A special screening event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the anime Keroro Gunsou, based on the original manga by Yoshizaki Mine, was held on August 29 at TOHOシネマズ Hibiya in Tokyo. The event screened both the 2010 theatrical film Chō Gekijōban Keroro Gunsou: Tanjō! Kyūkyoku Keroro – Kiseki no Jikū-jimaであります!! and the latest new theatrical entry, followed by a stage greeting with four original cast members: Watanabe Kumiko (Keroro), Kosaкura Etsuko (Tamama), Nakada Joji (Giroro), and Kusao Takeshi (Dororo).
The cast made their entrance announcing themselves in character over the PA system, and performed the iconic “resonance” scene live — drawing gasps and cheers from the audience. Each cast member wore an outfit themed to their character, but Nakada Joji stood out by going the extra mile: he wore Giroro’s cap and pin badge, a long red shirt, and applied Giroro’s facial scar as his own makeup, a testament to his deep affection for the role.
Twenty Years of Memories
Watanabe opened the stage greeting by thanking fans, noting that the series had been on the air since April 2004 — now 22 years ago — and that everything was thanks to the audience’s long-standing love. Kusao quipped that if 20 years had passed, the fans had aged 20 years too, prompting Watanabe to quickly add, “We have new fans too!” Kusao noted that the easy chemistry on stage was exactly the same as in the recording studio.
The cast shared memorable recording stories. Kusao recalled the painstaking process of recording the “resonance” scene, which had precise pitch requirements; the first take took a very long time, and a second attempt was rejected by the sound director, so the original take was used throughout the series. Watanabe fondly remembered performing live dubbing at a professional wrestling event, while Nakada recalled radio programs, singing various songs, and — most memorably — crawling onto a stage on his elbows in full Giroro fashion.
Kosaкura revealed a startling memory: she broke a bone during a recording session after a heavy studio door rolled over her foot. Despite the injury — and tears — she insisted on continuing the session, with staff reportedly going pale at the sight.
Favourite Lines
In a segment where each cast member performed their favourite line, Watanabe chose Keroro’s lengthy self-introduction, admitting she had never once memorized it or managed to say it without stumbling — only to deliver it perfectly in one take, stunning even herself to thunderous applause. Kosaкura chose “The captain of my heart… is dead!!!”, calling it the essence of Tamama. Nakada picked “What’s happening with the invasion of Pekopon?”, explaining it best captured the dynamic between Keroro and Giroro across many seasons.
Passing the Torch
With a new TV anime series, Keroro Gunsou☆, set to air this autumn with an entirely new cast, the four veterans each shared a farewell message to the characters they had voiced for over two decades.
- Kusao Takeshi called Dororo a quirky, transfer-student-like character through whom many fans came to know him, and closed the event by declaring: “As of today, I graduate from Dororo. Farewell!”
- Nakada Joji, who frequently expresses his love for Giroro on social media, admitted he worried whether he could fully convey Giroro’s charm, but said that learning he would get one final chance to voice the character was deeply moving. He asked fans to remember Giroro as charming and lovable.
- Kosaкura Etsuko said playing Tamama broadened her acting range enormously, called the character her absolute favourite, and closed with a full-force “Tamama Impact!”
- Watanabe Kumiko said the word that best summed up her relationship with the series was tadaima (“I’m home”), adding that she always felt Keroro was right beside her.
A Message from Yoshizaki Mine
The emotional highlight of the event was a surprise message from original creator Yoshizaki Mine, read aloud by Watanabe. In it, Yoshizaki wrote:
“Thank you for creating and supporting Keroro Gunsou together over this long time. The voices of the Keroro Platoon were beyond simply ‘fitting’ — it was as if the platoon had been brought directly from Planet Keron and asked to speak for themselves.”
Yoshizaki addressed each cast member individually: praising Kusao for voicing both Dororo’s upright courage and his timid vulnerability; thanking Kosaкura — “Etchan” — for being completely Tamama from the very first line; telling Nakada that his unexpectedly wide-ranging performance had shown him the true Giroro; and calling Watanabe “the captain of captains — Keroro of Keroros.” The message concluded: “The Keroro Platoon will always be the Keroro Platoon. Thank you sincerely for 20 years, and congratulations on the 20th anniversary.”
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