The television anime Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary will air on the TV Tokyo network starting January 11, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. A new promotional video was released alongside the announcement. WISEKAI JOCHO will perform the opening theme, and the ending theme will be performed by Sakusuzu and Tao. In addition, four new cast members were revealed: Tomokazu Morikawa as Kaya-papa (father), Mamiko Noto as Kaya-mama (mother), Haruka Tomatsu as Nana, and Ryoko Sakakibara as Mutsu.

Artist Comments

Opening Theme Performer: Isekaijoucho (ヰ世界情緒)
I am Isekaijoucho, and I will be singing the opening theme. “Maboroshi no Yukue” is a song that reflects a pure and innocent state of mind. Even if something is difficult to understand, people can still support one another. I sang with the hope of echoing the delicate and gentle gaze that surrounds Kaya and the others. I would be happy if the song expresses the strength that we all carry, the strength to take each other’s hand and move forward. Please enjoy this song together with the anime, paying attention to the powerful sound and lyrics.

Ending Theme Performer: SAK (朔雀)
I am SAK, a future-pop-cosmic virtual singer and rapper. I sing the ending theme together with Tao and Kaya-chan. Kaya-chan has a mysterious air about her but also a childlike innocence that makes her impossible to ignore. I performed the song with a horror-inspired, deep atmosphere alongside Kaya-chan and Tao. Please enjoy it together with the story.

Ending Theme Performer: TAO (導凰)
I am, a virtual singer and rapper, and I perform the ending theme with SAK. I love horror works, so I am truly delighted to be involved with Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary. Kaya-chan is cute, kind, strong, and mysterious — the strongest psychic kindergartener. I look forward to seeing her in action. Please enjoy the horror-action elements as well, accompanied by the voices of SAK, Kaya-chan, and myself.

Cast Interviews

Tomokazu Morikawa (Kaya-papa)

— Tell us how you felt when you were offered the role and your enthusiasm for the project.
I am honored to play the role of Kaya-chan’s father. As a parent supporting Kaya, who possesses strong spiritual abilities, I hope to express not only warmth but also the resolve needed to face fear. I will do my best to add depth to the work within its unique world that blends cuteness and horror.

— Do you like scary things, or are you not good with them?
I enjoy scary stories told together on summer nights. I like heartwarming tales of the supernatural, ghosts, and spirits.

— Have you ever had a frightening experience?
Yes. Not a supernatural event, but fear caused by human relationships. When I saw people casually hurting others, spreading rumors, or cornering someone with malicious behavior, I strongly felt that “people can be far scarier than ghosts.”

— Please leave a message for viewers.
Please enjoy the strange and eerie world of Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary to your heart’s content. Look forward to how a father with an overly powerful psychic daughter performs. I also hope viewers will feel the warmth and bonds of family within the fear. It is a wonderful work. Please enjoy it.

Mamiko Noto (Kaya-mama)

— Tell us how you felt when you were offered the role and your enthusiasm for the project.
I was drawn to the power of this work, in which Kaya-chan overcomes every fear or sadness with her strength, resilience, and cuteness. As for my role, there are many mysteries hidden in Kaya-chan’s home, which become key points in the story, so I approached each episode with that in mind.

— Do you like scary things, or are you not good with them?
I used to like them, but I have grown more timid over the years. Now I might not be very good with them.

— Have you ever had a frightening experience?
A long time ago, just a little.

— Please leave a message for viewers.
The series is filled with charming characters, and within its blend of cuteness, fear, and humor, there are deep emotions and great love. It is a wonderful work that can be enjoyed from many angles. Please look forward to the anime.

Haruka Tomatsu (Nana)

— Tell us how you felt when you were offered the role and your enthusiasm for the project.
It was a very important role, so I was grateful and happy to be approached for such a significant character. I actually have not appeared in many horror-type works, but I personally love them, so I was looking forward to the recording. The dialogue delivery was challenging for this role, but it was rewarding, and I am glad I was able to play her.

— Do you like scary things, or are you not good with them?
I love scary works so much that I even watch them in my private time. I eagerly go through haunted houses as well. I would not visit real haunted locations, but fictional horror of any genre is welcome. No one ever wants to enter haunted houses with me, so someone please join me!

— Have you ever had a frightening experience?
Once, while staying at a hotel during a tour, I heard what sounded like rapping noises coming from the ceiling. I wanted to sleep after the live show, so I shouted, “Quiet!” and the noise stopped. At the time I did not know what rapping sounds were, so I learned about it from others the next day.

— Please leave a message for viewers.
Whether you like scary things or not, the story is very interesting and thought-provoking, so I hope many people will watch it. Nana appears as Kaya-chan’s aunt, and her relationship with her own sister is also a very important theme. She plays an active role in the story, so please look forward to it.

Ryoko Sakakibara (Mutsu)

— Tell us how you felt when you were offered the role and your enthusiasm for the project.
I began by reading the original work to understand its atmosphere. Mutsu is a strong-willed, unapproachable elderly woman, but I thought she is someone who has lived carrying the “karma” she bears and the inescapable fate conveyed by the history of the Ebisumori family. She is a reformer and also a “mother.” I tried to weave her life into each line of dialogue, even though the lines were few.

— Do you like scary things, or are you not good with them?
Since fifth grade, I have loved scary stories and ghost tales such as Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories and the third night of Soseki Natsume’s Ten Nights of Dreams.

— Have you ever had a frightening experience?
The scariest experience I recall is from fourth grade during summer vacation, when I nearly drowned at the beach and struggled to reach the shore after realizing I was sinking.

— Please leave a message for viewers.
Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary is a story set in a kindergarten, a setting rarely depicted in anime. I was surprised by the way the story expands from small everyday events into unlimited imagination. It is not only frightening but also filled with many small “lessons” one naturally absorbs from daily life. I hope you will enjoy being scared, entertained, and warmed by it.

Source : ORICON NEWS