"I Wouldn't Lie in the First Place" — Voice Actor Shun Horie Reflects on His Journey with Rent-A-Girlfriend Protagonist Kazuya

—Hearing you say that makes me wonder: if you were in a similar situation to Kazuya, how would you act?

Horie: If I were in the same situation of using a rental girlfriend, I wouldn't lie in the first place. Out of some strange pride, he kept piling lie upon lie, and though that pride has long since vanished, he has now reached a point where the lies have tangled up to an irreversible degree.

—It has also become a turning point for the story in the fifth season.

Horie: For me, I'm just more terrified of what people will think when the truth comes out. It's not about the coolness of not lying; I might avoid lying simply because I'm scared of being hated or disappointing people even more when caught. So if it were my story, it would have ended around episode 3 and wouldn't have lasted until season 5 (lol).

—Once again, it makes me realize that Kazuya's lies form the core of the work. But since he lies out of pride or vanity, there's no malice behind them, right? Even if it is foolish.

Horie: Exactly as you say, he's a fool without malice. Lies without malice. He ends up lying, but there's truly no ulterior motive behind it. Even for the viewers, he's someone you really dislike but can't hate 100%. That lack of malice, which keeps him from being completely detested at the very last second, is perhaps the remaining hope for Kazuya to be loved.

—By the way, if you were to rent a character from the series yourself, which heroine would you choose?

Horie: I'm the same as Kazuya there. In the sense of an overwhelmingly ideal girlfriend, it's a classic choice, but I'd choose Chizuru. She supports you just the right amount and interacts with you frankly—that balance is perfect. And at the end of the day, I think Chizuru is amazing, so it's Chizuru for me.

—Lastly, since season 5 of Rent-A-Girlfriend is currently airing, could you please give a message to the viewers?

Horie: Is everyone trembling because of Mami-san around now? It was a hot topic at the recording studio too, but from a certain episode to another, there's a streak of episodes where every single one ends with a cliffhanger centered on Mami-san. It always ends with an audacious smirk or an ominous expression, and given the timing of this article's release, we might be right around those episodes.

Because of that, Mami-san is definitely the hot topic right now. However, regarding the relationship between Kazuya and Chizuru, which in a sense has been running parallel all this time, they will be taking a step forward from here on out. I hope everyone will watch until the very end while paying attention to that change as well.

I think we were able to get a glimpse of how Horie approached playing Kazuya, the protagonist of the long-running TV anime Rent-A-Girlfriend. We hope you enjoy the story of Rent-A-Girlfriend while keeping an eye on the narrative that unfolds in season 5, or looking back at the journey since season 1.

Text / kato

(C) 宮島礼吏・講談社／「彼女、お借りします」製作委員会2026

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