Voice actress Shizuka Ishigami is joining the cast of the upcoming 2022 Urusei Yatsura anime as Benten — a childhood friend of the heroine Lum and an avid biker. The anime series is set to premiere in October 2022 for two consecutive cours. 

Ishigami will join an extensive voice cast, consisting of Hiroshi Kamiya as Ataru Moroboshi, Sumire Uesaka as Lum, Maaya Uchida as Shinobu Miyake, Mamoru Miyano as Shuutarou Mendou, Wataru Takagi as Cherry, and Miyuki Sawashiro as Sakura. Some of the most recent voice cast additions include Saori Hayami as Oyuki, Kana Hanazawa as Ran, and Katsuyuki Konishi as Rei.  

The production team is made up of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind‘s Hideya Takahashi and Kimura Yasuhiro as directors, with Yuuko Kakihara (The Aquatope on White Sand) as series scriptwriter, and Naoyuki Asano (Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!) as character designer. David production is in charge of the series’ animation production.

Other staff includes Kazuhiro Takamura (Strike Witches: Road to Berlin director and character designer) as sub-character designer, mikitail (The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 co-prop designer) as sub-character designer, JNTHED (Spriggan production designer, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker mecha design and 2D work assistance) and Yoshihiro Sono (Sabikui Bisco art and creature designer) as mechanical designers, Masanobu Nomura (Fate/Grand Order Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot Paladin; Agateram co-art director) as art director, Ayaka Nakamura (The Heike Story assistant color designer) as color designer, Yuuichirou Osada (World Trigger 2nd Season and 3rd Season) as photography director, and Masaru Yokoyama (Aoashi) as music composer. 

The new Urusei Yatsura anime will run for four total cours and adapt select portions of Rumiko Takahashi‘s original manga series. The manga was serialized in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday from September 24, 1978 to February 4, 1987. A previous 1980s anime adaptation was released, along with several films and OVAs. 

Fuji Creative Corporation describes the synopsis of the new Urusei Yatsura as: 

Tokyo. Tomobiki Town.

Lum, the gorgeous daughter of an invading race of Oni Aliens is smitten with High School student Ataru Moroboshi. A dedicated womanizer, Ataru is unfazed by Lum’s fierce electric shock attacks and continues his daily hunt for pretty girls.

With a host of other unique characters, including classmate Shinobu, elegant shrine maiden Sakura, Lum’s best friend’s Oyuki, Benten and Ran, Buddhist Monk Cherry, Ten, the little brat, heir to a wealthy family Shutaro Mendo and the secretly female beauty Ryunosuke…

A classic slapstick love comedy where anything goes!

Source: Urusei Yatsura Official Twitter