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VIVANT
VIVANT is in a two-week broadcast break, with the second half of season two (the Special Squad Recovery Operation) starting October 4, 2026 on TBS. The four-episode side story Chinggis -VIVANT THE ORIGIN STORY- is streaming on U-NEXT, and an immersive event runs in Kyobashi through November 27, 2026.
Synthesized from 30
Yomimono stories · updated
1d ago
TBS's Sunday drama VIVANT is midway through its second season, with the second half, billed as the Special Squad Recovery Operation, set to begin October 4, 2026 after a two-week break. The first half has been spent building its central mystery: a scientist named Elisha Mamadov, played by Azerbaijani actor Manaf Dadashov, invented a fusion power technology and vanished rather than let one country control it. Episode 16 revealed that lead actor Masato Sakai is playing a third role, Liu Mingsheng, an agent with Nogi's face who once worked with Nozaki and now appears inside the hostile organization Shinshi. That episode also confirmed the return of Ryu Minshuen, and fans remain split on whether he is an ally or an enemy. A QR code on outdoor advertising has carried an extended trailer showing a photo of Adiel, a character who died in season one, behind Shinshi head Fan Linxing, which has driven speculation about Shinshi's real target.
Supporting players have moved forward. Layla Mada's Kumiko Tashiro, a hijab-wearing field agent who covers the Caucasus region, drew praise for her Azerbaijani delivery in episode 17 and had her service history revealed in episode 18. Episode 18 also put Nogi and Nokoru (Kazunari Ninomiya) on a plan to rescue five abducted Bessatsu members, and a closing scene where Nokoru's long hair appeared to be gone turned out to be tied back. The DV storyline involving investigator Wakui, played by Shunsuke Tanaka, has kept a supporting villain in circulation. Producer Kazutaka Iida said the season's AI element, including the unit Bekihan's AI Hayato, exists to make the human cast's emotions read more strongly, and he called episode 17 the essence of the series.
Away from the broadcast, TBS has built out the story in other formats. The four-episode side story Chinggis -VIVANT THE ORIGIN STORY- streams on U-NEXT from September 20, covering Chinggis's orphanage childhood under Nogoon Beki, and adds Miki Fujimoto as a clinic nurse and Eishin as Bordo. VIVANT IMMERSIVE MISSION runs at CREATIVE MUSEUM TOKYO in Kyobashi from September 16 to November 27, 2026, with sets including the Bukinist operations room and the underground tent prison. Thai actor Ohm Thanaphat, who plays Chokki Thepanit, greeted 300 lottery-chosen fans in Japanese at a Shinjuku event on September 19.
Key facts
- Broadcast status
- VIVANT is a TBS Sunday drama. The second half of season two, the Special Squad Recovery Operation, begins October 4, 2026 after a two-week break. ↗
- Lead cast
- Masato Sakai plays protagonist Nogi Yusuke and, as revealed in episode 16, a third role: Liu Mingsheng, an agent with Nogi's face who once worked with Nozaki. ↗
- Antagonist
- Kyoko Miyashita plays Han Linshin, head of the private intelligence organization Xinsi. She suggested the character's long braid herself. ↗
- Side story
- A four-episode side story about Chinggis, Chinggis -VIVANT THE ORIGIN STORY-, streams on U-NEXT starting Sunday, September 20. Bokuzo Masana plays orphanage principal Akram and Rena Matsui plays teacher Naira. ↗
- Side story additions
- Miki Fujimoto plays a clinic nurse and Eishin plays Bordo, a teacher at an orphanage run by Beki's organization Tent. ↗
- Immersive event
- VIVANT IMMERSIVE MISSION runs from September 16 to November 27, 2026 at CREATIVE MUSEUM TOKYO in Kyobashi, with missions through the Auris app and an adjacent cafe. ↗
- New character
- Elisha Mamadov, a scientist whose fusion power invention could reshape global energy, is played by Azerbaijani actor Manaf Dadashov. He discarded his data and vanished rather than let one country monopolize the technology. ↗
- Producer on AI
- Producer Kazutaka Iida said the show's AI element, including the AI Hayato operated by the unit Bekihan, aims to make characters' emotions stand out more, and that episode 17 drew more emotional comments on social media than episodes up through 16. ↗
- Thai cast event
- Thai actor Ohm Thanaphat, who plays Chokki Thepanit, greeted 300 lottery-chosen fans in Japanese at the opening stage of TBS SPORTS & VIVANT PARK on September 19 at Shinjuku Sumitomo Building Triangle Plaza. ↗
- Ranking
- VIVANT placed second in note's 2026 Summer Season Drama Ranking, which counted posts using official prompts between July 1 and July 31, 2026, despite only its first episode airing in that period. ↗
Timeline
- Sep 19, 2026 VIVANT's Chokki Visits Japan, Greets 300 Fans In Japanese
- Sep 19, 2026 Miki Fujimoto Joins VIVANT Spin-Off as Clinic Nurse
- Sep 18, 2026 VIVANT QR Code Yields Extended Trailer and Fan Speculation
- Sep 16, 2026 VIVANT Episode 18 Puts Layla Mada's Kumiko Tashiro In Focus
- Sep 15, 2026 VIVANT Immersive Event Opens In Kyobashi With A Cafe Serving Prison Food
- Sep 14, 2026 VIVANT Viewers Mistake Nokoru's Tied-Back Hair For A Haircut In Episode 18
- Sep 13, 2026 VIVANT Spinoff Chinggis -VIVANT THE ORIGIN STORY- Lands On U-NEXT September 20
- Sep 12, 2026 VIVANT's Wakui Actor Shunsuke Tanaka Signs Show Monument, Viewers React To The Gap
- Sep 12, 2026 Kyoko Miyashita Proposed Han Linshin's Braid for VIVANT Season 2
- Sep 12, 2026 VIVANT Producer Iida Explains AI Role in Season 2
- Sep 10, 2026 Former AKB48 Member Yuria Kizaki Appears In VIVANT Domestic Violence Scene
- Sep 9, 2026 VIVANT's Hijab-Clad Field Agent Tashiro Draws Praise for Azerbaijani Delivery
- Sep 6, 2026 VIVANT Casts Azerbaijani Actor Manaf Dadashov as Fusion Scientist Elisha Mamadov
- Sep 4, 2026 Koki Maeda's Chinese Lines in VIVANT Draw Fan Praise for Pronunciation
- Sep 2, 2026 VIVANT Episode 16: Fans Debate Whether Ryu Returned as Ally or Enemy
- Aug 30, 2026 VIVANT Episode 16 Reveals Sakai Masato's Triple Role and Shocking Return
- Aug 29, 2026 VIVANT Thai Actor Pattarapon Kantapot Says He Looks Like Tomoya Nagase and Kazuma Kiryu
- Aug 29, 2026 VIVANT Young Nogu Actor Kaito Sakurai Draws Renewed Attention Ahead of Possible Return
- Aug 28, 2026 Ninomiya Kazunari Says Nokoru Has More Screen Time in VIVANT Season 2
- Aug 23, 2026 VIVANT Actor Gaku Hamada Is Shocked by Fan Theories About His Character
- Aug 21, 2026 VIVANT Blue Walker Sumire Hanaoka Posts Relaxed Summer Off-Shots
- Aug 19, 2026 VIVANT Summer Party Event Gets Live Stream and Archive
- Aug 18, 2026 VIVANT Actor Pattarapon Kantapoj Reveals Tiger Back Tattoo
- Aug 17, 2026 VIVANT Actor Takashi Yamanaka Opens Curry Shop in Kichijoji
- Aug 17, 2026 Chinggis Returns to VIVANT Season 2 in Episode 15
- Aug 15, 2026 VIVANT Season 2 Teams With Kamakura's Hato Sabure for Limited-Edition Cans
- Aug 15, 2026 VIVANT Villain Radio Segment Has Fans Laughing at Nozaki Scream
- Aug 12, 2026 Knights' Tsuchiya Recreates 'VIVANT' Interrogation Scene in Pencil Drawing Parody
- Aug 10, 2026 Note Summer Drama Ranking Puts T-Shirt ga Kawaku made Above VIVANT
- Aug 9, 2026 Ai Iinuma Shows Basketball Form in Monthly Basketball Feature
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Facts
- Release
- tv · October 18 · Japan · 2026-10-17
- Release
- tv · 2026-10-11 · 2026-10-17
- Release
- tv · 2026-10-18 · 2026-10-17
- Release
- tv · episode 21 · 2026-10-15
- Release
- tv · Episode 20 · 2026-10-14
- Release
- tv · 2026-10-11 · Japan · 2026-10-13
- Release
- tv · Episode 20 airs on October 11 · 2026-10-10
- Release
- tv · from July for two consecutive cours · 2026-10-09
- Release
- tv · October 4 · Japan · 2026-10-07
- Release
- tv · 2026-10-04 · 2026-09-18
- Release
- tv · Season 2 resumed broadcast · 2026-10-06
- Release
- live_action · Sunday, October 4, 2026 · 2026-10-05
- Release
- live_action · December 2 · Japan · 2026-10-05
- Release
- tv · 2026-10-04 · Japan · 2026-09-19
- Release
- tv · Episode 17 aired on the 6th · 2026-09-12
- Release
- tv · Episode 17 · 2026-09-10
- Release
- tv · August 30 · 2026-09-02
- Release
- tv · 2026-08-23 · 2026-08-23
- Noted
- In the Sunday drama VIVANT, the kanji spelling of villain Ryu Minxuan, played by Masato Sakai, is drawing attention on social media. · 2026-10-08
- Noted
- Episode 18 of VIVANT Season 2 brings in Firza Hasanova, an agent nicknamed the Steel Lady, played by Gulnar Yunusova. · 2026-10-05
- Noted
- second season resumed October 4 · 2026-10-05
- Noted
- VIVANT is a TBS Sunday drama with a Thailand setting and a mystery plot · 2026-10-05
- Noted
- original drama about Yusuke Nogi, a member of the Self-Defense Forces' top-secret intelligence organization Betsuhan · 2026-09-19
- Noted
- On September 8, the official VIVANT social media account posted a video of Shunsuke Tanaka, 36, signing the TBS program logo monument. · 2026-09-12
- Noted
- season 2 episode 17 made a talking point of Tashiro · 2026-09-09
- Noted
- episode 15 featured Tashiro · 2026-09-09
- Noted
- introduced Elisha Mamadov, a scientist whose fusion power invention could reshape global energy · 2026-09-06
- Noted
- Episode 16 showed him only in photographs, confined in an anechoic chamber · 2026-09-06
- Noted
- Elisha Mamadov is positioned as the narrative center of VIVANT's second season · 2026-09-06
- Noted
- second season of TBS's Sunday drama VIVANT · 2026-08-17
- Announced
- official X account for the Sunday Theater slot posted visuals of the group preparing to rescue a captured Beppan member · 2026-10-06
- Announced
- Episode 20 covers the infiltration of Shaki Castle · 2026-10-06
- Announced
- new theme featuring vocals by Alim Qasimov and Fargana Qasimova (TBS announcement) · 2026-10-05
- Announced
- Yajuro Bando to appear live on THE TIME, in VIVANT collaboration · 2026-10-05
- Announced
- TBS SPORTS & VIVANT PARK opening stage (TBS SPORTS & VIVANT PARK) · 2026-09-19
- Announced
- an unreleased extended trailer for VIVANT Season 2 · 2026-09-18
- Announced
- immersive event VIVANT IMMERSIVE MISSION running from September 16 to November 27, 2026 at CREATIVE MUSEUM TOKYO in Kyobashi · 2026-09-15
- Announced
- cast Manaf Dadashov as Elisha Mamadov · 2026-09-06
- Announced
- Sakai Masato plays a third role, Liu Mingsheng · 2026-08-30
- Announced
- Chou Keishi was played by Mitsuomi Takahashi · 2026-08-30
Connections
- Voice cast of
- reiya mada, rinrin, jun nishiyama, hiroshi abe, ryu kobata, gaku hamada, masato sakai, yajuro bando, ryusei ryo, ohm thanapat, kazunari ninomiya, fumi nikaido, ohm thanaphat, layla mada, shunsuke tanaka, kyoko miyashita, yuria kizaki, koki maeda
Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/vivant.
CC BY 4.0.
Claim activity
When a claim about VIVANT was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against
open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.
- Debunked Episode 17 airs September 6 at 9 p.m. Sep 16 · source
- Debunked tv 2026-08-09 Sep 15 · source
- Confirmed collaboration with Sanrio characters, featuring plush figures of Hello Kitty, Hangyodon, and others dressed as VIVANT characters Sep 11 · source
All coverage
1d ago
Episode 21 of TBS's Sunday drama VIVANT airs on October 18 and brings back Kumiko Tashiro, the Betsupan operative played by singer-songwriter Reiya Mada. Tashiro, who handles the Caucasus region, met Yusuke Nogi (Masato Sakai) in episode 18. In the new episode, Nogi and Nokor (Kazunari Ninomiya) face a manhunt after freeing Kurosu (Tori Matsuzaka) and other Betsupan members from Shaki Castle, and Tashiro devises a local plan to reach them.
1d ago
Rinrin, who plays Zhou Haoran in TBS's VIVANT, gained six kilograms in two weeks to build the subordinate of Shensi boss Han Rinshin. The actor, who works as a company employee while acting in China, said he did not want to make the character simply evil. He also described telling only his wife about the casting, filming on set with Masato Sakai and Kyoko Miyashita, and his children's reactions after broadcast.
1d ago
Producer Kazutaka Iida looked back on VIVANT Episode 20, which aired on the 11th, and discussed the highlights of Episode 21, which airs on the 18th and enters the Escape Arc. In Episode 20, Nogi Yusuke's elite team stormed Shaki Castle in the Republic of Gorbad and pulled five captured Separate Squad members, including Kurosu, out of the fortress. Iida recalled night shoots in Azerbaijan and heavy rain during filming.
3d ago
Jun Nishiyama, who plays abducted Bekkan member Kazuki Kumagai in the Sunday drama VIVANT, posted an Instagram off-shot in post-torture special makeup. The post carried the lines "Nogi-san, we've been waiting" and "Let's go home quickly." It landed after episode 20, where Yusuke Nogi and the others reached the Bekkan members. Viewers replied with messages including "Welcome back," "I'm glad you're alive," and "You did well." Episode 21 continues the mission to escape the country.
4d ago
McDonald's official X account posted a promotional image of Hiroshi Abe smiling and holding the new Zaku Zaku Juicy Momo Chicken on October 21. Abe plays Nozaki Mamoru in the Sunday Theater drama VIVANT, where the character has been deprived of food and drink for nine days. Fans responded with relief at the contrast, and some asked that the drama's Betsuban decode it as a cipher.
4d ago
Ryu Kowata, who plays Ri Minzua in the Sunday theater drama VIVANT, posted an Instagram photo from Episode 20. The scene shows Li firing guns in both hands after a comrade is killed, then standing blank-faced because Nokor, played by Kazunari Ninomiya, had already withdrawn. Social media replies called the villainy blatant and easy to understand, and the blank expression funny.
5d ago
Gaku Hamada, who plays Shota Tojo in VIVANT, posted photos from a Taiwan trip to Instagram, where a beard, silver earrings and sunglasses give him a look far removed from the show. Separately, in Episode 20, broadcast on October 11, 2026, Tojo's charge of the escape's communications area failed, letting Shinshi's soldiers reach contact range. Viewers reacted to both.
Oct 10
Producer Kazutaka Iida explained why Season 2 of the TBS Sunday Theater drama VIVANT introduced dubbing, in remarks published on October 10. The multinational team led by protagonist Yugo Nogi (Masato Sakai) uses simultaneous interpretation devices that render Japanese, Mongolian, Thai, Azerbaijani, and Chinese dialogue, and the voices of characters wearing those devices were replaced with dubbing by a separate cast of voice actors. Iida said the C layer (ages 4 to 12) and T layer (ages 13 to 19) in the show's viewer demographic are increasing, and that dubbing lets children who cannot yet read watch without strain. He also recalled that during location scouting in Azerbaijan, local staff said they had watched Season 1 on streaming but could not read all the English subtitles. The director had been raising the importance of dubbing since before Season 2 entered production and devised the interpretation device as the in-story method. Episode 20 airs on October 11.
Oct 9
Rinrin, the 43-year-old actor who plays Shinshii operative Zhou Haoran in TBS's Sunday Theater drama VIVANT, drew a wave of reactions with a series of X posts after Episode 19 of Season 2 aired on October 4. In that episode, Zhou stabs Bessatsu unit member Mitsugu Wada, played by Yusuke Hirayama, after Wada is abducted by the Chinese intelligence organization Shinshii and tortured. On October 6, Rinrin shared screenshots of abusive messages on Instagram and thanked viewers, calling the reaction the height of an actor's good fortune. On the afternoon of October 8, Rinrin quote-posted a news item on X and wrote that the face is too well known to work as a Shinshii operative anymore, then asked whether the boss is angry. Kyoko Miyashita, who plays Shinshii boss Han Linxin, quote-posted that reply and wrote that long-haired Zhou is already unrecognizable, so it does not matter, and asked Rinrin to continue public relations as before.
Oct 9
NHK announced on Friday, October 9, the hosts of the 77th Kohaku Uta Gassen: Mana Ashida, Masato Sakai, Kazunari Ninomiya, and announcer Nahoko Suzuki. The 2026 theme is "Koe te ikou, uta to tomo ni." Sakai and Ninomiya play sworn brothers in the TBS drama VIVANT, whose sequel airs from July for two consecutive cours. The show airs live December 31, 7:20 p.m. to 11:45 p.m.
Oct 8
In the Sunday drama VIVANT, the kanji spelling of villain Ryu Minxuan, played by Masato Sakai, is drawing attention on social media. His name is written "Ryu Minxuan." The surname has kun-yomi including "korosu" and "tsuraneru," and meanings such as "katsu, uchikatsu," "korosu," "tsuraneru, meguru," and "sword, broadaxe." Reactions include "serious goosebumps" and "it fits Ryu perfectly."
Oct 8
Episode 19 of VIVANT's second season ended an interrogation early when Fan Linxin and her subordinates cut the chains Ryu had wrapped around the door with an electric saw. Director Yohei Miyazaki said on his own X account that the saw was real and the art department prepared it that way, which is why Ryu's scene with Nozaki reads as suspicious.
Oct 7
Linlin, 43, plays Zhou Haoran, a Shinshi intelligence agent who tortures Bekkan member Wada Mitsugu in the second season of TBS's Sunday Theater VIVANT. After episode 19 aired on October 4, he posted on Instagram that he had received a wave of messages, some supportive and some angry, and noted that no one recognized him while signing the VIVANT monument. Viewers have since looked up his role as Zhang Shichang in the 2024 NHK taiga drama Hikaru Kimi e.
Oct 6
Episode 19 of TBS's Sunday Theater VIVANT aired on October 4 after a two-week break. Nogi Yusuke and his team spent the episode preparing to rescue five abducted Beppan members, and the operation was pushed to the following week. Viewers then noted that much of the roughly 1.5-minute long preview posted on TBS's official YouTube channel, titled for Episode 19, showed footage that did not appear in the episode.
Oct 6
Season 2 of VIVANT has resumed broadcast, and the official X account for the Sunday Theater slot posted visuals of the group preparing to rescue a captured Beppan member. Kazunari Ninomiya's character Nokor paints his face black with two lines on his cheeks, and viewers compared the look to cat whiskers and a calico cat. Episode 20 covers the infiltration of Shaki Castle.
Oct 5
The official X account for the Sunday Theater drama VIVANT released a new visual of Liu Mingxuan, played by Masato Sakai, wearing a smile while reaching out and covered in blood splatters. Fans responded with unease and theories about whose blood it is, including guesses about Mamoru Nozaki, played by Hiroshi Abe. The latter half of Season 2 resumes broadcast on Sunday, October 4, 2026.
Oct 5
Episode 18 of VIVANT Season 2 brings in Firza Hasanova, an agent nicknamed the Steel Lady, played by Gulnar Yunusova. Yunusova is a local coordinator in Azerbaijan, not a professional actor, and had been working as a Japanese interpreter and guide. Director Katsuo Fukuzawa chose her for the part, and she performs in her own voice rather than being dubbed.
Oct 5
TBS announced that Alim Qasimov, a national singer of Azerbaijan's mugham tradition, and his daughter Fargana Qasimova recorded vocals for a new VIVANT theme. Akira Senju, the drama's music director in Season 1, composed "Qarabag Sikestesi in VIVANT." The production team encountered mugham while shooting in Azerbaijan. A vinyl release, "'VIVANT' THE VINYL," is set for December 2.
Oct 5
Yajuro Bando, who plays Public Security Bureau Chief Sano Yutaro in TBS's Sunday Theater VIVANT, will appear live in the studio on Friday, October 9 on the morning news program THE TIME,. His segment is scheduled to begin around 6:30 AM, and he is set to appear in both the entertainment and weather segments. The booking is a collaboration between THE TIME,, which marked its 5th anniversary in October, and VIVANT, whose second season resumed October 4.
Oct 5
In the TBS Sunday drama VIVANT, Ohm Thanapat plays Chokki Thepnimit, a Thai businessman who works as a monitor for the organization Tent. The Thai actor and musician said in an interview that he held back in his first scenes with Ryusei Ryo, who plays Kotaro Shinjo, until Ryo told him he could hug him and go all out.
Oct 5
Curry House CoCo Ichibanya began selling Tom Yum Kung Soup Curry on October 1 as part of a collaboration with the TBS Sunday drama VIVANT. The soup curry is 1,320 yen, and takeout adds 54 yen. A fried anpan themed on the character Drum, called Mochitto Age Anpan, is 500 yen. The campaign runs through November 11 and includes limited cards, stickers, and a receipt lottery.
Oct 5
Ryusei Ryo will join Kazunari Ninomiya's personal agency Office Nino, the company announced on the 1st. The two currently co-star in the TBS Sunday drama VIVANT, where Ryusei plays Koutaro Shinjo, a former public security officer acting as a monitor for the terrorist organization Tent, opposite Ninomiya as Nokor.
Oct 3
The official X account for the Sunday Theater drama VIVANT released new visuals of 16 cast members during Silver Week. One image drew the most attention: Kaoru Yuki, played by Fumi Nikaido, looking straight ahead with her face covered in mud and what appears to be a smile. Social media responses split between praise for the look and questions about Kaoru's true identity, with comments asking why her face is dirty and suggesting she may be a spy. Kaoru lives with Yugo Nogi, played by Masato Sakai, and Jameen, played by Sae Honma. The second half of VIVANT Season 2 resumes broadcasting on Sunday, October 4, 2026, after a break for the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya. A trailer had shown Kaoru's expression as she fears something.
Oct 3
The second half of VIVANT Season 2 begins on October 4 on TBS, with six episodes left. The story picks up with a rescue mission to free a Besspan member held at Shaki Castle in the Republic of Golbad. Nogi, played by Masato Sakai, and Nokoru, played by Kazunari Ninomiya, plan to extract the member and escape on a private jet owned by Chokki, played by Ohm Thanapak. Producer Kazutaka Iida has said the back half contains about five big surprises, larger than those in the first half. A key problem is that Xinsi may have an HQ-9 surface-to-air missile, which would threaten the escape aircraft. The second half also brings Kaoru Yuki, played by Fumi Nikaido, out of Tokyo and onto the front lines after Nikaido took part in location shooting in Azerbaijan.
Sep 19
Thai actor Ohm Thanaphat, who plays Chokki Thepanit in TBS's Sunday drama VIVANT, appeared at the opening stage of TBS SPORTS & VIVANT PARK on September 19 at Shinjuku Sumitomo Building Triangle Plaza. He greeted 300 fans chosen by lottery in Japanese with "I love you!" and said people had asked him for autographs from the moment he landed. Ryusei Ryo, who plays Kotaro Shinjo, also attended, along with the actor playing Drum and judo gold medalist Natsumi Tsunoda, a TBS athlete ambassador for the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya. VIVANT is an original drama about Yusuke Nogi, a member of the Self-Defense Forces' top-secret intelligence organization Betsuhan. After a two-week broadcast break, the second half of season two begins October 4. Ohm said Chokki will have more scenes in the back half but could not discuss the story because of spoilers.
Sep 19
Miki Fujimoto will appear in Chinggis -VIVANT THE ORIGIN STORY-, the U-NEXT side story to the TBS drama VIVANT. She plays a nurse at the clinic Chinggis visits while carrying his younger sister Anu. Actor Eishin also joins as Bordo, a teacher at an orphanage run by Beki's organization Tent. The four episodes stream from September 20.
Sep 18
An unreleased extended trailer for VIVANT Season 2 can be viewed through a QR code on the drama's outdoor advertisements, according to Magmix. The one-minute-36-second trailer includes a scene at roughly the 41-second mark showing a photo of Adiel, a character who died in Season 1, on a monitor behind Shinshi head Fan Linxing. Fans now speculate Shinshi is pursuing Adiel or his daughter Jamin, and some ask whether Fan Linxing is Jamin's mother. The second half of Season 2, the Special Squad Recovery Operation, begins airing October 4, 2026.
Sep 16
Episode 18 of TBS's Sunday Theater drama VIVANT revealed the service history of Kumiko Tashiro, the Separate Squad member covering the Caucasus region, and brought a wave of reactions to off-shots posted by Layla Mada, who plays her. Mada also shared photos and video from the VIVANT Immersive Mission event space, where she was the first to sign the black signature board.
Sep 15
The TBS drama VIVANT gets an immersive event, VIVANT IMMERSIVE MISSION, running from September 16 to November 27, 2026 at CREATIVE MUSEUM TOKYO in Kyobashi. Visitors tour sets used in filming, including the Bukinist bookstore operations room, the Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Bureau Foreign Affairs Division 4, and the underground tent prison, while completing missions through the Auris app. An adjacent cafe serves items supervised by the production team.
Sep 14
Episode 18 of VIVANT's second season has Nogi Yusuke, played by Masato Sakai, working with his brother-in-law Nokoru, played by Kazunari Ninomiya, on a plan to rescue five abducted Bessatsu squad members held by the Chinese intelligence organization Shinshi. In the closing scene, Nokoru steps off a private jet at Garaman Airport beside Thai businessman Chokki Thepanit, and viewers flooded social media with reactions that his long hair was gone. A side angle shows the hair is tied back.
Sep 13
A four-episode side story about Chinggis, the elite Balka police officer from the TBS Sunday drama VIVANT, will stream on U-NEXT starting Sunday, September 20. Bokuzo Masana plays Akram, the orphanage principal, and Rena Matsui plays Naira, a teacher. The story covers Chinggis's orphanage childhood under Nogoon Beki, his first meeting with Beki, and why he became a police officer. Episodes run Sundays and Wednesday the 23rd at 9:00 PM.
Sep 12
On September 8, the official VIVANT social media account posted a video of Shunsuke Tanaka, 36, signing the TBS program logo monument. Tanaka plays Wakui Shunsaku, the Foreign Affairs Division 4 investigator revealed in Season 2 to commit domestic violence against his wife. Viewers responded to his off-screen appearance with surprise at how different he looks without glasses.
Sep 12
Kyoko Miyashita plays Han Linshin, head of the private intelligence organization Xinsi, in the second season of the TBS Sunday Theater drama VIVANT. She says she built the role to avoid a one-dimensional villain, and suggested the character's long braid herself before the costume fitting. She also describes the difficulty of performing lines in Chinese.
Sep 12
Producer Kazutaka Iida discussed the use of AI in the second season of "VIVANT," the TBS Sunday Theater drama, in remarks tied to Episode 17, which aired on September 6. Iida said the show's AI element, including the AI Hayato operated by the Self-Defense Forces unit Bekihan, has what he called a bigger aim than the era's inevitability or its function as an information organizer. That aim, he said, is making characters' emotions stand out more: the combination of the group's mechanical quality with AI heightens the inhuman atmosphere so that scenes of people feeling for others read as more human. In Episode 17, protagonist Nogi Yusuke, played by Masato Sakai, made a move applying AI technology. Iida also said Episode 17 drew more emotional comments on social media than the episodes up through Episode 16, and that he considers the episode the essence of the series.
Sep 10
Yuria Kizaki, a former member of SKE48 and AKB48, played the wife beaten by Public Security Bureau officer Wakui in the "boiled egg DV" scene of VIVANT Episode 17. Wakui, played by Shunsuke Tanaka, throws a hard-boiled egg at her and slaps her. After the episode aired, Kizaki posted a photo with Tanaka holding the rubber prop egg, and viewers said they had not recognized her.
Sep 9
VIVANT season 2 episode 17 made a talking point of the local field agent Tashiro, played by Leyla Mada, whose hijab-covered appearance and fluent Azerbaijani drew praise. Tashiro first appeared in episode 15 photographing public security officer Nozaki, played by Hiroshi Abe, during his undercover work against the Chinese intelligence organization Xinxi. In episode 17 she investigated a cafeteria owner near Shaki Castle in the Gorbad Republic. Mada has worked as a singer since 2013, with live shows in Taiwan, China and Macau.
Sep 6
TBS Sunday drama VIVANT introduced Elisha Mamadov, a scientist whose fusion power invention could reshape global energy. Played by Azerbaijani actor Manaf Dadashov, Elisha discarded his data and vanished rather than let one country monopolize the technology. Episode 16 showed him only in photographs, confined in an anechoic chamber.
Sep 4
Koki Maeda's brief role as a mercenary in VIVANT Season 2 episode 16 became a talking point after he delivered all his lines in Chinese. Director Yohei Miyazaki thanked him on SNS for attending every rehearsal with the mercenary group despite a lead role elsewhere, noting the casting was decided at the last minute. Maeda posted practice videos on September 3, drawing praise for his pronunciation, including from a Taiwanese viewer who said the Chinese was understandable without subtitles.
Sep 2
Episode 16 of VIVANT, broadcast August 30, brought back Ryu Minshuen, played by Masato Sakai in his triple role. Ryu was reported to have disappeared and died five years ago. He reappeared before Nozaki (Hiroshi Abe) as a member of the hostile organization Shinshi, and his confrontation scene with his former superior drew heavy attention on social media.
Fans are split on whether Ryu returned as an enemy or an ally. The ally theory draws on the pair's history: Ryu disappeared after going on a reckless mission alone out of a desire to be recognized. Some read the opening line delivered with a slap as a message that Ryu knows all Nozaki's lies, and the confrontation itself as a performance to divert suspicion. Bolder theories propose a secret pact made five years ago to undermine Shinshi from within.
Skeptics counter that a double agent has weak motivation to side with Nozaki at the cost of abandoning his homeland, and that the thrill of finishing off Nozaki with his own hands seems stronger.
Director Miyazaki Yohei said comedian Shinya, who played a mercenary in the flashback, has a brother in the Balka police. Fans connect this to the unnamed officer Shinya played in Season 1 episodes 1 and 2.
Aug 30
The 16th episode of TBS's Sunday drama "VIVANT" aired on August 30, and it was revealed that lead actor Sakai Masato is playing a third role. Following protagonist Nogi Yusuke and his alternate personality F, Sakai now plays Liu Mingsheng, an agent with a face identical to Nogi's who once worked alongside Public Security's Nozaki (Abe Hiroshi) during intelligence activities in Beijing five years ago. Liu was reported dead after a solo undercover operation, but he reappears as a member of the mysterious organization Shinshi, bearing torture scars on his forehead. Liu loved Nozaki and knows his methods, putting Nozaki, who carries out double-agent activities, in a tight spot. The episode also confirmed that Chou Keishi, another agent from that time, was played by Mitsuomi Takahashi, who broke through in "GoGo Sentai Boukenger" and previously worked with director Katsuo Fukuzawa on "No Side Game" and "Shitamachi Rocket." Viewers reacted with shock on social media, with comments like "He was alive!" and "Gives me goosebumps." The episode 17 preview shows a decision to abandon the rescue of five Betsuban members, with Nogi stating, "If captured, I will end my life immediately." Episode 17 airs September 6 at 9 p.m.
Aug 29
Pattarapon Kantapot, the Thai actor who plays the tattooed agent Gern in the TBS drama VIVANT, posted on Instagram that fans tell him he resembles Tomoya Nagase and Kazuma Kiryu. He shared comparison photos and thanked fans in Japanese, drawing responses that agree he looks like both.
Aug 29
Kaito Sakurai, who played a young Yusuke Nogu in season one of the Sunday Theater drama VIVANT, is drawing renewed attention as calls grow for his return in the current second season. His profile has risen sharply since 2023 through lead roles including Aqua Hoshino in Oshi no Ko and Meguru Bachira in Blue Lock.
Aug 28
Ninomiya Kazunari, who plays Nokoru in VIVANT Season 2, spoke at the Sunday Theater VIVANT PREMIUM SUMMER PARTY event on August 23 at the National Yoyogi Stadium First Gymnasium before 11,000 fans. Asked whether his screen time was reduced from Season 1, he asked producer Iida Kazutaka directly, who confirmed Nokoru appears more in Season 2. Iida added that based on Ninomiya's social media posts and the number of times he has eaten Midoriyama's tantanmen, there is still more to come.
Aug 23
Gaku Hamada, the actor playing white-hat hacker Tojo Tojo in the TBS Sunday drama "VIVANT" Season 2, attended a one-day event on August 23 and said he was shocked by fan theories about his character. Speaking at the "Sunday Theater VIVANT PREMIUM SUMMER PARTY" at Yoyogi National Stadium First Gymnasium, Hamada said viewers had speculated that because he is the actor, his character would not commit a large betrayal. He said he learned his own product value through that speculation. He added that as an actor he wants to betray the audience, and that the comment suggesting he would not do anything big was a shock. The event also featured cast members including Masato Sakai, Kazuya Ninomiya, Hiroshi Abe, and Ryusei Ryu. Episode 15 aired the same day, showing Tojo being interrogated by Nogi's alternate personality F, who slapped Tojo's cheeks with a fly swatter and warned him he would not be killed if he answered honestly. Tojo wet himself during the scene. Producer Kazutaka Iida called it the funniest episode of Season 2 so far.
Aug 21
Sumire Hanaoka, the new Blue Walker in season two of the drama VIVANT, posted off-shots on social media on August 19. The photos show her eating Betsupan red melon bread, viewing a shark specimen at a museum, and playing in a park. Fans reacted warmly, praising her relaxed vibe.
Aug 19
TBS will live-stream and archive the VIVANT PREMIUM SUMMER PARTY event from Yoyogi Stadium on August 23. Streaming tickets cost 3,000 yen and go on sale August 20. The event features 11 cast members, a big band performance, talk segments, and a mystery-solving activity. The archive will be available until September 6.
Aug 18
Pattarapon Kantapoj, who plays Thai agent Gern in TBS's drama VIVANT, revealed on Instagram a close-up of the tiger tattoo covering his back. The Japanese-style tattoos on Gern's body are Kantapoj's own. Fans reacted with comments like 'Super cool!' and wondered if the back tattoo will appear in the main story.
Aug 17
Takashi Yamanaka, who plays former Tent executive Ali Khan in the second season of TBS's Sunday drama VIVANT, opened a two-day pop-up curry shop in Kichijoji, Tokyo, on August 15 and 16, 2026. The shop, named Street Corner Chicken Curry with Iced Milk Tea, drew attention after Yamanaka posted photos on X and Instagram showing a poster of himself in a red turban and curled beard holding a ladle, which reminded fans of his VIVANT character. Yamanaka, a certified Curry Meister since 2016, has a history of curry-related projects, including a BS11 program where he created original curries. Fans who visited praised the curry's gentle flavor and noted long lines. Yamanaka hinted at a possible future reopening, suggesting the next event may draw even larger crowds.
Aug 17
The TBS drama VIVANT will bring back Chinggis, the Barca Republic police officer played by Barsarakhagva Batbold, in episode 15 airing August 23. It is his first full appearance in season 2, after a brief glimpse in episode 11. His return sets up a possible alliance or conflict with Nogii and Nozaki.
Aug 15
TBS drama VIVANT has collaborated with Kamakura confectioner Toshimaya on Hato Sabure cookies in collectible tins. Two versions, Ver.N and Ver.F, feature the show's characters alongside the brand's signature dove mascot. The tins are available at Toshimaya stores, the TBS Store Tokyo Station, and online for 1,944 yen each.