On November 7th, 27 new cast members were revealed for WOWOW's drama series "Kitakata Kenzo Suikoden" (starring Oda Yuji, scheduled to start on February 15th, 2026, broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Prime and WOWOW On Demand). Actors Kaneko Norihito, Shirasu Jin, Kato Seishiro, Jyutaro Yamanaka, and Ukaji Tsuyoshi will appear. It has also been announced that the series will be streamed simultaneously with the WOWOW broadcast and stream on Lemino, a video streaming service operated by Docomo.
The original work is the monumental historical epic novel "Suikoden" series (19 volumes, Shueisha Bunko) by Kitakata Kenzo. It is a reconstruction of "Suikoden," considered one of the three great Chinese classics, and has sold over 11.6 million copies. It is the first of the "Great Suikoden" trilogy, which will be followed by "Yang Lingden" and "Yue Feiden."
The story is set in China at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty (early 12th century). The story is about the rebellion of "outcasts" who, troubled by the corruption of the world, seek justice even if it means breaking the law. It depicts the "will to resist unreasonable power" and "bonds with friends" in a grand ensemble drama that is relevant even today. The cast includes Song Jiang (played by Oda), Chao Gai (played by Takashi Sorimachi), Lin Chong (played by Kazuya Kamenashi), Yang Zhi (played by Shinnosuke Mitsushima), and his wife, Ji Renmei (played by Haru).
The cast of 27 key members who support Liangshanbo, including Song Jiang and Chao Gai, has recently been announced all at once.
The cast includes Kaneko as Lu Zhishen, a monk who works hard to gather allies, Kimura Tatsunari as Shi Jin, a young, rough man with nine dragon tattoos, Shirasu as Gongsun Sheng, the commander of the special forces, the Lethal Army, Hamada Tatsuomi as Sekishu, another commander of the Lethal Army, Kato as Ruan Xiaowu, a former fisherman involved in salt smuggling, Ito Kentaro as Wu Song, nicknamed the Tiger Killer, Ukaji as Lu Junyi, who is responsible for raising funds for Liangshanbo through salt smuggling, and Yamanaka as Yan Qing, a talented martial artist who serves Lu Junyi.
In addition, Nomaguchi Toru will play Wu Yong, the military strategist and brains behind Liangshanbo; Satoshi Kanada Tokio will play Bai Sheng, a former thief and Andozen's best friend; Uechi Yusuke will play Song Qing, the younger brother of Song Jiang, one of the leaders of Liangshanbo; Wada Masato will play Cao Zheng, the owner of a restaurant and brothel; and Takahashi Kazuya will play Zhu Gui, the owner of a restaurant on the shores of Lake Liangshan.
Other cast members include Kawashima Jun as Xue Yong, Arizono Yoshiki as Shi Qian, Ikuta Takuma as Ruan Xiao Er, Hayashi Yudai as Ruan Xiao Qi, Shimao Yasushi as Tang Long, Ichikawa Tomohiro as Chen Da, Asai Daichi as Zhu Wu, Sakai Taisei as Yang Chun, Rong Xin as Kong Ming, Kashima Riku as Kong Liang, Ikeda Tsutomu as Lei Heng, Hamada Manabu as Zhu Tong, and Yamada Kosuke as Suo Chao.
