven Seas Entertainment publishes the English edition. Yamaji also drew a commemorative illustration for the announcement.
The Bananya franchise announced a new anime, Bananya At Home Party, to celebrate the first anime's 10th anniversary. It will premiere on July 10 on Japanese streaming services, with a world premiere at Anime Expo on July 4. Returning staff and cast include director Kyō Yatate and voice actors Yūki Kaji and Ayumu Murase.
The television anime adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa's manga Daemons of the Shadow Realm (Yomi no Tsugai) announced five new cast members on Sunday, May 31. Yū Shimamura will voice Natsuki Kurotani, and Hayato Fujii will play Fuyuki Kurotani. Ayumu Murase joins as Blacklist. Ako Mayama and Shigeru Chiba will voice the dual role of Tenaga Ashinaga (Long Arms Long Legs), debuting in the anime's 10th episode on June 6. The anime premiered on April 4 on Tokyo MX, BS11, and other channels, and is set for two consecutive cours. Crunchyroll streams the series with a same-day English dub. Bones Film produces the anime, with Masahiro Andō directing, Noboru Takagi handling series scripts, and Nobuhiro Arai designing characters. Kenichiro Suehiro composes the music. Vaundy performs the opening theme "Tobu Toki" (Time to Fly), and singer yama performs the ending theme "Tobō yo" (Let's Fly). Arakawa launched the manga in Monthly Shonen Gangan in December 2021; the 13th volume ships July 10.