The Legend Returns: Meru Nukumi to Join New GTO Series as Onizuka's Assistant
One of the most iconic characters in the world of manga and anime, Eikichi Onizuka, is preparing for a massive return to television screens after a full 28-year hiatus. Exciting casting news has arrived for the new GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka series, which will serve as a sequel to the legendary 1998 live-action drama. Popular Japanese model and actress Meru Nukumi (known to fans as Meruru) will bring the character of Mio Kashiwabara, Onizuka's assistant homeroom teacher, to life.
The new series will premiere on July 20, 2026, on Kansai TV and Fuji TV. The most significant detail that makes this production special is the return of Takashi Sorimachi, who played Onizuka in the original 1998 series, reprising the character at age 52. Following the intense interest in the one-episode special "GTO Revival" released in April 2024 (which garnered over 4.3 million views on TVer), the producers decided to continue the story as a full series. Furthermore, the original creative team, including screenwriter Kazuhiko Yukawa and director Satoru Nakajima, are reuniting for this project.
This time, the story focuses on the education system of modern Japan's Reiwa era. Onizuka begins his assignment at Seishin Academy, where efficiency and digital management are at the forefront, and students anonymously rate their teachers via tablets. The character Mio Kashiwabara, played by Meru Nukumi, presents a profile that is the exact opposite of Onizuka; she will appear as a literature teacher who is rational, avoids problems, and keeps her distance from her students. Onizuka's old-school, sincere, yet equally chaotic methods will clash with this digitized environment.
