The upcoming anime adaptation of Gosho Aoyama’s Yaiba manga, titled Yaiba: Samurai Legend, has announced the addition of two new voice actors to its cast. Isshin Chiba and Kōsuke Echigoya will be lending their talents to the series, which is set to premiere on April 5, 2025.
New Cast Members Announced
The official website and accounts for Yaiba: Samurai Legend revealed that Isshin Chiba will voice the character Kagetora, while Kōsuke Echigoya will voice Shonosuke.
Isshin Chiba as Kagetora
Isshin Chiba is a seasoned voice actor with a career spanning over three decades. He is best known for his role as Jin Kazama in the Tekken fighting game series. Chiba also has a significant role in another of Gosho Aoyama’s works, Detective Conan, where he voices Detective Kazunobu Chiba. This pre-existing connection has been highlighted in a collaboration video where Chiba voices both Kagetora and Detective Chiba.
Chiba expressed his enthusiasm for the role, stating, “Gar~! Gargaru! Garuru!! So, I’m Chiba Kazunobu, playing Kagetora. I wasn’t able to appear in the previous film, so I was really happy when I found out I’d be playing Kagetora in this one! Kagetora can’t speak, but I’m having fun recording, and doing my best to make it possible for him to have a conversation with Yaiba and the others. An exciting adventure with Yaiba and the others is just around the corner! Please wait for a little while longer.”
Kōsuke Echigoya as Shonosuke
Kōsuke Echigoya is another experienced voice actor who has contributed to various anime and video game projects.
Echigoya shared his excitement about joining the Yaiba cast, saying, “This is such a legendary work to me that I can’t possibly express all my feelings about it in a few words. I am incredibly happy to have finally set my foot…no, to step into Gosho Aoyama’s world! I will use my experience playing many animals to soar into the world of ‘YAIBA’ with all my might as Shonosuke. Kupi, kupi, kupipi (I hope this will be a work that is loved by many people).”
Production Details
Yaiba: Samurai Legend is being produced by WIT Studio, known for its work on popular anime such as Attack on Titan (seasons 1-3) and Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song-. The series is directed by Takahiro Hasui, who previously directed Mob Psycho 100 II.
The main cast includes:
- Minami Takayama as Yaiba Kurogane
- Manaka Iwami as Sayaka Mine
- Yoshimasa Hosoya as Takeshi Onimaru
- Katsuyuki Konishi as Kenjūrō Kurogane
- Junichi Suwabe as Musashi Miyamoto
The series scripts are being handled by Touko Machida, with Yoshimichi Kameda serving as character designer and chief animation director. Takeshi Maenami is the sub-character designer and main animator. The music is composed by Yutaka Yamada and Yoshiaki Dewa, with Haru Yamada as the sound director and Maiko Okada as the animation producer.
About Yaiba
Yaiba is a swordplay action manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama, who is also the creator of Detective Conan. It was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday from 1988 to 1993. The story follows Yaiba Kurogane, a young samurai who trains in the jungle and returns to Japan to become even stronger.
The anime adaptation will premiere on April 5 on YTV, NTV, and their affiliates throughout Japan, airing right before Detective Conan as part of the “Gōshō Aoyama Hour” block.
Isshin Chiba: A Voice Acting Veteran
Isshin Chiba, born on June 26, 1968, in Miyagi, Japan, has established himself as a prominent figure in the voice acting industry. His real name is Kazunobu Chiba, using alternate readings of the same kanji. He graduated from Miyagi Prefecture Kesennuma High School and later attended Katsuma Voice Actor’s Academy in Tokyo. He started his career as a voice actor at age 22 in 1990.
Notable Roles
Chiba is widely recognized for his portrayal of Jin Kazama in the Tekken series, a role he has held since 1997. He also voices Detective Kazunobu Chiba in the Detective Conan anime series, a character whose name is derived from his own.
Co-Star Connections
In Detective Conan, Chiba’s character, Kazunobu Chiba, is friends with Wataru Takagi’s character, Wataru Takagi. Coincidentally, Chiba and Takagi also played best friends Eikichi Onizuka and Ryuji Danma in the anime Great Teacher Onizuka. Chiba also shares a connection with the late Kaneto Shiozawa, who voiced Inspector Shiratori in Detective Conan, as they both voiced Rei in Fist of the North Star and Dio Brando in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
Kōsuke Echigoya: A Rising Talent
Kōsuke Echigoya is a Japanese voice actor and actor from Aichi prefecture, affiliated with Stay Luck. He previously used the stage name Inchiki Echigoya.
Career Highlights
Echigoya’s recent works include roles in Shin Kamen Rider (2023), Dandadan (2024), and Metallic Rouge (2024). His participation in Yaiba: Samurai Legend marks another significant step in his career.
Anticipation for Yaiba: Samurai Legend
The addition of Isshin Chiba and Kōsuke Echigoya to the cast of Yaiba: Samurai Legend has generated further excitement for the upcoming anime. With a talented cast, experienced production team, and the backing of WIT Studio, Yaiba: Samurai Legend is poised to be a standout anime series in 2025. The series will broadcast in Japan on Yomiuri TV and Nippon TV beginning in April 2025.
