Japan’s live-action Sakamoto Days film has dropped a new character promo, and it is clearly betting on one big selling point early: the action.
The newly streamed video from the film’s official website highlights the fight choreography performed by lead actor Ren Meguro, who plays former assassin turned family man Tarō Sakamoto. It also gives fans their first proper listen to the movie’s theme song, "BANG!!" by Snow Man.
For anime and manga fans in Malaysia and across Southeast Asia, this is worth paying attention to. Sakamoto Days already has a strong regional footprint thanks to its anime run on Netflix and the manga’s English availability through Viz Media and MANGA Plus. That means this is not just a Japan-only headline for hardcore manga readers. A lot of SEA fans already know the series, and the live-action version now has a real chance to become one of the more talked-about manga adaptations if the fight scenes actually deliver.
A cast built around familiar names
Meguro, who is also a member of Snow Man, leads the film as Tarō Sakamoto. Fumiya Takahashi plays Shin Asakura, Sakamoto’s ally with psychic abilities.
The Sakamoto family is rounded out by Aya Ueto as Aoi Sakamoto and Miyu Yoshimoto as Hana Sakamoto.
Other cast members include:
- Mayū Yokota as Lu Shaotang
- Junki Tozuka as Heisuke Mashimo
- Akihisa Shiono as Kashima
- Keisuke Watanabe as Natsuki Seiba
- Takumi Kitamura, Yūsei Yagi, and Meru Nukumi as Order assassins Nagumo, Shishiba, and Osaragi
Meguro also shared that he read the original manga several years ago. He said that while many of his past roles were taken on to communicate something to the audience, Sakamoto Days is a project he chose for himself.
The team behind the movie
The film is being directed and scripted by Yūichi Fukuda, whose past live-action work includes Gintama and Under Ninja. Action direction is handled by Keiya Tabuchi, whose credits include Evangelion: 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time, the live-action Attack on Titan, and Kamen Rider Amazons.
Production is being handled by CREDEUS together with Avex Pictures.
That action-heavy promo makes a lot more sense with that team in place. If fans were worried that the film might lean too hard on comedy or idol casting, this first push feels like the production trying to prove it can handle the physical side of Sakamoto Days properly.
Release date and why the format matters
The film opens in Japan on April 29, and it will also screen in ScreenX across 27 theatres in the country from day one.
That is a notable detail. ScreenX is usually used to sell scale and spectacle, so the format choice suggests the movie’s combat scenes are being treated as a major draw, not just background flavour for fans of the manga.
There is still no Southeast Asia release information mentioned here, but Malaysian fans will probably be watching closely for regional cinema or streaming news, especially given how accessible the franchise already is on the anime side.
A franchise that has grown fast
Yuuto Suzuki first published the one-shot "Sakamoto" in Jump Giga in December 2019, before launching the full manga in Weekly Shonen Jump in November 2020. The main manga entered its final battle in August 2025.
The series has expanded quickly since then:
- Spinoff manga Sakamoto Holidays launched in July 2024 in Saikyō Jump
- The spinoff is drawn by Tetsu Ōkawa, an assistant on the main manga
- The franchise got novels in April 2023 and December 2024
- A smartphone puzzle game launched in April 2025
On the anime side, the adaptation premiered on TV Tokyo and related channels in January 2025, with Netflix carrying it at the same time. The first part ran for 11 episodes. Its second part arrived in July 2025, with the first episode streaming early on Netflix that month, while only episode 12 streamed simultaneously with the Japanese TV broadcast.
For now, the new promo does its job. It reminds fans that Sakamoto Days lives or dies on momentum, impact, and personality, and the live-action team seems to know that. If the full film can match the speed and charm that made the manga work, this could end up being one of the more interesting anime-to-live-action projects of the year.
Source: Anime News Network