Inherit the Winds Sets November 13 Theatrical Preview in New Shinsengumi Trailer

Inherit the Winds (Kaze wo Tsugu Mono, 風を継ぐもの) now has a concrete theatrical date. A new trailer, released around September 18–19, 2026, previews the theatrical advance version, subtitled -Hajimari- (“Beginning”), which plays in Japanese theaters for a limited two-week run starting November 13, 2026 — roughly two months before the anime’s regular TV broadcast begins in January 2027.

The same wave of material also revealed the TV series’ opening and ending theme songs and confirmed Takaya Kamikawa as an additional cast member, voicing Shinbei Umeda.

What “-Hajimari-” Actually Is

This isn’t a standalone feature film separate from the TV series. Official material describes it specifically as an advance theatrical screening of the original TV anime — a way to see part of the story in theaters before the January 2027 broadcast begins, not a self-contained movie with its own unrelated plot. Treat -Hajimari- as an early theatrical presentation of the TV anime’s own material, not a separate continuity.

The two-week Japanese run begins November 13, 2026. No international theatrical release has been announced for this advance screening.

The TV Broadcast: January 2027

The regular TV broadcast is set to begin in January 2027, airing on the “Agaru Anime” programming block across CBC, TBS and other affiliated stations nationwide in Japan (28 stations total per official/reported station counts). No exact January premiere date has been announced yet, and no international streaming platform or date has been confirmed — treat any claim of a same-season global release as unconfirmed until Aniplex or a streaming partner says otherwise.

New Theme Songs: Quruli and Hitsujibungaku’s First Collaboration

The trailer confirms the TV series’ theme songs, and it’s a genuine first: rock musician Quruli and band Hitsujibungaku are teaming up for the first time. Quruli and Hitsujibungaku perform the opening theme, titled “Kaze wo Tsugu Mono” (the same title as the show), while Hitsujibungaku and Quruli perform the ending theme, “Namida no Kawa” (“River of Tears”) — which also doubles as the theatrical advance version’s theme song.

Takaya Kamikawa Joins as Shinbei Umeda

Takaya Kamikawa has been confirmed as an additional cast member, playing Shinbei Umeda, described in official material as a mysterious man who claims to be a retainer of the Iwakuni domain and who follows the amnesiac protagonist around. Nothing in the official reveal designates his casting as a limited “special guest” role rather than an ongoing part — treat it as a confirmed cast addition without reading further into his role’s size or permanence than official material states.

Who’s the Story About? Quick Context for Newcomers

Inherit the Winds is set in Kyoto during the Bakumatsu era — the turbulent final years of the Tokugawa shogunate. Its protagonist is an amnesiac soldier who’s taken in by the real historical Shinsengumi officer Sōji Okita, who gives him the name Jinsuke Tachikawa. From there, the amnesiac Jinsuke begins a new life among the Mibu-affiliated soldiers who would become the Shinsengumi, set against the era’s political violence. It’s billed specifically as an original TV anime — not a manga adaptation. The project’s writer, playwright Yutaka Narui, previously created a long-running stage play series centered on the same Jinsuke character and Shinsengumi setting (including a stage production also called Those Who Inherit the Wind) through his theater troupe Caramel Box; the anime draws on that same premise and character but is being produced as its own new interpretation, not a direct restaging of the play.

The Staff and the Animation Approach

Director Tomohiro Kawamura (known for 3DCG work on the theatrical film GAMBA), writer Yutaka Narui, character designer Fumi Ebina, and composer Shigeru Kishida — the Quruli frontman, working on his first TV anime score — lead the project. Visually, it’s being made using what’s described as a fusion of Live2D and traditional cel animation techniques, a joint production between Aniplex, Live2D Creative Studio and Drive.

What’s Still Unconfirmed

No exact January 2027 premiere date, episode count, or international streaming partner has been announced. The official reveal doesn’t specify how much of the TV story the -Hajimari- theatrical cut actually covers, beyond it being an early look at the series ahead of broadcast. Treat any of those specifics as unconfirmed until Aniplex or the official project account states them directly.

If you’re after other period-set anime in the meantime, see our coverage of Blue Eye Samurai’s second season, and for more of the current new-anime slate, our breakdown of Suikoden’s own October premiere and trailer. Don’t confuse this project with the unrelated 1960 American courtroom drama Inherit the Wind, which shares no connection to this franchise beyond a similar title.