"Thanks to Your Continued Love" – Yūichirō Umehara and Yasuaki Takumi's Thoughts on Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans as It Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary | VOICE ACTOR

[Photos/Images] "Thanks to Your Continued Love" – Yūichirō Umehara and Yasuaki Takumi's Thoughts on Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans as It Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary 1st

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, which began broadcasting in October 2015, the special edition Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans – Urðr Hunt Special Edition is being screened for a limited four weeks starting October 31, 2025, and is currently available for digital purchase and rental on various streaming services.

Released as a concurrent screening and also currently available for streaming, the new short film commemorating the 10th anniversary of Iron-Blooded Orphans, titled "Makuai no Kusabi" (Interlude's Wedge), is directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai and written by Mari Okada, just like the TV series.

"Makuai no Kusabi" is set in the timeline after the first season of the TV series. It depicts a story in which the members of Tekkadan give Orga a certain present as he struggles with his unfamiliar duties as leader.

This time, we conducted an interview with voice actor Yūichirō Umehara, who plays Eugene Seven Stark in this work, and Yasuaki Takumi, who plays the role of Akihiro Altland. We asked them about their first impressions of the work and their feelings during the initial recording sessions of the TV series.

Regarding his first impression of the new short film made approximately eight years after the TV series ended, Umehara said, "It's set in the timeline after the first season, and you can feel the determination that Tekkadan is going to grow bigger from here on out. However, I think many viewers will watch it after knowing the ending of the second season. When that's the case, you somehow feel a sense of sadness in the casual conversations and everyone's positive attitudes, if you know what I mean.

There are also irresistible elements for fans, such as the story about Orga's suit, and although it's a short story, I think it became a memorable work."

Takumi, listening to Umehara's words, also shared his first impression: "Within the short runtime, the battle scenes and the human relationships visible through Tekkadan's somewhat absurd conversations—all the good aspects of Iron-Blooded Orphans are condensed into it."

Continuing about the portrayal of Akihiro, whom he played, he commented, "There's that 'back-to-back expression' that I love from the TV series, and I realized they were having this kind of conversation at that time (lol). Even reading the script moved me, and I was really happy that the familiar Tekkadan was there."

When asked about his feelings when he was cast in Iron-Blooded Orphans, Umehara revealed, "I vaguely wanted to be in the Gundam series, and I was happy to be involved at an early stage after my debut," and reflected, "There were many people of the same generation with similar careers, and the experience of gradually changing while influencing each other as we listened to each other's performances was stimulating."

Delving deeper, he shared, "I have the impression that we were freely allowed to suggest things like changing the endings of lines. Precisely because it was an original work, we were given the experience of trying to contribute ideas to create the characters ourselves, and I think the experience of performing over 50 episodes is quite rare," revealing how this work became one that left a lasting impression on him.

Takumi reflected, "I was happy, but I was surprised because I never thought I would be cast, and it was memorable receiving words of support and congratulations from senior colleagues in the industry," as the topic turned to his feelings during recording at that time.

"At that time, I had the feeling of struggling through the recording while maintaining the atmosphere and gritty feel of the work's worldview as it was. We were performing while, in a sense, clashing with each other when our own styles weren't yet established. But now, 10 years later, as I recall and talk about it, it feels like I can return to those days. The joy of being involved in a major work where people still reach out to me even after all these years is a different kind of joy from when the role was decided—it's more like a deeply savored joy," he shared with emotion.

Takumi, who has a strong desire to be involved in memorable works, powerfully expressed his response to "Makuai no Kusabi": "I was able to reconfirm that we delivered a work that remained in everyone's hearts back then, and I'm happy to be able to say with confidence that this new short film is also 'a good story with good human relationship drama.' The fact that I can feel this way is different from 10 years ago and now."

Near the end of the interview, he frankly commented on the strength of his attachment: "After 10 years, I might be becoming just a fan of Iron-Blooded Orphans myself."

There was also a moment where he conveyed his passionate feelings to the staff present at the interview: "We were truly able to deliver this new short film thanks to your continued love, so I am truly nothing but grateful. To all the fans, I want to convey my thanks above all else. Really, for all of you as well, please continue to support us!"

It was an interview that reconfirmed that this is a work with strong emotional attachment not only for fans but also for the performers.