Losing a saved game can be one of the worst nightmares for any gamer, especially when you’ve spent thousands of hours playing. But what if the shock was so great that you ended up dying and reincarnating inside the same video game? That’s the unique premise of Reincarnation in the Game World Dan-Katsu, whose anime adaptation has just presented a new promotional trailer along with four additional voice cast members. The series is scheduled to premiere in January 2027 on Japanese television.

The trailer begins with the disappearance of the protagonist’s saved data, then shows him enjoying his new life inside the video game he knows so well. It also lets you hear a snippet of Play the Play, the opening theme performed by MindaRyn, while the group LINKL PLANET will handle the ending titled My Life Story. Of course, the first appearances of the four girls who will accompany the protagonist on his adventures are also featured.

A gamer who knows all the secrets of his new world

The story follows a gaming enthusiast who spent over 8,000 hours on Dungeon Shukatsu no Susume, a massive RPG popularly known as Dan-Katsu. The game features 1,021 character classes and over 400 different endings, making it time-consuming to master. However, after losing all his saved data, the protagonist dies from the shock and wakes up inside the game itself, where he now has the chance to start a new game from scratch.

What’s curious is that, unlike other isekai protagonists who barely understand the rules of the world they arrive in, our gamer already knows almost all its secrets. Under the name Zephyrus, he obtains the powerful Hero class and begins recruiting companions to explore dungeons, acquire equipment, and form a guild. And considering the hours he spent studying every corner of the game, monsters probably have more reason to worry than he does.

The anime introduces its four new heroines

Regarding the voice cast, it was confirmed that Yuto Uemura will voice Zephyrus, an actor known for voicing Thorfinn in Vinland Saga and Atsushi Nakajima in Bungo Stray Dogs. Joining him are four actresses who will voice the companions the protagonist will meet during his adventures:

• Hanna: Ayaka Nanase, known for voicing Yoshino Koharu in Sakura Quest and Cure Butterfly in Soaring Sky! Precure. Her character is a childhood friend of Zephyrus who dreams of becoming an alchemist.
• Sierra: Kotone Izumi, who previously voiced Nova in WIXOSS DIVA(A)LIVE. She will play a noble young woman with exceptional talent for using shields.
• Lana: Hikaru Iida, recognized for voicing Kotone Fujita in the video game Gakuen Idolmaster. Her character is a princess who wishes to obtain the Saint class.
• Ester: Chihaya Asakura, who will voice the knight tasked with protecting Lana since childhood.

Regarding the production team, Nagisa Miyazaki will direct at STUDIO MASSKET, while Yuji Kobayashi will handle the series composition and scriptwriting. For now, the team has not announced an exact release date beyond January 2027.

It’s worth noting that the original story by Kaede Nishikigi began publication in January 2021 on the Kakuyomu platform, before receiving a light novel edition under the TO Books label in March 2022, illustrated by Shuri. The franchise currently has 16 volumes published and also received a manga adaptation illustrated by Hiroshi Asagi, which began serialization in April 2022.

Would you like to reincarnate inside a game you’ve already spent thousands of hours on, or would you prefer to get your saved game back and continue playing peacefully?