Anime "Tensei Shita Daiseijo" Starts on October 3 – Main PV and New Voice Actor Kikunosuke Toya

The TV anime adaptation of the fantasy light novel "Tensei Shita Daiseijo wa, Seijo de Aru Koto wo Hitakakusu" – known internationally as "A Tale of the Secret Saint" – has a concrete start date: The series will air in Japan starting October 3, 2026. This was announced by those in charge on September 7. At the same time, they released the main PV for the series, featuring the central characters and the knights of the Black Dragon Knights, and for the first time showcasing both theme songs of the anime. Additionally, Kikunosuke Toya was introduced as another voice actor; he takes on the role of Curtis Bannister.

At the center of the story is young Fia Ruud, who dreams of becoming a knight, even though her knightly family sees little talent in her for the sword. When she is mortally wounded in an encounter with a dragon, she remembers her past life: 300 years ago, as a princess, she was a Great Saint of extraordinary power and fought alongside the knights against the Demon King. Because the Demon King's right arm once threatened to kill her if she were reborn as a saint, Fia hides her regained power – which proves difficult for her as soon as injured people nearby need help.

TOKYO MX and BS11 will broadcast the series starting October 3, each Saturday at 10:00 PM (JST); on Sun TV, the broadcast begins Saturdays at 10:30 PM. AT-X follows starting October 5, Mondays at 10:00 PM, with reruns on Wednesdays at 10:00 AM and Fridays at 4:00 PM. In parallel, the stream starts on October 3 at 10:00 PM on ABEMA and Prime Video: The first episode will be available there simultaneously with the TV broadcast, and the second follows later that same evening. The two services will provide subsequent episodes one week before the linear TV broadcast; other platforms will deliver the episodes after each respective airing.

The main PV features, alongside Fia, Zavilia (voiced by Shinnosuke Tokudome), Saviz (Yuichiro Umehara), and Cyril (Nobunaga Shimazaki). The musical accompaniment includes the opening song "Flare of Soul" by singer Kaya and the ending song "STELLAR" by Utahime Dream All Stars. "Flare of Soul" was written, composed, and arranged by Hiroaki Suzuki (SUPA LOVE); for "STELLAR," Kyoichi Miyazaki and RUCCA are responsible for the lyrics, Miyazaki composed the music, and the arrangement is by Hiroto Kikuchi (KEYTONE).

With Kikunosuke Toya, the voice cast gains Curtis Bannister, the commander of the Thirteenth Squadron of the Black Dragon Knights. The reserved, gentle knight, whose position is not immediately apparent, is responsible for the Sutherland region, where tensions frequently arise between knights and residents; because of his demeanor and light blue hair, the locals call him the "light blue commander." Toya comments on his role: "I am Kikunosuke Toya and I play Curtis. It is an honor to be entrusted with such an important role, and on set it is a great joy because the performances of everyone involved – starting with Shion Wakayama as Fia – are outstanding. Look forward to the broadcast!"

Accompanying the announcement, a giveaway is running on the anime's official X account ("daiseijo_anime"): Three participants can win a shikishi hand-signed by Toya; the deadline is September 23 at 11:59 PM (JST). Additionally, illustrator Fujima Takuya has drawn new official mini-illustrations of the characters Curtis and Seraphina for the occasion.

The rest of the cast includes Tasuku Hatanaka (Desmond), Daiki Hamano (Zackary), Tomokazu Sugita (Quentin), Yukari Tamura (Clarissa), Shunichi Toki (Enoch), Daiki Yamashita (Fabian), and Miyuri Shimabukuro (Charlotte). Direction is by Tomoe Makino at Studio FelixFilm, with Naoki Murata as assistant director. Series composition is handled by Deko Akao, character design by Satomi Kurita, music composed by Kenichiro Suehiro, and sound direction by Ryosuke Naya.

The series is based on the light novel series of the same name by author Touya, which first appeared on the platform Shōsetsuka ni Narō in January 2019 and has been published by Earth Star Entertainment under the Earth Star Novel label with illustrations by chibi since June 2019. The manga adaptation by Mahito Aobe has been running in "Comic Earth Star" since November 2019. According to official figures, the franchise's total circulation exceeds 4.5 million copies; in the ranking "Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!" the series placed second three years in a row in 2024, 2025, and 2026. In English, the novels, the main manga adaptation, and the prequel "A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO" are published by Seven Seas. The anime thus airs in the Japanese fall 2026 program.