The official website for the upcoming TV anime adaptation of Tenkaichi: The Greatest Warrior Under the Rising Sun (Tenkaichi: Nihon Saikyō Bugeisha Ketteisen)—created by artist Kyōtarō Azuma and author Yōsuke Nakamaru—launched on Thursday, revealing a teaser promotional video, a teaser visual, main cast and staff details, and an official premiere window of April 2027.
©中丸洋介・あずま京太郎・講談社／「テンカイチ 日本最強武芸者決定戦」製作委員会
The main voice cast features the following historical figures (rendered with family names first):
Gen Sato as Miyamoto Musashi
©中丸洋介・あずま京太郎・講談社／「テンカイチ 日本最強武芸者決定戦」製作委員会
Kenichirō Matsuda as Honda Tadakatsu
©中丸洋介・あずま京太郎・講談社／「テンカイチ 日本最強武芸者決定戦」製作委員会
Kenyū Horiuchi as Oda Nobunaga
©中丸洋介・あずま京太郎・講談社／「テンカイチ 日本最強武芸者決定戦」製作委員会
Behind the scenes, Masashi Abe (known for Casshan: Robot Hunter Casshern, Tokko, and Magical Canan) is directing the series at studio Fugaku. Kazuharu Sato (Colorful, Papillon Rose) is handling the scripts, Ryōji Nakamori (Hellsing Ultimate, Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise) is designing the characters, and Hayato Matsuo (Heaven’s Design Team, Hellsing Ultimate) is composing the score.
Kodansha’s K MANGA platform publishes the manga in English simultaneously with its Japanese release, and outlines the alternate-history premise:
Set in an alternate version of the year 1600—a decade after Oda Nobunaga successfully unified Japan—the aging ruler realizes his time is short and declares that he will pass down supreme authority to whoever can present him with the absolute strongest fighter. With their ambitions of conquest previously thwarted, powerful generals put forward their finest warriors to fight for the title of supreme ruler. The opening bout pits the peerless spear master Honda Tadakatsu (backed by Tokugawa Ieyasu) against the rapidly evolving prodigy Miyamoto Musashi (backed by Chosokabe Motochika)!
The manga originally debuted in Kodansha’s Young Magazine the 3rd in January 2021. Following the magazine’s closure, the series transferred to Monthly Young Magazine in May 2021. Kodansha is scheduled to release the 14th collected volume of the manga on August 20.
Sources: Tenkaichi: The Greatest Warrior Under the Rising Sun anime website, Comic Natalie