TV Anime "MAO" Broadcast Start Confirmed for April 4! First KV & PV Released Along with TRUE as ED Theme Song Artist and Additional Cast Announcement

New information about the TV anime "MAO" has been released all at once. The series will begin broadcasting on NHK General TV starting April 4, 2026, running for two consecutive cours. Additionally, information about the key visual, first PV, ending theme artist, seven additional cast members, and an original illustration board by the original author Rumiko Takahashi has been revealed.

The original work is "MAO," the latest creation by Rumiko Takahashi, whose cumulative worldwide circulation of manga volumes has surpassed 200 million copies. Serialized in "Weekly Shonen Sunday" (Shogakukan) since 2019, this work is a story that fuses immersive dark fantasy with time-slip mystery. Mao, a mysterious onmyoji who has lived for 900 years, and Nanoka Kiba, a middle school student who has wandered from the Reiwa era into the Taisho period. The two, who have been placed under the same "curse," confront their intertwined destinies. The animation production is handled by Sunrise, which worked on the "Inuyasha" series based on Takahashi's original work.

The released key visual features Mao, Nanoka Kiba, Otoya, Hyakka, and Kamon drawn from bold angles, with Byōki, the cat demon who holds the key to the story, looming behind them in a dynamic composition. Additionally, the first PV includes new cuts, along with partial audio of the opening theme "HEARTLOUD" by Kis-My-Ft2 and the ending theme "Juai" by TRUE. Furthermore, character voices of the seven newly announced additional cast members were revealed for the first time.

The ending theme "Juai" features lyrics by Miho Karasawa and composition/arrangement by John Kanda. The digital single is scheduled to be released on Monday, April 6 at 00:00, and an original jacket illustration by character designer and chief animation director Yoshihito Hishinuma has also been revealed.

The additional cast members bringing the story to life include Momoka Terasawa (as Otoya), Kazuyuki Okitsu (as Shiranui), Motoko Kumai (as Funa Uozumi), Yōko Hikasa (as Tenko), Risa Shimizu (as Sana), Reina Ueda (as Yurako), and Takashi Matsuyama (as Byōki). Additionally, to commemorate the start of the anime broadcast, an original illustration board featuring Mao and others, drawn by the original author Rumiko Takahashi, has arrived.