Onipan!

Alternate Title

おにぱん！

Synopsis

The idea that oni are bad has become an antiquated notion, and they are now good friends with humans. But because of their mischievousness from long ago, they are sometimes misunderstood and teased. This is the story of three oni girls living in a world together with humans who work hard to improve the image of oni. They transfer from Onigashima to a junior high school in Tokyo, where they sometimes help people, sometimes help improve the town, sometimes jump unexpectedly into school events, and sometimes even act as idols! And the key item they rely on to help them are panties called “onipan” passed down from the oni! What special powers are hidden within the onipan?

Background

Onipan! is an original TV anime project being produced by Wit Studio and directed by Masahiko Ohta. Other staff members include Junichiro Hashiguchi as assistant director, Takashi Aoshima who is handling series composition, Ryuuta Yanagi who is handling character designs and is also credited as chief animation director, and Yasuhiro Misawa who is composing the music. The anime will premiere in Japan in April 2022.

Characters

Tsutsuji (Voiced by: Yume Nozaki)
A 14-year-old red oni girl who transfers from Onigashima to a junior high school in Tokyo. She has a friendly, open, and cheerful personality and is brimming with curiosity. She is friendly to everyone, but sometimes gets too close for others’ comfort. She is willing to do everything she can to improve the image of oni, but she can be a bit timid at first. However, once she decides to do something, she has the willpower to get it done. She has a yearning for the city and is especially interested in love and fashion.

Himawari (Voiced by: Mika Negishi)
A 14-year-old yellow oni girl who transfers from Onigashima to a junior high school in Tokyo. As her lively appearance would suggest, she is a mischievous girl, and she optimistically pushes Tsutsuji and Tsuyukusa to try a variety of things. She is the type to walk her own path without worrying what others think. She has a common sense side but can get flustered when unexpected events happen. Of the three, she has the highest skill when it comes to housework like cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry, and she supports the oni girls in living a healthy life.

Tsuyukusa (Voiced by: Kokona Nonaka)
A 14-year-old blue oni girl who transfers from Onigashima to a junior high school in Tokyo. She gives the impression of being a stoic and cool beauty who isn’t perturbed by anything, but she’s actually a slovenly and lazy downer. She is a bit of a genius and can easily do most things, but she often pushes bothersome things onto Tsutsuji and Himawari. Her motto is “if I don’t do it today, hopefully I’ll do it tomorrow.” Of the three, she is the most emotional and mature, but she also has a childish side in that she loves sweets and will do anything to get them.

Momozono-Momo (Voiced by: Kaori Maeda)
A beautiful 14-year-old girl who is said to be the descendant of Momotaro. She is the daughter of the richest family in Okayama and claims to be studying abroad in Tokyo. She takes pride in being a descendant of “Japan’s No. 1 Momotaro” and is always working hard behind the scenes to be the best in Japan, and she isn’t satisfied unless she is the best at everything. She acts high and mighty toward others and is especially arrogant toward oni. She doesn’t care about the rivalry between Momotaro and oni and actually wants them to get along, but is unable to be honest about it.

Issun-Boko (Voiced by: Miyu Tomita)
A 14-year-old classmate of Tsutsuji and the others. She is the shortest girl in class and is always covering her face with her long hair, which makes her very unassuming. Though quiet, she is sometimes accused by others of psychic trauma due to her needle-sharp comments. She is a descendant of Issun-Boshi.

Kuma (Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue)
A mysterious bear who looks like a stuffed animal at first glance and follows the three oni girls around as their chaperone. However, her role as chaperone is just a front and she’s actually quite laissez-faire. Though not a bad person, she’s a good-for-nothing bear who goofs around with the hard-working oni girls. Her true identity is unknown.

• Anime Site (Japanese)
• Twitter (Japanese)

• Original Creator: Onipan! Project
• Original Concept/Original Work Supervisor: Norihiro Naganuma
• Original Onikko Design: tomari
• Director: Masahiko Ohta
• Assistant Director: Junichiro Hashiguchi
• Series Composition: Takashi Aoshima
• Character Design/Chief Animation Director: Ryuuta Yanagi
• Art Director: Shunsuke Suzuki
• 3DCG Director: Shigenori Hirozumi
• Color Design: Arisa Komatsu
• Director of Photography: Shinji Tonsho
• Editing: Emi Onodera
• Sound Director: Yasunori Ebina
• Sound Effects: Naoto Yamatani
• Recording: Yoshinori Tsurumaki
• Music: Yasuhiro Misawa
• Animation Producer: Shoyo Shishido
• Animation Production: Wit Studio