It was announced on April 8th that Nagi Inoue of the idol group Nogizaka46 will appear in the 2026 NHK Taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" as Chacha.
This is Inoue's first time appearing in a taiga drama and her first time appearing in an NHK drama. She was selected for the role of Chacha from over 1,600 applicants at an audition. Nogizaka46's senior member, Kubo Shiori, appeared in "What Will Ieyasu Do?" (2023) as Oda Nobunaga's daughter, Gotoku, but following Kubo's lead, this is Inoue's big individual selection.
When Inoue's appearance was announced, social media was flooded with comments such as, "It's amazing that she's suddenly been given such an important role as Chacha in a taiga drama," "It's sure to be a very difficult role, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out," and "I thought it was amazing that she won out over 1,600 people in the audition, but when you think about it, she beat out 87,852 people (in Nogizaka46) and is the only idol like Nagi Inoue."
Also, since it has already been announced that Hamabe Minami will be playing the role of Nene, comments such as "Nagi Inoue's Chacha is perfect, and with Hamabe Minami as Nene, it's just too amazing...", "Hamabe Minami as Nene and Inoue Kazuko as Chacha are just too Nagi Inoue , flanking His Lordship the Taiko", and "Hamabe Minami as Nene and Nagi Inoue as Chacha is really spectacular, isn't it?" were seen.
Inoue is 20 years old, born on February 17, 2005. She will join Nogizaka46 as a fifth-generation member in 2022 and is the group's "next-generation ace" who will also serve as the center for the single. Her first lead role in a terrestrial drama was in the TV Asahi drama "Spring!", which aired on March 21.
Regarding her role, she commented, "At first, I had a strong impression that Chacha was a strong-willed woman. However, as I researched her, I learned that she was actually a woman who stood strong and tried to do what was best for the people she cared about. I will do my best to portray the charm of Chacha, a woman who lived intensely in turbulent times."
"Toyotomi Brothers!" is a success story of hope and dreams depicting the miracle of the Toyotomi brothers who accomplished the great feat of unifying the country with their strong bond, with Hidenaga, the younger brother of "Japan's ruler" Toyotomi Hideyoshi, as the protagonist. Hidenaga is played by Nakano Taiga and Hideyoshi is played by Ikematsu Sosuke. The script is written by Yatsu Hiroyuki, who is known for "Hanzawa Naoki" (TBS) and the NHK Asadora drama "Ochoyan".
