The fifth episode of TV anime Tenmaku no Jadugaru, titled “The Snake’s Spots Are on the Outside, Human’s Spots Are on the Inside,” aired on July 25, 2026, depicting the fateful meeting between Sitara and Doregene, sending social media into a frenzy.
Tenmaku no Jadugaru is a historical manga by Tomato Soup serialized in Akita Shoten’s Souffle. Set in 13th-century Mongolia, it follows Sitara (Fatima), a former slave taken prisoner by the Mongol Empire, who meets Doregene, the sixth wife of the Mongol emperor, and uses her wits to shake the empire.
The TV anime began airing on July 4, 2026, with general director Yamada Naoko, director Abel Gongora, and animation production by Science SARU (known for Dandadan, The Heike Story, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!). The cast includes Sekine Akira as Sitara, Koshimizu Ami as Doregene, Kuwashima Houko as Fatima, Saito Jun as Muhammad, Shimono Hiro as Ogotai, Suzuki Ryota as Tolui, Irino Miyu as Shira, Namikawa Daisuke as Chagatai, and Nojima Kenji as Juchi.
Note: The following contains spoilers for Episode 5. Please proceed with caution if you have not watched the episode.
After the previous emperor’s military power passed to Tolui, the throne went to the third prince Ogotai. Fearing this imbalance would lead to future conflict, Sorqoqtani sent Sitara as a spy to the second prince Chagatai. Viewers praised Sorqoqtani’s wisdom with comments like “As expected of the brilliant Sorqoqtani-sama” and “Sorqo-sama is so realistic”, though some questioned the choice of Sitara, who harbors a grudge against the Mongols, with remarks such as “Why did she order Sitara of all people?” and “Wrong person selection.”
The next morning, Shira appeared at the location Sorqoqtani had specified, drawing cheers like “You were alive!” and “You’ve grown so much!” on social media. Shira had come to help with a “body double operation”—swapping Sitara with a slave held in the lost property manager’s tent, as requested by Sorqoqtani.
Introduced as a lost slave per the plan, Sitara was dismissed as having “nothing but a talent for smiling ingratiatingly” and being “boring.” While bickering with Shira over his sloppy attitude, a stone that had come from inside a sheep rolled away. Sitara thought it was a bezoar stone with antidote properties, but the manager identified it as a “jada stone”—said to cause storms when immersed in water by a shaman. Since a slave wouldn’t normally possess such an item, suspicion fell on her.
Sitara quickly lied that she intended to give it to her master later, and the situation passed. The body double operation succeeded when a slave who looked like her (though not really) was found. The lighter moments brought smiles, with fans commenting “There are gag scenes!”, “The comedy is also fun in this series”, and “It feels like a lost child center at a shopping mall!”
Later, a man named Kadaku came to fetch Sitara. He demanded to see the jada stone, then forced her onto a horse and took her away.
Arriving at a certain tent, Sitara came face to face with Ogotai’s sixth wife, Doregene. Fans rejoiced with “Doregene-sama KITA!” and “I’ve been waiting!”, but Doregene immediately assumed Sitara had stolen her jada stone and flew into a rage. Witnessing this “worst meeting,” viewers expressed confusion with comments like “Scary…”, “P-please calm down…”, “Quite hysterical”, “Is her mind broken?”, and “Where? Who? What’s going on all of a sudden?”
Sitara considered showing the stone to prove it wasn’t Doregene’s, but feared execution if she couldn’t tell them apart. Ultimately, the shapes differed, clearing the theft misunderstanding, and Sitara was released.
Left to fend for herself, Sitara avoided sleeping outside by crying out that Kadaku, Doregene’s retainer, had kidnapped her. This secured her lodging, and viewers praised her cunning with “Crying blackmail!”, “What an actress”, “Schemer!”, and “Great performance.”
That night, Sitara happened upon Chagatai and Ogotai enjoying a horse ride. Leaning in to eavesdrop, she knocked over a bucket and was caught again.
Comments like “Nothing goes right for this spy mission”, “She gets caught a lot today”, and “One thing after another” poured in. Ogotai’s third wife Kirgistani (CV: Shintani Mayumi) and fourth wife Moge (CV: Asai Ayaka) confronted Sitara. Kirgistani, who drew comparisons to “Little Mii” and “Mii from Kirgistan Valley”, suspected she might be a spy, and Ogotai himself appeared.
Smiling, Ogotai asked, “Who are you?” and “Who is your master?” Sitara was supposed to be Chagatai’s slave, but thinking that would cause more confusion, she lied: “I belong to Empress Doregene!”
Chagatai harshly told her, “Do not break the law. If you are a woman, a slave, follow the law all the more. You are weak.” In response, Sitara smiled and said, “You wouldn’t understand, would you?” Her eerie smile, a stark contrast to before, made social media buzz with “Witch’s eyes”, “Sitara’s revenge eyes return”, and “Did something possess her?”
Seeing that expression, Doregene sensed something and appeared before Ogotai, dropping a bombshell: “I ordered you to be killed.” Normally a capital offense, Ogotai simply smiled gently and said, “Then it can’t be helped,” dismissing everyone. Viewers were baffled: “He forgave her?! Why?”, “Is he broad-minded or what?”, “What is their marital relationship?”, “Why is he so devoted to Doregene?”
Chagatai’s harsh words to Sitara had a reason: in an expanding multi-ethnic nation, laws could protect the weak—women, children, and slaves. Realizing this, fans’ opinion of Chagatai soared: “He was strict to protect the weak through law”, “He was a tsundere”, “He really has high otome game potential.”
Back in her tent, Doregene asked Sitara, “Do you hate the Mongols?” Sitara was surprised that Doregene saw through her fear that time would make her forgive the enemy who took everything. Doregene then quietly said, “Will you listen to my story?”
Episode 5 ended with many lingering questions: “Does Ogotai know something?”, “Does Doregene have a painful past?”, “Did Sorqoqtani know everything and send Sitara?” The next episode, Episode 6 “The People of Mergen,” is scheduled to air on August 1, 2026.
Broadcast and Staff Info
Broadcast start: July 4, 2026 (Sat) 23:00 (first two episodes as 1-hour special), thereafter every Saturday 23:30
Channel: TV Asahi network nationwide “IMAnimation” slot, BS Asahi, etc.
Staff
- Original work: Tomato Soup, Tenmaku no Jadugaru (Akita Shoten “Souffle”)
- General Director: Yamada Naoko
- Director: Abel Gongora
- Series Composition: Kato Kanichi
- Character Design / Chief Animation: Yoshida Kenichi
- Chief Episode Director: Fujikura Takuya
- Art Director: Kabasawa Yuri
- Color Design: Konno Narumi
- Director of Photography: Takahashi Naoki
- Editor: Hirose Kiyoshi
- Music: Hino Koshiro
- Sound Director: Konuma Noriyoshi
- Animation Production: Science SARU
Cast
- Sitara: Sekine Akira
- Doregene: Koshimizu Ami
- Fatima: Kuwashima Houko
- Muhammad: Saito Jun
- Ogotai: Shimono Hiro
- Tolui: Suzuki Ryota
- Shira: Irino Miyu
- Chagatai: Namikawa Daisuke
- Juchi: Nojima Kenji
Music
- Opening theme: SEKAI NO OWARI “Stella”
- Ending theme: Queen Bee “Hoshi”
(C) Tomato Soup (Akita Shoten) / Tenmaku no Jadugaru Production Committee
