The Ribbon Hero Movie Announced for August 2026
The Ribbon Hero anime movie, inspired by Osamu Tezuka's Princess Knight, has been announced with an August 2026 premiere. Netflix will stream the movie.
Studio OUTLINE is animating the project, with Yuki Igarashi as the director. Igarashi, who previously directed Star Wars: Vision episode 8 ("Lop and Ochō"), also leads the studio.
“For this film, I poured in my respect for Osamu Tezuka, the creator of ‘Princess Knight’, for Ichizo Kobayashi of the Takarazuka Revue, which lies at the root of the work, and for the supreme, classic entertainment they brought into the world. They also created their works while overcoming hardships such as infectious diseases and war, and those works became the very foundation of our culture. To everyone living in this era, I hope you enjoy this blood‑stirring, heart‑pounding piece of what I believe is ‘true’ mainstream entertainment.”
- Director Igarashi
The other staff for The Ribbon Hero anime movie includes:
- Original Character Design: Kei Mochizuki
- Character Design Cooperation: Mai Yoneyama
- Animation Character Design: Issei Arakaki
- Artistic Direction: Cedric Herole
- Production: TWIN ENGINE
Tezuka's Princess Knight, also known as Ribon no Kishi, is a manga serialized by Kodansha between 1953 and 1956. It was adapted into a TV anime by Mushi Production in the 1950s.
Vertical, which is now a part of Kodansha USA, licensed the manga and describes the plot as:
Princess Knight is a fast-paced tale of a heroic princess who can beat any man at fencing, yet is delicate and graceful enough to catch the eye of Prince Charming. Filled with narrow escapes, treacherous courtiers, dashing pirates, meddlesome witches, magical transformations and cinema-worthy displays of derring-do, you’ll be swept right along as Sapphire tackles one challenge after another. Princess Knight mixes themes of gender identity and politics with classic shojo-style illustration to create a charming proto-feminist masterpiece by the “Godfather of Manga” that has captured the hearts of generations of readers.
A mischief-making angel’s prank goes too far when the newborn princess of Silverland ends up with two hearts—one male and one female. Since the laws of Silverland only allow a male heir to ascend the throne, Princess Sapphire is raised as a prince. But will the avaricious Duke Duralumin discover Sapphire’s true nature and snatch the crown for his own son?
Source: Press Release
©TWIN ENGINE
