Kei Mochizuki, the illustrator behind Hatsune Miku's original design, is currently active in the franchise through new figure releases and a Magic: The Gathering collaboration deck, with artwork appearing in products scheduled through 2026 and 2027.
Kei Mochizuki, the original designer of Hatsune Miku, remains a central figure in the character's ongoing merchandise and crossover projects. The most recent story confirms that Furyu will release a prize figure of Racing Miku 2025 Sepang Ver., based on an illustration by Kei Mochizuki. The figure, part of the Muchutto Figure line, depicts Miku in a summer racing style with a water gun, and is set to arrive as a prize in the 4th week of August 2026.
Kei Mochizuki's involvement extends to the Magic: The Gathering collaboration. The Secret Lair Commander Deck: Hatsune Miku, announced by Wizards of the Coast, includes 14 borderless cards illustrated by Kei Mochizuki, Naoki Saito, and Hachi. Orders for the deck opened on August 11, with delivery planned within 2027. This marks another instance of Kei Mochizuki's artwork being used in a major crossover product, following the earlier Racing Miku figure announcement.
Across the stories, Kei Mochizuki's role is consistently tied to Hatsune Miku's visual identity, from the annual Racing Miku series to the trading card game collaboration. The coverage shows a steady stream of products featuring his illustrations, with no indication of a departure from this role. The stories do not mention any other projects or personal details about Kei Mochizuki, focusing solely on the products that carry his artwork.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.
Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/kei.
CC BY 4.0.
The sequel to ABEMA's crime drama Metropolitan Police Department Narcotics Division MOGURA will stream all six episodes free from 21:00 on Wednesday, December 23. Rapper Hannya returns as lead, playing former police officer and rapper Shokichi Izanagi. RAPSTAR 2025 winner Pxrge Trxxxper joins as co-lead Legion, a young rapper drawn into crime, in his acting debut.
Fujimi Model is adding three Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) container items. A 1/150 scale finished 40ft reefer container in the Train-NEXT Series uses a new mold and ships as a two-piece painted set with the MOL logo, alligator mark and two container numbers printed. A 1/24 scale 20ft dry container kit comes in gray and green. The reefer is scheduled for January 20, 2027 at 2,530 yen; the kits are January 26, 2027 at 4,290 yen each.
Frédérick Raynal, creator of Alone in the Dark, and Keiichiro Toyama, creator of Silent Hill and SIREN, spoke together at The Tenth Mosaic, a game culture festival held at the Institut francais du Japon in Tokyo on September 22 and 23, 2026. Raynal called his own game clumsy and its scenario an excuse for crude graphics, and said he long assumed nobody remembered it. Toyama said he considers Raynal his master.
Nintendo will run a Nintendo Switch Online Free Trial for Obakeidoro 2 from October 26 at 12:00 to November 1 at 17:59. Subscribers can download the game from its Nintendo Store or eShop page and play it free once the period opens. The asymmetrical action game splits players into Human and Ghost teams for three-minute matches, supports up to eight players, and offers online and local multiplayer.
COSMICPUP STUDIO, a Tencent-affiliated developer, announced the open-world RPG Human Whimsy Project on October 21 for Japan, Europe, and the US. The game is set in Elysian, a floating city of many islands where humans live alongside beings called Fushigi. Players are special investigators recognized by the Elysian Investigation Bureau, taking requests from both humans and Fushigi. The first PV follows a paper-bag-wearing protagonist and assistant Arabella, described as a Fushigi of clothes who lives inside a painting, through an incident that turns humans into gingerbread men. Combat is 3D action: players guard on timing, switch companions in real time, and attack. One boss fight with the Nightingale Girls runs as simultaneous combat with 8 bodies and includes a roulette that deals heavy damage on a red space. The footage was made with Unreal Engine 5. It is free-to-play for PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, with pre-registration open on the official website.
Keisuke Yoshida's film Mentor opened October 16 on 204 screens and drew 103,822 admissions with 161.64 million yen in ticket revenue over four days. Hayato Isomura and Seiya Suezawa star, with Go Ayano co-starring. The film also took the NETPAC Best Asian Film award at the 42nd Warsaw International Film Festival, where jurors cited its treatment of forgiveness.
Kayac opened a Steam store page on October 19 for Chopstick Simulator, a physics game by Kei Furukawa. Players move beans from one bowl to another with keyboard-operated chopsticks, solo or in online co-op for up to 4 players. Bowls hold 50 to as many as 1000 beans. The page lists it as free-to-play. No release date is set.
Anime Herald runs an essay by Lettuce on Japanese messy vlogs, a TikTok style in which faceless creators show a day of solitary routine: morning coffee and a cigarette, makeup, pale filters, and whimsical room decor. Creators such as Rin00yu, imlynzzz, and rzkillx tag the videos with jirai kei, a fashion subculture the piece links to mental illness. The essay reads Chainsmoker Cat and jirai kei aesthetics against sanitized depictions of mental illness.
Marvelous will release ETERNAL ANIMA, a new turn-based JRPG, on March 4, 2027 for Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, the Steam version arriving March 5 at 3:00. The title was first shown in 2023 as PROJECT LIFE is RPG and was formally revealed on September 9, 2026. Players control Wade, who uses the ability Dokushijutsu to read memories left in objects and travel between a submerged world's past and present. Combat runs on Future Prediction Battle, which displays enemy actions, damage, and turn order before a command is locked in, with no random damage or evasion. Striking a weakness pushes an enemy back on the timeline; repeated hits cancel its turn in a Break. Jobs and skills come through Wisdom Inheritance from relics. Director Katsuhisa Higuchi and producer Makoto Shiota spoke about the system in interviews published alongside hands-on previews.
Kei Urana said Thursday on X that Gachiakuta will resume on November 11. Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine had said on September 8 that it would announce a return date once one was set. The magazine's last new chapter ran in the combined 36th and 37th issue that shipped on August 5, and its site has since listed the series as on hiatus for Urana's research.
The Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, and DVD of Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash - The Witch of Circe arrive January 27, 2027. A two-week limited re-screening runs from December 11, with a December 12 stage greeting in Tokyo featuring Kensho Ono, Reina Ueda, director Shukou Murase, and producer Keisuke Kasai.
Hamster will release Arcade Archives Special Forces U.A.G. on October 15, 2026 for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Arcade Archives 2 Special Forces U.A.G. arrives the same day for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The original Seta shooting game shipped in 1987. Owners of the Switch or PS4 version can buy the Arcade Archives 2 release at a 330 yen discount.
The Japan Society hosted a preview screening of the first episode of Hirayasumi, which is still undergoing finishing touches ahead of its January 2027 premiere. Production +h. animated the adaptation of Keigo Shinzo's manga. Composer Kaori Sawada, anime producer Junichi Katsutani, and Shogakukan's Junya Okamoto took part in a post-screening Q&A.
Keisuke Yoshida's film Mentor, starring Hayato Isomura and Seiya Suezawa with Go Ayano, held its world premiere in the International Competition at the 42nd Warsaw International Film Festival. Screenings on October 10 and 11 drew over 200 people to the Palace of Culture and Science, with laughter during the film and applause at the credits. Yoshida attended both Q&As.
Mindware's Mikito Ichikawa and composer Yuriko Keino discussed Dropping Drops, a physical action puzzle game played with a MIDI controller. Ichikawa said he first made it in October 2025 as a sample for a talk, then developed it seriously after positive reactions at a retro PC event. The two also discussed Ichikawa's background and 1980s Namco style.
Kadokawa's Dengeki Bunko imprint announced on Friday that writer Keiichi Sigsawa and illustrator Kouhaku Kuroboshi, the duo behind Kino's Journey, will launch a new light novel series titled Drifted ~John Smith no Edo Hyoryu Kitan~. The first volume ships on November 10. The story follows a wandering man who works jobs alongside ninjas, yokai, and preternatural-powered beings.
Bandai Namco released a new Tekken 8 gameplay trailer at EVO France 2026 on October 11 for the additional character Roger Jr., the kangaroo parent and child. A first look at the 3D model of guest character Yujiro Hanma, who joins this winter as the fourth additional character of Season 3, closed the trailer, though his battle system and specific moves were not shown.
Six titles are joined in a 2026 fall anime feature, among them the magical suspense series Magical Girl Raising Project restart, adapted from Asari Endo's light novels and animated by SynergySP; an esper comedy, Choujun! Choujou Senpai; and a second season of the Pierrot magical girl work Magical Sisters LuluttoLily. The feature also lists Yuru Yuru Zukan, Chokotto Yabasity, and Rakuraku Hanten. Hiroyuki Hashimoto directs the Raising Project restart adaptation.
The full trailer and main poster for 'Cho Uchu Keiji Gavan Infinity VS Laya' have been released. Gavan Eternity, previously kept secret, is worn by Taito Gado (played by Takahiro Fujimoto), who was supposed to have died in the line of duty in the TV series. The theme song 'Feeling your Dream,' written by the five-member group 7ORDER, is unveiled. The film screens for a limited time from Friday, December 11 at Shinjuku Wald 9 and other theaters.
THE FIRST TAKE announced its 714th episode, with the rock band Wasurenrannee Yo making its appearance on the channel. The band will perform I Love Iu, a 2022 song that drew attention when Futsuu no Keionbu characters Hatochi and others sang it in episode 96, the joint live concert arc. The video premieres October 9 at 22:00. The band formed in 2008 and its only current member is vocalist and guitarist Takahiro Shibata.
Dark Horse announced at its New York Comic Con 2026 panel that it will release Gou Tanabe's The Outsider and Other Early Adaptations collection, translated by Zack Davisson, gathering Tanabe's take on H.P. Lovecraft's The Outsider plus his Ju-Ga and adaptations of Anton Chekhov's The House with a Mezzanine and Maxim Gorky's 26 Men and a Girl. Dark Horse also announced Martial War, a graphic novel co-created by Hiroyuki Takei, Will Carter, and Aidan White, and the comic Blue Eye Samurai: Cry of the Yurei.
Mindware will release the action puzzle game 'Lott Lott Lott Lott' for PC via Steam on November 7, 2026. It is a rebirth of YUKI's 1984 magazine-submitted game 'Lott Lott Lott,' made with the creator's permission. Players swap the contents of 16 rooms to control a ball and aim for a high score within a time limit. Yuriko Keino handles sound.
MESON co-created an XR gallery called Immersive Wood Gallery with Azusa Sekkei and Azusa Research Institute as part of Azusa Sekkei's 80th anniversary project. The location-based MR walkthrough uses Apple Vision Pro at HANEDA SKY CAMPUS, the firm's headquarters, and lets visitors experience the circulation from forests to timber to architecture. MESON handled planning, experience design, 3DCG, and application implementation.
Three character PVs for the film mentor, directed by Keisuke Yoshida and starring Hayato Isomura and Seiya Suezawa as co-leads, have been released through the film's official social media. The PVs cover Ryunosuke (Isomura), Takumi (Suezawa), and Nonomoto (Go Ayano). The film opens nationwide on Friday, October 16, following two men who reunite after 15 years with a victim of a fire they caused as boys.
Frederick Raynal of Alone in the Dark, Keiichiro Toyama of Silent Hill, Makoto Shibata of Fatal Frame, and Kono Hifumi of Clock Tower appeared at The Tenth Mosaic in Tokyo on September 22 and 23, 2026. The panel covered the origins of their series and the design thinking behind horror that places fear in what players cannot see.
At The Tenth Mosaic, held September 22 and 23 at the Tokyo French Institute, Yoko Taro opened the festival in conversation with Keisuke Okabe, director of ENDER LILIES. Okabe said he came to games from doujin manga, was hired by Neverland Company, drew and wrote for a mobile project, and grew into directing. ENDER LILIES began as a Slack proposal, reached a three-month mockup, and shipped after three to four years with roughly 500 million yen.
The sixth issue of the gravure mook PARADE is on sale now, priced at 1,980 yen including tax. It runs A4 and 96 pages from Shogakukan, released October 1, 2026. Hinano Himeno, leader of the idol group #Mooove!, takes the front cover. Rina Koike, who has appeared in Kamen Rider Kiva and Ultraman Ginga S, takes the back cover. Maikichi of Super Space Sheriff Gavan: Infinity appears in the pages.
360Channel Inc., a Colopl Group company based in Tokyo, handled the planning, production, and direction of an interactive information character named Sakimai Ichika for SIX WAKE ROPPONGI, a boat racing information hub in Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo. The character appears at the facility starting Thursday, October 1, 2026. Illustrator lack designed the character, whose visuals are entirely newly drawn, with no generative AI used in the CG conversion. Sakimai Ichika runs on a conversational AI system and is set as a rookie announcer who publicizes boat racing from the facility. She answers questions about boat racing, introduces racers, handles everyday conversation, and supports commemorative photos. Her backstory describes a serious hard worker whose enthusiasm sometimes causes stumbles, and whose goal is to handle commentary for an SG (Special Grade) race. The stated aims are improving visitor satisfaction at SIX WAKE ROPPONGI and communicating boat racing's appeal to new fans.
Yoko Taro, director of NieR:Automata, and Keisuke Okabe, director of ENDER LILIES and ENDER MAGNOLIA, held a one-hour talk session at The Tenth Mosaic, a game culture event at the Institut francais de Tokyo in Tokyo on September 22 and 23, 2026. Taro served as MC and drew out Okabe on the making of the ENDER series. Okabe described a method he calls "stress-driven development": when envy of a strong game sets in, he plays a Steam title with Mixed user reviews to rebuild his confidence, then studies its missteps for his own work. He said he picks such games when the store page pitch reads well but the ratings do not. Taro said he never feels envy and described his own role as filling gaps no one else has covered.
Arganoid Industries will release Reality Drift on November 12 for PC via Steam, with a Japanese release appearing on November 11 in-store depending on time zone. The roguelike racer sends players through 26 delivery missions, races 99 opponents who also collect upgrades, and uses a card deck drawn between areas. Some course designs are handled by Keita Takahashi.
Sasami Kamone announced on September 26 that they will draw the manga adaptation of Keishi Ayasato's Seijo Seisen -Taizai Yusha to Omoide no Majo- light novel series. The manga will run on the Suiyobi wa Mattari Dash X Comic page of the Nico Nico Seiga website, with no start date given beyond "soon." Ayasato's first novel shipped in June 2025 under Shueisha's Dash X Bunko imprint, with illustrations by Genyaky.
Junko Yagami sings the ending theme for "Yamato yo Towa ni REBEL3199 Chapter 7: Rainbow-Colored Reincarnation," the final chapter of the Space Battleship Yamato 2199 series. The song, "Haruka e, Towa e," has lyrics by Yohei Matsui, music by Hiroshi Miyagawa and Akira Miyagawa, and arrangement by Akira Miyagawa. Yagami last performed a Yamato theme in 1983 with "Love Supreme ~Shijou no Ai~" for Space Battleship Yamato: Final Chapter. The music video is out on the official YouTube channel. Seven character visuals on rainbow-colored backgrounds also released, covering figures including Susumu Kodai, Yuki Mori, and Sasha. The chapter begins screenings on Friday, October 30, 2026. General director and scriptwriter Harutoshi Fukui leads the production, with Naomichi Yamato directing and Satelight on animation. The cast includes Daisuke Ono, Houko Kuwashima, Megumi Han, and Koichi Yamadera.
Brave group Inc. changed the management structure of the company and its group companies on October 1, 2026, the same day it entered its 10th fiscal year since its founding in October 2017. The Tokyo-based company, led by Representative Director Keito Noguchi, appointed three new executive officers: Taku Kusakabe as CLO, Takashi Senoo as CHRO, and Akio Nishi as CIO. Kyuyeon Kim, Yutaka Takeda, and Yu Yamazaki moved up to senior executive officer, keeping their roles over IP Production, IP Platform and Solutions, and accounting respectively. Tetsuro Ogushi shifted from CRO to CGO, and Yuji Watanabe from CHRO to CGMO. At group companies, Yuki Oishi became a director of ENILIS and Kazunari Sugano a director of Neo-Porte. Brave group says the changes aim to speed up business expansion in Japan and overseas and deepen collaboration across the group.
Banpresto showed painted prototypes of four ESPRESTO prize figures for rurudo's original characters: Eve and Angel Police Elle on one post, Noah and Hatsune on another. The two posts, dated September 24, 2026, point to translucent coloring and delicate sculpting. The Noah and Hatsune post states the figures are scheduled to appear as crane game prizes in March 2027.
PLAYISM is giving the FPS (First-Person Feeding Game) Full Stomach Escape Plan a major spotlight at Tokyo Game Show 2026, with a booth built as a prison recreated from the game. The demo runs about 10 minutes. Players eat rigged prison meals, including bug-infested white rice and a course described as outer space. It is the latest work by Jii-ma, scheduled for release on Steam in 2027.
The film mentor, directed by Keisuke Yoshida, has been selected for the competition section of the 42nd Warsaw International Film Festival, which runs October 9 to 18, with a screening set for October 10. It has also been selected for Taiwan's 26th Kaohsiung Film Festival, running October 9 to 26, where Hayato Isomura, Seiya Ozawa, and Yoshida will appear on stage. The film opens nationwide on October 16.
Hakusensha's Young Animal magazine announced that Sekina Aoi's Asobi no Kankei novels will be adapted into a manga by Koruri, starting in the next issue on September 25. Kurehito Misaki is credited as character designer. The story follows Kotarou Tokiwa, a substitute manager at a board game cafe who invents an imaginary girlfriend to hide his crush on a coworker.
Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine addressed the ongoing Gachiakuta hiatus on September 8, stating it will announce the manga's return once decided. The magazine's last new chapter ran in the combined 36th and 37th issue shipped August 5. Issue pages since have said the break is for creator Kei Urana to conduct research. Kodansha published the 19th collected volume on July 16, and the anime adaptation premiered in July 2025.
Aroma brand Lovaroma has opened pre-orders for seven collaboration items with Otomate's women's romance adventure game Matsurika no Kei -kEi- Tenmeiin Iden, priced from 2,900 to 32,300 yen including tax. The pre-order window runs from September 12 to October 18, 2026, with delivery set for December 2026. The concept is "turn your home into a sacred site."
Akita Shoten announced on September 10 a collaboration between Keisuke Itagaki's Baki manga and the Japan National Tourism Organization. The booklet, "10 Smart Travel Tips for Japan," selects ten items from input by JNTO overseas offices in 26 cities. It covers hands-free sightseeing, regional visits, public transport behavior, and manners at temples, shrines, and hot springs, with Baki characters presenting the topics. It is produced in English, Korean, French, and Spanish, with posters and stickers also planned.
Geoff Keighley, the host and producer of The Game Awards and Summer Game Fest, and Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PS4 and PS5, have co-founded Nova Games Foundation, a nonprofit that funds young game creators. The foundation runs a fellowship program for university graduates who want to move directly into original game development after finishing school. It partners with 13 universities worldwide and targets games with artistic, literary, or social value. Each year Nova selects 20 fellows and gives each $100,000, with up to $500,000 in additional support for especially promising projects. Fellows receive mentoring and promotion from industry leaders. Developers keep ownership of their work, choose their own publisher and platform, and Nova takes no equity and requires no repayment. The foundation is independent of Keighley's events and of PlayStation. Per Game File, both men donated several million dollars at the founding and plan to keep funding it. Keighley said he has avoided commercial investment in games because of his industry position and seeks no financial return. Cerny, aware of his late career, said he wants to give back to the next generation. Applications open in December 2026, with details due mid-September.
Takara Tomy's Plarail SGX line adds Shinkalion Doctor Yellow, a five-car train that transforms into a robot. Its laser weapon shifts between two forms, and included cross attachments allow a seven-car combination with other SGX products. A special set bundles Doctor Yellow with SGX01 Shinkalion E5 Hayabusa for immediate cross combination. Both items release October 24, 2026, at 7,286 yen and 10,890 yen, and are open for pre-order on Amazon.co.jp.
Keigo Atobe, the Hyotei captain and student council president from The New Prince of Tennis, appears on the cover of the special edition of anan issue 2514, set for release on October 7, 2026. The visual shows the middle school third-year in a black suit on a red sofa. Social media praise followed, with comments calling him "too cool" and questioning whether a middle schooler should look so mature.
Rokuhan is releasing two Z gauge sets that reproduce the 500 Series Shinkansen's retirement commemorative logo, ahead of the train's full retirement in July 2027. The 8-car set (T013-8) forms the full V8 formation and includes stickers for the logo on cars 1 and 7. A 5-car add-on set (T013-9) holds only middle cars and combines with separately sold sets. Both ship October 31, 2026, and are available for preorder on Amazon.
Archipel will hold The Tenth Mosaic, a two-day game culture festival, on September 22-23 at Tokyo Nichi-Futsu Gakuen. The lineup includes talks with Kazutaka Kodaka and Masafumi Takada, a Rez 25th anniversary session with Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Ken Ishii, a horror panel with Keiichiro Toyama and Frederic Raynal, and a Persona 30th anniversary talk. Shuhei Yoshida curates an indie legacy showcase with 15-plus titles, and music sets include Yuzo Koshiro and Saori Kobayashi. Several talk sessions have already sold out.
The television anime adaptation of Ayaka Katayama's Fungus and Iron manga has revealed its director and animation studio. Keitaro Motonaga will direct at Yokohama Animation Lab. The announcement accompanied a second teaser visual. The manga is set to end serialization on September 9, with its 10th and final volume due October 8.
The RESONANCE OF ORIGIN HATSUNE MIKU collection by illustrator Keigo Inoue goes on sale August 31 at 11:00 at the GRAPHT official store. The lineup spans wired earphones, a cable-type DAC, apparel, and interior goods. The centerpiece, THE STANDARD Hatsune Miku Edition earphones, sells for 8,800 yen with three earpiece sizes, a carrying case, and a magnet cable clip. Other items include an LED art board, an acrylic stand, a clear file, T-shirts, a parka, and a tote bag.
The Haikyu!! real lottery 'Kuji Rack Haikyu!! ~Block Ren!!~' starts September 26, 2026, themed around blocking practice. A new visual shows eight characters, including Shoyo Hinata and Kei Tsukishima, stretching and leaping. Prizes run from A to T plus a Last Prize, with 790 yen draws and no losing tickets.
The television anime of Kotobukiya's Arcanadea plastic model series will debut in January 2027, airing on TV Asahi and 24 stations across Japan in the NUMAnimation block, plus BS Asahi. Keiichirō Kawaguchi directs at Yokohama Animation Lab, with Atsuhiro Tomioka overseeing scripts. New cast includes Nobunaga Shimazaki, Konomi Inagaki, Mai Kanno, and Moka Kanzaki.
New visuals for the Nippon TV drama "Shiawase wa Aru" show Mitsuomi Takahashi as Tsunku♂ fully recreating five Sharam Q CD jackets, including "Single Bed" and "Zurui Onna," down to facial expressions and poses. The drama airs August 29 and stars Keiko Kitagawa as Tsunku's wife Kanako.