From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman (片田舎のおっさん、剣聖になる～ただの田舎の剣術師範だったのに、大成した弟子たちが俺を放ってくれない件～, Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru: Tada no Inaka no Kenjutsu Shihan Datta noni, Taisei Shita Deshitachi ga Ore o Hōttekurenai Ken) is a 2025 anime series based on the light novel series of the same name written by Shigeru Sagazaki and illustrated by Tetsuhiro Nabeshima. It initially began serialization on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō in November 2020. It was later acquired by Square Enix who began publishing it under their SQEX Novel imprint in April 2021. A manga adaptation illustrated by Kazuki Satō began serialization in Akita Shoten's seinen manga web magazine Dokodemo Young Champion in August 2021.

The anime series was announced on August 1, 2024.^[1] It was animated by Passione & Hayabusa Film, directed by Akio Kazumi, series composition by Kunihiko Okada, music composed by Yasuharu Takanashi, and it premiered in Japan on April 5, 2025.

Amazon Prime Video licensed the series, while Blu Digital Group Studios produced an English Dub, which premiered on Prime Video on April 5, 2025.

Synopsis

Beryl Gardinant, a self-proclaimed "humble old man," is a sword instructor at his dojo in a rural, backwater village. In his younger years, he dreamed of glory as a master swordsman, but those days are long behind him. Out of the blue, he receives a visit from a famous former pupil who brings him world-shattering news—he's been appointed as special instructor for the knights of the Liberion Order. With his life now turned upside down, Beryl travels to the capital and reunites with some of his former students: elite knights, an ace wizard, and even an adventurer who's attained the highest guild rank possible.

Cast[]

Image	Character	Seiyū	Dub Actor
Main Characters
	Beryl Gardinant	Hiroaki Hirata	Cory Yee
		Hiroaki Hirata	Cory Yee
		Hiromu Mineta (young)	TBA
	Allucia Citrus	Nao Tōyama	Ashley Bell
	Allucia Citrus	Nao Tōyama	Ashley Bell
	Surena Lysandra	Hitomi Ueda	Chelsea Krause
	Surena Lysandra	Hitomi Ueda	Chelsea Krause
Secondary Characters
	Curuni Crueciel	Yūki Hirose	Kana Shimanuki
	Ficelle Harbeller	Hinaki Yano	Julz Roche
	Ficelle Harbeller	Hinaki Yano	Julz Roche
	Lucy Diamond	Chiwa Saitō	Nicole Gose
	Henbritz Drought	Kaito Ishikawa	Nathan McLaron
	Mewi Freya	Arisa Nakada	Wissall Homayun
	Spur	Ryōta Ōsaka	Michael Woodley
Recurring Characters
	Mordea Gardinant	Naoya Uchida	Hopper Stone
	Frenne Gardinant	Yōko Ōjimo	Paulette Victor Lifton
Title
	Title

Episodic Characters[]

Character	Seiyū	Dub Actor	Ep(s).
Randrid Pattlerock	Hidenori Takahashi	Dakota West	1
Evans Jean	Shōhei Yamaguchi	Adam Lau
Jane Pattlerock	Arisa Nakada	¿?
Fanery		¿?
Allucia's Parents	Shōhei Yamaguchi	¿?	2
Allucia's Parents	Mami Uchida	¿?
Dojo Master	Hitoshi Bifu	¿?
Dojo Pupils		¿?
		¿?
	Reiji Kawashima	¿?
		¿?
Thief		¿?
Sarlikatz	Hiromu Mineta	Dakota West	3
Porta	Tasuku Kaito	Adam Lau
Surena's Parents	Manabu Sakamaki	¿?
Surena's Parents	Haruna Terada	¿?
Meigen	Wataru Usami	Ammon Nelson	3-4
Nidus	Tetsu Inada	Sean Burgos
Needry	Nozomi Furuki	Paulette Victor Lifton
Balder Gasp	Binbin Takaoka	LeQuan Antonio Bennett	4
Twilight	Setsuji Satō	Michael Woodley	4-5
Reveos Sarleon	Jin Urayama	William Salyers	5