Taihi Kimura is voicing Aoi, a human-form shikigami, in the Bride of the Barrier Master anime, which debuts in January 2027. He also voices protagonist Peru d'Arrest in The Vermilion Mask, a two-cour series premiering in October 2026 on Crunchyroll, and Chihiro Rokuhira in Kagurabachi.
Taihi Kimura's confirmed roles are split between two fantasy adaptations. In The Vermilion Mask, he voices protagonist Peru d'Arrest, a young mask maker who loses control of a cursed mask and kills his master and comrades. The anime, adapted from Dr. Poro and Nabana Naba's manga, premiered its first main trailer with English subtitles at Crunchyroll's Anime Expo 2026 panel on July 3. Tetsuaki Watanabe directs at 100Studio, with Daisuke Ohigashi on series composition and Hisashi Higashijima on character designs. The series premieres in October 2026 and runs two cours on Crunchyroll.
At Anime Expo, Taichi Kimura, a writer on The Vermilion Mask, described script meetings running five hours, from 5 PM to 10 PM, with repeated drafts. He called the process rare and tied it to the original creator's deep involvement. Taihi Kimura said his first impression of the story was that it is interesting, sad, and painful, and he wants to convey Peru's attitude of challenging obstacles, his willingness to forgive, and his desire to be forgiven. He called the story dynamic and dramatic from the start. The interview also covered his ten years of restaurant kitchen experience and his interest in vintage clothing from unknown designers.
Separately, Kadokawa announced five additional cast members for the Bride of the Barrier Master anime, with Taihi Kimura and M.A.O playing Aoi and Miyabi, two shikigami in human form created by Hana. The announcement arrived with a new teaser video and third teaser visual. The anime debuts in January 2027, with TROYCA animating and Toru Kitahata directing. Taihi Kimura also noted he is playing Chihiro Rokuhira in Kagurabachi this season.
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Sep 21
Kadokawa announced five additional cast members for the television anime of Kureha's Bride of the Barrier Master light novel series on Monday, alongside a new teaser promotional video and third teaser visual. Kanon Takao joins as Hazuki Ichise, Hana's twin sister. Hiroto Shimizu plays Nozomi Ichinomiya, Saku's younger brother. Yuzuki Tamukai voices Azuha, Hana's shikigami that rests on her hair like an ornament. Taihi Kimura and M.A.O play Aoi and Miyabi, two shikigami in human form created by Hana. They join previously announced leads Akari Kito as Hana Ichise and Kikunosuke Toya as Saku Ichinomiya. The anime debuts in January 2027. TROYCA animates the series, with Toru Kitahata directing, Yuko Kakihara handling series scripts, and Minami Murayama on character designs. Yen Press publishes the light novels and manga adaptation in English.
Aug 17
At Anime Expo, Anime Herald interviewed the two Kimura team members behind the upcoming anime The Vermilion Mask. Taichi Kimura, a writer on the project, described script meetings that run five hours, from 5 PM to 10 PM, with repeated drafts and rewrites. He noted this process is rare and stems from the original creator's deep involvement in the anime production. Voice actor Taihi Kimura, who plays the character Peru, said his initial impression of the story was that it is interesting, sad, and painful, and he wants to convey Peru's attitude of challenging obstacles, his willingness to forgive, and his desire to be forgiven. Taichi Kimura said the story develops quickly and is full of surprises, while Taihi Kimura called it dynamic and dramatic from the start. The interview also covered Taihi Kimura's ten years of restaurant kitchen experience, his interest in vintage clothing from unknown designers, and his path to voice acting through a high school announcing club and a Koshien game announcement. Taichi Kimura mentioned that Dr. Poro, the manga's artist, drew inspiration from Baki for action sequences. Taihi Kimura also noted he is playing Chihiro Rokuhira in Kagurabachi this season.
Jul 4
The staff for the anime adaptation of Dr. Poro and Nabana Naba's manga The Vermilion Mask revealed the first main trailer with English subtitles during Crunchyroll's panel at Anime Expo 2026 on July 3. The announcement also confirmed the main Japanese voice cast. Taihi Kimura voices protagonist Peru d'Arrest, a young mask maker who loses control of a cursed mask and kills his master and comrades. Yuuki Yamamoto plays Sonarue Maywood, Kazuki Ura plays Mok Sharib, Takanori Hoshino plays Gouon, Wataru Komada plays Totoque, Junya Enoki plays Zent, Kazuhiko Inoue plays Gaston, and Akio Otsuka voices the Mask of the Warrior God. The anime is directed by Tetsuaki Watanabe at 100Studio (also called One Double-O or WOW Studio), with Gai Hazako as assistant director. Daisuke Ohigashi handles series composition, Hisashi Higashijima designs the characters, and Arisa Okehazama composes the music. The series will premiere in October 2026 and run for two cours. Crunchyroll will stream the anime as it airs. The manga began serialization in Young King Ours in February 2021 and has eight compiled volumes as of July 2025.