The Vermilion Mask is ready to begin its dark fantasy story, with Episode 1, “Peru, The Mask Maker,” scheduled to stream on Crunchyroll on October 10, 2026. The new anime follows Peru d’Arrest, a young mask maker whose life is destroyed after one of his master’s creations takes control of him. The premiere introduces the world of supernatural masks while establishing the guilt that drives Peru’s journey.
The series is based on the manga written by Dr. Poro and illustrated by Nabana Naba, which has been serialized in Young King OURs. The anime is being directed by Tetsuaki Watanabe, with Daisuke Ohigashi handling series composition and Hisashi Higashijima serving as character designer and chief animation director. The animation is being produced by One Double-O studio, while Alisa Okehazama is composing the music.
PERU ARRIVES WITH A DANGEROUS MISSION
Episode 1 takes viewers to a town preparing for a grand “Masquerade Ball.” Despite the colorful banners and balloons filling the streets, the atmosphere is strangely gloomy. Peru operates a traveling mask stall and eventually meets a girl named Sona.
Peru then reveals the real reason he has come to the country. He tells Sona,
“I came to this country to destroy Gaston Roux’s masks.”
Gaston was one of the world’s three great mask makers before he and his disciples were killed seven years earlier.
The premiere begins revealing why Peru has taken on such a dangerous mission. The masks in this world can grant extraordinary abilities, but their power can also lead to devastating consequences.
THE WARRIOR GOD MASK CHANGED PERU’S LIFE
Peru was once an apprentice of the legendary Gaston Roux. Everything changed when he encountered the Mask of the Warrior God, one of his master’s creations.
After putting it on, Peru loses control and unintentionally kills his friends and Gaston himself. Haunted by what happened, he decides to travel across the world and destroy every mask created by his master before another tragedy occurs.
That premise gives The Vermilion Mask a more personal motivation than a conventional fantasy adventure. Peru is not simply searching for powerful artifacts or trying to become stronger. His journey is built around guilt, responsibility and his attempt to atone for what he did.
The anime’s official promotional material also emphasizes this internal struggle, with Peru declaring,
“I’ll destroy all of my master’s masks!”
RELEASE DETAILS AND MAIN CAST
The first episode introduces Taihi Kimura as Peru d’Arrest and Yuuki Yamamoto as Sona, alongside Kazuki Ura as Mok Sharib and Takanori Hoshino as Gouon. Veteran performers Kazuhiko Inoue and Akio Otsuka voice Gaston and the Mask of the Warrior God respectively.
MAN WITH A MISSION performs the opening theme “Firestarter,” while yutori performs the ending theme “Koe.” Crunchyroll is streaming the anime as part of the Fall 2026 season.
The anime is planned as a split two-cour series, with its second cour scheduled for April 2027.
