Change was due to scheduling conflicts, with Kanzaki making personal request that at least Kenjirō Tsuda return
© 神埼黒音・身ノ丈あまる/双葉社・「魔王様、リトライ！R」製作委員会
Manga creator Kurone Kanzaki answered a series of questions on their X (formerly Twitter) account on October 9, regarding the currently airing anime of Kanzaki and Amaru Minotake‘s sequel manga Demon Lord, Retry! R. In particular, they answered why almost the entire cast was changed from the Demon Lord, Retry! 2019 anime.
Kanzaki answered that it was due to scheduling conflicts with the original cast members, who they describe as “quite popular,” and therefore very busy, and whose schedules were filled up for a long time in advance. Kanzaki described an example where one voice actor might be free to record, but their schedule didn’t align with a second and third voice actor. Then, a fourth might be able to squeeze it in. But if they went forward with that decision, the production might get bombarded with complaints from fans asking why the first and fourth voice actors reprise their roles but the second and third were not, in a (seemingly) arbitrary decision.
In the end, the production decided to hold auditions for new actors. Kenjirō Tsuda, who voices the main character Hakuto Kunai, is the only one to reprise his role due to Kanzaki strongly urging that he at least return. Kanzaki said that they can only be thankful for both the old cast and the new one.
Kanzaki humorously added that while the new anime of Rumiko Takahashi‘s Ranma 1/2 manga was able to bring its old cast back after more than 30 years, the Demon Lord, Retry! R anime “doesn’t have that kind of capital.”
The anime premiered in Japan on October 5. Crunchyroll is streaming the anime as it airs in Japan.
Kazuomi Koga (episode director for Demon Lord, Retry!) is directing the anime at Gekkō. Katsuhiko Takayama (Aldnoah.Zero, Protocol: Rain) is overseeing the series scripts, and Minori Homura (Isekai Onsen Paradise) is designing the characters. Creator group SUPA LOVE is composing the music.
The anime stars a mostly different cast from the previous anime, including:
- Kenjirō Tsuda as Hakuto Kunai (reprising the role)
- Momo Asakura as Aku (replacing Kanon Takao)
- Azumi Waki as Akane Fujisaki (character has not yet been voiced)
- Iori Noguchi as Eagle (replacing Akari Kitō)
- Aina Suzuki as Luna Elegant (replacing Kaori Ishihara)
- Wataru Komada as Isami Tahara (replacing Tomokazu Seki)
- Minori Suzuki as Mink (replacing Chiyo Ousaki)
- Mirai Tachibana as Organ (replacing M.A.O)
- Kentarō Kumagai as Zero Kirisame (replacing Showtaro Morikubo)
The manga itself is a sequel based on Kurone Kanzaki‘s Demon Lord, Retry! (Maō-sama, Retry!) light novel series.
J-Novel Club licensed the original light novel series, the manga, and its sequel. It describes Demon Lord, Retry! R:
The Demon Lord continues his adventure in this re-vamped series! After encountering the mysterious entity in the lowest level of the Bastille Dungeon, he sets out for Hellion Territory, where Grand Devils vie for domination of the realm. With the addition of a new advisor—the (seemingly) hopeless optimist Akane—the Demon Lord’s army grows even more colorful, and their hijinks even wackier.
Minotake launched the Demon Lord, Retry! R manga in Futabasha‘s Gaugau Monster website and app in March 2020.
The light novel series inspired the first television anime adaptation in July 2019. Funimation streamed the series as it aired.
Kanzaki published the story on the “Shōsetsuka ni Narō” (Let’s Become Novelists) and Hameln websites from October to December 2016.
Futabasha began publishing the story in light novel volumes with illustrations by Kōji Ogata in June 2017. Futabasha later reprinted the novels through its M Novels label with new illustrations by illustrator and animator Makoto Iino.
Amaru Minotake launched a manga adaptation of the story in October 2017 on Futabasha‘s Web Comic Action site. The fifth and final volume shipped in Japan in December 2019.
