The anime is based on the 1995 classic shōjo manga.
It was announced in February that the beloved shōjo manga “Red River” (Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori) is getting an anime adaptation this Summer. In the series’ latest trailer, it was revealed that the anime will debut in July 2026. Moreover, the main cast of the show have also been introduced.
Red River anime cast, staff, and other details
The main cast of the anime includes:
- Mirai Tachibana as Yuri Suzuki
Cast comment:
I'm Mirai Tachibana, and I'll be playing Yuri. When I was chosen for the role of Yuri, it felt like a dream. I was in a daze for about two weeks, and I still remember being stunned and wondering if it was real. Yuri is a very straightforward girl, and once she makes up her mind, she pushes forward no matter how rough the path is or how muddy it gets! Her courageous side is so charming, you can't take your eyes off her. I also became captivated by Yuri while acting. I'm sure there are people who have been waiting for the anime adaptation of Red River for a long time. I will do my best to help create the ideal voice for Yuri that will be accepted by those people as well! Of course, I hope that it reaches many people who are going to meet her through the anime.
- Wataru Kato as Kail Mursili
Cast comment:
For Kail, the most important thing is the peace of his nation. He has a sense of mission that requires him to not invade any country and to go to war to achieve peace. Frankly, I personally feel that the story's scale is too large. However, as the prince of a great nation, Kail always lives with this sense of scale, and his emotions fluctuate on an equally large scale. The source of these emotional fluctuations is Yuri, a young girl who suddenly appears from a foreign land. As the story progresses, Yuri's importance to Kail grows, second only to his country. I believe the resulting dilemma between Kail and Yuri is a major part of Red River. I hope that fans of the original work will enjoy this anime adaptation, and I also hope that those who discovered Red River through the anime will enjoy it alongside the original work.
- Hiroki Nanami as Narrator/ Himuro
Cast Comment:
I love Red River so I was very happy when I heard it was going to be made into a TV anime. Set against the magnificent historical backdrop of the Hittite Empire, the story has given me a sense of the romance of history, making me think that perhaps there really were people who had experiences similar to Yuri's. I am so honored to be able to be so deeply involved in such a wonderful work, it still feels like a dream. Please look forward to the moment when this long-loved story comes to life in a new form as an anime.
Hiroki Nanami will also perform the anime’s opening theme song Akatsuki no Sora.
Kosuke Kobayashi directs the Red River anime at Tatsunoko Production, with Yorika Tomita handling series composition. Kenji Fujisaki designs the characters while Kimiyoshi Matsumura, and Daisuke Yoshida of the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology will handle historical supervision. Yoshihisa Hirano is composing the scores for the series with Hirano Morishita as the sound director.
The anime is based on Chie Shinohara’s manga series which began publishing in Shōgakukan’s Sho-Comi magazine in January 1995 and ended its run in June 2002. It has 28 collected volumes. Viz Media publishes the manga in English in North America and describes the story as:
Yuri, a pretty Japanese girl, is ecstatic after passing her college entrance exam and having her first kiss with her childhood friend-turned boyfriend. However, her luck soon changes. She starts to notice that water becomes agitated whenever she goes near it. One night, hands appear out of a puddle on the street and drag her into the water! Transported to an ancient village in the Middle East, she is then captured by armed troops and taken to the Queen's palace for a human sacrifice.