The complete worldwide release plan for the live-action series Sins of Kujo is now set. All ten episodes of the Japanese crime drama will premiere globally on Netflix on Thursday, April 2, 2026. The announcement from Netflix Japan on January 25, 2026, included the first teaser trailer, key character art, and a major expansion of the show’s ensemble cast.
This series adapts the hit manga by Shohei Manabe, who is also known for Ushijima the Loan Shark. Since its debut in 2020, the Sins of Kujo manga has sold over 4 million copies. The story follows a lawyer who chooses to defend society’s most notorious outcasts, creating a complex narrative about law and morality.
Sins of Kujo Story and Main Characters Explained
The series centers on the unconventional lawyer Taiza Kujo, played by Yuya Yagira. Kujo operates the Kujo Law Office, a firm that willingly takes on clients avoided by everyone else. His client list includes delinquent groups, yakuza members, and ex-convicts. Kujo’s professional belief is straightforward: โA lawyerโs job is to protect their clients.โ This philosophy leads the public to label him a corrupt attorney, but he uses the law skillfully to reduce his clients’ sentences.
โA lawyer isnโt guided by ideology; my duty is simply to defend my client,โ says Kujo, summarizing his provocative approach to the law.
His world changes when Shinji Karasuma enters the picture. Karasuma is a brilliant, by-the-book lawyer, a graduate of the University of Tokyo, and is portrayed by Hokuto Matsumura. Forced to work with Kujo, Karasuma finds himself both supporting and questioning Kujo’s extreme methods. Their dynamic partnership forms the core of the series as they tackle cases from the darkest parts of society.
The supporting cast includes Elaiza Ikeda as Hitomi Yakushimae, a social worker who views criminals through a uniquely empathetic lens. Keita Machida plays Kengo Mibu, an auto repair shop owner who serves as Kujo’s connection to the criminal underworld and frequently brings complicated cases to the office. Takuma Otoo is Detective Yoshinobu Arashiyama, an officer who holds a long-standing personal grudge against both Kujo and Mibu. Murotsuyoshi rounds out the key players as Kiyoshi Kyogoku, the heavily tattooed underboss of the Fushimi-gumi yakuza group.
Complete Cast List for the Netflix Crime Drama
A large ensemble of celebrated Japanese actors will bring the gritty world of the manga to life. The full cast announced on January 25, 2026, includes many notable names.
- Takenori Goto as Ryoma Sugawara, the head of a nursing home
- Kaito Yoshimura as Yuya Kuga, Sugawara’s underling
- Rintaro Mizusawa as Yohei Fukami, a subordinate to Detective Arashiyama
- Shunsuke Tanaka as Yuto Inukai, a man currently serving a prison sentence
- Kodai Kurosaki as Sota Sogabe, a drug courier defended by Kujo
- Taiga Harada of Biscuit Brothers as Suguru Kanemoto, a drug dealer
- Ruka Ishikawa as Shizuku Kasagi, a young woman living on the streets of Shinjuku Kabukicho
- Ryo Iwamatsu as Yuzo Yamashiro, Kujo’s former mentor and a fellow lawyer
- Makiko Watanabe as Hanae Iemori, one of Kujo’s clients
- Akiko Kikuchi as Tomoko Ichida, a newspaper reporter
- Shinobu Hasegawa of Sissonne as Yoshiaki Koyama, an adult video company president
- Yuu Kashii as Reiko Kameoka, Kujo’s law school peer and a human-rights lawyer
- Ken Mitsuishi as Nobuteru Nagaragi, a veteran human-rights lawyer
- Nobuko Sendo as Akiko Karasuma, Shinji Karasuma’s mother
- Toma Ikuta as Kuroudo Kurama, a prosecutor
Behind the Scenes Creative Team and Production Notes
The series is a major collaboration between Netflix and TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System Television). The project is led by director Nobuhiro Doi, known for works like We Made a Beautiful Bouquet and The Voice of Sin. He co-directs with Takeyoshi Yamamoto and Hiroshi Adachi. The scripts are written by Nonji Nemoto, whose credits include The Honest Realtor and Police in a Pod.
Producer Atsushi Nasuda (The Full-Time Wife Escapist, The Voice of Sin) is working with Netflix for the first time on this series. Executive producer Kaori Sugiyama from TBS Television is also guiding the production.
In a statement, director Nobuhiro Doi discussed the appeal of the project and its complex characters. He emphasized that no character in the story is simple or easy to understand, with each having their own nuanced perspective.
What the First Teaser Trailer Reveals
The released teaser trailer provides a first look at the tense atmosphere and dark subject matter of the series. It previews cases that touch on hit-and-run drunk driving, illegal drug deals, abuse within nursing homes, and disputes related to the adult film industry. The trailer also introduces the show’s original theme song, โDogsโ by the rock band Hitsujibungaku.
Visuals from the trailer show Kengo Mibu (Keita Machida) moving between shadowy figures and delivering troublesome cases to Kujo. It also features a covert meeting with Yoshiaki Koyama (Shinobu Hasegawa) and glimpses of the intimidating yakuza underboss Kiyoshi Kyogoku (Murotsuyoshi). The teaser aims to present what the creators call the โhidden worldโ of society, making it feel chillingly real.
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Global Streaming Availability on Netflix
Sins of Kujo will be available exclusively on Netflix. Unlike traditional weekly Japanese TV releases, Netflix will drop the entire season at once for its global audience. This means viewers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and all other Netflix regions will get access to all ten episodes simultaneously on April 2, 2026.
The official Netflix title page for the series is already active, and the show is being promoted with the hashtags #ไนๆกใฎๅคง็ฝช and #sinsofkujo.
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