Academia Kuromi for Young Ladies demands the highest level of etiquette and refinement. No one expected one of its most admired students to have a secret life filled with trash talk and perfect combos. Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games released its main trailer, revealing new cast members and confirming its premiere for July 7, 2026, after a delay since its original announcement in 2021.

The opening is titled “Inochi Mijikashi Tai Suru Otome yo!” by the rock band Hanabie. The ending “New Game” is performed by halca. The trailer showcases the blend between the refined school life of the academy and the intensity of fighting game battles that define the series.

Notably, Aru, a real-life fighting game player, commentator, and event organizer, voices the character Flamberge, a recognized commentator in the story. Kadokawa’s pro gaming team, FAV gaming, also collaborated on the recording, suggesting careful attention to authentic combat representation for fans of the competitive scene.

Voice Cast

New Additions

• Yumiri Hanamori as Hana Ichinose. (Nadeshiko Kagamihara in Laid-Back Camp and Ai Hayasaka in Kaguya-sama: Love Is War).
• Nobuyuki Hiyama as gekido.
• Yohei Azakami as Cafe Au Lait. (Gyro Zeppeli in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run and Guel Jeturk in Gundam: The Witch from Mercury).
• Taku Yashiro as Seshiro. (Natsuo Fujii in Domestic Girlfriend and Kakeru Juuouin in King of Prism).

Previously Confirmed Cast

• Ikumi Hasegawa as Aya Mitsuki. (Nagatoro in Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro and Yua Seruvia in Isekai Nonbiri Nouka).
• Kana Ichinose as Mio Yorue. (Ichigo in Darling in the FranXX and Yukina Himeragi in Strike the Blood).
• Sayaka Senbongi as Yu Inui. (Mumei in Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and Trish Una in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind).
• Maria Naganawa as Arisa Fujimiya. (Kanna Kamui in Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid and Elf in Eromanga Sensei).

Production Team

Director Shota Ihata leads the project at studio diomedéa, with Wataru Watari overseeing scripts and Mayuko Matsumoto handling character design. Kana Hashiguchi composes the music, with sound direction by Yayoi Tateishi.

About Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games

Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games is a manga by Eri Ejima, published in Kadokawa’s Monthly Comic Flapper since January 2020, with ten compiled volumes by December 2025. Seven Seas publishes the series in English. The story is set at the Academia Kuromi for Young Ladies, an elegant institution demanding high standards of behavior. Aya Mitsuki enters on a scholarship and admires Shirayuri, a classmate. Aya doesn’t know Shirayuri hides a secret: she’s a passionate, unfiltered fighting game player. As the two connect through virtual battles, their relationship deepens beyond their initial impressions.

Do you find the contrast between the academy’s elegance and fighting game culture an effective comedic hook, or would you prefer the anime lean more into one world?