Murcielago anime reveals new visual, trailer and three cast members
The Murcielago anime has unveiled a new visual, a fresh trailer and three additional cast members ahead of its January 2027 premiere.
The upcoming Murcielago TV anime has revealed a new visual, a fresh trailer and three additional cast members ahead of its January 2027 premiere. HIDIVE is set to simulcast the adaptation in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.12
The newly announced cast expands a central line-up led by Hitomi Ueda as Kuroko Koumori, Minori Suzuki as Hinako Tozakura and Sumire Uesaka as Chiyo Yanaoka. The production is a joint effort from Satelight and Staple Entertainment, with Takashi Naoya serving as chief director and series composer, and Matsuo Asami directing.12
What the new trailer shows
The trailer offers a clearer look at the adaptation's dark buddy-action tone. Kuroko is a former death-row inmate recruited into a state-sanctioned executioner role, while Hinako acts as her watchdog and partner. The contrast between Kuroko's lethal experience and Hinako's apparently gentle manner gives the series its immediate hook.14
The new visual places the pair at the centre of the show's promotional campaign and reinforces the emphasis on their dangerous partnership. The anime has not yet been given a specific January premiere date, and HIDIVE has not announced distribution beyond the territories listed above.13
A long-running manga adaptation
Kana Yoshimura's Murcielago manga began in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine in 2013. It has reached 29 collected volumes in Japan and, according to Anime News Network, has surpassed 2.3 million copies in circulation worldwide. Yen Press publishes the manga in English, where the translated release trails the Japanese edition.2
The story follows Kuroko Koumori, a mass murderer given a highly unusual path into police work, as she tackles cases alongside Hinako. That premise gives the anime room to mix crime-story structure with violent action and a deliberately abrasive sense of humour. The new footage suggests the adaptation is leaning into that uneasy combination rather than presenting Kuroko as a conventional detective.14
The official teaser is available below.
Our opinion
This update gives Murcielago a more defined identity than its initial announcement. The additional cast is useful, but the trailer's real value is showing how the anime intends to balance a grim premise with the volatile chemistry between Kuroko and Hinako. January 2027 is still some way off and a precise date is missing, yet this is now a project with a clear tone, a visible production and a partnership strong enough to carry the series beyond its shock-value premise.