Tomokazu Sugita is attached to a slate of 2026 and 2027 television and film projects spanning original anime, light novel adaptations, and new franchise installments. His announced roles range from a lead as Zelos Merlin in the January 2027 Middle-Aged Sage anime to supporting parts in Votoms, Cyborg 009, and several summer 2026 shows.
Sugita's 2026 castings are spread across the summer season. He plays Ryuji Bito, a wandering Chinese cuisine chef called XO Sauce Ryu, in the Iron Wok Jan adaptation that premieres July 5 on TV Tokyo. In Clevatess II, which begins July 8, he voices Laswell, and in Dara-san of Reiwa, premiering July 2, he is part of a cast that includes Aoi Koga, Mai Aizawa, Saori Hayami, and Hōchū Ōtsuka. He also joins Cyborg 009: Nemesis as Cyborg 004, also known as Albert Heinrich, in a series that streams this summer.
Beyond the July premieres, Sugita has roles in two 2026 films and one delayed television project. Sunrise's Armored Trooper Votoms film The Grey Witch, directed by Mamoru Oshii, opens nationwide November 20 with Sugita in the main cast alongside Shinichiro Miki, Yuki Kaji, Yuichi Nakamura, Takahiro Sakurai, and Sumire Uesaka. He also appears in Puri Prince's short anime Dennō Isu Tantei Charlotte ~Dead Man's Hand~, based on noriyang's web novel. His role in Are You a Landmine, Chihara-san? was announced in June 2026, when the anime was pushed from 2026 to January 2027.
Two January 2027 premieres put Sugita in leading or prominent positions. He voices protagonist Zelos Merlin in The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage's Carefree Life in Another World, directed by Takayuki Inagaki at YANCHESTER, and he plays Soichiro Kurebayashi in Dengeki Daisy, which will air for two consecutive cours with Crunchyroll streaming. In the Middle-Aged Sage teaser, his casting was the first announced. Dengeki Daisy named four new cast members at a KyoMAF stage presentation: Sugita, Yuka Terasaki, Setsuji Sato, and Kohei Amasaki.
Sugita also appears in Pokemon: The Origin, the 2013 special that BS12 rebroadcast starting August 2, 2026 and then made available on TVer. He voiced Brock in that adaptation, replacing Yuji Ueda from the main anime series.
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The Dengeki Daisy television anime will debut in January 2027 and air for two consecutive cours, a stage presentation at KyoMAF revealed. The main promotional video also named four new cast members: Tomokazu Sugita as Soichiro Kurebayashi, Yuka Terasaki as Riko Onizuka, Setsuji Sato as Masuda, and Kohei Amasaki as Akira. Crunchyroll will stream the anime, directed by Sota Ueno at Studio DEEN.
Kadokawa released a teaser for the television anime of Yasukiyo Kotobuki's The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage's Carefree Life in Another World. Tomokazu Sugita plays protagonist Zelos Merlin, the first cast member announced. The teaser also gives the premiere date: January 2027. Takayuki Inagaki directs at YANCHESTER, with Hiroko Kanasugi on series scripts and Mariko Fujita designing characters.
The official website for Sunrise and Production I.G's Sōkō Kihei Votoms Haiiro no Hexe revealed the cast, character designs, and a 30-second trailer for the two new Armored Trooper Votoms films. Shinichirō Miki, Yūki Kaji, Yūichi Nakamura, and others join the cast. Miyuki Sawashiro plays the feared AT pilot Ash Vamps, known as the Grey Witch.
Sunrise's 50th anniversary Armored Trooper Votoms film The Grey Witch, directed by Mamoru Oshii, revealed its full main cast. Shinichiro Miki, Yuki Kaji, Yuichi Nakamura, Tomokazu Sugita, Takahiro Sakurai, and Sumire Uesaka join previously announced Miyuki Sawashiro and Mafumi Ando. Set at the end of the Hundred Years War, the film opens nationwide November 20, 2026, and a 30-second trailer was shown.
Jujutsu Fest 2026, the finale event closing the Jujutsu Kaisen anime's fifth anniversary, ran August 29-30 at K Arena Yokohama. Day 2 brought the full cast on stage, ALI opening with 'LOST IN PARADISE,' a Takada-chan live set, the Demmy Awards, and a music relay through the Culling Game. In closing remarks, Yuji Itadori voice actor Junya Enoki said he wants to deliver the animation's continuation soon.
Pokemon Origins, the original anime based on Pokemon Red and Green, is now streaming on TVer. The broadcast from August 2 on BS12 TwellV is available to watch. The series follows Red's journey from receiving Charmander to battling rival Green and Team Rocket.
Free-to-air broadcaster BS12 Twelvi announced on July 23 that it will rebroadcast the 2013 original anime special Pokémon: The Origin. The four-episode series originally aired on TV Tokyo to commemorate the release of Pokémon X and Y for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the first anime to adapt the story of the original Pokémon Red and Green games, with protagonist Red voiced by Junko Takeuchi rather than the long-running Satoshi of the main anime series. The cast also includes Takuya Eguchi as Green, Katsuji Mori as Professor Oak, and Tomokazu Sugita as Brock, replacing Yuji Ueda from the Satoshi-era show. The rebroadcast begins August 2 at 19:00 on BS12. The special is notable for featuring the first animated appearance of Mega Charizard X, a form that did not exist in the original games and was kept secret until the episode aired. At the time, only Mega Charizard Y had been announced under the generic name Mega Charizard, making the reveal of the black-and-blue variant a surprise for fans.
Tokyo-based AI animation company Puri Prince announced the second installment of its anime project, Dennō Isu Tantei Charlotte ~Dead Man's Hand~, a short series based on noriyang's web novel. The cast includes Hina Yomiya, Tomokazu Sugita, and others. The story follows a young detective and her AI partner investigating a cyber casino mystery.
The official website for the television anime of Ryon's manga Are You a Landmine, Chihara-san? updated on Thursday to announce additional cast members, a delay to January 2027, and a tie-in music project. Newly announced cast include Maaya Uchida as Chinatsu Iwakura, Tomokazu Sugita as Hibiya, and Daisuke Ono as Kazami. The anime was previously scheduled for 2026 but will now premiere in the Super Animeism Turbo programming block on MBS, TBS, and 26 affiliated channels in January 2027, airing Thursdays at 0:26 a.m. (effectively Friday). Before the anime airs, the franchise is launching a music project for lead character Mai Chihara. Her first digital single, a cover of Nayutalien's Alien Alien, will be released on July 25, 2026. The anime is directed by Yasuaki Fujii at Synergy SP, with series composition by Keiichiro Ochi, character designs by Majiro, and music by Arisa Okehazama at King Records. The manga launched on the GANMA! service in June 2021 and won a Next Impact Comic award at the 2024 Rakuten Kobo E-book Awards. Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the manga for English release.
The official website for the Iron Wok Jan television anime released a main trailer and key visual on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, confirming a July 5 premiere date. The trailer, presented as an "alternate" version, features food critic Nichido Otani commenting on the cooking battles. The announcement also revealed that Tomokazu Sugita will voice Ryuji Bito, a wandering Chinese cuisine chef known as "XO Sauce Ryu." Sugita, a veteran voice actor, expressed excitement about joining the adaptation of a manga he read in real time. The ending theme song "Naita Akuma" by EMUNIMINI was also previewed. The anime will air on TV Tokyo and its affiliates on Sundays at 5:30 p.m. JST, and will stream on Anime Times, ABEMA, U-NEXT, and Anime Hōdai in Japan. Ei Aoki directs the series at studio TROYCA, with Makoto Uezu handling series composition and Masako Matsumoto designing characters. The main cast includes Kikunosuke Toya as Jan Akiyama, Ikumi Hasegawa as Kiriko Gobancho, and Kohei Amasaki as Takao Okonogi. The original manga by Shinji Saijyo ran in Weekly Shonen Champion from 1995 to 2000 and has over 10 million copies in circulation.
The staff for Clevatess II announced the anime's third promotional video, two additional cast members (Megumi Han as Zavthier and Tomokazu Sugita as Laswell), and a July 8 premiere. The video previews the opening theme "Foreshadow" by Mayu Maeshima. MYTH & ROID performs the ending theme "Awake Anew." Crunchyroll will stream the season as it airs.
The television anime adaptation of Haruomi Tomotsuka's Dara-san of Reiwa manga has revealed a second trailer, additional cast members, and a July 2 premiere date. The trailer previews the ending theme song "Hinatabocchi" by REIRIE. Newly announced cast include Aoi Koga, Tomokazu Sugita, Mai Aizawa, Saori Hayami, and Hōchū Ōtsuka.
The upcoming Cyborg 009: Nemesis anime has cast Tomokazu Sugita as Cyborg 004/Albert Heinrich, a cyborg enhanced with weapons including a machine gun and electromagnetic knife. The series follows nine cyborgs rebelling against the Black Ghost organization. It streams this summer.