The third and final chapter of the Mononoke theatrical trilogy, Mononoke the Movie: Chapter 3 – Snake God, has been in theaters since May 29, 2026. On June 5, Twin Engine’s planning and production lead Yamamoto Koji posted a statement on his X (formerly Twitter) account addressing the handling of voice actor departures and re‑hirings, as well as how information was released. He offered a full apology and announced his retirement from the producer role.
Note: The following contains spoilers for those who have not yet seen Chapter 3 – Snake God.
The Mononoke theatrical film is a completely new work spun off from the 2006 Fuji TV noitamina program Ayakashi – Japanese Classic Horror (the “Bakeneko” arc) and the 2007 TV anime series Mononoke. The story is set in the Ōoku, the women’s inner quarters of Edo Castle, and unfolds across three chapters: Chapter 1 – The Umbrella (July 2024), Chapter 2 – The Fire Rat (March 2025), and Chapter 3 – Snake God (May 2026 onward).
During production, Sakurai Takahiro, who voiced the protagonist Medicine Seller in the TV anime, was replaced for the movie trilogy by Kamiya Hiroshi, a decision the production side described as being “made from the perspective of the work’s character.” However, in Snake God, in addition to Kamiya’s “Kon no Kusuriuri,” Sakurai’s “Ri no Kusuriuri” made a reappearance, prompting various reactions from audiences. The film’s official accounts had also requested that viewers refrain from spoilers on social media for the first three days after release (until May 31 at 23:59).
In his post, Yamamoto explained that the re‑hiring of Sakurai came about because of a challenge with the story: “We were stuck on how to resolve the conflict with Hyakume, who appears after Snake God, and the idea of summoning another Medicine Seller came up. We also wanted to respond to viewers who were hoping to see Ri no Kusuriuri again. We decided that bringing Ri no Kusuriuri back in a positive way would make for a fitting finale.” In the movie, “Kon no Kusuriuri” remains the protagonist, while “Ri no Kusuriuri” appears only in response to a call for assistance.
Regarding the criticism about how the information was handled, Yamamoto acknowledged the failure: “The biggest problem was the lack of necessary consideration that accompanied that decision. We thought that if we could clearly differentiate the two roles, audiences would be happy to see Ri no Kusuriuri again. We wanted people to experience the reunion without any prior information, so we did not announce it and instead set a three‑day spoiler‑free period. As a result, that measure took away the choice of whether or not to see the film from those who did not want Ri no Kusuriuri to appear. I deeply regret the lack of foresight.” He added: “I sincerely apologize to everyone who felt discomfort because we did not reveal the cast information in advance.”
Yamamoto also stated that he is stepping down from the producer role to take responsibility. “I increasingly felt a gap in my sense of the times and of our customers, and I considered the impact on the team, our group studios, and the work itself. In the future, I intend to focus on management, nurturing the next generation, and taking on challenges to change the industry.”
(C) Twin Engine
