Muteking the Dancing Hero

Synopsis

Set in the free and cheerful city by the bay, Neo San Francisco. When the kindhearted Muteki moves to the city, he meets a self-proclaimed DJ named DJ and is transformed into the dancing hero, Muteking! In order to save the city from monsters that have suddenly appeared, Muteki and DJ face off against them using singing and dancing. But behind the scenes, an unimaginable crisis looms over humanity...

Background

Muteking the Dancing Hero is an upcoming TV anime reboot of the ‘80s TV anime Muteking, the Dashing Warrior, which aired for a year from September 1980 to September 1981. Only the first episode was ever dubbed in English in an attempt to sell the series in the U.S., but it was unsuccessful and no other episodes were ever released in English.

The reboot was first announced by Tatsunoko Production in 2019. It is being jointly animated by Tatsunoko Pro and Tezuka Productions, with Tatsunoko Pro credited as the original creator and Utomaru as the original character designer. The staff includes Hiroshi Sasagawa as executive director, Ryousuke Takahashi as the chief director, and Yuuzou Satou as the director. Masafumi Sato is credited as assistant director and battle dance director, while Yuji Kondo is handling series composition, Yuichi Takahashi is designing the main characters, Shinji Seiya is credited as chief animation director, and Takamitsu Shimazaki and Takeshi Masuda are composing the music. The anime’s opening theme song is "Labyrinth" by Orange Range, and the ending theme song is "Kibo no Uta" by KALMA. The anime will premiere in Japan on Oct. 2, 2021 on TV Osaka and TV Aichi.

Characters

Muteki (Voiced by: Kentaro Mashiro)
A kindhearted young man. He meets DJ in Neo San Francisco and is transformed into Muteking. He is in love with Aida-san. He is uncomfortable with singing and dancing in flashy outfits.

DJ (Voiced by: Takuya Eguchi)
He lives enthusiastically and has a high tension personality. He always carries around a boom box, which he can use to transform Muteki into Muteking.

Seo (Voiced by: Satoshi Hino)
The head of the giant IT company Octinq. He provides a variety of services to the city of Neo San Francisco. His hobby is ceramics.

Aida-san (Voiced by: Rie Takahashi)
She works at a diner while aiming to become an idol. She often messes up orders. However, it’s unclear whether she does it on purpose or if she’s just a ditz.

An (Voiced by: Madoka Yonezawa)
Seo’s secretary and his right-hand woman.

Naomi (Voiced by: Azusa Tadokoro)
She runs the occult channel “Shin soQ Mei Scoop in TV.” She tends to get too enthusiastic.

Sera (Voiced by: Rikako Aikawa)
Muteki’s grandmother. She is a clubber who goes all out at the club. She has a wide face.

Vivi (Voiced by: Kazuyuki Okitsu)
The manager of an arcade and a drag queen. She acts like a mother to Haru, Summer, Aki, and Winter. Only those she chooses are allowed to call her Sister Vivi.

Haru (Voiced by: Keiga)
The eldest of four siblings. He hates to lose. When playing games, he uses rapid-fire as his weapon of choice.

Summer (Voiced by: Hayato Kimura)
The second eldest of four siblings. He is kind and generous, and is good at ride-style games.

Aki (Voiced by: Minami Tanaka)
Haru and Summer’s sister. She is mischievous and is interested in Muteki.

Winter (Voiced by: Kotaro Nishiyama)
The younger sister of Haru, Summer, and Aki. She does nothing but play games, but she is very considerate of those around her, even though she doesn’t talk much.

Suteking (Voiced by: Kenn)
A wonderful person who is always wearing the latest trends. He seems to know DJ.

Owen (Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura)
The former mayor of Neo San Francisco who suddenly disappeared.

Matt (Voiced by: Yutaka Aoyama)
A regular at the diner Aida-san works at.

Tommy (Voiced by: Takashi Matsuyama)
A regular at the diner Aida-san works at.

George (Voiced by: Wataru Hatano)
The host of Rakin’TV and the man behind the Neo San Francisco channel.

Aurora
A super artist in Neo San Francisco.

Music

• Opening Theme Song: "Labyrinth" by Orange Range
• Ending Theme Song: "Kibo no Uta" by KALMA

• Anime Site (Japanese)
• Twitter (Japanese)

• Original Creator: Tatsunoko Production
• Original Character Design: Utomaru (THINKR)
• Executive Director: Hiroshi Sasagawa
• Chief Director: Ryousuke Takahashi
• Director: Yuuzou Satou
• Assistant Director/Battle Dance Director: Masafumi Sato
• 3DCG Director: Yoshihiro Otobe
• Series Composition: Yuji Kondo
• Main Character Design: Yuichi Takahashi
• Character Setting/Chief Animation Director: Shinji Seiya
• Sound Director: Takumi Ito
• Music: Takamitsu Shimazaki, Takeshi Masuda
• Music Producer: Takamitsu Shimazaki
• Music Production: Smile Company, Victor Entertainment
• Animation Production: Tatsunoko Production, Tezuka Productions