The upcoming limited series Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi has unveiled its Japanese voice cast, confirming the return of several key performers from the original 2021 short. Chinatsu Akasaki will reprise her role as Lah Kara, joined by returning cast members Shinichirō Miki as Lah Zhima, Hiromu Mineta as Ethan, Hinata Tadokoro as Homen, Chō as Gramps, and Hiroki Takahashi as the Jedi Hunter. Akio Ōtsuka also returns to provide narration.
New additions to the ensemble include Nao Ōmori as Nawaam, Tetsuo Kanao as Juro, Hiroshi Naka as Dunbay, Maaya Sakamoto as Tahoola, and Nobuyuki Hiyama as Kwana. The series is set to debut on Disney+ and Hulu on August 5, marking a significant shift for the Star Wars: Visions franchise as it moves from standalone anthology shorts into a longer, serialized narrative format.
Behind the scenes, the project sees Kenji Kamiyama, who helmed the original "The Ninth Jedi" short, transitioning into the role of supervising director and series script supervisor. Shunsuke Tada, known for Kuroko's Basketball and Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These, takes the director's chair.
This expansion follows the October 2025 release of Star Wars: Visions Volume 3, which revisited stories from the first anthology, including "The Duel" and "Village Bride." As a direct follow-up to the events of the original "The Ninth Jedi," this series aims to flesh out the lore established in the first volume of the acclaimed project, which remains a standout in the sci-fi anime space for its unique blend of Japanese animation styles and the Star Wars mythos.
