Ahead of its release later this year, Disney+ revealed new cast members and character art for its upcoming series Dragons of Wonderhatch.
This new series is unique as it is a combination of live-action and anime, and its story is set in the real world and in an anime land called Upananta where dragons and humans coexist. Its story is described as:
“Dragons of Wonderhatch will tell the story of Nagi, a high school student who lives in the real world but who feels out of place among her classmates; Thaim, a dragon rider who communicates with dragons in Upananta, and Aktha, a dragon rider hero.”
As for the Dragons of Wonderhatch voice cast, the characters Thaim and Aktha will be voiced by Daiken Okudaira (Mother, Insomniacs After School) and Mackenyu (One Piece, Knights of the Zodiac) respectivel, Meanwhile, Nagi will be performed by Sena Nakajima, and Guphin will be voiced by Shunsuke Takeuchi.
The cast also features the voice of Kenjiro Tsuda, the ever-popular VA who is best known as Nanami from Jujutsu Kaisen and Kaiba from Yu-Gi-Oh. In this new Disney+ series, he will voice Jairo, a newly announced character and a fearsome dragon rider in the anime world.
“Jairo is a villain who makes people tremble with fear, but on the other hand, he also has a big secret that he cannot tell anyone,” said director Kentaro Hagiwara. “Mr. Tsuda is an extraordinary voice actor who accurately expresses not only Jairo’s conflicts, but also the sadness that lies ahead.”
As for Tsuda, he shared his excitement for the role, saying: “While there have been works that combine anime and live action in the past, as soon as I heard about this project I was excited to be able to participate in a way that will push the boundaries of this medium.”
Meanwhile, here’s a look at the new art for the show’s characters:
Dragons of Wonderhatch is directed by Kentaro Hagiwara, with Takashi Otsuka directing the anime world. The series’ anime parts are produced by Production I.G., the studio behind Ghost in the Shell, Psycho-Pass, Haikyuu, and other popular titles.
This series is set to release exclusively on Disney+ in Winter 2023, though there’s no word yet on an official premiere date.