Sunday, 25 October 2026
Anime, manga, and games, with a take · A Yukimedia publication

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KATO

KATO appears in the provided stories as a model train manufacturer whose Kiha 181 series in JNR color was among the standout 2026 first-half releases, and as a design team member alongside LAM on the DemVAMPS anime. No story establishes KATO's current corporate position beyond these appearances.

Synthesized from 17 Yomimono stories · updated Oct 8

The KATO most consistently visible in recent coverage is the model train maker. In August 2026, railway model writer Wakabayashi Kenya selected 10 N gauge and HO scale products from releases and announcements between January and June 2026, and the list included the KATO Kiha 181 series in JNR color alongside TOMIX and Popondetta items. The picks ran ahead of the International Railway Model Convention in August.

A separate KATO appears in the credits for LAM's original short anime DemVAMPS, announced in October 2026. The design team Rairai Kosha, headed by LAM and Kato, is participating in art direction. The project has LAM as original creator, screenwriter, director, storyboard artist, character designer, and chief animation director, with animation production by HEVN STAGE.

The remaining stories about the name Kato concern different people and projects: Kato Junichi's VALORANT match against the Matagi Snipers, Kazuki Kato among the Kamen Rider Kabuto 20th film theme song performers, Emiri Kato in the new Magic Knight Rayearth cast, Seishiro Kato in the stage adaptation of The Minotaur's Plate, and the late Shinkichi Kato credited as illustrator of the 1993 Kokumin Quiz manga adapted by Netflix. Their inclusions in this dossier only confirm the name's spread across the entertainment beat.

Key facts

Model train selected
The KATO Kiha 181 series in JNR color was among 10 N gauge and HO scale products picked by railway model writer Wakabayashi Kenya from 2026 first-half releases and announcements. ↗
Selection window
The picks covered products released or announced between January and June 2026. ↗
Design team credit
The design team Rairai Kosha, headed by LAM and Kato, is participating in art direction for the DemVAMPS anime. ↗
DemVAMPS production
HEVN STAGE handles animation production for DemVAMPS, with LAM credited as original creator, screenwriter, director, storyboard artist, character designer, and chief animation director. ↗

Timeline

Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.

All coverage

1d ago

Delicious In Dungeon Season 2 Unveils Falin And Sissel Character Visuals

KADOKAWA released newly drawn character visuals and mini character illustrations on October 23 for four characters in Delicious in Dungeon Season 2: Falin, Kabru, Mithrun, and Sissel. Falin is Laios's sister, transformed into a chimera with a dragon by the power of the Mad Mage. Kabru leads a young party traveling the dungeon, and Mithrun is captain of the Canaries, who investigate the dungeon. Sissel is the Mad Mage who controls Falin. Saori Hayami voices Falin, Wataru Katou voices Kabru, Kouki Uchiyama voices Mithrun, and Yuu Kobayashi voices Sissel. The anime adapts Ryouko Kui's manga, which has surpassed 14 million copies in cumulative circulation including digital editions. Season 1 aired in 2024. Director Yoshihiro Miyajima, series composition writer Kimiko Ueno, and character designer Naoki Takeda return from the first season, with TRIGGER handling animation production. Season 2 is scheduled to begin airing in October 2027, with sequential streaming on Netflix and other streaming sites also decided.

3d ago

Kimi to Idol Precure Rerun Starts October 21 on TOKYO MX

TOKYO MX will begin airing Kimi to Idol Precure, the 22nd Precure installment, on October 21 in the Wednesday 19:30 slot previously held by Wonderful Precure. The series uses idols as its motif, names the protagonist's transformed form Cure Idol, and is composed by Yoichi Kato, who worked on the idol anime Aikatsu!. It emphasizes character relationships and daily life over story mysteries.

Oct 15

Friday the 13th Prequel Series Crystal Lake Begins Streaming On U-NEXT

The Friday the 13th prequel drama Crystal Lake / Mother of the Killer started streaming on U-NEXT on October 15. Mie Sonozaki plays Pamela Voorhees, Fairouz Ai plays the boy Jason, and Konatsu Kato plays Grace. Daisuke Namikawa joins the Japanese dub as an important character in the second half, and comedy duo Nanamagari voice the mysterious men in Episode 1.

Oct 8

Yoka Tomaizuru and Bannou Glove Galapagos Dynamos Set Fukuoka Quiz Event for December 12

The Fukuoka Kentei Executive Committee will hold "Fukuoka Entertainment 'Fun-Learning' LIVE 2nd Semester" on Saturday, December 12, 2026 at Meiji Yasuda Hall Fukuoka. VTuber Yoka Tomaizuru and theater troupe Bannou Glove Galapagos Dynamos appear. Attendance is free, with applications opening Thursday, October 8 on the event website. The program includes an improv theater piece, a team quiz against Tomaizuru, and a ceremony for Reiwa 7 fiscal year Fukuoka Kentei passers.

Oct 6

UraLogic Game Company Reports Results From First TGS Booth

UraLogic Game Company, the VTuber agency run by Lighthouse Studio, published a report on its booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026, held at Makuhari Messe from September 17 to September 20. The booth recreated the agency's work PCs, showed life-size panels of five talents, and ran talent livestreams. About 9,000 flyers went out and all 500 limited-edition shoppers were claimed.

Oct 5

Toybox's Yasuhiro Wada Details Fishing RPG Boku To Tsuri Nikki

Imagineer will release the fishing action RPG Boku to Tsuri Nikki, developed by Yasuhiro Wada's studio Toybox, for Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch on October 8, 2026. In a Game Spark interview, Wada says the game asks players to read where fish live and cast without relying on visible fish shadows, with over 100 fish species in rivers and lakes.

Oct 5

LAM Launches DemVAMPS Anime With HIMEHINA Song VAMPY

Illustrator LAM has announced an original short anime project titled DemVAMPS. LAM is credited as original creator, screenwriter, director, storyboard artist, character designer, and chief animation director. The cast includes Saori Onishi as the vampire girl Lavinia and Makoto Koichi as Yo, a boy who serves her. A 90-second animated music video for the song VAMPY, performed by the virtual artist unit HIMEHINA, was released on October 4, 2026. The story follows vampires gathering in Tokyo to fight over succession to a vacant throne. Animation production is handled by HEVN STAGE. The design team Rairai Kosha, headed by LAM and Kato, is participating in art direction. A separate EP also titled VAMPY is set for release on November 27, 2026, through Studio LaRa and Brave group, and collects four tracks including the title song, two new songs, and a remix. Short anime episodes will be released on an irregular update schedule.

Oct 3

Netflix Sets December 17 Debut For Kokumin Quiz Starring Takayuki Yamada

Netflix will stream the live-action series Kokumin Quiz worldwide starting December 17, with all 8 episodes released at once. Takayuki Yamada plays K.K., the host of the in-story quiz program that has become Japan's supreme authority in a parallel-world setting. The show adapts the manga written by Reiichi Sugimoto and illustrated by Shinkichi Kato, published in 1993, which the production describes as having been called impossible to adapt. Teruyuki Yoshida directs from a screenplay he wrote with Maggie. A total of 16 new cast members were announced alongside the date. Riko Ishida plays Mari, a girl of unknown identity who aims for K.K.'s life, and Kana Kurashina plays Ayako, her mother. Koji Seto plays Seiji Nanbara, an activist plotting the collapse of Kokumin Quiz. Masahiro Takashima plays Murakoshi, captain of the punishment squad, Eiko Koike plays producer Shoko Kamijo, and Renji Ishibashi plays Prime Minister Takeshi Gokumazawa. A teaser trailer was also released.

Sep 11

METAL ROBOT Spirits Opens Pre-Orders For Enhanced ZZ Gundam Figure

The Enhanced ZZ Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ is now a METAL ROBOT Spirits (Ka signature) figure, supervised by mechanical designer Hajime Katoki. Pre-orders opened September 11, 2026 at 16:00 on the Tamashii Web Shop inside Premium Bandai, priced at 26,400 yen including tax. Shipping is scheduled for April 2027. Die-cast is used mainly in the joints, and the figure transforms into G-Fortress Mode.

Sep 8

UraLogi Game Company Sets First Tokyo Game Show 2026 Booth

Lighthouse Studio, the CARTA HOLDINGS group company behind the game media site Kamigame Koryaku, will bring its game-specialized VTuber agency UraLogi Game Company to Tokyo Game Show 2026 with a first-time booth at Hall 01-C12. The five talents, who stream entirely in 3D, will hold live real-time chat sessions on the public days and hand out booth-limited goods. TGS 2026 runs September 17-21 at Makuhari Messe, marking the event's 30th anniversary and first five-day run.

Sep 2

Kato Junichi to Face Senior Pro Team Matagi Snipers in VALORANT

Streamer Kato Junichi will face the senior pro gaming team Matagi Snipers in VALORANT on September 13 at 19:00. Kato proposed the matchup during his September 1 Twitch stream. His team currently includes Yuyuta, Koku-nii, and Daso, with remaining slots to be filled by beginners to balance against the seniors' Iron to Silver ranks. Matagi Snipers' players for the match are not yet announced.

Aug 18

Railway Writer Picks 10 Model Trains From 2026 First Half

Railway model writer Wakabayashi Kenya selected 10 N gauge and HO scale products that stood out from releases and announcements between January and June 2026. The list covers KATO, TOMIX, and Popondetta items, including the KATO Kiha 181 series in JNR color and the TOMIX JNR KumoHa 40. The picks appear ahead of the International Railway Model Convention in August.

Aug 6

Metroidvania Akatori Launches on Steam With Staff Combat and Five Worlds

Contrast Games released the Metroidvania action game Akatori on PC via Steam on August 6. The game is priced at 1,999 yen, with a 15% launch discount bringing it to 1,699 yen until August 13. Players control Mako, a martial monk girl raised in the temple of the Fire Bird, who wields a staff containing a mysterious red bird to fight the Amber Storm, a force that erodes and distorts all living things. The adventure spans five worlds with distinct environments, including floating structures and underground cemeteries. The staff serves multiple functions: it is a weapon for combat, a tool for movement such as gliding and sliding, and a device for solving stage gimmicks and finding hidden areas. Players can learn techniques like launching enemies into the air for aerial combos or throwing the staff like a boomerang. Boss battles vary, with some featuring multiple phases, rhythm game-style challenges, or underwater escape sequences. The game also includes a shop where players can spend collected amber crystals on useful items. The Japanese language is supported. Console versions for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One are scheduled for August 12, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version planned for 2027.

Jul 23

Science Saru Produces The Tent of Jadugar Anime for Summer 2026

The 264th episode of Let's Watch Anime will feature The Tent of Jadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, an adaptation of Tomato Soup's historical manga set in 13th-century Mongolia. Science SARU handles animation, with Naoko Yamada as chief director and Abel Gongora directing. The series airs Saturdays at 23:30 on TV Asahi's IMAnimation block.

Jul 10

Kamen Rider Kabuto 20th Film Theme Song Performed by Original Cast Trio

The main poster visual, main trailer, and story for V Cinema Next 'Kamen Rider Kabuto: 20th - Heir to the Sky' have been unveiled. The theme song 'NEXT LEVEL Pass the tofu Version' is performed by Yuki Sato, Hidenori Tokuyama, and Kazuki Kato, their first vocal collaboration in 20 years. The film will screen in theaters from November 6, 2026, with a Blu-ray/DVD release on February 10, 2027. An experiential event 'Kamen Rider Kabuto World 20th CAST OFF' will be held starting September 19, 2026.

Jul 7

Michi Iijima, Former SMAP Manager, Named HYBE JAPAN Executive Producer

Michi Iijima, the former manager of SMAP who helped build the group into a national idol phenomenon, has been appointed J-POP Executive Producer at HYBE JAPAN. She will continue her role at CULEN while working to create new entertainment originating from Japan. HYBE JAPAN cited her multi-talent model and content creation know-how as key to its Japan-specific strategy under HYBE 2.0. Iijima said she is convinced the future lies in fandom and will focus on fusing fandom with entertainment.

Jul 6

Hasegawa Reprints White Knight Order Temjin Kit for Virtual-On 30th Anniversary

Hasegawa is reissuing the VR-747 Temjin Type a8 White Knight Order 1/100 scale plastic model kit to mark the 30th anniversary of Cyber Troopers Virtual-On. The kit, designed by Hajime Katoki, features four-color molded parts, a Sleipnir Mk.6/w weapon, and White Knight Order decals. It is priced at 5,280 yen and ships October 1, 2026.

Jul 4

New Magic Knight Rayearth Anime Trailer Reveals October 7 Debut, More Cast

The new Magic Knight Rayearth anime, celebrating the franchise's 30th anniversary, revealed its second main trailer and key visual at Anime Expo on Saturday. The trailer announced three additional cast members and confirmed an October 7 premiere date. Joining the previously announced cast are Yuki Kaji as Clef, the mage who guides the Magic Knights; Emiri Kato as Presea, the master smith who forges their weapons; and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Ferio, a mysterious swordsman. The previously announced cast includes Ayane Sakura as Hikaru Shido, Rumi Okubo as Umi Ryuuzaki, Rie Takahashi as Fuu Hououji, Saori Hayami as Emeraude, Yuki Ono as Zagato, and Mika Kikuchi as Mokona. Yui Miura is making his series directorial debut with the anime, with series composition by Shigeru Murakoshi, character design by Satomi Watanabe, and music by Yuki Kajiura, Takumi Ozawa, and Shiho Terada. E&H production is handling animation production, and UNLIMITED PRODUCE by TMS is producing the project. The anime will air in the IMAnimation W programming block on TV Asahi and affiliated channels on Wednesdays at 11:45 p.m. JST.

Jun 11

Fujiko F. Fujio's 'The Minotaur's Plate' Gets First Stage Adaptation

The New National Theatre announced the full cast for the world's first stage adaptation of Fujiko F. Fujio's 1969 sci-fi short manga 'The Minotaur's Plate'. Seishiro Kato plays the protagonist crew member, Future Uchida plays the girl Minoa. The play runs December 10-28 at the New National Theatre's Small Theatre in Tokyo. Takuro Suzuki handles adaptation, choreography, and direction.