by On Saturday, July 12, 2025, at 9:30 pm, the Fuji TV affiliate will broadcast the full-length film “Kitaro’s Birth: The Mystery of Gegege” for the first time on terrestrial television.
This is a blockbuster film that will reveal the secret of Kitaro’s birth, created in 2023 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the original manga artist Shigeru Mizuki. This article summarizes the plot, overview, and related information. What is “Gegege no Kitaro” / About the film “Kitaro’s Birth: The Mystery of Gegege” “Gegege no Kitaro” is a historical masterpiece series based on the original work by Shigeru Mizuki, which has been loved even today, more than 55 years after the first anime series began airing in January 1968.
It has established a strong popularity and solid position as the originator of the yokai boom, and it is no exaggeration to say that no one in Japan does not know it, and it is loved as a “national anime”. 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of Shigeru Mizuki’s death. In April, “My Beloved Gegege” will be broadcast, featuring episodes selected by famous people associated with Kitaro from the six anime series to date.
The movie “The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of Gegege” was released in November 2023 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Shigeru Mizuki’s birth. It is a feature-length animated film that depicts the secret of “Kitaro’s birth,” the meeting between Medama Oyaji and Mizuki, and the fate that the two fathers face.
The story begins when Kitaro and Medama Oyaji set foot in the ruins of the former Nakukura Village. Medama Oyaji recalls the events that occurred in the village 70 years ago.
About his meeting with that man and the fate that the two faced… 1956. Nakukura Village was ruled by the Ryuga clan, who controlled the political and financial world of Japan behind the scenes. Mizuki, who works at the Imperial Blood Bank, is burdened with ambition and a secret mission under the pretext of mourning the death of the head of the family, Tokisada, while Kitaro’s father is searching for his wife, each of them enters the village. An ugly fight has begun among the Ryuga clan over who will succeed Tokisada. Meanwhile, a member of the clan is brutally murdered at the village shrine, starting a chain of horrific mysteries.
What will the encounter and fate of Kitaro’s father and his two children behold in their overwhelming despair? Keep an eye out for the solid lineup of staff and the talented voice actors who are leading the Japanese animation industry! This work was produced with a solid lineup, with director Koga Go of “GeGeGe no Kitaro: Japan Explodes!!”, screenwriter Yoshino Hiroyuki, known for the TV anime “Macross F”, and character design by Yatabe Toko, assistant director of “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time”. At the time of the release, events and talk shows were held with only the production team on stage, and their comments attracted attention.
Yatabe’s characters also drew attention, and in addition to special gifts for visitors, fans were delighted with original illustrations, such as illustrations for when the film won the Best Animation Award at the 47th Japan Academy Awards, illustrations to coincide with the first exhibition event, “The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe – Reminiscence Exhibition”, and a supportive collaboration illustration with “Venom: The Last Dance” when the film is re-screened as the improved quality version of “The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe – True Version” from October 2024.
The cast also includes Seki Toshihiko as Kitaro’s father (the former Medama-no-Oyaji) and Kiuchi Hidenobu as Mizuki. The cast consists of Atsumi Tanezaki, Yumiko Kobayashi, Satoshi Shiratori, Nobuo Tobita, Yoko Sawami, Kazuya Nakai, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Yuko Minaguchi, Rie Kugimiya, Akira Ishida, and others who play the family and relatives of the Ryuga family who live in Nakikura Village, where the two travel for their reasons. Matsukaze Masaya will also be joining the cast as a reporter for a weekly magazine, bringing together a cast of talented actors who are leading the Japanese animation industry.
In addition, members of the sixth season of the TV anime, Miyuki Sawashiro as Kitaro, Masako Nozawa as Medama Oyaji, Umeka Shoji as Nekomusume, and Toshio Furukawa as Nezumi, also made an appearance, satisfying the expectations of fans. The voice actors were introduced all at once before the film’s release, and even after the release, they continued to attract attention with each stage greeting and new information announcement.
Recently, there has been a steady stream of original merchandise and figures by Toei Animation! Recently, Bandai and BANDAI SPIRITS have released exclusive goods with a Hanafuda motif, goods filled with the feeling of each season of the year, and original figures of Kitaro’s father and Mizuki by Toei Animation, and the excitement surrounding the film “Kitaro: The Birth of Gegege no Nazo” has not yet died down.
This is an excellent opportunity to experience this film, which is enjoyable not only for those who don’t know much about Kitaro, but also for those who have seen it at the cinema, as it contains subtle mysteries that you will miss if you watch it just once.
The film “Kitaro: The Birth of Gegege no Nazo” will be broadcast for the first time on terrestrial television on July 12 (Sat) at 9:30 pm on Fuji TV. Saturday Premium Movie “Kitaro: The Birth of Gegege no Nazo” First Time on Terrestrial Television! Uncut broadcast Saturday, July 12, 2025 21:30-23:40 *Notice: In the event of an extension to the East Asian E-1 Football Championship, Men’s Japan vs. China match, the broadcast time may be delayed.
Cast: Kitaro’s father (the former Eyeball Dad): Toshihiko Seki Mizuki: Hidenobu Kiuchi Ryuga Sayo: Atsumi Tanezaki (the kanji for ‘zaki’ is pronounced ‘tatsusaki’) Nagata Tokiya: Yumiko Kobayashi Ryuga Tokisada: Tetsu Shiratori Ryuga Tokimaro: Nobuo Tobita Ryuga Kozo: Kazuya Nakai Ryuga Otomai: Yoko Sawami Ryuga Katsunori: Kazuhiro Yamaji Ryuga Heiko: Yuko Minaguchi
Staff: [Original work] Shigeru Mizuki [Director] Go Koga [Screenplay] Hiroyuki Yoshino [Music] Kenji Kawai [Character design] Touko Yatabe [Art director] Mai Ichioka [Color design] Sayoko Yokoyama [Director of photography] Tomoyuki Ishiyama [Production] Akira Sawamori, Yoshifumi Horikoshi
Anime! Anime! Kotaro Nakase
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