Paws & Palaces begins its Japanese-dubbed television run with four episodes back to back on October 10, 2026. The new main trailer also expands the Japanese cast and confirms one singer for both theme slots.
This is the Japanese dub of iQIYI’s existing 2025 Chinese animated series, not a newly animated remake. Tokyo MX and BS Nippon TV have published their schedules, but no international service has announced the Japanese-language version.
Paws & Palaces Japanese dub release details
- Tokyo MX launch: October 10, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. JST.
- First broadcast: Episodes 1–4 in one uninterrupted block.
- Weekly schedule: Episode 5 onward on Wednesdays from October 14 at 11:30 p.m. JST on Tokyo MX.
- BS Nippon TV: Episodes 1–4 begin October 11 at 26:30, followed by Wednesdays at 25:00 from October 14.
- Original edition: iQIYI lists the 2025 Chinese series with 16 episodes.
- Japanese voice cast: Kazuki Ura leads a 13-performer roster as Soubi.
- Opening and ending: Riko Azuna performs both themes; the song titles are not announced.
- Still unconfirmed: named streaming services, international Japanese-dub availability and a separately stated final episode count for the dub schedule.
The Paws & Palaces anime page keeps the verified schedule, cast and production information together.
When does Paws & Palaces start in Japan?
Tokyo MX starts the Japanese dub on Saturday, October 10 at 8:00 p.m. JST. Instead of a normal single-episode premiere, the channel will show episodes 1 through 4 consecutively. Episode 5 then moves into the regular Wednesday slot on October 14 at 11:30 p.m. JST.
BS Nippon TV begins the same four-episode block on October 11 at 26:30—Japanese late-night scheduling notation for 2:30 a.m. on October 12. Its regular run begins October 14 at 25:00, or 1:00 a.m. on Thursday.
The broadcaster warns that dates and times can change. The schedule above is the announced Japanese television plan, not a conversion into one worldwide release hour.
Where will the Japanese dub stream?
The official Japanese site says streaming platforms will carry the series in sequence, but it does not name any service. No platform-by-platform timetable, subtitle menu or territory list accompanies the September announcement.
Crunchyroll News reporting does not equal a Crunchyroll license. Its article reports the production announcement and links back to the official site; it does not say that Crunchyroll will stream the Japanese dub.
International availability therefore remains open. Pixel Twelve’s Anime hub will track a confirmed service or regional schedule when one is published.
Is this a new anime or a Japanese dub?
The Japanese production repeatedly calls this a Japanese-dubbed version of the Chinese-made animation. iQIYI’s English catalog identifies the underlying release as a 2025 Chinese Mainland series and lists 16 episodes.
That distinction matters for the October schedule. The new material is a Japanese voice track, broadcast campaign, key visual and theme package for an existing animated work. The announcements do not describe fresh animation, a reboot or a second season.
The original 16-episode count should not be silently relabeled as a newly announced Japanese total. The Japanese schedule confirms episodes 1–4 and a weekly continuation from episode 5, but does not separately state where that run ends.
What is Paws & Palaces about?
Behind the public face of the Forbidden City is a secret unit of six cats charged with protecting national treasures. Each relic carries a memory called wuhua. When that memory is threatened, the cats enter its inner world and try to restore the correct course of history.
Black Owl is the force trying to alter and destroy those memories. The enemy can possess figures inside a wuhua world and amplify their fighting ability, turning a preservation mission into a battle across stylized pieces of the past.
The main PV moves between palace interiors, painted landscapes, mounted chases and close combat. The cats argue and work in different roles, but the premise stays focused on guarding cultural memory rather than simply living around the palace.
Who voices the six palace cats?
Kazuki Ura voices Soubi, the calm but adventurous leader. Makoto Furukawa is Oboi, the group’s physically powerful fighter, and Sora Amamiya plays Heian, a former stray skilled in disguise and medicine.
Takeo Otsuka voices Zeze, an outgoing information gatherer with a guarded streak. Kentaro Tone plays Rohan, the oldest member and the unit’s source of historical knowledge. Hikaru Tono voices Momo, Oboi’s younger sister and an analyst whose intelligence is ahead of her field experience.
The six roles divide into fighters, information specialists and support. That structure explains why the trailer can shift from investigation to action without treating every cat as the same kind of hero.
The main trailer adds seven Japanese cast members
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka voices Bantsu, M・A・O voices Princess Maki and Makoto Koichi voices Taishi. Shinnosuke Tachibana joins as Ubyo, Masahiro Yamanaka as Emperor Chenghua and Genta Nakamura as Ryousho.
Sho Hayami voices Black Owl, the central corrupting enemy. The official character notes position Bantsu within the Ming military and police hierarchy, Ubyo and Ryousho inside a rival special agency, and the emperor, consort and prince within the palace’s human power structure.
The production has now named 13 Japanese performers. It has not claimed that this is every speaking role, so guest characters and any additional cast should remain unconfirmed until the official site expands the list.
Riko Azuna performs both theme songs
Riko Azuna is confirmed for both the opening and ending themes. Her announcement describes an opening built around the cats’ graceful movement and mission-driven battles, while the ending centers their peaceful daily life.
Neither song title nor audio was released with the September 10 notice. The main PV is therefore evidence for the cast, schedule and action footage, but it should not be treated as the full reveal of either theme.
What the Paws & Palaces main trailer shows
The 78-second main PV opens on the palace and quickly moves into wuhua worlds shaped by fire, scrolls and courtly spaces. Soubi rides into battle, the team draws weapons and Black Owl’s influence appears as a dark, red-eyed threat.
The footage sells an action fantasy with a historical setting, not a purely cute-cat comedy. It also gives the new human and feline supporting characters enough screen time to show that palace politics will sit beside the relic-protection missions.
The trailer and official descriptions still leave several practical questions unanswered: named streaming outlets, international Japanese-dub access, episode-specific runtimes, a final Japanese broadcast date and the titles of both Riko Azuna songs.
Paws & Palaces Japanese dub FAQ
When does the Paws & Palaces Japanese dub premiere?
Tokyo MX begins the Japanese dub on October 10, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. JST with episodes 1–4 back to back. BS Nippon TV begins its block the following late night.
How many episodes does Paws & Palaces have?
iQIYI lists the original 2025 Chinese series with 16 episodes. The Japanese announcements confirm the first four and a weekly run from episode 5, but do not separately restate a final Japanese-dub total.
Will the Japanese dub stream internationally?
No international service or territory list has been announced. The official site only says that streaming platforms will carry the series sequentially.
