Toho has revealed the latest trailer, additional cast members, and opening theme song of the upcoming Though I Am an Inept Villainess TV anime series. The anime will begin broadcasting in Japan on July 12, 2026. It was originally set to premiere this April, but received a broadcast delay that was first announced in February 2026.
The opening theme for the anime will be “Sunny” by Japanese singer-songwriter milet.
The newly announced additional cast members (from left to right below), who are also highlighted in the new trailer, include:
- • Rei Igarashi as Kou Kenshuu
- • Ai Kayano as Shu Gabi
- • Mai Nakahara as Kin Seika
- • Inori Minase as Ran Houshun
- • Yui Ishikawa as Gen Kasui
They join a previously announced voice cast that will star:
- • Manaka Iwami as Ko Reirin
- • Natsumi Kawaida as Shu Keigetsu
- • Makoto Furukawa as Ei Gyomei
- • Yuichiro Umehara as Shin-u
- • Hana Hishikawa as Leelee
- • Nikray Farahnaz as Ko Tosetsu
Mitsue Yamazaki (Zenshu, Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle) is directing the anime series, with Sumie Noro as assistant director, Yoshiko Nakamura (RPG Real Estate) as series composer, and Ai Kikuchi (Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie) as character designer. Doga Kobo is handling the animation production.
Though I Am an Inept Villainess will also stream on Disney+ and Hulu in the U.S. and Europe, while Netflix will stream the series in Asia. Additional simulcast platforms will be announced at a later date.
Additionally, Toho will host a special U.S. premiere panel event at Anime Expo on July 4, 2026, which will be joined by the series’ cast members Hishikawa and Furukawa.
The fantasy romance light novel series is written by Satsuki Nakamura and illustrated by Kana Yuki. It was first published by Ichijinsha on December 28, 2020, and has released 12 volumes in Japan as of March 2026. It is known in Japanese as Futsutsuka na Akujo dewa Gozaimasuga ~ Sugu Choso Torikae den~.
A manga adaptation by Ei Ohitsuji was launched in December 2020. The series began as a web novel on Shosetsuka ni Naro in July 2020. Ohitsuji is given the original character design credit for the anime adaptation alongside Yuki.
Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the light novels and manga series for English release under the title Though I am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court.
Crunchyroll will stream Though I Am an Inept Villainess in several countries and territories. It describes the main synopsis as:
As maidens from the Five Clans battle for the Crown Prince’s heart, jealous Keigetsu uses forbidden magic to swap bodies with the beloved Reirin. Switching places does not guarantee happiness for Keigetsu with her new body’s ill health leaving her hanging on the verge of death. Meanwhile, Reirin, now wearing the face of a scorned outcast, must answer for Keigetsu’s crimes in a dangerous trial.
The unlikely pair become increasingly entangled in each other’s lives and they will need to work together to survive after discovering the dark conspiracies brewing beneath the palace’s genial surface. To confront the deadly threats lurking in the shadows, Reirin must embrace her new identity and defy their expectations of the court’s inept villainess.
Sources: Though I Am an Inept Villainess Official Twitter, press release