Crunchyroll announced it will stream the upcoming anime adaptation of Satsuki Nakamura's Though I Am an Inept Villainess light novel series this summer, with a July 2026 premiere. The series will be available in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, CIS, and the Indian Subcontinent. A trailer with English subtitles has been released, showcasing the animated production.
The anime's premiere was initially slated for April but was pushed back due to production progress delays. It will broadcast on TV Tokyo and its associated channels. The story centers on Kou Reirin, a frail maiden expected to become empress, who finds herself in a dire situation when she is body-swapped with her assailant, Shu Keigetsu, and framed.
Manaka Iwami is voicing Kou Reirin, with Natsumi Kawaida as Shu Keigetsu. The supporting cast includes Makoto Furukawa as Ei Gyōmei and Yūichirō Umehara as Shin-u. Dōga Kōbō is handling animation, under the direction of Mitsue Yamazaki. Yoshiko Nakamura is supervising the scripts, and Ai Kikuchi is adapting the character designs.
Though I Am an Inept Villainess is based on Satsuki Nakamura's light novel series, which launched in December 2020 and has a manga adaptation by Ei Ohitsuji. Seven Seas publishes both the light novels and manga in English. The story is set in a kingdom inspired by historical China, detailing the political intrigue and personal struggles of maidens vying for the position of empress.
