Picture Credit: Netflix
Three new names are joining Mizu’s blood-soaked quest for revenge. During IGN Fan Fest: Fall Edition, Netflix revealed that Jonathan Pryce, Joel Kim Booster, and Sherry Cola have joined the voice cast of Blue Eye Samurai Season 2, complete with first-look character art for all three.
The reveal arrives just under two months after Netflix used Anime NYC to confirm a January 2027 release window for Season 2 and simultaneously renewed the show for a third season slated for 2028. IGN’s segment reiterated both dates and also framed Season 3 as the series’ final outing, meaning Michael Green and Amber Noizumi’s planned three-season arc is locked in.
Meet the New Characters
Jonathan Pryce as Old Violet
The biggest name of the three, and easily the most intriguing for Season 1 fans. Violet is a name that should ring a bell: he’s one of the four white men Mizu set out to hunt down and was previously referenced as having already been dealt with. That makes his appearance in Season 2 a fascinating one. Flashbacks to Mizu’s encounter with him seem the most likely explanation, although Noizumi did tease at Annecy last year that some characters we thought were dead may still be alive…
The character art shows Old Violet as a weathered, elderly man with scruffy grey hair, dressed in dark friar-like robes with a cross cord at his collar. His expression is oddly warm, though the specks of blood across his face suggest things don’t stay pleasant for long.
Pryce is no stranger to Netflix, having earned an Oscar nomination for The Two Popes and played Prince Philip in the final two seasons of The Crown.
Joel Kim Booster as Priest Ando
Booster, best known for Fire Island and Loot, voices Priest Ando. The first look depicts a stern Shinto priest in a tall black eboshi cap and white patterned ceremonial robes, which suggests that, despite Mizu’s trip to London, a decent chunk of Season 2 will still play out back in Japan.
Sherry Cola as Kuma
Cola (Shortcomings, Joy Ride) voices Kuma, a young Japanese woman shown in a green kimono with her hair tied up. Her art carries a serious expression and what looks like bloodstains on her left shoulder, and she’s pictured beside another woman in matching attire. Could she be connected to Akemi’s storyline at Edo Castle? We’ll find out in January.
Who Else Is Joining Season 2?
These three join a growing list of new faces we’ve tracked over the past year. Back in 2025, we exclusively reported that Freddie Fox had joined the cast as a character named Poet, alongside news that Alan Taylor was returning to the directing team. A day earlier, we confirmed that 3 Body Problem breakout Eve Ridley had signed on to voice Sarah.
They’re all joining a returning core cast that includes:
- Maya Erskine as Mizu
- Kenneth Branagh as Abijah Fowler
- Brenda Song as Akemi
- Darren Barnet as Taigen
- Masi Oka as Ringo
- George Takei as Seki
- Randall Park as Heiji Shindo
- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as The Swordmaker
What Did IGN Show?
Unfortunately for anyone hoping for fresh Season 2 footage, the segment leaned entirely on Season 1 material: Mizu overlooking a snowy town at sunrise, her one-handed handstand against a blazing sun, and the arrow-deflecting assault on Fowler’s fortress from the penultimate episode. The character art is the only new material on show.
If you want to see what Season 2 actually looks like, check out the footage Netflix debuted at Annecy 2026 and the Anime NYC teaser, which takes Mizu and her captive Fowler across the sea to the smog-filled streets of 17th-century London.
For everything else, including the six-episode count and the full directing team, head over to our Blue Eye Samurai Season 2 everything we know guide.
What do you make of Jonathan Pryce as Violet? Let us know in the comments below!