Based on Satoru Noda’s manga, the live-action Golden Kamuy franchise has expanded across two theatrical films and a television drama. The adaptations have drawn large audiences and earned considerable praise as live-action takes on the original manga.
On October 16, it was announced that the latest installment, Golden Kamuy: Karafuto Pursuit Arc, will begin broadcasting and streaming exclusively on WOWOW on January 24, 2027. The drama continues the story of this year’s film Golden Kamuy: The Abashiri Prison Raid, with a teaser visual and trailer also unveiled alongside the announcement.
The live-action franchise has so far included the first theatrical film, the drama series Golden Kamuy: The Hunt of Prisoners in Hokkaido, and Golden Kamuy: The Abashiri Prison Raid, which opened in March 2026. The latest installment moves the story’s setting to Karafuto.
Karafuto Pursuit Arc follows Asirpa (Anna Yamada), who becomes separated from Sugimoto (Kento Yamazaki) after the fierce battle at Abashiri Prison. She travels to Karafuto alongside Ogata (Gordon Maeda), Shiraishi (Yuma Yamoto), and Kiroranke (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi).
Meanwhile, Sugimoto joins forces with his former enemies in the 7th Division, led by Lieutenant Tsurumi (Hiroshi Tamaki), to pursue Asirpa. Together with Tsukishima (Asuka Kudo), Tanigaki (Ryohei Otani), and Koito (Taishi Nakagawa), he crosses the sea to Karafuto. As the adventure carries them across the Russian border, the past of Asirpa’s father Wilk (Arata Iura), along with the hidden backgrounds of the other characters, will gradually be revealed.
▼ Teaser Trailer for the Golden Kamuy: Karafuto Pursuit Arc TV Drama
Kento Yamazaki, who stars as Sugimoto, reflected on reuniting with the familiar cast and crew: “Being surrounded by the atmosphere of Golden Kamuy allowed me to slip naturally back into filming.” He believes the franchise’s appeal lies in the rhythm of its shifts between comedy and serious drama, as well as the enormous contrast between the two. “Sugimoto may look like he is simply fooling around, but everything he does comes from his sincere feelings for Asirpa,” Yamazaki said.
He added that the story will explore each character’s personal sense of justice and background. “Some scenes are incredibly funny and genuinely entertaining, but when the story turns serious again, it becomes even more moving.” He hopes viewers will enjoy the dramatic changes of pace throughout the series.
Original manga creator Satoru Noda also praised the adaptation highly. “The production quality is exceptional. It hardly feels like a television drama and instead has the visual quality of a film,” he said. Noda complimented both the faithful portrayals of the new characters and the elaborate sets, adding: “Although everything was apparently filmed in Japan, it somehow manages to capture Karafuto’s distinct foreign atmosphere.”
Lead director Kenji Katagiri explained that the drama will portray Sugimoto and Asirpa traveling separately with different companions while also incorporating the stories of Tsurumi and Hijikata. His goal was to create a fast-paced ensemble drama filled with momentum. He also revealed that Noda contributed numerous ideas from the screenplay stage onward, describing the finished production as “an even richer and more fully matured dark hot-pot Western.”
Additional cast members and information about the theme song will be announced at a later date. This marks another transition from a theatrical film back into a television drama for the franchise. With its previous installments receiving a positive response, fans of the series can look forward to further updates.
via： X@『ゴールデンカムイ』公式