JAPAN GAMING & ENTERTAINMENT 
Cygames, Inc. is adding a new Career Umamusume, Epiphaneia, in a 5.5th anniversary update for Umamusume: Pretty Derby. Career refers to the game’s main mode, in which players raise an Umamusume and race her. The addition goes live at 12:00 on August 24, 2026, Japan time — 23:00 on August 23 Eastern Time in North America, and 20:00 on August 23 Pacific Time.
The announcement came during PakaLive TV’ #6: 5.5th Anniversary Special!, an official livestream broadcast at 19:00 on August 22, Japan time (6:00 Eastern Time in North America on the same day). Epiphaneia is a 3-star card with the title “Fate’s Chosen Star.” Support Cards for Efforia and Mr. C.B. are being added at the same time. The commemorative event Beyond Memories also begins at the same time, alongside a commemorative premium gacha featuring a 1.5x rate for 3-star cards and running until 11:59 on September 26, Japan time.
The game’s characters are based on real racehorses. Epiphaneia was born on February 11, 2010, and won the 2013 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) and the 2014 Japan Cup. His sire is Symboli Kris S, named the 2002 Horse of the Year by the JRA (Japan Racing Association), which oversees Japan’s central horse racing. His dam is Cesario.
In 2005, Cesario became the first Japanese-bred horse ever to win a Grade 1 race in the United States. She won the American Oaks Invitational Stakes at Hollywood Park, and until then, no horse had ever won both the Japanese and American Oaks.
According to the horse racing outlet netkeiba, Symboli Kris S and Cesario had already become Umamusume characters, and this marks the first time in the game that a sire, a dam, and their offspring have all appeared together as characters in the game.
Epiphaneia also succeeded as a stallion. His offspring include Daring Tact, who completed the fillies’ Triple Crown (Oka Sho, Yushun Himba, and Shuka Sho) undefeated in 2020, and Efforia, who won the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), the Tenno Sho (Autumn), and the Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) in 2021 to become Horse of the Year. His son Efforia is being added as a Support Card in this update. A real-life father and son are set to appear together in the same update.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is available on iOS, Android, Steam (PC), and DMM GAMES. The Steam version launched on June 26, 2025, supports an English-language display, and can link data with the other versions. Meanwhile, the global version aimed at English-speaking regions receives updates at a slower pace than the Japanese version, and this 5.5th anniversary content is not expected to be added there for the time being.
This title was also covered in the previous day’s digest, on August 23.