The story follows Gengo Matsunaga, once known as the legendary "Hikuidori" (Fire-Eating Bird) — Edo's greatest firefighting samurai. He sets out to rebuild the Shinjo Domain's fallen firefighting squad, the "Borotobigumi," and confront a mysterious series of arsons plaguing Edo known as "Kitsunebi" (Fox Fire). Published by Shodensha, the original novel series has surpassed 1.5 million copies in circulation, and author Shogo Imamura won the prestigious Naoki Prize for this series.
The released key visual depicts the Borotobigumi members standing defiantly amid a raging inferno, with an ominous shadow looming in the flames and the striking tagline: "Stand and face it — the fire, and the weakness within."
Animation production is handled by SynergySP. The star-studded cast features Yuichiro Umehara as protagonist Gengo Matsunaga, Ayaka Miyoshi as his wife Miyuki, and Junichi Suwabe as Kankuro Ooto.
Cast:
Gengo Matsunaga: Yuichiro Umehara
Miyuki: Ayaka Miyoshi
Kankuro Ooto: Junichi Suwabe
Shinnosuke Torigoe: Shuichiro Umeda
Hikoya: Nobunaga Shimazaki
Seijuro Kaji: Kencho Ono
Shusuke: Ken Yasuda
Staff:
Director: Hiroshi Yasumi
Music: Koji Takanashi
Animation Production: SynergySP
Theme Songs:
OP: Porno Graffitti - "Hamidashi Gomen"
ED: Yo Oizumi - "Kagerou" (composed by Koji Tamaki)
Broadcast: Starting January 11, 2026 at 23:30, CBC/TBS 28-station network "Agaru Anime" slot
Official site: https://hikuidori-project.com/
©Shogo Imamura / Shodensha / Borotobigumi Ichido