Witch Hat Atelier Anime Casts Kotono Mitsuishi as Alaira

Following an advance screening event held in Tokyo on March 15, 2026, the official website for the Witch Hat Atelier anime announced that Kotono Mitsuishi will join the cast as the sorceress Alaira.

Mitsuishi is widely recognized for her iconic role as Misato Katsuragi in Neon Genesis Evangelion.

The production team also released a new character visual for Alaira to coincide with the casting news.

The television adaptation of Kamome Shirahama’s manga series is scheduled to begin its broadcast on April 6, 2026.

Crunchyroll will stream the first two episodes simultaneously on the premiere date for international audiences.

New episodes of the series are set to stream one week ahead of their scheduled broadcast on Japanese television.

The previously announced cast features Rena Motomura as the protagonist Coco and Natsuki Hanae as the mysterious magician Qifrey.

Additional voice talent includes Hibiku Yamamura as Agott, Kurumi Haruki as Tetia, Hika Tsukishiro as Richeh, and Yuichi Nakamura as Olruggio.

Misaki Kuno will provide the voice for Brushbuddy, while Mitsuki Saiga is cast as Iguin.

Ayumu Watanabe is directing the project at studio BUG FILMS, with series composition handled by Hiroshi Seko.

Kairi Unabara is responsible for the character designs, and Yuka Kitamura is composing the music for the production.

The original manga first appeared in Kodansha’s Morning Two magazine in July 2016 and has reached 15 volumes in Japan as of March 2026.

The story follows Coco, a girl who lacks natural magical talent but discovers a path to becoming a witch after a chance encounter with Qifrey.

The series has earned global critical acclaim, including winning the 2020 Eisner Award for Best Asian Work.

Crunchyroll has confirmed that it will distribute the anime in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and CIS regions.