The new live-action GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka series premiered on July 20, 2026, on Kantele and Fuji TV, with Takashi Sorimachi reprising his role as a 52-year-old Onizuka. Netflix is streaming the series in North America with English subtitles, with new episodes releasing weekly.
The new live-action GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka series is a direct sequel to the 1998 adaptation, returning after 28 years. Takashi Sorimachi reprises his role as Eikichi Onizuka, now 52, and Nanako Matsushima returns as Azusa Fuyutsuki, now a cabin attendant after achieving her dream in the 2024 special GTO Revival. The story moves from the Heisei era to the Reiwa era, set at the private Seishin Gakuen high school, where teachers are ranked by students via tablets and a student feedback system evaluates them.
The casting builds a bridge between the original and the new setting. Yuta Yamazaki returns as Masaru Watanabe, now a delivery person who helps Onizuka take the teacher employment exam. Meru Nukumi joins as Mio Kashiwabara, the assistant homeroom teacher and classical literature teacher, her first teacher role. The student body of Class 1-B is played by 28 actors selected from over 400 applicants, with auditions limited to real high school-age performers aged 15 to 17. Director Nakajima Satoru said the selection focused on each actor's individuality rather than pure acting skill.
The series premiered on July 20, 2026, on Kantele and Fuji TV, and Netflix streams it in North America with English subtitles. The first episode introduced a Generation Z teacher, a student feedback system, and a truant student, and its opening four minutes contain a shocking development. Kajiura Kanaho, 16-year-old daughter of comedian Kajiwara Yuta, appeared as student Wakatsuki Kotone in the first episode, drawing praise on social media. The script is by Kazuhiko Yukawa, continuing from the 1998 version, and the series is directed by Satoru Nakajima and Kento Matsuda.
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/gto.
CC BY 4.0.
When a claim about GTO was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.
Weekly Young Magazine announced that its next issue will carry a special one-shot by Tohru Fujisawa serving as the finale of the Saejima Arc in GTO: Paradise Lost Kai. The story began as GTO: Paradise Lost in April 2014, went on hiatus, and returned under the Kai title in Magazine Pocket in April 2024.
Kajiura Kanaho, 16-year-old daughter of comedian Kajiwara Yuta, appeared as student Wakatsuki Kotone in the first episode of the drama GTO on July 20, 2026. Social media reactions praised her as cute and noted she has grown up. Her staff account and her own Instagram posts expressed enthusiasm for the role.
Netflix is streaming the new live-action GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka series in North America with English subtitles. The first episode debuted Monday, with new episodes releasing weekly. Takashi Sorimachi reprises his role as the 52-year-old Onizuka, who now faces a school system driven by rankings, tablets, and social media.
The new GTO drama starring Takashi Sorimachi as Eikichi Onizuka premiered on July 20, 2026. It is the first series in 28 years since the 1998 adaptation. Sorimachi and Nanako Matsushima reprise their roles. Episode 1 introduces a Generation Z teacher, a student feedback system, and a truant student. The opening four minutes contain a shocking development.
Nanako Matsushima will reprise her role as Azusa Fuyutsuki in the new live-action drama adaptation of GTO, which premieres on July 20, 2026, on Kantele and Fuji TV. The series, starring Takashi Sorimachi as Eikichi Onizuka, is the first continuous GTO drama in 28 years. Set at the private Seishin Gakuen high school, the story tackles Reiwa-era education, where both teachers and students use tablet devices and a student feedback system evaluates teachers. Matsushima's character, now a cabin attendant after achieving her dream in the 2024 special GTO Revival, appears in a newly released visual wearing a CA uniform. The premiere's first four minutes contain a shocking development regarding her involvement with Onizuka. The script is by Kazuhiko Yukawa, continuing from the 1998 version, and directed by Satoru Nakajima and Kento Matsuda. Matsushima commented that the response to GTO Revival made her feel the work remains in memory after many years, and she urged viewers to enjoy the activities of an Onizuka who has matured while retaining traces of his former self.
The staff for the new live-action GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka series released a 90-second trailer and a new visual on Thursday. Takashi Sorimachi returns as Eikichi Onizuka, now 52, working at a school where teachers are ranked by students via tablets. The series premieres July 20 on Kansai TV and Fuji TV.
A 90-second trailer for the new GTO drama series has been released, giving the first look at Takashi Sorimachi returning as Eikichi Onizuka, now 52. The footage shows Onizuka on a motorcycle, at a school podium, and receiving low ratings under a new teacher evaluation system. The series premieres July 20 on Kantele and Fuji TV.
The drama series 'I Will Find You', starring Sam Worthington, will stream on Netflix starting June 18 under the Japanese title 'Sosakusha no Chi'. Based on a Harlan Coben novel, the show follows a father wrongfully imprisoned for his son's murder who escapes prison after learning his son may still be alive.
Yuta Yamazaki will reprise his role as Masaru Watanabe in the July season drama "GTO" starring Takashi Sorimachi, airing on Kantele and Fuji TV from July 20. The new series is set at "Private Seishin Gakuen", a school with a teacher feedback system where students anonymously evaluate teachers. Yamazaki's character, now working as a delivery person, helps Onizuka take the teacher employment exam.
The upcoming live-action drama adaptation of GTO has announced the 28 actors who will play the students of Class 1-B, the homeroom class of protagonist Eikichi Onizuka. The cast was chosen from over 400 applicants through an audition process limited to real high school-age performers aged 15 to 17 as of April 2026. The selected actors include Inagaki Kurena, who cut 33 cm of her hair for the role of Yu Ito; Oikawa Motori as Wataru Tanaka; and Oshima Miyu, Kajiwara Kana, Kawaguchi Wakura, Kitaru Riu, Shibasaki Fuuga, Nanba Aoto of LIL LEAGUE, Nishiura Shinnosuke of The Right Light, Horiguchi Maho, and Morimoto Rikuto. Additional cast members include Matsuo Sonomo, Oishi Ayo, Takagi Ryunosuke, Kaneko Haruka, Ito Shunta, Kakuda Kazuki, Nagai Kohaku, Nishikawa Mika, Yamamoto Yukina, Uemura Karina, Tomii Rei, Arai Noa, Kawabe Keino, Kanazawa Sota, Takahashi Yudai, Saito Toranosuke, and Kamie Joe. The drama premieres on July 20, 2026, on Kantele and Fuji TV, with Takashi Sorimachi returning as Onizuka. Director Nakajima Satoru said the selection focused on each actor's individuality rather than pure acting skill.
Kansai TV announced Meru Nukumi will play Mio Kashiwabara, the assistant homeroom teacher, in the new live-action GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka series. The sequel moves the story to the Reiwa era, with Takashi Sorimachi returning as Onizuka. The series premieres July 20 on Kansai TV and Fuji TV.
Meru Nukumi has been cast as the new heroine in the upcoming "GTO" drama starring Takashi Sorimachi, set to premiere July 20 on Kantele and Fuji TV. She plays Mio Kashiwabara, the homeroom's assistant teacher and classical literature teacher, marking her first teacher role and her first Kantele drama appearance.