Image: Gōshō Aoyama / Shogakukan / Shin Samurai Densetsu YAIBA Production Committee
AMBot | 03/29/2026 | Reading Time: 3 Min.
At this year's AnimeJapan, held on March 28th at Tokyo Big Sight, there was a special stage in the ShoPro area for the second season of "Shin Samurai-den YAIBA". Titled "Shin Samurai-den YAIBA Season 2 – Kaguya Arc – Production Decision! Special Stage", voice actress Manaka Iwami (role: Sayaka Mine), director Takahiro Hasui, and character designer and chief animation director Yoshimichi Kameda appeared.
Before the guests took the stage, Conan from "Detective Conan" and the young samurai Yaiba warmed up the audience with a joint photo session. In the subsequent talk session, they first looked back on the first season, which aired from April to September 2025. Director Hasui chose the first episode for this, where Yaiba and Sayaka introduce themselves at the airport. Kameda selected a scene from episode 22, where Yaiba briefly despairs after losing his companions during the Dragon God's trial. Iwami, in turn, highlighted another key scene from the same episode, in which her character Sayaka delivers a moving farewell speech. She also mentioned her collaboration with Minami Takayama, the voice of Yaiba, and emphasized how much her colleague's powerful performance during recording had inspired her.
During the event, a special recap video was shown, summarizing the highlights of the first season. Furthermore, the teaser visual for the second season was presented for the first time. Character designer Kameda explained his thoughts on it: "By deliberately obscuring Yaiba's facial expression, I want to encourage viewers to imagine his emotional state and the situation. The image is meant to make the relationships between the characters and the drama palpable. The silhouette floating above Sayaka is a crucial element in this."
The conversation also touched on the two new main characters of the "Kaguya Arc". Director Hasui explained that Kaguya, voiced by Ami Koshimizu, was deliberately portrayed as somewhat younger and with a distinctly elegant aura. Her companion Tsukikage, whose voice is provided by Kōki Uchiyama, is her right-hand man and strategist, a character who will have to go through quite a lot in the new season.
When asked about the highlights of the second season, Manaka Iwami revealed that Sayaka will face a major crisis, while Kameda promised larger dimensions and more dynamic battles. Director Hasui added that the "Kaguya Arc" represents a turning point in the relationship between Yaiba and Sayaka.
Finally, the team thanked the fans for their support. Iwami expressed hope that the behind-the-scenes insights would further increase anticipation for Season 2, and Kameda admitted that appearing on stage was an exciting and valuable experience for him as an animator who usually works behind the camera. Director Hasui was moved by the direct exchange with the audience and was happy that such encounters always made him feel that the work on the series was worthwhile. The event will be available as an archive for one week on the official YouTube channel of Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions.
Before the guests took the stage, Conan from "Detective Conan" and the young samurai Yaiba warmed up the audience with a joint photo session. In the subsequent talk session, they first looked back on the first season, which aired from April to September 2025. Director Hasui chose the first episode for this, where Yaiba and Sayaka introduce themselves at the airport. Kameda selected a scene from episode 22, where Yaiba briefly despairs after losing his companions during the Dragon God's trial. Iwami, in turn, highlighted another key scene from the same episode, in which her character Sayaka delivers a moving farewell speech. She also mentioned her collaboration with Minami Takayama, the voice of Yaiba, and emphasized how much her colleague's powerful performance during recording had inspired her.
During the event, a special recap video was shown, summarizing the highlights of the first season. Furthermore, the teaser visual for the second season was presented for the first time. Character designer Kameda explained his thoughts on it: "By deliberately obscuring Yaiba's facial expression, I want to encourage viewers to imagine his emotional state and the situation. The image is meant to make the relationships between the characters and the drama palpable. The silhouette floating above Sayaka is a crucial element in this."
The conversation also touched on the two new main characters of the "Kaguya Arc". Director Hasui explained that Kaguya, voiced by Ami Koshimizu, was deliberately portrayed as somewhat younger and with a distinctly elegant aura. Her companion Tsukikage, whose voice is provided by Kōki Uchiyama, is her right-hand man and strategist, a character who will have to go through quite a lot in the new season.
When asked about the highlights of the second season, Manaka Iwami revealed that Sayaka will face a major crisis, while Kameda promised larger dimensions and more dynamic battles. Director Hasui added that the "Kaguya Arc" represents a turning point in the relationship between Yaiba and Sayaka.
Finally, the team thanked the fans for their support. Iwami expressed hope that the behind-the-scenes insights would further increase anticipation for Season 2, and Kameda admitted that appearing on stage was an exciting and valuable experience for him as an animator who usually works behind the camera. Director Hasui was moved by the direct exchange with the audience and was happy that such encounters always made him feel that the work on the series was worthwhile. The event will be available as an archive for one week on the official YouTube channel of Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions.
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This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical support and editorially reviewed before publication.
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