The TV anime "Killuao," based on the manga by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, known for "Kuroko's Basketball," is currently airing on TV Tokyo every Saturday at 11 PM. The story follows 39-year-old Jūzō Ōkami, known as the "legendary hitman," who is stung by a mysterious bee and transformed into a 13-year-old. He then attends middle school and takes on various incidents and battles against other hitmen in this action-comedy about getting a second chance at youth. The original manga was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) from 2023 to 2025. Yūko Sanpei voices the 13-year-old Jūzō Ōkami, while Shunsuke Takeuchi voices the 39-year-old (adult) Jūzō Ōkami. How do they portray the 13-year-old and 39-year-old Jūzō? We asked Ms. Sanpei and Mr. Takeuchi.
◇The persuasive power of a 39-year-old adult
--Ms. Sanpei and Ms. Takeuchi will be playing the character of Jusan, who is 13 years old and 39 years old. Is it unusual for two people to play the same character?
Ms. Sanpei, the idea of the two of you playing 13-year-olds and 39-year-olds in a present-day context, rather than "past and present," is a unique feeling that you won't find anywhere else.
While Takeuchi-san sometimes plays other characters during their childhood, this is different.
--Do you ever think about each other's acting?
Mr. Takeuchi and I hadn't discussed it beforehand, but of course, I was watching the recording of the first episode wondering how it would turn out.
Sanpei-san, that's right. I think we both felt that it would be good if we could put what we felt into our performances. In the first episode, Takeuchi-kun's first line gave off the vibe of a real adult, a professional assassin. And also, a sense of loneliness. I felt a kind of loneliness in life, and even though his body is that of a child, I tried to convey a sense of calm and weariness rather than the energetic youthfulness of a typical child. I was also directed to "bring out a bit of an old-man vibe" and "show a tired feeling," so instead of a sigh like "haa...", I tried to add a little weight to it, like "fuuu...". I wanted to convey the persuasiveness of the 39-year-old adult that Takeuchi-san played, even when he became a child.
Perhaps it's a sense of emptiness for Takeuchi-san . He feels that completing his work is worthwhile, but he's not fulfilled. He has this emptiness that he doesn't even know what it is. That's reflected in how often he smokes, isn't it? I think that's a key point for the adult Juzo, and I felt that Sanpei-san understood that. Conversely, I also used Sanpei-san's acting as a reference to understand the nuances of Juzo's mood when he becomes a middle school student.
--So, it's a character that you two create together.
I agree with Takeuchi-san . If there's a discrepancy in the interpretation of the character, it's definitely not good, so I wanted to align it. However, I didn't want to force a change, and I wanted to act naturally in a good way, so I'm cherishing that feeling.
-- Are there any points that you absolutely cannot leave out?
There's an episode where Sanpei, as an adult, goes along with middle schoolers, but instead of enthusiastically joining in with them, he's a little detached and can't quite get into it. I think there are times when he deliberately doesn't join in because it's too much trouble, but he's not always going all out. I think he tends to keep a bit of distance. His relationship with the heroine, Noren-chan, isn't theドキドキ (heart-pounding) kind of distance you'd expect in a romantic comedy, but more like a father-daughter relationship, and even when incidents occur, he makes judgments with a bit of composure. He can't keep up with things he's unfamiliar with, like the speed of social media, but he has a unique sense of distance that allows him to observe things from a slightly detached perspective.
Mr. Takeuchi, I had the opportunity to interview a vocational school, and there were a lot of teenagers there, and when I looked at them, I just couldn't get on the same wavelength (laughs). I ended up taking a step back and observing them. I personally experienced what it's like to be Jusan. Middle schoolers don't talk to Jusan because they think he's actually an old man, right? They're looking for the perfect balance of energy.
◇ Feeling tired of life
-- What is your impression of Takeuchi-san, who plays the 39-year-old Juzo, from your perspective, Sanpei-san?
Despite their young age, Mr. Sanpei and Mr. Takeuchi play the melancholic Ookami Juzo (an adult) so perfectly, and it's really interesting. It's truly amazing. I think it must have been difficult. They are so convincing in portraying someone weary of life.
I'm so happy, Mr. Takeuchi . Thank you.
The way Sanpei's tension goes up and down in the scene where he jokingly says "middle schooler, middle schooler, old man, middle schooler" is really funny (laughs).
It's a scene where Takeuchi-san's character, Juzo, is under a lot of stress, and it's like that stress is finally exploding.
Sanpei-san and Takeuchi-kun were in charge of the hard-boiled scenes, and they had a very craftsman-like feel to them, but it was like, "Finally, it's time for a fun scene!" (laughs)
Takeuchi-san, I think I might have gotten carried away with your feelings too (laughs).
--What is your impression of Sanpei-san, Takeuchi-san?
Mr. Takeuchi is a middle school student, but he's also like an old man, not just a middle school student who acts like an old man. When you play an old man, you have to be different in gender and age, so it's really a learning experience. You have to have both the feeling of being a middle school student and the feeling of being an old man, and that's difficult for male voice actors, so I felt like I heard the perfect answer from Mr. Sanpei's performance. That's it!
--Mr. Sanpei himself doesn't have any "uncle" characteristics...
I don't really know anything about Mr. Sanpei's " uncle" persona (laughs). Up until now, I've had the opportunity to work with some amazing senior actors, and I think I've developed a "deeper" side to myself, and now I'm opening up a drawer that I've never used before. (Man Animai/MANTANWEB)
