Actress Shiori Kutsuna (忽那汐里) has been cast as the lead in “Parasyte -TAMIYA-,” a new Netflix series planned and written by Yeon Sang-ho, it was announced on July 23. The series, based on Hitoshi Iwaaki’s classic manga “Parasyte,” is set to stream in 2027.
Unlike the original manga, which follows high school student Shinichi Izumi after his right hand is taken over by an alien parasite he names Migi, this new series centers on an original story built around Tamiya Ryoko, a parasite who infiltrates human society as a high school teacher. Kutsuna will portray Tamiya across her journey from ordinary human, to parasite, to a being wrestling with the idea that coexistence with humanity may be possible.
The screenplay also credits Ryu Yong-jae, who worked on the 2024 Korean adaptation “Parasyte: The Grey,” which spent four consecutive weeks in Netflix’s global non-English series Top 10. “Parasyte -TAMIYA-” will be directed by Kensaku Kakimoto, known for the Netflix series “Glass Heart,” alongside Kazuhiro Nakagawa, director of the drama “Double.”
Yeon Sang-ho described Tamiya as “a truly compelling villain,” saying he wanted to portray her ongoing struggle over the coexistence of humans and parasites, including her failures and gradual realizations along the way. Explaining the casting choice, he praised Kutsuna for her range across Japanese and American productions and her understanding of science fiction as a genre, adding that his satisfaction with the Tamiya she created was “immeasurable.”
Kutsuna called the role “the most challenging of my acting career,” saying that during roughly six months of filming she encountered many new emotions and discoveries while grappling with the depth of the source material’s themes. Netflix executive producer Yoshihiro Sato added that the series would explore an untold chapter of Tamiya’s story, including her bond with a human baby she raises, as an original narrative that stays true to the manga’s core questions about what it means to be human.
Who is Shiori Kutsuna?
Shiori Kutsuna is a Japanese actress who has built a career across both Japan and Hollywood, appearing in international productions that showcase her range in English and Japanese-language roles. In “Parasyte -TAMIYA-,” she takes on the demanding dual role of a human-turned-parasite, marking what she herself has described as the most challenging performance of her career.
