The hit J-drama VIVANT, starring Masato Sakai, returned with a sequel in late July and immediately reignited the hype. Between its star-studded cast and pulse-pounding espionage plot, the series has once again taken Japan by storm.
But here’s the twist: across its first and second seasons, the show has featured more than 20 performers from the anime voice-acting world. Most of them never appear on camera, instead popping up in brief voice-only roles, but that kind of casting is still extremely rare for a live-action Japanese drama—and it has sparked plenty of discussion on Japanese social media.
The sheer number of voice actors featured in Season 2’s 19th episode, which aired on October 4, was especially impressive. The end credits included Norio Wakamoto, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Megumi Ogata, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Daisuke Namikawa, Yuko Kaida, Wataru Takagi, Yuichi Nakamura, Tomokazu Seki, and Junya Enoki—essentially a roll call of top-tier talent from Japan’s voice-acting industry.
It would be tough to assemble a lineup this stacked even for an anime, yet somehow VIVANT pulled it off in a live-action drama. As one amused viewer put it, “This drama’s voice cast is ridiculously stacked...”
Other viewers noted that more than 20 major voice actors have appeared between Season 1 and Season 2’s 19th episode, with nearly every name being a heavyweight in the industry.
Season 1 featured Megumi Hayashibara, Yuriko Yamaguchi, and Natsuki Hanae, while Season 2 brought in Akari Kito, Tomokazu Seki, Minami Takayama, Yuko Kaida, Yuichi Nakamura, Rikiya Koyama, Wataru Takagi, Junya Enoki, Norio Wakamoto, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Megumi Ogata, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Daisuke Namikawa, and more.
Most of these are brief supporting roles, with the performers voicing translation devices, AI systems, news reports, and communication systems throughout VIVANT. Even so, deploying this much top-tier talent for such small parts is seriously impressive.
Then again, VIVANT is one of Japan’s most talked-about dramas, with collaborations and promotional campaigns appearing across the country. Its regular cast is already packed with major stars, and apparently even its smallest voice roles demand an all-star roster. Seeing this many high-profile performers gathered in a single J-drama is practically unprecedented.