First Look: Though I Am an Inept Villainess Anime Arrives This July

TOHO AND CRUNCHYROLL INVITES FANS INTO A WORLD OF COURTLY INTRIGUE AS ‘THOUGH I AM AN INEPT VILLAINESS’ WITH FIRST ANIME TRAILER DEBUT, ALONG WITH NEW CAST REVEALS
The First Official Trailer Debuts Alongside Additional Cast Announcements Including Makoto Furukawa and Yūichirō Umehara Ahead of July 2026 Broadcast on Crunchyroll

Los Angeles, California (April 15, 2026)TOHO Global unveiled major announcements tied to the upcoming anime adaptation of Though I Am an Inept Villainess The series debuted its first promotional video featuring debut footage from the upcoming animation and confirmed a July 2026 broadcast on Crunchyroll, alongside new cast announcements.

Based on the light novel by Satsuki Nakamura, the franchise has garnered acclaim, winning the Light Novel category award at the “Everyone's Choice 2023 Electronic Comic Awards” and a top ranking in BookLive's 2023 annual women's light novel rankings. The franchise has continued to expand in popularity, with the original novel and manga collectively surpassing 4 million copies in circulation.

To celebrate the anime's upcoming debut, the newly released trailer introduces the imperial court setting where five clans compete to produce the next empress and follows KOU REIRIN, a beloved noblewoman who suddenly finds herself swapped into the body of a condemned villainess.

“We are excited to bring 'Though I Am an Inept Villainess' to partner with Crunchyroll to deliver it globally for fans everywhere,” said Yoichi Kawamura, the director of TOHO Global. “We look forward to connecting this story with anime fans across the globe and sharing its world with new audiences everywhere.”

The anime also introduces key characters brought to life by a newly announced voice cast, including Makoto Furukawa as EI GYOUMEI, Yūichirō Umehara as SHIN-U, Hana Hishikawa as LEELEE, and Farahnaz Nukrayas KOU TOUSETSU. “I'm honored to be part of this project and to portray such a compelling character,” said Furukawa. Umehara described the series as a story rich in emotional depth and strong relationships, while Hishikawa and Farahnaz shared their excitement in bringing their characters to life.

The series is directed by Mitsue Yamasaki, with series composition by Yoshiko Nakamura, character design by Ai Kikuchi, music by Yukari Hashimoto, and animation production by Dōga Kōbō. The main cast includes Manaka Iwami as KOU REIRIN and Natsumi Kawaida as SHU KEIGETSU.

The first promotional video is now available: https://youtu.be/JY75tNdSVG0

For additional information, please visit the official website at https://futsutsuka.net/ and follow the official TOHO animation account.

https://www.instagram.com/tohoanimationen/
https://x.com/TOHOanimationEN
https://www.tiktok.com/@tohoanimationen

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