Kaoru Mitsumune Lands Black-Clad Tokusatsu Role ‘Vasa’ — 5ch: ‘She Used to Be AKB’s Prettiest’

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Actor and artist Kaoru Mitsumune updated her Instagram on the 11th, sharing photos of herself in costume as Vasa — the character she plays in the tokusatsu drama Kakusei Hunter Omega Horn (TV Asahi, Sundays at 9:30 AM) — along with her first-ever group photo with the hero team. In that same day’s Episode 12, Vasa and Giriko face off in a battle rooted in old grudges, and Mitsumune thanked fans for watching while voicing excitement for what’s ahead. On 5ch, a thread comparing her current acting career with her AKB48 idol days drew a flurry of comments about how her time in the group was received, the “pushed hard by the agency” (gori-oshi) marketing she became known for back then, and her background as a kenkyuusei (AKB48 trainee).

Actor and artist Kaoru Mitsumune updated her Instagram on the 11th, posting photos of herself in costume as Vasa of Flight, the character she plays in the tokusatsu drama Kakusei Hunter Omega Horn (TV Asahi / Sundays at 9:30 AM), along with the team’s first-ever group shot with the hero squad.

In that same day’s Episode 12, “Take It Back! Giriko vs. Vasa!”, Vasa faces off against her old rival Giriko of the Wave Slash (played by Nanaha Itose) in a battle rooted in their shared past. Mitsumune wrote, “Thank you for watching Episode 12 of Kakusei Hunter Omega Horn!” and added, “Now that Vasa’s past has been revealed, I have a feeling there’s more turbulence ahead,” expressing anticipation for the story to come.

The post included five photos in total. In them, Mitsumune strikes a pose in Vasa’s asymmetrical black costume — paired with fishnet tights and platform boots — wielding a horned rapier reminiscent of a unicorn’s horn. She also shared a group photo alongside Sei Narahara (who plays Shouto of Flame), Shota Kunigami (who plays Enkaku), and Itose (who plays Giriko), writing, “My first photo with the hero team! So happy,” and “The Akaku rapier looks just like a unicorn’s horn — I love it.”

Source: crank-in.net / Read the original article here

What people said

3AnonymousOct 12, 2026 16:34
Before her debut, back when she was working at the maid café Meidoru Che, she was ridiculously cute.
I wandered into that place not knowing anything about her, and she's the one who waited on me.
6AnonymousOct 12, 2026 16:41
Guess she's settled down with age.
If things had gone differently, she could've been as big as Tsubasa Honda.
9AnonymousOct 12, 2026 16:46
What even was her AKB run about?
Just the agency or some higher-up pushing her hard (gori-oshi)?
22AnonymousOct 12, 2026 16:56
Re: #9
Honestly, her time as a kenkyuusei (trainee) only ever hurt her.
13AnonymousOct 12, 2026 16:47
She used to have such a mysterious look, but now she just looks like an ordinary person.
14AnonymousOct 12, 2026 16:49
Man, she got pushed (gori-oshi) insanely hard back in the day.
18AnonymousOct 12, 2026 16:51
Are the guy on the right and the woman on the right both heroes?
19AnonymousOct 12, 2026 16:54
The push (gori-oshi) was so heavy-handed that people disliked her before anything else.
She's probably better off now.
21AnonymousOct 12, 2026 16:55
She had that super-skinny look for a while, but now she's slim in a healthy way — looks good.
28AnonymousOct 12, 2026 16:59
Re: #21
She's thin, but she's got curves where it counts — amazing body.
23AnonymousOct 12, 2026 16:56
Looked her up and turns out she's 33.
She looks young, but she's surprisingly older than you'd think.
24AnonymousOct 12, 2026 16:56
I thought she said she felt uncomfortable being called "ex-AKB" just last year or so, but I checked and it's actually been three years already.
27AnonymousOct 12, 2026 16:59
Last week I thought a Golden Bomber look-alike was on screen, but it turned out to actually be the real member lol
29AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:01
Back when she was in AKB, this girl was clearly a cut above the rest.
But then she just faded away.
30AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:03
This season I'm happy since both Giriko and Yuina from Maisu are good-looking.
Last season's heroines were awful in both the Rider show and Gavan.
34AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:08
She treated AKB like a stepping stone and quit pretty quickly.
35AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:10
Lord Ibaru is dangerously charismatic.
38AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:17
Re: #12
Ah, that's it.
68AnonymousOct 12, 2026 18:03
Re: #38
Same, I think of Ushijima the Loan Shark too
talking about the brainwashing storyline.
39AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:19
Mitsumune's tall and cool-looking, so finding her niche in tokusatsu actually makes a lot of sense.
40AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:22
No idea how toy sales are doing, but Omeho (Omega Horn) is genuinely good — wrapping up in half a year means the story never drags, and even the "villain" organization has real appeal. Honestly, the villain group's higher-ups feel more grounded and compelling than the heroes.
42AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:23
Oh, she still carries the "actor" title?
From seeing her on Hama-chan's show, I'd assumed she'd rebranded as some kind of talent-turned-artist.
48AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:35
Oh, she's an ex-AKB member.
Didn't know she did acting too.

Didn't she have a tattoo?
Or am I mixing her up with someone else?
50AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:36
Re: #48
That's Momoka Kinoshita, from NMB48.
49AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:36
Once Lady Vasa transforms, she suddenly looks so lame.
54AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:41
She's the one who, live on TBS Radio, kept repeatedly mispronouncing Ango Sakaguchi's essay "Discourse on Decadence" (Darakuron) as "Tsuirakuron," freezing the whole studio.
55AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:42
She's part of that sexy-type lineage running from Nao Oikawa through Nashiko.
57AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:45
Surprised to hear Kaoru Mitsumune is 33.
58AnonymousOct 12, 2026 17:46
She was clearly the prettiest one in AKB, but ironically her amazing figure worked against her and she never really broke out.
64AnonymousOct 12, 2026 18:00
Covered in tattoos or something?
69AnonymousOct 12, 2026 18:03
Re: #64
When she was young she had a real edge to her — wouldn't have been surprising if she'd gone down that road — but since appearing on shows like Prebato!! she's mellowed out and turned out great.
76AnonymousOct 12, 2026 18:15
Wait, Gavan already ended?
What's this "Omega Horn" thing then?
81AnonymousOct 12, 2026 18:30
Re: #76
Well it's called "Mega Horn," so I bet they fight with megaphones.
84AnonymousOct 12, 2026 18:33
Re: #76
Shame the abbreviation "Omeho" never really caught on.

Background and Key Points of This Discussion

Kaoru Mitsumune has experience as an AKB48 trainee (kenkyuusei), and since moving into acting she has broadened her career across tokusatsu productions and variety/information programs. Opinions in the thread split over how to view the “pushed hard” (gori-oshi) marketing style she was associated with during her AKB48 days — some questioned why she was pushed so heavily at the time, while others simply praised her looks. Various theories were also floated about the circumstances of her departure from the group, but no official explanation has been confirmed from her or her agency, so these remain unverified speculation. Kakusei Hunter Omega Horn is a tokusatsu series airing on TV Asahi on Sundays at 9:30 AM, notable for wrapping up its story within a single three-month season.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisoku Sokuho+) thread “Kaoru Mitsumune’s First Group Photo with the Hero Team in Her Black ‘Vasa’ Costume — ‘Cool and Beautiful,’ ‘A Perfect Fit’“.

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