Manga creator, Rumiko Takahashi has accomplished a lot in her Manga career, but this latest announcement has revealed that her latest work, MAO will be getting an Anime Adaptation, which means that all of her work in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shōnen Magazine has been adapted into anime.
According to Oricon, the MAO TV Anime will air on NHK General TV in Spring 2026. Animation production will be handled by Sunrise Studio, the first time since Rumiko Takahashi’s previous work, Inuyasha. Accompanied by a trailer was the cast and staff list.
Rumiko Takahashi’s Weekly Shōnen Sunday Series Adaption List:
- Urusei Yatsura (1981, 2022)
- Ranma ½ (1989, 2024)
- Inuyasha (2000)
- RIN-NE (2015)
- MAO (2026)
MAO Cast:
MAO– Yuki Kaji (My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, World Trigger)
Yuki Kaji previously voiced MAO in a special DIGEST Video for Shogakukan’s Weekly Shōnen Sunday’s YouTube Channel in 2021.
Nanoka Kiba– Natsumi Kawaida (The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store, The Demon Prince of Momochi House, I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths!)
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Hyakka– Hiro Shimono (Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, My Hero Academia)
Kamon– Toshiyuki Toyonaga (The Rose of Versailles, Yuri!!! On Ice, Buddy Daddies)
Staff List:
- Director– Teruo Sato
- Series Composition– Yuko Kakihara
- Character Design/ Chief Animation Director– Yoshihito Hishinuma
- Art Director– Hiroshi Katō, Izumi Hoki
- Color Key Artist– Masumi Ōtsuka
- CG Director– Tomohiro Fujie
- Compositing Director of Photography– Akane Fushihara
- Editing– Kazuhiro Nii
- Sound Director– Hiromi Kikuta
- Music– Shū Kanematsu
Rumiko Takahashi’s MAO was first serialized in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shōnen Sunday Magazine in May 2019 and is currently an ongoing series with its chapters collected in 24 tankōbon volumes as of May 2025. In North America, the series is licensed for English release by Viz Media. The individual chapters are available on Viz Media’s Viz Manga app.
Nanoka passes through a portal into the Taisho era, where exorcist Mao reluctantly rescues her from the jaws of a grotesque yokai. When Nanoka gets back to the present, she discovers she has some new, incredible abilities. She returns to the past looking for answers, only to get caught up in Mao’s investigation of a series of gruesome murders. As her questions about herself multiply, Nanoka learns that Mao is cursed by a cat demon named Byoki—and so is his sword. If anyone but Mao attempts to wield it, they are doomed. But when Mao’s life is in jeopardy, Nanoka picks up his blade and swings!
Source: Oricon
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