"Princess Knight" (リボンの騎士), the iconic shojo manga serialized in 1953 by "God of Manga" Osamu Tezuka, holds a pivotal place in Japanese manga history.
Netflix recently announced a brand-new anime film, "THE RIBBON HERO," following the successful model of the recently released "Cosmic Princess Kaguya!" The streamer also dropped a teaser visual and revealed the main production staff, confirming a global exclusive premiere on Netflix in August 2026.
"Princess Knight," a groundbreaking work from the 1950s, marked a significant milestone in Japanese manga history as the first shojo manga to adopt a story-driven format. The protagonist is Sapphire, the beautiful princess of Silverland. Raised as a prince from childhood, Sapphire possesses both the "brave blue heart" of a boy and the "gentle red heart" of a girl.
Originally, a mischievous angel named Choppy was sent to retrieve Sapphire's "blue heart," but Sapphire fiercely resisted. Living life as both male and female, she often dons both masculine and feminine attire. She even wears a mask and calls herself the Phantom Knight, fighting injustice.
For this new anime, Yuki Igarashi takes the director's chair. Igarashi previously garnered significant attention for his high-quality solo animation work on the first season's ending theme of "Jujutsu Kaisen." His directorial debut, "The Elder and the Butterfly" from "Star Wars: Visions," also received critical acclaim both domestically and internationally for its intricate storytelling and powerful action sequences. This project marks his first time directing a full-length animated feature film.
Character original designs are handled by popular illustrator Kei Mochizuki, known for their work on titles like "Fate/Grand Order" and "Touken Ranbu ONLINE." Fellow acclaimed illustrator Mai Yoneyama is also contributing. Kazunari Arakaki is in charge of anime character design, with Cedric Herole as art director. Animation production is a joint effort between Director Igarashi's OUTLINE team and TWIN ENGINE, the studio behind "Cosmic Princess Kaguya!"
The newly unveiled teaser visual, freshly drawn by Kei Mochizuki, features a young girl adorned with a massive red ribbon, a nod to the original work. The blue and red color palette vividly captures the world of the series.
The tagline, "I don't want to be who others expect me to be," is incredibly impactful, conveying the protagonist's struggle against external expectations and her fierce determination to stay true to herself.
Director Yuki Igarashi commented, "This work is a tribute to Osamu Tezuka and the founder of the Takarazuka Revue, Ichizo Kobayashi, who was a root of Tezuka's inspiration. Despite enduring hardships like wars and pandemics, they created these classics that became the foundation of our culture. I hope to deliver a passionate and authentic entertainment piece to modern audiences."
"THE RIBBON HERO" is set to launch globally and exclusively on Netflix this August. With more official details still under wraps, fans eager for this title should keep an eye out for future updates!
via： 日本Netflix