Even a Replica Can Fall in Love Anime's New Video Unveils Ryōta Suzuki in Cast

Suzuki plays Akiya Sanada in 2026 anime

Kadokawa debuted the main promotional video and visual for the television anime of Harunadon's Even a Replica Can Fall in Love (Replica Datte, Koi o Suru or Even a Replica Falls in Love) novel series on Wednesday. The video announces a new cast member for the anime.

Ryōta Suzukistars as Sunao/Nao's classmate Akiya Sanada. Though formerly the star of the school basketball team, an injury (and according to rumors, the urging of an upperclassman) forces him to leave, and he suddenly joins the literature club.

Sumire Morohoshi will voice Sunao Aikawa and her replica Nao. 

Sunao Aikawa, a second-year high school student who has a replica go to school in her place when she is too lazy to go herselfNao, Sunao's replica

Ryuichi Kimura (Aikatsu! all four seasons, A Galaxy Next Door) is directing the anime at Voil. Tomoko Shinozuka (Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, You are Ms. Servant script for four episodes) is in charge of series scripts, and is also writing them with Misaki Morie. Eiji Abiko (Cells at Work! Code Black, Mr. Osomatsu seasons 3 and 4) is designing the characters.

The anime will premiere in 2026.

Yen Press publishes the novel series in English, and it describes the story:

When she doesn't feel well, when there's a test, when she doesn't want to go to school…I take her place. I'm her replica. I'm not meant for anything else. But that changed when I fell in love. I wear my hair up so the boy I fell for knows it's me. We skip school and promise to meet again tomorrow–and every day after. I'm her replica. Everything about me is borrowed and empty, but my heart is mine.

The story won the grand prize in the 29th Dengeki Novel Prize in 2022. Kadokawa's Dengeki Bunko imprint began publishing the novel series on February 10, 2023, and it will ship the fifth volume on Friday. 

Momose Hanada has been serializing a manga adaptation in Kadokawa's Dengeki Maoh magazine since April 2023, and Kadokawa will publish its fourth compiled book volume also on Friday. Kadokawa's BookWalker service releases the manga in English. 

Source: Press release