World Trigger is a sci-fi anime of truly epic appropriations. Directed by Mitsuru Hongo, Kouji Ogawa, and then Morio Hatano, the 99-episode anime from Toei Animation (of Dragon Ball fame) wrapped up in January of 2022 after seven years of production.
Based on Daisuke Ashihara’s shonen sci-fi battle manga about extra-dimensional monsters called Neighbors and the humans who fight them with Triggers, the series has been serialized since 2013 in Weekly Shonen Jump and now in Jump Square.
In a series this big, there are dozens and dozens of unique characters, some of which only appear in the manga, and most of which have Japanese, English, and several other voice actors. All three seasons have yet to be localized, however.
Main characters
Narrowing things down a bit is the main cast of protagonists, agents of Border that fight the Neighbors — and Yūma’s cute orb of a guardian, Replica. The English cast for the main characters include:
- Yūma Kuga, voiced by Cathy Weseluck (Near in Death Note)
- Osamu Mikumo, voiced by Brian Doe
- Chika Amatori, voiced by Caitlyn Bairstow (Suna in Mega Man: Fully Charged)
- Yūichi Jin, voiced by Andrew Francis (Chiaki Mamiya in The Girl Who Leapt Through Time)
- Replica, voiced by Marco Soriano
Just some of the other major characters (and their English voice actor, if cast) include:
Border agents
- Tamakoma Branch
- Tamakoma First
- Kirie Konami (Chiara Zanni)
- Kyōsuke Karasuma (Matt Ellis)
- Reiji Kizaki (Daegan Manns)
- Other
- Yōtarō Rindō (Saffron Henderson)
- Raijinmaru (Andrew Francis)
- Tamakoma First
- Headquarters
- Eizō Netsuki (Hans Wackershauser)
- Katsumi Karasawa (Stewart Cummings)
- Kyōko Sawamura (Carol-Anne Day)
- Masafumi Shinoda (Scott Roberts)
- Masamune Kido (Gyles Merton)
- S-rank
- Tsukihiko Amō (Adrian Petriw)
- A-rank
- Arashiyama Squad
- Ai Kitora (Maryke Hendrikse)
- Haruka Ayatsuji (Michelle Molineux)
- Jun Arashiyama (Brad Swaile)
- Ken Satori (Antony Kim)
- Mitsuru Tokieda (David A. Kaye)
- Kako Squad
- Futaba Kuroe
- Nozomi Kako (Diana Kaarina)
- Kazama Squad
- Ryō Utagawa (Josh Friesen)
- Shirō Kikuchihara (Zach LeBlanc)
- Sōya Kazama (Vincent Tong)
- Kusakabe Squad
- Shun Midorikawa (Nick Wolfhard)
- Fuyushima Squad
- Isami Tōma (Bill Newton)
- Shinji Fuyushima (James Kirk)
- Miwa Squad
- Ren Tsukimi (Maryke Hendrikse)
- Shōhei Kodera (Bill Rawts)
- Shūji Miwa (Adrian Petriw)
- Tōru Narasaka (Will Simpson)
- Yōsuke Yoneya (David A. Kaye)
- Tachikawa Squad
- Kei Tachikawa (Michael Adamthwaite)
- Kōhei Izumi (Chris Austman)
- Takeru Yuiga (Cole Howard)
- Arashiyama Squad
- B-rank
- Asuma Squad
- Haruaki Azuma (Mark Linde)
- Ikoma Squad
- Kōji Oki
- Maori Hosoi
- Satoshi Mizukami
- Tatsuhito Ikoma
- Kageura Squad
- Hikari Nire (Brittney Irvin)
- Hiro Kitazoe (Michael Adamthwaite)
- Masato Kageura (Alistair Abell)
- Yuzuru Ema (Valin Shinyei)
- Ninomiya Squad
- Masataka Ninomiya (Murray Farnell)
- Mira
- Mirai Hatohara
- Shinnosuke Tsuji
- Sumiharu Inukai
- Ōji Squad
- Haya Kittaka
- Kazuaki Ōji
- Kazuki Kurauchi
- Asuma Squad
- C-rank
- Kōda Squad
- Fumifumi Saotome (Zach LeBlanc)
- Hidehide Hinoe (Andrew Petriw)
- Kōda Squad
Civilians
- Aoba Harukawa (Maryke Hendrikse)
- Futatsugi (Rebecca Husain)
- Kasumi Mikumo (Saffron Henderson)
- Miyoshi (Nick Wolfhard)
- Rinji Amatori
- Yotsuya (Matt Edworthy)
Neighbors
- Aftokrator
- Enedra (Andrew Cownden)
- Hyrein (Brian Dobson)
- Hyuse (Jonathan Ostonal)
- Lamvanein (Brent Miller)
- Viza (Alec Willows)
- Calvaria
- Izukacha
You can stream World Trigger subbed and dubbed on Crunchyroll. The series is distributed physically in North America by Sentai Filmworks. You can read World Trigger in English in Viz Media’s Shonen Jump app.
