Murase Ayumu Departs THE IDOLM@STER SideM as Himeno Kanon; New Cast to Be Announced

Voice actor Murase Ayumu is stepping down from the role of Himeno Kanon in THE IDOLM@STER SideM. The announcement was made on August 18 through her personal agency, Asta Nine, with the decision described as a mutual agreement reached with an eye on the future of both the character and the franchise. A successor for the role will be announced at a later date.

THE IDOLM@STER SideM is a dramatic idol training game that launched in July 2014 as the first male idol production game in the THE IDOLM@STER series, under the concept “Idols with a reason!” Players take on the role of a producer at 315 Production, guiding a diverse cast of male idols—each with unique backgrounds such as doctor, part-timer, or Self-Defense Force member—toward the top. The franchise has expanded beyond the game into goods, music, live events, and radio.

Himeno Kanon, voiced by Murase, is a former child model and a member of the kid idol unit Mofumofuen alongside Tachibana Shiro (CV: Furuhata Keisuke) and Okamura Nao (CV: Yano Shogo).

In the official statement, Murase expressed gratitude for being able to be part of THE IDOLM@STER SideM for over 10 years and for voicing Himeno Kanon. The official THE IDOLM@STER account also confirmed the change, noting that a new cast member will join the unit supporting Mofumofuen, and asked fans to warmly welcome the new addition.

Regarding existing audio, the announcement states that there are currently no plans to replace the voice data already available in “315 Production Episode” and other content, though some replacements may occur in future usage. For the upcoming “THE IDOLM@STER SideM ～P@SSION CHALLENGE We are 315！～ MONTHLY THEME SONG 10 もふもふえん” and “THE IDOLM@STER SideM 11th STAGE ～EVER EVER＠FTER～”, Murase will still provide the voice or sound sources for Himeno Kanon in certain segments. The exact transition schedule and the new cast member will be reported at a later date.