Kadokawa is keeping the spotlight on the cast of the upcoming *Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice* anime project with a fresh character preview.
The sixth character promo for the anime, officially titled *Sekiro: No Defeat*, has just dropped. This latest spotlight focuses on Hanbei the Undying, the enigmatic swordsman who defies permanent death at the hands of standard blades.
Fans of the original FromSoftware game will remember Hanbei stationed near the Dilapidated Temple, serving as an immortal punching bag for the Wolf. He helps players hone essential combat skills—like parrying, dodging, and counter-striking—reviving to fight (and fall) another day no matter how many times he is struck down.
Voice actor Akimitsu Takase is back to reprise his role as Hanbei. Reflecting on his journey with the character, Takase shared how far the immortal warrior has come:
“About eight years ago, I recorded a role that meant something like ‘an undying fallen warrior.’ Apparently, he was a training dummy. And then he got the name Hanbei, and now he’s made it to anime.”
Before making the jump to animation, Hanbei’s backstory was explored in the spin-off manga *Sekiro Side Story: Hanbei the Undying*, which shed light on his life before crossing paths with the Wolf.
Animation duties for *Sekiro: No Defeat* are being handled by studio Qzil.la. The creative team features Kenichi Kutsuna in the director’s chair, Takuya Sato penning the script, and Takashi Mukoda orchestrating the action sequences. The anime is scheduled for a limited three-week theatrical run in Japan starting September 4, 2026, with a subsequent streaming release planned for Crunchyroll at a later, yet-to-be-announced date.