LIAR GAME is preparing to enter the second half of its two-cour television anime with a new promotional trailer, a dramatic key visual, nine additional voice actors and completely new opening and ending themes.
The second cour will begin airing in Japan on July 6, 2026, continuing the psychological battle surrounding Nao Kanzaki and former genius swindler Shinichi Akiyama without a seasonal break.
The new promotional material introduces Norihiko Yokoya, one of the most important and dangerous opponents in Shinobu Kaitani’s original manga. Natsuki Hanae joins the cast as the calculating participant, while eight other performers have been announced as members of the team operating under his influence.
The trailer also provides the first preview of the second cour’s new music. Kroi performs the opening theme “All in”, while three-member band muque performs the ending theme “Tarinai.”
LIAR GAME Part 2 Begins on July 6, 2026
The second cour of LIAR GAME will begin its Japanese television broadcast on Monday, July 6, at 24:00 JST through TV Tokyo and its affiliated stations.
Because Japanese late-night schedules frequently count programs airing after midnight as part of the previous broadcasting day, the episode will technically begin on July 7 at 12:00 a.m. JST.
Streaming through participating Japanese services will follow from 24:30 JST, effectively July 7 at 12:30 a.m.
- Second-cour premiere: July 6, 2026, at 24:00 JST
- Effective calendar date: July 7 at 12:00 a.m. JST
- Japanese broadcaster: TV Tokyo network and additional stations
- International streaming: Crunchyroll
- Animation production: Madhouse
- New opening: “All in” by Kroi
- New ending: “Tarinai” by muque
LIAR GAME was previously confirmed for two consecutive cours, meaning the July return is not a separate second season. It is the continuation of the same television production that premiered in April 2026.
The New Trailer Introduces Norihiko Yokoya
The second-cour trailer places considerable attention on Norihiko Yokoya, a participant whose intelligence, pride and desire for control make him a dangerous new obstacle for Nao and Akiyama.
Yokoya initially presents himself as a quiet and restrained young man. Beneath that harmless appearance, however, he possesses an intense need to dominate the people around him.
He understands that players can be controlled through a combination of fear, information and carefully distributed rewards. Rather than relying only on individual deception, Yokoya creates systems in which other participants begin obeying him because resistance appears too dangerous.
His methods make him a natural ideological opponent for Nao. While Nao attempts to create cooperation through trust and mutual survival, Yokoya sees groups as hierarchies in which one person rules and everyone else follows.
The new key visual summarizes that conflict with the question of whether domination or trust will ultimately prevail.
Natsuki Hanae Voices Norihiko Yokoya
Natsuki Hanae joins the Japanese cast as Norihiko Yokoya.
Hanae described Yokoya as an important character whose strategies will place him directly in the path of Nao, Akiyama and their allies.
The role requires a performance that can remain calm and controlled while communicating the character’s enormous pride and desire to manipulate everyone participating in the game.
Yokoya does not need to appear physically intimidating. His danger comes from understanding human weakness and creating situations in which people believe submission is their safest choice.
The new trailer offers the first opportunity to hear Hanae’s interpretation of the character before the second cour begins.
Eight More Players Join Yokoya’s Side
The second cour introduces eight additional Liar Game participants alongside Yokoya.
These characters form the group associated with the Country of the Night during the next major stage of the competition.
- Junya Hirano as Kota Akagi
- Tomohiro Yamaguchi as Kenji Ikezoe
- Kengo Tsujii as Yusuke Shibayama
- Reigo Yamaguchi as Kakeru Tajima
- Tatsumaru Tachibana as Akira Tsumura
- Seiyu Fujiwara as Hiroshi Hasegawa
- Kikunosuke Toya as Makoto Murata
- Shinya Takahashi as Tatsuji Wada
Although they appear united, the fundamental structure of the Liar Game makes every alliance uncertain. Participants are surrounded by enormous debts, incomplete information and rules designed to reward betrayal.
Yokoya’s ability to control a team does not necessarily mean every member trusts him. Some may cooperate because they fear punishment, believe he offers the best chance of survival or expect an opportunity to betray him later.
Kota Akagi Is Voiced by Junya Hirano
Kota Akagi is a participant recognized by his spiked hair and bandana.
Junya Hirano expressed excitement about entering a story he had previously followed as a reader. His character becomes one of the people trapped inside the increasingly complicated conflict between the competing teams.
Like the other participants, Akagi must decide when to follow orders, when to hide information and whether cooperation can continue after the possibility of personal profit appears.
Tomohiro Yamaguchi Voices Kenji Ikezoe
Kenji Ikezoe is a ponytailed participant whose appearance includes shorts and a relatively informal style.
Tomohiro Yamaguchi described the story as a competition where one incorrect choice can completely transform a person’s future.
Ikezoe’s involvement adds another personality to the group controlled by Yokoya and another potential weakness that Akiyama may attempt to identify.
Kengo Tsujii Voices Yusuke Shibayama
Yusuke Shibayama is a long-haired and bearded participant with an intimidating appearance.
Kengo Tsujii explained that the game’s strategies made him imagine how quickly he might be deceived if placed in the same situation.
Physical appearance offers little protection in LIAR GAME. Even intimidating players can become vulnerable when an opponent understands the rules better or controls information they desperately need.
Reigo Yamaguchi Voices Kakeru Tajima
Kakeru Tajima is distinguished by his strong eyebrows and serious expression.
The character participates while carrying his own fears and internal conflicts, reminding viewers that even players who appear to belong to the opposing side may be motivated by desperation rather than cruelty.
The competition encourages everyone to lie while punishing those who cannot recognize deception quickly enough.
Tatsumaru Tachibana Voices Akira Tsumura
Akira Tsumura is a stylish participant who wears sunglasses.
Tatsumaru Tachibana highlighted the uncertainty surrounding every decision in the series. A character may appear trustworthy during one stage of a game and become an opponent as soon as the financial incentives change.
Tsumura’s behavior will become part of the larger information battle between Yokoya’s group and Nao’s allies.
Seiyu Fujiwara Voices Hiroshi Hasegawa
Hiroshi Hasegawa has a shaved head, visible tattoos and an intimidating physical presence.
Seiyu Fujiwara joined the adaptation after first encountering LIAR GAME through its live-action film more than a decade earlier.
Hasegawa’s appearance may influence how other participants evaluate him, but LIAR GAME repeatedly demonstrates that assumptions based on appearance can become exploitable weaknesses.
Kikunosuke Toya Voices Makoto Murata
Makoto Murata is identified by his afro and loose-fitting clothing.
Kikunosuke Toya enthusiastically described himself as joining the Country of the Night team led by Yokoya.
The group identity could become one of Yokoya’s most important weapons, encouraging participants to view obedience as loyalty while isolating anyone who questions his authority.
Shinya Takahashi Voices Tatsuji Wada
Tatsuji Wada appears to be a relatively ordinary middle-aged participant without an immediately distinctive visual feature.
Shinya Takahashi noted that understanding the games and their possible solutions required considerable concentration.
Wada represents another person whose behavior cannot be dismissed simply because he appears less unusual than the people surrounding him.
The Key Visual Frames a Battle Between Control and Trust
The newly released key visual brings the central characters and second-cour participants together beneath a message asking whether domination or trust will win.
That question reflects the ideological difference between Nao and Yokoya more clearly than a simple competition over money.
Nao continues believing that participants can survive without destroying one another. Her honesty initially makes her appear dangerously naive, but it also gives her the ability to create alliances that would be impossible for someone motivated only by personal profit.
Yokoya believes human beings respond more reliably to power, fear and reward. His system can produce immediate obedience, but it depends on preventing the controlled players from recognizing their collective strength.
Akiyama stands between those philosophies as a strategist capable of using deception while attempting to protect Nao’s objective.
Kroi Performs the New Opening Theme “All in”
The opening theme for the second cour is “All in”, performed by the five-member band Kroi.
A portion of the song can be heard in the new trailer, accompanying footage of the escalating psychological conflict.
Kroi created the track to capture the distinctive tension, uncertainty and layered deception associated with LIAR GAME.
The song combines an attractive melodic line with a distorted and deliberately dark sound. That contrast reflects a competition in which friendly language and reasonable proposals can conceal manipulation.
The title “All in” invokes the language of gambling and describes the enormous risks taken by participants who place their money, freedom and future on a single strategy.
Kroi Has a Personal Connection to LIAR GAME
The members of Kroi were already familiar with LIAR GAME before being selected to perform the new opening.
The band’s official comment explained that the original manga had been collected in full and that the live-action adaptation had also left a strong impression.
That familiarity influenced the musical direction of “All in,” which was designed to combine Kroi’s identity with the tension and layered psychological warfare of the series.
The song’s full release date and additional distribution details will be announced separately.
muque Performs the New Ending Theme “Tarinai”
The second-cour ending theme is “Tarinai”, performed by the Fukuoka-based three-member band muque.
The Japanese title can be understood as “not enough,” “lacking” or “unfulfilled.”
Muque created the song around the emptiness and loneliness hidden deep inside Akiyama.
Although Akiyama usually appears calm, intelligent and in control, his participation in the Liar Game is connected to painful experiences that shaped his understanding of manipulation and trust.
The ending theme is intended to remain with viewers after episodes that move into darker and more emotionally complicated territory than the anime’s opening cour.
“Tarinai” Draws Inspiration From 1980s City Pop
The song incorporates respect for the sound and atmosphere of 1980s city pop while adapting those influences to muque’s own musical identity.
That nostalgic quality supports the loneliness at the center of Akiyama’s character, contrasting with the more aggressive tension of Kroi’s opening theme.
The new opening prepares viewers for strategic confrontation, while the ending examines the emotional cost carried by one of the story’s central players.
A release date for the complete song has not yet been announced.
The First Cour Used Songs by Yorushika and Lucky Kilimanjaro
The first cour featured “Bubble” by Yorushika as its opening theme and “Asahi” by Lucky Kilimanjaro as its ending theme.
The transition to Kroi and muque gives the second half its own musical identity while preserving the anime’s focus on psychological tension and the emotional consequences of deception.
The change also reflects the arrival of Yokoya and the movement into a conflict where organized control becomes as important as individual strategy.
Nao and Akiyama Face a More Organized Opponent
Nao Kanzaki entered the Liar Game after unexpectedly receiving 100 million yen and instructions to steal her opponent’s money.
Her inability to suspect other people immediately placed her at a disadvantage, forcing her to seek help from Shinichi Akiyama.
Akiyama’s intelligence allowed them to survive the earliest rounds, but the second cour introduces an opponent who can coordinate an entire group rather than relying on one isolated deception.
Yokoya’s control over information means Akiyama must understand not only the official rules, but also the relationships and fears connecting the other team’s members.
Nao’s idealism may initially appear even more vulnerable in that environment. However, her willingness to trust could become the only method capable of breaking a system built on fear.
The Smuggling Game Continues the Psychological War
The story entering the second cour is connected to the Smuggling Game, a team-based challenge involving two groups, hidden money and repeated opportunities for deception.
Participants must make decisions with incomplete knowledge while attempting to determine whether opponents are carrying money across the inspection point.
The structure rewards careful observation, bluffing and the ability to manipulate an opposing player’s expectations.
Unlike a simple contest where the smartest individual automatically wins, the game is affected by internal loyalty. A team can possess an excellent strategy and still collapse if its members begin acting for themselves.
Yokoya’s authoritarian system gives his side coordination, while Nao and Akiyama must create cooperation without becoming the kind of manipulators they are fighting.
The Second Cour Will Continue Beyond One Game
The trailer presents material extending beyond the immediate team conflict, indicating that the anime will continue adapting additional stages of the manga.
The exact stopping point for the two-cour television series has not been formally announced.
Viewers should therefore avoid treating unofficial predictions about the final adapted chapter or game as confirmed information.
The continuation is expected to preserve the manga’s emphasis on carefully explained rules, hidden weaknesses and solutions that reframe earlier events.
The First 13 Episodes Will Stream for Free in Japan
To prepare viewers for the second cour, all 13 episodes from the first half will receive free marathon streams in Japan on July 6.
ABEMA will present two separate marathon broadcasts, while Niconico Live will stream the episodes later that day.
The campaign allows viewers to review the alliances, rules and character relationships established before Yokoya becomes a central opponent.
These free streaming events apply to Japan. International viewers can continue following the anime through Crunchyroll according to regional availability.
Main Returning Japanese Voice Cast
- Saya Hitomi as Nao Kanzaki
- Takeo Otsuka as Shinichi Akiyama
- Kazuhiro Nakaya as Leronira
- Nobuo Tobita as Kazuo Fujisawa
- Yoji Ueda as Mitsuo Tanimura
- Yasutaka Tomioka as Teruyuki Eda
- Shoya Ishige as Takahiro Kikuzawa
- Ryosuke Asano as Hiroto Kitamura
- Taro Kiuchi as Tetsuzo Sato
- Riko Akechi as Makiko Tamura
- Toshinari Fukamachi as Daisuke Danno
- Naoya Miyase as Kosuke Tsunoda
- Misuzu Yamada as Reina Nishihara
- Kaito Kimura as Shingo Fujita
- Misano Sakai as Jun Hosoe
- Ayaka Gomazuru as Yuki Makihara
- Ryo Nishizawa as Fumio Matsubara
- Taku Yashiro as Takayoshi Miura
- Yo Taichi as Hitomi Miyahara
Madhouse Produces the Anime
Madhouse is responsible for animation production.
The studio’s adaptation must make extended explanations, numerical strategies and internal reasoning visually engaging without sacrificing the logic that makes the original manga effective.
LIAR GAME frequently builds tension through conversations rather than physical action. A character can reverse an entire game by revealing one overlooked rule or exposing a false assumption.
The anime uses editing, music, facial expressions and visual representations of information to communicate those strategic shifts.
Yuzo Sato Serves as Chief Director
Yuzo Sato serves as chief director, while Asami Kawano directs the television series.
The production requires careful control over pacing because every game must explain its rules clearly before those rules can be manipulated.
Moving too quickly could make Akiyama’s solutions feel unsupported, while excessive explanation could weaken the suspense.
The second cour increases that challenge by introducing a larger group of participants and strategies operating across entire teams.
Tatsuhiko Urahata Handles the Scripts
Tatsuhiko Urahata handles series composition and scripts.
His work organizes Shinobu Kaitani’s detailed manga into a continuous two-cour adaptation while preserving the reasoning behind each deception.
The screenplay must also maintain the emotional contrast between Nao’s belief in people, Akiyama’s analytical approach and Yokoya’s desire for control.
Yugo Kanno Composes the Music
Yugo Kanno composes the anime’s original score.
The soundtrack supports the changing balance of power through suspenseful electronic and orchestral elements, helping scenes built around dialogue carry the intensity of a physical confrontation.
The score will continue alongside the new songs by Kroi and muque during the second cour.
Main Production Staff
- Original manga: Shinobu Kaitani
- Chief director: Yuzo Sato
- Director: Asami Kawano
- Series composition and scripts: Tatsuhiko Urahata
- Character design: Kei Tsuchiya
- Sub-character design: Ai Yokoyama
- Color design: Terumi Nakauchi
- Art boards: Hideyuki Ueno
- Art setting: Shinji Sugiyama
- Director of photography: Hironobu Hatanaka
- VFX supervisor: Michiya Kato
- Editor: Mariko Tsukatsune
- Music: Yugo Kanno
- Sound director: Kisuke Koizumi
- Sound effects: Naoto Yamatani
- Sound production: Bit grooove promotion
- Animation production: Madhouse
What Is LIAR GAME About?
LIAR GAME follows college student Nao Kanzaki after she receives a package containing 100 million yen and an invitation to a mysterious competition.
The rules inform her that she must steal her opponent’s money while protecting the amount entrusted to her. Anyone who finishes a round with a financial loss becomes responsible for an enormous debt.
Nao’s first opponent immediately deceives her, taking advantage of her inability to suspect other people.
Desperate for help, she turns to Shinichi Akiyama, a brilliant former swindler who has recently been released from prison.
Akiyama helps her recover the money, but Nao becomes increasingly involved with the organization controlling the competition.
Rather than seeking only her own escape, she begins searching for a way to save every participant from debt and expose the system responsible for exploiting them.
Nao’s Honesty Is Both a Weakness and a Weapon
Nao is frequently dismissed as foolish because she continues trusting people inside a competition explicitly built around lies.
Her honesty makes her vulnerable to immediate deception, but it also produces possibilities the organizers and more cynical participants fail to anticipate.
Players who believe betrayal is inevitable cannot easily understand an alliance based on mutual survival.
Nao’s influence allows Akiyama to design strategies that do more than defeat an opponent. Together, they attempt to create outcomes where fewer people leave carrying devastating debt.
Yokoya’s arrival gives that philosophy its strongest direct challenge so far.
Akiyama Uses Deception Against the Liar Game
Akiyama possesses the intelligence and manipulative ability needed to dominate many of the game’s participants.
What separates him from Yokoya is the purpose behind those abilities.
Akiyama may lie, create false expectations and exploit an opponent’s assumptions, but his partnership with Nao pushes him toward protecting people rather than simply controlling them.
Muque’s new ending theme focuses on the emptiness and isolation beneath his controlled exterior, suggesting that the second cour will continue exploring the emotional history behind his involvement.
Based on Shinobu Kaitani’s Manga
The anime is based on the manga written and illustrated by Shinobu Kaitani.
LIAR GAME was serialized in Weekly Young Jump from 2005 until 2015 and was collected into 19 volumes.
The manga became known for games whose rules initially appear simple but contain weaknesses that can be exploited through mathematics, psychology and group behavior.
The story received a Japanese live-action television adaptation beginning in 2007, followed by theatrical films, a South Korean television adaptation and a stage production.
The 2026 Madhouse series is the manga’s first television anime adaptation.
Final Thoughts
LIAR GAME will enter its second cour on July 6, 2026, continuing its consecutive two-cour broadcast through TV Tokyo and international streaming on Crunchyroll.
The new trailer and key visual introduce Norihiko Yokoya as a major opponent whose methods are built around domination, fear and the control of information.
Natsuki Hanae voices Yokoya, joined by Junya Hirano, Tomohiro Yamaguchi, Kengo Tsujii, Reigo Yamaguchi, Tatsumaru Tachibana, Seiyu Fujiwara, Kikunosuke Toya and Shinya Takahashi as additional players.
Kroi performs the new opening theme “All in,” combining a beautiful melody with distorted and unsettling sounds inspired by the manga’s layered deceptions.
Muque performs the ending theme “Tarinai,” a song influenced by 1980s city pop and created around the loneliness and unfulfilled emotions hidden inside Akiyama.
With Yokoya challenging Nao’s belief in trust and forcing Akiyama into a wider battle over the control of entire groups, the second cour is preparing to transform the competition from a collection of individual deceptions into a direct clash between two fundamentally different views of human nature.
```