BLESS anime casts Tarusuke Shingaki as Hikaru Oya
Tarusuke Shingaki joins the BLESS anime as Hikaru Oya, a model and make-up artist who serves as Aia Udagawa’s role model.
BLESS has added veteran voice actor Tarusuke Shingaki to its cast as Hikaru Oya, the model and make-up artist admired by protagonist Aia Udagawa. The announcement arrived on the anime’s official website on 22 October, alongside a character video for Oya. 1
The new casting fills out the adaptation’s growing ensemble ahead of its January 2027 broadcast on Fuji TV’s Noitamina programming block. BLESS is based on Yukino Sonoyama’s manga, which follows Aia and Jun Sumisaki as they work towards a school fashion contest while confronting the expectations placed on them. 1
Who is Hikaru Oya?
Oya is presented as a successful model and make-up artist, as well as one of the founders of the Mirror make-up school. The official character profile describes him as Aia’s role model, giving the new casting a clear connection to the anime’s central ambition: learning to express yourself through fashion and make-up rather than simply fitting the image other people expect.
The official site lists Shingaki alongside the previously announced cast, including Tomohiro Ono as Aia Udagawa, Chiyuki Miura as Jun Sumisaki and Nobuhiko Okamoto as Ginga Yoyogi. A-1 Pictures is producing the series, with Shotaro Kitamura directing. 1
The announcement also includes an official character video, giving viewers an early sense of how Shingaki will voice the older creative figure. That is useful context for a character who appears to represent the professional future Aia is trying to reach, rather than simply another classmate in the school setting.
Our opinion
Adding Hikaru Oya now is a smart piece of casting news because the character’s role makes him more than another name on the credits list. He is tied directly to Aia’s aspirations, so Shingaki’s performance should help the anime show what its protagonist is reaching towards. The official character video is also a better early signal than another generic key visual: it gives the audience a voice and personality to latch on to before the January 2027 debut.
BLESS does not need to reinvent the coming-of-age formula to stand out. Its focus on make-up, modelling and the pressure of being seen in a particular way gives the cast a more specific dramatic playground. Oya’s arrival suggests the series is building that world around people with distinct creative roles, not just stacking familiar school-romance archetypes. 12