Japanese broadcaster WOWOW announced on October 16 that its live-action television adaptation of Satoru Noda’s manga will return this winter [1]. The upcoming series, titled Golden Kamuy: Karafuto Pursuit Arc, begins broadcasting and streaming in Japan on January 24, 2027 at 10:00 p.m. [2]. It continues the storyline following the theatrical release of the second live-action film earlier this year, sending the main characters north toward the Russian border [3]. For fans following the broader Golden Kamuy live action franchise, this fourth installment picks up after the battle at Abashiri Prison [4]. It’s a direct continuation that brings back the main cast under a new scriptwriter [5].
Broadcast Details for January 2027
WOWOW set the domestic premiere for Sunday, January 24, 2027, broadcasting the opening episode on its satellite television channel while offering simultaneous streaming for digital subscribers [2]. CREDEUS didn’t disclose the total episode count, but Japanese television listings confirmed the Sunday night 10:00 p.m. timeslot [1]. The series hasn’t received an international release date yet [3].
International viewers previously accessed the story through Netflix, which added the original 2024 film and the first drama series roughly four months after their Japanese debuts. That release pattern carried over to the second feature, Golden Kamuy: Attack on Abashiri Prison, which debuted in Japanese theaters on March 13, 2026, before arriving on Netflix on July 13, 2026 [3]. Because overseas distribution rights haven’t been announced for this new entry, fans outside Japan will have to wait for separate streaming updates from international licensors [2]. In the meantime, the domestic television run will serve as the exclusive window for Japanese audiences [1]. It won’t arrive on foreign streaming platforms right away [3].
Together with the broadcast date, WOWOW released an official teaser trailer showing the snowbound northern wilderness. The promotional video opens with Saichi Sugimoto asking, “Where did they take Asirpa-san?” It then reveals dog sleds racing across frozen fields and soldiers Tsukishima and Tanigaki on stage with the Yamada circus troupe. The clip concludes with Sugimoto calling into the snow: “Wait for me, Asirpa-san.” [5]
Adapting Golden Kamuy into Live Action Television
Director Kenji Katagiri returns to helm the drama series after previously directing the Abashiri Prison feature film. Masaaki Yoshimura joins him as co-director [3]. CREDEUS manages physical production again, keeping the visual style that defined earlier theatrical chapters while adapting the narrative for an episodic broadcast format [1]. They’ve kept the original filming crew intact [2].
The most notable change behind the scenes involves the writing team, where Tetsuo Kamata takes over scripting duties from Tsutomu Kuroiwa [3]. Kuroiwa wrote the screenplays for both theatrical features, but Kamata, known for writing the live-action Blue Lock film, now crafts the multi-episode television adaptation for Sakhalin [2]. Original manga creator Satoru Noda supervised the script development directly, offering conceptual notes and dialogue revisions to help keep the episodes aligned with his printed pages. In his translated remarks, Noda said the sets capture the exotic atmosphere of Sakhalin so well that the final footage looks more like a movie than a television broadcast. He said it’s remarkably faithful to the source material [5].
Returning composers Yutaka Yamada and Yoshiaki Dewa reunite to write the musical score [2]. Cultural advisers Hiroshi Nakagawa and Debo Akibe also returned to oversee depictions of Ainu language, customs, and heritage [1]. Their guidance helps the tools, dialect, and cultural interactions shown on screen match historical records from the late Meiji era [5]. Authentic language details remain central to the story [1].
Cast Members and Character Factions
The narrative in Golden Kamuy: Karafuto Pursuit Arc separates the two main heroes across the northern sea. After the chaotic siege at Abashiri Prison, Saichi Sugimoto and the young Ainu hunter Asirpa find themselves on opposing sides of the border [5]. Kento Yamazaki reprises his role as Sugimoto, while Anna Yamada returns as Asirpa. They’ve worked together since 2021 [6].
Asirpa travels through Sakhalin accompanied by Private First Class Hyakunosuke Ogata, played by Gordon Maeda, the escape artist Yoshitake Shiraishi, played by Yuma Yamoto, and Kiroranke, played by Hiroyuki Ikeuchi. Meanwhile, Sugimoto forms an uneasy alliance with the Imperial Japanese Army’s 7th Division, led by Lieutenant Tokushirō Tsurumi, played by Hiroshi Tamaki. Sugimoto travels north alongside soldiers Hajime Tsukishima, played by Asuka Kudo, Genjirō Tanigaki, played by Ryohei Otani, and Koito, played by Taishi Nakagawa, pursuing Asirpa’s trail while investigating the mystery surrounding her father Wilk, played by Arata Iura. Both groups take the Golden Kamuy live action ensemble across separate traveling routes in the north [5].
Yamazaki said in translated comments that slipping back into character felt natural because the core cast has collaborated continuously since the 2024 film. He said that balancing comedy with serious action gives the story its rhythm, adding that Sugimoto’s lighter moments stem from genuine care for Asirpa. Yamada said her character grows as she retraces Wilk’s past and encounters new northern communities [5].
Franchise Timeline and Box Office Record
This television continuation marks the fourth live-action entry developed by WOWOW and production company CREDEUS [3]. The original 128-minute Golden Kamuy film premiered in Japanese theaters on January 19, 2024, directed by Shigeaki Kubo. In its opening three-day run, the initial movie took first place at the Japanese box office by drawing 356,000 tickets and generating 533,848,690 yen (about $3.44 million) [6].
The first film eventually drew 1.75 million theatergoers and earned 2.58 billion yen by late February 2024 [6]. Instead of waiting years between theatrical sequels, the producers built a release pipeline that alternates between cinema screens and home television. In October 2024, WOWOW broadcast the nine-episode drama Golden Kamuy: The Hunt of Prisoners in Hokkaido, which moved the plot forward before the second movie arrived in March 2026. That second feature, Golden Kamuy: Attack on Abashiri Prison, opened at No. 3 in Japan and introduced new characters played by Yū Inaba, Sōkō Wada, and Tetta Sugimoto. It didn’t lose box office momentum [3].
The live-action production schedule runs independent of the animated television adaptation, which has produced four television seasons. While the television anime prepares for its final broadcast episodes, other fantasy projects have also expanded their broadcast commitments, as seen when the Hell Mode anime confirmed Season 3 for its own dungeon arc. Satoru Noda’s story will conclude this winter with the animated “Runaway Train” arc [3].
New Stakes for Golden Kamuy Live Action in Sakhalin
Moving the setting from Hokkaido to Karafuto changes the scale of the hunt for the stolen Ainu gold cache [4]. In Noda’s original manga, which ran in Shueisha’s Young Jump from 2014 until April 2022 with over 29 million copies sold, Karafuto serves as a cold frontier [5]. Hijikata Toshizō, portrayed by Hiroshi Tachi, previously revealed that the hidden treasure totals 20,000 kan rather than 200 kan [6].
That massive fortune provides enough wealth to fund an independent regional government, raising the stakes for every competing faction [6]. Director Kenji Katagiri said that taking Sugimoto and Asirpa beyond Hokkaido allowed the crew to construct an ensemble western with fresh cultural backdrops. Katagiri said the script emphasizes shifting loyalties, as rival groups attempt to outwit one another while deciphering the coded tattoos taken from Abashiri convicts. He said incorporating indigenous northern tribes gave the episodes a distinct regional identity. Viewers can’t predict where alliances will shift next [5].
Producer Shinzo Matsuhashi and producer Haruna Ueda thanked long-time fans in their translated statements, stating that the television episodes will retain movie-level production standards. Matsuhashi said the season compiles famous sequences from the manga, urging newcomers to catch up before the winter debut [5]. With the premiere set for January 24, 2027, the Golden Kamuy live action saga enters its coldest and most dangerous chapter yet [2].
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- ONLINE NEWS Carla, M. (2026, October 16). Golden Kamuy Live-Action Adaptation Heads to Karafuto in New Series This January. EpicFlix. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Yomimono. (2026, October 16). Golden Kamuy Live-Action Returns With Karafuto Pursuit Arc in January. Yomimono. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS MANTANWEB. (2026, October 16). Golden Kamuy: The latest installment, “Sakhalin Pursuit,” will begin airing and streaming on WOWOW from January 24th next year. MANTANWEB. [Article Link]
- WEBSITE Wikipedia contributors. (2024, May 24). Golden Kamuy (film). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. [Article Link]
