The new Akagi live-action TV drama is a follow-up to the 2015 Akagi TV drama starring Kanata Hongō as the titular genius mahjong player, Shigeru Akagi.
Actor Kanata Hongō is also returning to reprise his role as Shigeru Akagi.
Takeshi Kaga, a Japanese actor perhaps best known in the West for his role as Chairman Kaga in the original Iron Chef, will be playing the role of Ichikawa, the blind mahjong master, in the upcoming sequel series to Akagi, a live-action TV drama based on the high stakes gambling manga by Nobuyuki Fukumoto.