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Persona's Soejima Designs New Sakura Wars Game's Character

The official website for the Shin Sakura Taisen (Project Sakura Wars in English) game revealed on Wednesday that Persona game series character designer Shigenori Soejima designed the new character Hakushū Murasame for the game. The Sakura Taisen series' Twitter account began streaming a video that highlights the new character voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro.

The website also began streaming two "design character introduction videos" on Wednesday. The first video below previews Soejima's new character, as well as characters by Noizi Ito and Ken Sugimori. The second video below previews characters by Yukiko Horiguchi, BUNBUN, and Humikane Shimada.

The game will launch for the PlayStation 4 in Japan on December 12, and in the West in spring 2020. The game will take place in the 29th year of the fictionalized "Taisho" period of the franchise in the capital of Tokyo, 12 years after Sakura Wars V. Japan's actual Taisho period only lasted for 15 years, and the kanji used to write "Taisho" in Sakura Wars is different from the kanji used for the real Taisho period.

The game's protagonist is Seijuro Kamiyama, and the story follows him as he leads a "New Imperial Assault Force." Kouma once again appear in the capital, and Assault Forces are created in towns all over the world.

The game stars:

Ayane Sakura as Sakura Amamiya, a 17-year-old member of the Imperial Assault Force's Flower Division. She is the division's new recruit who looks up to Sakura Shingūji, the top star of the original Flower Division.

Yōhei Azakami as Seijūrō Kamiyama, the protagonist of Shin Sakura Taisen. He is the 20-year-old commander of the Imperial Assault Force's Flower Division. He was a naval special forces ship captain until he was reassigned as the head of the revived division.

Maaya Uchida as Hatsuho Shinonome, a 17-year-old member of the Imperial Assault Force's Flower Division. A typical Edo native born in Tokyo's Shitamachi downtown district, she loves Shitamachi, festivals, and everyone in the district.

Saori Hayami as Clarissa Snowflake, a 16-year-old member of the Imperial Assault Force's Flower Division. Born in Luxembourg, she is a intelligent, literary girl who loves reading books.

Hibiku Yamamura as Azami Mochizuki, a 13-year-old member of the Imperial Assault Force's Flower Division. A descendant of a ninja clan, she has possessed genius-level talent for martial arts, tactics, and handling weapons since she was little.

Ayaka Fukuhara as Anastasia Palma, a 19-year-old member of the Imperial Assault Force's Flower Division. Born in Greece, she was a star on the stages of Europe. She transferred to the Imperial Assault Force.

Yuichiro Umehara as Yang Xiaolong

Sumire Uesaka as Huang Yui

Nana Mizuki as Elise

Rie Kugimiya as Margarete

Chisa Yokoyama as Yasha

Daisuke Kishio as Oboro

Mayu Yoshioka as Itsuki Saijо̄, an enthusiastic fan of the Imperial Opera Troupe who loves the Imperial Theater and the Floral Division.

Haruka Terui as Hiromi Hongо̄, a clerk at the Okashidokoro Mikazuki store who has a gentle attitude and smile, which brings in customers.

Mariko Kouda as Hinata Amamiya, Sakura's late mother who passed away at the age of 27

Sho Hayami as Tekkan Amamiya, Sakura's 42-year-old blacksmith father

Masaharu Satō as Yattansai Mochizuki, the head of the Mochizuki ninja village, and a father figure for Azami

Ryotaro Okiayu as President G, the president of the WLOF, the World Luxuriant Opera Federation

Mister I, President G's right-hand man, and leader of the WLOF's team of men-in-black

Bleach manga creator Tite Kubo is the main character designer for the new game, but the game has other character designers for other characters, including Horiguchi (K-On!, Tamako Market) for the Shanghai Assault Force characters, BUNBUN (Izetta: The Last Witch, Sakura Quest) for the London Assault Force characters, Shimada (Girls und Panzer, Strike Witches) for the Berlin Assault Force characters, and Ito (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya).

Kōhei Tanaka is returning to the franchise to compose the music, Jirō Ishii (Under the Dog, BBK/BRNK, Monster Strike the Animation anime, 428: Shibuya Scramble and 'Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors' games) is in charge of story composition, and Ouji Hiroi is credited with the original work.

Sources: Shin Sakura Taisen's website, Sakura Taisen games' Twitter account via Hachima Kikō