The Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden anime added two more cast members on Tuesday alongside a second "situation visual." Tomoyo Takayanagi plays Neil Liston, Nia's brother, and Yūki Urushiyama plays Lynette Blanc, Neil's maid and guard.
Quick answer
Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden premieres October 6, 2026, adapting Umikaze Minamino's light novel series at KONAMI animation with Motoki Nakanishi directing. The newest cast additions are Tomoyo Takayanagi as Neil Liston and Yūki Urushiyama as Lynette Blanc. Honoka Inoue leads as Nia. J-Novel Club publishes the novels digitally in English. The series has no SenpaiRanks board position yet — it opens for rating when the first episode airs.
The setup
A hero dies undefeated in bed, furious about it — she wanted to go out on a battlefield against someone who could actually beat her. She wakes up in the body of Nia Liston, a sickly noble child with no strength and a long climb back to fighting shape. Second life, same appetite for violence.
That premise is doing a lot of work in a season crowded with reincarnation stories, and the difference is tone: Nia is not looking for a quiet retirement, which is the default mode for most villainess-adjacent isekai.
Who is making it
Motoki Nakanishi (*Love Is Indivisible by Twins*, Summoned to Another World for a Second Time) directs at KONAMI animation, with Haruta Segi as assistant director. Gigaemon Ichikawa (*Himitsu no AiPri*, three seasons of PuniRunes) writes the series scripts. Yūki Itō, a key animator on Mob Psycho 100 II's OAV, and Kana Tosaoka are on character design.
The cast so far
- Honoka Inoue as Nia Liston
- Fūka Izumi as Rinokis Funk
- Rina Honnizumi as Hildetora Altoir
- Rina Hidaka as Reliared Silver
- Taku Yashiro as Anzel
- Yōko Hikasa as Fressa
- Satoshi Hino as Gandolf Rogen
- Kōichi Sakaguchi as Bendelio
- Junichi Suwabe as Hyurence Altoire
- Maaya Uchida as Sharro White
- Kazuyuki Okitsu as Asuma
- Tomoyo Takayanagi as Neil Liston
- Yūki Urushiyama as Lynette Blanc
Worth a slot?
October 6 is a crowded Tuesday, and Nia Liston is going up against Magic Knight Rayearth and three other premieres the next day. No board position exists yet, so anyone telling you it is good or bad right now is guessing — the SenpaiRanks ranking opens when it airs, and the first ratings in come from people who actually watched episode one.
If you are sorting the season, our fall 2026 premiere dates list the week in order, and the best light novel anime ranking covers what this adaptation is competing against historically.
Frequently asked questions
Q: When does Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden premiere?
A: October 6, 2026.
Q: Who voices Neil Liston and Lynette Blanc?
A: Tomoyo Takayanagi voices Neil Liston, and Yūki Urushiyama voices Lynette Blanc.
Q: Which studio is animating it?
A: KONAMI animation, with Motoki Nakanishi directing.
Q: Can I read the source novels in English?
A: Yes — J-Novel Club releases Umikaze Minamino's light novels digitally.