Melvyn Tan
July 5, 2026
The supernatural Mononoke series is getting a new project featuring its third Medicine Seller, whose form is previewed in an announcement trailer. This third mononokeslayer is referred to as Ken no Kusuriuri and is voiced by Hirobumi Araki, who previously played the Medicine Seller on stage
The character design comes from Kitsuneko Nagata, who served as character designer for the recent Mononoke movie trilogy
In addition to this new project, there will be three Mononoke novels from the KADOKAWA Bunko label, one for each of the Medicine Sellers (the original Medicine Seller is called Ri no Kusuriuri, while the movies’ version is dubbed Kon no Kusuriuri)
The visually distinct Mononoke anime began with the “Goblin Cat” episodes of the 2006 horror anime anthology Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales, which later led to the 2007 Mononoke TV anime. Crunchyroll describes the synopsis for the latter as such:
In feudal Japan, evil spirits known as mononoke plague both households and the countryside. Only one person has the power to kill them where they stand: the Medicine Seller. But in order to draw his spirit-slaying sword he must first understand the Form, Truth, and Reason of the mononoke. Armed with sharp wit, he wanders from place to place striking down the evil spirits in his wake
Takahiro Sakurai starred as the Medicine Seller in the initial entries and was due to reprise the role for the movies, which are set in the Ōuku/Inner Palace, but was dismissed and eventually replaced by Hiroshi Kamiyaas the protagonist. The recast decision coincided with and alluded to a scandal involving Sakurai having an affair. “The animated film ‘MONONOKE’ tries to depict the suffering and remedy of women,” an announcement said at the time. “Judging from the standpoint of the story, we decided to change the cast of the medicine seller.”
However, Sakurai was brought back for a cameo in Mononoke the Movie: Chapter 3: Snake God, which premiered in Japan on May 29, 2026. A few days later, anime producer and Twin Engine founderKoji Yamamoto, who is credited with planning produce on the Mononoke film trilogy, announced that he would take responsibility and retire from the producing profession, and that he was moving into management and the cultivation of young talent
Kenji Nakamura (Gatachman Crowds: Insight) directed the TV anime and the first Mononoke movie, before switching to a chief director role for the last two films. The rest of the movie trilogy was directed by Kiyotaka Suzuki, who previously held the co-storyboard artist and director support roles. Takashi Hashimoto (Revue Starlight the Movie co-main animator, Fate/Grand Order THE MOVIE: Paladin: Agateram co-storyboard artist) was the TV anime’s character designer
Netflix has the first two films, Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rainand Mononoke The Movie: Chapter II – The Ashes of Rage. They debuted in Japanese theaters in 2024 and 2025
