Tokkyuger Cast Interviews

The five lead actors of Ressha Sentai ToQger shared their first impressions of being cast and of the show’s imagination-themed characters.

Shison Jun, cast as Tokkyu 1/Light, said the role wasn’t fully real to him until he saw his costume and met the rest of the cast; he described Light as positive and curious with both serious and comical sides, and said he planned to play the character close to his own personality. Born March 5, 1995, in Tokyo, Shison had previously appeared in the “Prince of Tennis” stage musical and the TV drama “Aozora no Tamago.”

Hiramaki Jin, cast as Tokkyu 2/Tokacchi, said he had auditioned expecting a “cool” role but was chosen for the opposite type, calling it a fun challenge; as the oldest member of the cast, he noted he’d already worked alongside two of his new castmates on earlier projects. Born February 26, 1987, in Tokyo, his prior credits include the shows “Shippo no Nakama-tachi” and “Gasshou Bravo!”

Riria, cast as Tokkyu 3/Mio, said she and three other cast members had already gotten to know each other by the second audition, and that landing the “simple older sister” role of Mio was a shift after usually playing the youngest character in a cast. Born December 18, 1993, in Tokyo, her credits include the shows “Letter” and “Sorairo Drop,” and she was also set to play the heroine in the miniseries “Garo : Black Blood.”

Yokohama Ryuusei, cast as Tokkyu 4/Hikari, said he auditioned right before a school trip and was surprised to be cast without a further round; he described Hikari as a character who thinks differently from the rest of the team. A Kyokushin karate competitor with results at world championship level, he made his TV debut as a guest star on Kamen Rider Fourze, born September 16, 1996, in Kanagawa.

Moritaka Ai, cast as Tokkyu 5/Kagura, said she had wanted to play the team’s pink-coded character since childhood and read only for Kagura at her audition. She described Kagura as prone to hot-headed first impressions before calming down, and said she had been practicing action scenes at home ahead of filming, having watched fellow model Marie’s action work on Kyoryuger. Born January 14, 1998, in Saitama, she is a model for “Pichilemon” with prior TV credits including “Beginners!”

All five described the movie after-recording session, held ahead of the show’s premiere, as their first real look at their characters’ finished designs and personalities.