Punishment for the Brave First Look

Yoji Ueda, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, and Jun Fukushima have been confirmed to appear in the TV anime “Brave Execution: Punishment Hero 9004 Corps Prison Records,” which will begin airing in January 2026. The first three minutes of the first episode were also previewed during a special broadcast on July 26th.

The original work, a popular fantasy novel serialized by Rocket Company on the novel submission website “Kakuyomu” since 2020, has won awards such as the “Kakuyomu Award 2020,” the “Next Light Novel Award 2021,” and the “This Light Novel is Amazing! 2023” awards. The story follows Zylo Forverts (voiced by Azagami Yohei), a former commander of the Holy Knights who is sentenced to become a “hero” and fight the “Demon King,” a punishment that does not even allow death. He meets Teorita (Iizuka Mayu), the “goddess” of swords, one of the most powerful biological weapons, and throws himself into a vortex of conflict and conspiracy in order to exact revenge on those who framed him. Seven volumes of the printed version (published by KADOKAWA) have been published so far.

Norgayu Senridge (voiced by Yoji Ueda)

Tatsuya (CV: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka)

Tsav (CV: Jun Fukushima)

The newly announced cast members will all play members of Zyro’s Punishment Hero 9004 Squad. Ueda will play Norgayu Senridge, a terrorist who believes himself to be the true king of the United Kingdom and launches a large-scale terrorist attack on the royal family. Matsuoka will play Tatsuya, an unidentified berserker who served in the Hero Squad the longest and has been revived so many times that he has lost his sense of self, ability to think, and even the ability to speak. Fukushima will play Tsav, a former elite assassin with paranormal-level sniping skills. Each character has significant personality issues, but excels in their respective fields of expertise.

The first three minutes of the first episode show Dotta Luzlas (Shun Horie) fleeing from monstrous fairy creatures in the Kuvunji Forest, the setting for the opening part of the story, and Zylo rushing to his aid. This footage is available to watch in the special program archives.

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It has also been decided that the Japan premiere of the film will be held at Shinjuku Piccadilly in Tokyo on September 6th. Azagami, Iizuka, Horie, Ishigami Shizuka who plays Patouche Kivia, and Toki Shunichi who plays Venetim Leopold will be in attendance. Ticket details will be announced at a later date.

In addition, the anime’s official website has released a special feature in its ongoing “Animation Production Records” section, featuring a conversation between original author Rocket Company and original illustrator Mephisto. They discuss their thoughts on the work, their expectations for the anime adaptation, and behind-the-scenes stories.

The full cast comments are below:

[Yoji Ueda (voice of Norgayu Senridge)]

As a king (?), his special skill is being arrogant in a clever way, but actually, he has another amazing special skill! It’s also one of the reasons people follow him. I’m working hard to portray that part, the part where people don’t understand why but still follow him. Thank you for your support.

[Matsuoka Yoshitsugu (role of Tatsuya)]

I’m Matsuoka Yoshitsugu, and I’ll be playing Tatsuya this time. If you’re not familiar with the original work and watch the anime, you might think, “Who is this guy…!?” But there’s a good reason why he turned out that way. You’ll find out in due course, but this is a work that often makes you go “Ugh, gah, gah!!!” but the balance between seriousness and comedy is exquisite, so I think a lot of people will enjoy it! I’m doing my best as Tatsuya, so please be sure to watch “Sentencing the Hero to Death.”

[Fukushima Jun (role of Tsav)]

Hi, I’m Fukushima Jun, who plays Tsav! Huh? What’s that? The title has “Hero” in it, so does that mean I’m a hero too? That’s awesome♪ I’m so happy♪ I’ve always wanted to be a hero♪ It just sounds so good, doesn’t it? I’m getting excited! Tsav is good at “sniping”, and I don’t really know why, but I’m confident in my “sniping” skills too (lol). Also, I’m honest so I’ll say it, but this anime is fun!

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9004th Squad Takes the Stage in an Explosive Opening Scene

The preview of the first three minutes of Punishment for the Brave offers an intense glimpse into the grim and gritty world of the 9004th Squad. With veterans like Yoji Ueda, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, and Jun Fukushima lending their voices, the characters instantly command attention. The sharp dialogue and tense atmosphere suggest this won’t be a typical hero’s journey, but rather a dark twist on war, justice, and sacrifice. If the rest of the series keeps up this momentum, Punishment for the Brave might become one of the sleeper hits of the season.