Twin Engine revealed on Sunday in a promotional video that a new Mononoke project has started, and introduced the third Medicine Seller “Ken no Tsurugi.” Actor Hirofumi Araki, who starred as the Medicine Seller in the recent Mononoke stage plays will voice the new character. The announcement did not reveal whether the new project is an anime film or television series.
Mononoke film trilogy character designer Kitsuneko Nagata designed the new character:
Image via Mononoke film trilogy’s website
©Twin Engine
The film trilogy’s director/general director Kenji Nakamura describes the new Medicine Seller “Ken no Tsurugi” as someone who has a dual personality, being nonchalant and talkative before a supernatural event begins, but then goes into a sharp, sudden change when an evil spirit appears.
Twin Engine also announced that Kadokawa will publish new novels featuring one of the three Medicine Sellers “Ri,” “Kon,” and “Ken” as the protagonist. More details will be announced at a later date.
Image courtesy of Twin Engine
©Twin Engine
Mononoke The Movie: Phantom in the Rain (Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa), the first film, premiered in Japan in July 2024. Mononoke the Movie Trilogy: Chapter 2: The Ashes of Rage (Gekijōban Mononoke Dai-Ni-Shō: Hinezumi) opened in Japan in March 2025. Netflix is streaming the first two films.
In February 2023, Twin Engine announced that the first film was delayed, and stated that voice actor Takahiro Sakurai would no longer reprise the role of the protagonist the Medicine Seller as originally planned. Hiroshi Kamiya replaced Sakurai in the role of the Medicine Seller in the trilogy. The character in the film trilogy is a different Medicine Seller from the one who appeared in the television series.
The Weekly Bunshun tabloid newspaper reported in October 2022 that Sakurai had been engaged in an extramarital affair for at least 10 years with a writer for his P.S. Genki Desu. Takahiro travel radio show. Sakurai’s talent management agency Intention published a statement the day after the report, which acknowledged the article’s report and apologized to the unnamed woman, Sakurai’s fans, and all involved.
Twin Engine had stated in the announcement of replacing Sakurai:
…the animated film “MONONOKE” sets in Ōoku (historically the women’s quarters of Edo Castle) and tries to depict the suffering and remedy of women. Judging from the standpoint of the story, we decided to change the cast of the Medicine Seller.
Mononoke The Movie: Chapter III – The Curse of the Serpent (Gekijōban Mononoke Dai-San-Shō: Hebigami), the third installment in the trilogy, opened in Japan on May 29. The staff did not announce before the film released that the original character would appear in the film, or that they had recast Sakurai to reprise the role. Theatergoers noticed the cameo in the film, and noted there was no previous announcement of Sakurai reprising the role, which caused controversy: some fans supported the decision and some were against it. Oricon confirmed that the third film had featured Sakurai as the original Medicine Seller character, who appeared in the film in a cameo role.
The film trilogy’s planning producer Kōji Yamamoto then posted an apology on his X (formerly Twitter) account on June 5, and also announced he was retiring from producing. Yamamoto confirmed in the statement that staff had recast Sakurai who had been previously replaced, apologizing for the way in which the information about this was handled.
The Mononoke franchise also inspired two previous stage plays in 2023 and 2024, and a prequel stage play with an original story, which ran from May 14-17. Jun Yoriko directed the three stage plays, which all starred Hirofumi Araki.
Sources: Mononoke film trilogy’s website, Comic Natalie
