Megumi Ikumi will be appearing as a voice actress in the movie “My Hero Academia” as an original character alongside Miyano Mamoru

The guest voice actors for the fourth movie of the anime series “My Hero Academia” (Hiroaka), “My Hero Academia THE MOVIE: Your Next” (released on August 2nd) have been announced. Miyano Mamoru will play Giulio Gandini, an original character created by the original author Horikoshi Kohei, and Ikumi Meru will play Anna Sheldono. Both will be appearing in “Hiroaka” for the first time.

Miyano and Ikumi will play Giulio Gandini and Anna Scerbino, original characters created by the original author, Kohei Horikoshi. Giulio is a butler who serves the wealthy Scerbino family. He is usually calm and collected, and his behavior is polite, but he is a mysterious man who occasionally shows his violent side.

Anna is the daughter of the Scelbino family, and because she has a special “quirk,” she becomes obsessed with the film's villain, Darkmite… The two will play important characters who hold the key to the story.

Regarding her appearance in this film, Ikumi, who is an avowed fan of “My Hero Academia,” expressed her joy, saying, “As a fan of My Hero Academia, I have been watching the show for a long time, so it feels like a dream to be asked to do something like this…I was also very happy to get the chance to try my hand at voice acting, which I have always wanted to do!”

Miyano is enthusiastic, saying, “I'm excited to have been given this opportunity to appear in a production that has many of my fellow voice actors appearing in it!”

The film is based on a popular manga that has sold over 100 million copies. Set in a world where people with supernatural abilities known as “quirks” exist for all to see, the story follows the protagonist Izuku Midoriya (Deku) as he grows up with his friends at the prestigious U.A. High School, which trains heroes, in order to become a “hero” who protects society and stands up against criminals who abuse their quirks, known as “villains.”

It has been serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since July 2014, and the first season of the TV anime series began in April 2016, with a movie version also being released. The seventh season of the TV anime series is currently airing.

The movie is an original story supervised and character-designed by the original author, Kohei Horikoshi, and is set in the same timeline as the seventh anime series. The story is set in a society devastated by the battle between heroes and villains, and overrun with Datsugoku, people who escaped from villain detention facilities. Just before the final battle between the heroes, including the main character Izuku Midoriya (Deku), and the villains, a major incident that will shake the world unfolds.

■Comment from Mamoru Miyano, who plays Giulio Gandini
I am truly honored to have the opportunity to appear in “My Hero Academia”! This time, I will be playing “Julio”, an original character from the movie.

He is a mysterious character, and if I were to reveal anything about his role it would be the biggest spoiler of the movie (laughs), so it's difficult to comment on him, but his “personality,” which is specialized in a certain area, is the hook of the story, and the presence of the key character, “Anna,” is inseparable from his philosophy of action.

So please pay attention to the relationship between Giulio and Anna! This movie made me think deeply about what it means to be a “hero”. I want many people to see it! Please look forward to the release.

■Comment from Meru Ikumi, who plays Anna Scerbino
As a fan of My Hero Academia, I've been watching the series for a long time, so it felt like a dream to be asked to do something like this…I was also very happy to get the chance to try my hand at voice acting, which I've always wanted to do!

I was really nervous because there were so many things I didn't understand, but I had a lot of help from a lot of people and was able to enjoy the dubbing. I was happy to be able to enter the world of My Hero Academia.

I participated with the hope that my message would reach many people.