"He doesn't really sound like Eugene yet; he's got too much gravitas (lol)" — Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Yuichiro Umehara & Yasuaki Takumi Interview

The special compilation film Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans - Urdr-Hunt: Path of the Little Challenger had a limited four-week theatrical run starting October 31, 2025. Screened alongside it was "Interlude Wedges" (Makuai no Kusabi), a new 10th-anniversary short film that depicts events taking place after the first season of the Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans TV series, which originally began airing in October 2015.

In this article, we not only highlight the must-see moments of "Interlude Wedges" but also present an interview with Yuichiro Umehara (voice of Eugene Seven Stark) and Yasuaki Takumi (voice of Akihiro Altland). They discuss the challenges of reprising their roles for a story set during an interlude of the original timeline, especially now that nearly eight years have passed since the TV series concluded.

——"The timeline of this work takes place after the first season of Iron-Blooded Orphans, right? Having already performed through the end of the second season, I imagine it must have been difficult to go back and act within that specific timeframe again."

Umehara："That’s true... Part of it is because I had already played Eugene's journey to the very end, but also because eight years have passed since we finished recording the second season. In that time, I’ve gained various experiences that have changed my acting style and approach in my own way. Since the audience is likely looking for the Eugene they remember from the past, I have to be careful—if there’s too much of a gap, the story won't feel seamless."

Takumi："That's true."

Umehara："To tune out the discrepancy in my voice, I went back and rewatched the TV series. Back then, Eugene’s immaturity came out naturally because I was younger and acting with reckless abandon. However, playing him again after eight years meant I had to consciously bridge the gap to reach that same immaturity. It might not have been a natural process, but making it sound natural for the audience was the difficult part. Even while practicing at home, I felt like I didn't quite sound like Eugene yet—I had too much gravitas (lol)."

Takumi："It was really that much of a struggle? Now you’ve made me want to hear those practice recordings even more (lol)!"

All：（lol）

Umehara："I started my character preparation from that point, but once the actual recording began and I was surrounded by the other cast members, I felt like I had truly been transported back to those days. From there, I think I was able to naturally bring out that sense of immaturity and recklessness during the final take without overthinking it too much."

Takumi："You didn't seem that way at all (during the recording), but I guess you really did struggle with it, didn't you?"

Umehara："The day before and the day before that were when I was really starting to think, 'Oh man, this is bad.'"

Takumi："Seeing how well it turned out, I’d never have guessed you struggled that much. But the chemistry between us is so important, isn't it? When we’re actually performing together and bouncing off one another, the emotions that bubble up and the voice that comes out in response to what you hear—that’s when it truly feels like it becomes the character's voice."

Umehara："That's true."