Ashida Mana & Okada Masaki Become Main Cast for Hosoda Mamoru’s New Film “Hateshinaki Sukaretto”, Reuniting After 5 Years

Mamoru Hosoda’s Latest Film, “Hateshinaki Sukaretto,” Unveils Lead Cast and New Visuals

Prepare for a cinematic journey unlike any other from animation film director Hosoda Mamoru. His highly anticipated latest work, Hateshinaki Sukaretto, is set to premiere on November 21, 2025. It has just been announced that the role of Scarlet, a medieval princess consumed by revenge, will be played by Ashida Mana, while Sei, a modern-day Japanese nurse who travels with her, will be voiced by Okada Masaki. Alongside this exciting cast reveal, a striking new visual has been released, depicting the two characters supporting each other across time.

A Theme of “Living” and a Powerful Narrative

Centered around the profound theme of “living,” Hateshinaki Sukaretto began with Director Hosoda’s desire to create “a robust and powerful film that questions why humans live. I want to explore this significant theme together with the audience today.” The story follows Princess Scarlet who, after failing to avenge her father’s death, seeks vengeance once more against her arch-nemesis in the “Land of the Dead.” Nineteen years after Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, this new film promises to be a shocking departure from the typical image of Sutajio Chizu and Director Hosoda’s past works.

Introducing the Lead Voice Cast

Taking on the challenging lead role of Scarlet, the medieval princess driven by a consuming madness for revenge, is Ashida Mana. Journeying with her through the “Land of the Dead” is the kind-hearted modern-day Japanese nurse, Sei, voiced by Okada Masaki. These two prominent actors, both participating in a Hosoda film for the first time, will bring to life the destinies of two individuals intersecting across time.

Ashida Mana’s character, Scarlet, was originally a gentle princess who admired her father, a man who favored peace over conflict. However, after witnessing her father’s murder, she becomes obsessed with revenge, embodying a character constantly teetering on the brink of madness. This role is a significant departure from Ashida’s previous image. She portrays Scarlet’s explosive rage towards her target, her powerful vocalizations during action sequences, and her inner turmoil struggling with her desire for vengeance. It is a demanding role requiring both intense emotional range and delicate nuance. The film also includes scenes of Scarlet’s childhood, and Ashida, who was 19 years old at the time of recording, skillfully differentiated her voice to portray both the child and the 19-year-old Scarlet.

Director Hosoda praised Ashida’s performance, stating, “We were able to express Scarlet to this extent thanks to Ms. Ashida. I was repeatedly astonished by her incredible string of performances during recording, wondering what a truly wonderful actor she is. Ms. Ashida has poured her heart and soul into embodying the medieval princess consumed by revenge. Her performance, full of intensity, is hard to imagine from her outwardly lovely appearance during recording. The overwhelming madness, the agonizing internal conflict, and the pure human nature hidden beneath it are all expressed fully. Ms. Ashida’s acting is one of the major highlights of this film.”

Meanwhile, Okada Masaki, who makes his debut in a feature-length animated film with this work, portrays Sei, a nurse from modern-day Japan who spends his days facing life and death. One day, he wakes up in the “Land of the Dead” and encounters a severely wounded Scarlet. With a calling to heal the injured, Sei extends a hand to Scarlet without expecting anything in return. Although Scarlet initially rebels against him, their relationship gradually transforms. Sei is a crucial character who supports Scarlet’s journey without knowing why he himself has wandered into the “Land of the Dead,” ultimately becoming her companion.

Director Hosoda commented on Okada’s calm and gentle voice, noting how it naturally reflects Sei’s character as a nurse. He said, “Mr. Okada is skilled and sincere in his acting, yet also humble and reserved. It felt as though I understood Sei’s character through Mr. Okada, thinking ‘Ah, maybe this is the kind of person Sei is.’ Sei possesses an active drive to earnestly confront life, and also the kindness to gently support and comfort someone like Scarlet, who is filled with rage and madness from revenge. This duality resonates with Mr. Okada’s own human nature. I strongly felt that the role and the actor were a perfect match.”

A Shared Journey in the “Land of the Dead”

Both Ashida Mana and Okada Masaki are taking on their first challenge in a Hosoda film. This marks their reunion on screen after five years since the film Hoshi no Ko in 2020. During the stage greeting for that film, Ashida mentioned that she hoped to co-star with Okada in a role where they could be “on good terms” next time. How will the voices of Scarlet, who exposes her emotions and is consumed by revenge, and Sei, who seeks to heal and embrace everything, chemically react as they travel together in Director Hosoda’s unique world? Expectations are certainly high.

Pioneering Prescoring in a Hosoda Film

This film also utilizes prescoring for the first time in a Hosoda production. Prescoring is a recording method where the actors’ voices are recorded first, before the animation is complete. The animation is then created based on the vocal performances. This means the production process is similar to live-action films, where the animation expression is built around the actors’ interpretations.

Ashida and Okada initially performed the prescoring a year prior, and later conducted post-recording (afureko) adjusted to the completed scenes. While the prescoring sessions were done separately, the afureko sessions were conducted together. Ashida commented, “Being able to perform together made it much easier to portray the contrast between Sei and Scarlet. I’m glad we could do afureko together.” Okada expressed his feelings, saying, “This experience was incredibly significant for me, and I truly feel fortunate to have worked with Director Hosoda, whom I deeply admire.”

A New Visual Unveiled

In addition to the cast news, a beautiful new visual has been revealed, depicting Scarlet and Sei standing ready with a sword in a fantastical world. In contrast to the shocking teaser visual which featured a blood-stained Scarlet, this main visual shows Scarlet supported by Sei, holding a sword in a dreamlike setting. This visual also marks the first public appearance of Okada’s character, Sei.

Sei is depicted wearing a nurse’s uniform and carrying a medical bag along with a bow and arrows on his back. How will these two meet in the “Land of the Dead,” travel together, and become companions who support each other? As they join forces in this otherworld, does the path beyond their tale of revenge lead to the “unseen place,” a symbol of hope? This visual fuels imagination about the still-unrevealed world of the story and represents a new facet of Hosoda’s cinematic universe.

Looking Ahead

Hosoda Mamoru’s latest animation film, Hateshinaki Sukaretto, is scheduled to open on November 21, 2025. The core of the story remains shrouded in mystery, and further updates are highly anticipated.

Full Comments from the Cast

Ashida Mana / Scarlet

Scarlet is a medieval princess, set to be the same age as me, 19, but there are many parts where our fundamental beliefs and values differ, which made the role very difficult to play. The director told me, “A 19-year-old in modern times is different from a 19-year-old living in the Middle Ages. I want a sense of self-awareness and resolve fitting a princess of a nation.” So, I researched women who lived through turbulent times, like Joan of Arc and Elizabeth I, and built the character little by little. I imagined what “revenge” would feel like and that I’d have to raise my voice significantly to confront the enemy. For the shouting scenes, I felt a little hesitant at first, but there was a moment when I went all out and thought, “This is it!” and the role increasingly felt natural to me. Scarlet might appear mad and driven by revenge in some parts, but when you consider the circumstances she was forced into, her straightforward path feels lovable, and I hope viewers will want to support her. The film depicts people trying their best to live in a chaotic world, which resonates with our modern world. There are many difficult and despairing things, but seeing people still trying their best to move forward deeply moved me as a viewer. I believe this film will offer a sense of hope for tomorrow.

Okada Masaki / Sei

This was my first time challenging voice acting for a feature-length anime, and expressing myself solely through voice was very difficult. I learned for the first time how easily emotions can fail to convey this way. I watch various anime, and this experience gave me a renewed appreciation for the skill of voice actors. The character I played, Sei, is someone who extends a hand to people in need without expecting anything in return – simply put, he’s a very idealistic person. I aimed to build the character of Sei by focusing on how to support and stay close to Scarlet, who is consumed by revenge, like a scabbard for a sword, conveying his kindness and sincerity. There are scenes where Scarlet pushes him away, but I feel he is someone desperately needed in this world today. I hope viewers will follow Scarlet and the story, contemplating the problems she faces and the answers she finds, and through Sei, consider whether kindness and sincerity towards others should or shouldn’t be sought. I always look forward to Director Hosoda’s works, and I’m happy, yet it feels strange, to have been allowed inside that world. Honestly, there’s a part of me, as a “Hosoda fan,” that wishes I could have watched it in the cinema without knowing anything… As a fan, I’m looking forward to the film’s completion. Please look forward to it too.

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