A body swap in the imperial court, a villainess waking in the wrong body, and a death sentence looming. Though I Am an Inept Villainess released its full trailer, confirming its premiere on July 12, 2026, and revealed that milet sings the opening: her first solo opening for a TV anime. The trailer also introduces five new cast members and offers the most comprehensive look yet at the series’ court intrigue world.

The opening is titled “Sunny”, and the fact that it’s milet’s first solo opening for an anime adds weight to the announcement. The full trailer shows more detail on the body swap dynamic between Kou Reirin and Shu Keigetsu, the imperial court’s tense atmosphere, and close-ups of the cast in action. Two special project members were also confirmed: former Takarazuka Revue stars Madoka Hoshikaze and Hana Jun, named as special supporters for the anime. Advance screenings are scheduled for June 21 at TOHO CINEMAS Hibiya in Tokyo.

Voice Cast

New Additions

• Rei Igarashi as Kou Kenshu. (Precia Testarossa in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Kanzeon Bosatsu in Saiyuki).
• Ai Kayano as Shu Gabi. (Meiko “Menma” Honma in AnoHana and Shiro in Deadman Wonderland).
• Mai Nakahara as Kin Seika. (Nagisa Furukawa in Clannad and Rena Ryugu in Higurashi: When They Cry).
• Inori Minase as Ran Hoshu. (Rem in Re:Zero and Hestia in DanMachi).
• Yui Ishikawa as Gen Kasui. (Mikasa Ackerman in Shingeki no Kyojin and Violet Evergarden in Violet Evergarden).

Previously Confirmed Cast

• Manaka Iwami as Kou Reirin. (Akane Kurokawa in Oshi no Ko and Tohru Honda in Fruits Basket).
• Natsumi Kawaida as Shu Keigetsu. (Natsumi Hodaka in Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater and Asami Yuki in Higehiro).
• Makoto Furukawa as Ei Gyomei. (Saitama in One Punch Man and Miyuki Shirogane in Kaguya-sama: Love Is War).
• Yuichiro Umehara as Shin-u. (Anos Voldigoad in The Misfit of Demon King Academy and Sasha in Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season).

Production Team

Director Mitsue Yamazaki leads the project at Doga Kobo, with Yoshiko Nakamura supervising scripts and Ai Kikuchi designing characters. Music is composed by Yukari Hashimoto, with sound production by Tohokushinsha Film Corporation.

About Though I Am an Inept Villainess

Though I Am an Inept Villainess (Futsutsuka na Akujo de wa Gozaimasu ga) is a light novel by Satsuki Nakamura with illustrations by YukiKana, published by Ichijinsha since December 2020, with twelve volumes released. The manga adaptation by Ei Ohitsuji runs concurrently in Monthly Comic Zero-Sum. Seven Seas publishes both versions in English. The story follows Kou Reirin, the delicate “butterfly” of the court destined to become the crown prince’s consort, and Shu Keigetsu, the feared “court rat.” After a confrontation at the Lantern Festival, Reirin wakes in Keigetsu’s body, imprisoned in a dungeon with a death sentence. What follows is a story of survival, court politics, and the question of whether this more robust body could paradoxically change her fate.

Does the body swap in a court intrigue setting seem like an original premise, or do you feel the villainess formula is too overused?