Murder, Time Loops, and a Wife Who Won't Stay Dead
The premise is blunt. Rino discovers her husband Keita is cheating, kills him, and is then killed by his lover. She wakes up on the same day. Each time she tries a different method of revenge, she dies and loops back to square one. Trapped in this "death loop," she eventually starts uncovering a deeper truth.
The newly revealed key visual captures that pitch-dark tone. Rio Uchida's Rino stands front and center with ghostly afterimages trailing behind her, while Keisuke Watanabe's Keita is surrounded by vivid pink blood. The visual sets the mood for a show built on infidelity, revenge, and an inescapable time loop.
The source material is a vertical-reading webtoon serialized on LINE Manga (a major Japanese digital comics platform), co-created by Mana Akashi (赤石真菜) and Digital Shokunin (デジタル職人). The manga marks the first collaboration between digital publisher CLLENN, a DMM Group label, and TV Tokyo.
Six New Faces Join the Cast
The headline casting is Yumena Yanai (箭内夢菜) as Kikuchi Elena, Keita's affair partner. Elena leads a quiet life most of the week but livestreams adult content every Friday. Yanai, whose credits include the live-action Yuru Camp and the high-school thriller 3-nen A-gumi, called the role "a new challenge" in her official comment, noting she was both excited and slightly intimidated by the show's premise.
Five more join the supporting cast. Ryōsuke Sota (曽田陵介) plays Hatano Itsuki, a college student volunteering at the children's home where Rino works. Ryōta Kobayashi (小林亮太) is Endō Makoto, Keita's work colleague, whom Kobayashi described in his cast comment as fundamentally "a good guy." Former Hinatazaka46 idol Akari Nibu (丹生明里) takes on Sasabe Kotoko, Keita's outspoken junior at the office. Nibu praised her character's confidence, saying Kotoko is "someone I'd want to have around."
Mahiru Konno (紺野まひる) plays Hasegawa Fumie, the children's home director who raised Rino as a surrogate mother. Yorie Yamashita (山下容莉枝) rounds out the additions as Honjō Mayumi, Keita's mother and Rino's mother-in-law. Yamashita's cast comment struck a lighter note, joking that while the show's heroine keeps looping back to her worst morning, the only morning Yamashita wouldn't want to relive is yesterday's two-hour dental appointment.
The two leads were announced in late May. Rio Uchida (Kiriko Shijima in Kamen Rider Drive) plays Rino, and Keisuke Watanabe (Woz in Kamen Rider Zi-O) plays Keita.
Looking Ahead
Otto wo Koroshita Hazu na no ni premieres July 6, 2026, in TV Tokyo's Drama Premier 23 slot (Mondays, 11:06 PM). It also airs on TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TV Setouchi, TV Hokkaido, and TVQ Kyushu.
Japanese streaming is confirmed on TVer, U-NEXT, and Lemino. No international streaming partner has been announced. The source manga is available on LINE Manga, with wider distribution across Japanese e-book stores planned for July.
The series is directed by Ken Iizuka (飯塚健), Takayoshi Tanazawa (棚澤孝義), and Masayuki Matoba (的場政行), with series composition by Takayuki Ichikawa (市川貴幸) and music by Shōgo Kaida (海田庄吾). Fine Entertainment co-produces alongside TV Tokyo.