It has been announced that actor Hidetaka Yoshioka will play Kosuke Kindaichi in the NHK drama "The Devil's Ball Song." The series will be broadcast in two 90-minute parts on BS Premium 4K and NHK BS from March 2026.
NHK has broadcast four Kindaichi series to date: "Gokumon Island" (2016), "The Devil Comes and Plays the Flute" (2018), "The Village of Eight Graves" (2019), and "The Inugami Family" (2023). Yoshioka has been playing Kindaichi Kosuke since "The Devil Comes and Plays the Flute."
Filming will take place in Okayama Prefecture from late November to late December. The script will be written by Yasuko Kobayashi, known for works such as "JoJo's Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe" and "The Inugami Family," and the film will be directed by Teruyuki Yoshida, known for the historical drama "The 13 Lords of the Shogun."
◇ Synopsis of "The Devil's Ball Song"
Visiting Okayama, Kindaichi Kosuke stays at the hot spring inn "Kame no Yu" in Onikobe Village. 23 years ago, a murder occurred in the village. At that time, a popular singer from the village returns home, and the village is filled with a welcoming mood. However, shortly after, young women who were childhood friends of his begin to be killed one after another. Their bodies are ominously decorated, with decorations that resemble the lyrics of an old temari-uta (traditional Japanese ballad song) that has been passed down in the village. Past grudges, hidden blood ties, and a desire for revenge become intertwined as Kindaichi closes in on the truth.
