The Gray Witch newswatch
Nippon Sunrise Studio started with humble beginnings when it was founded in the 70s, but its producer-led structure led it to dominate the anime industry in the 80s, particularly in the SF mecha genre. By the time its name was shortened to “Sunrise” in 1987, it had served as the launch pad for major, long-lived franchises that are new celebrated as anime classics. (Read more about the studio here)
To mark its 50th anniversary, some of those classics are getting fresh entries…including Armored Trooper Votoms!
On January 14 (2026), a mysterious new project titled The Gray Witch was announced, to be directed by anime auteur Mamoru Oshii with animation by Production I.G. A 30-second trailer posted by Bandai Namco Filmworks made it official: all-new Votoms for 2026!
This page of the Votoms hub will be devoted to reporting on this project as the news unfolds.
March 10: Great Mechanics G, 2026 Spring issue
This long-running specialty magazine from Futaba Publishing was the first to react with a single page containing the following commentary:
How will the master director handle Armored Trooper Votoms in its 43rd year!?
“The time has finally come.” What am I talking about? Of course, it’s Armored Trooper Votoms: The Gray Witch.
Looking back, the most recent Votoms anime works were produced in 2011 under the name of the “Three Votoms Reborn Works:” Case Irvine, Votoms Finder, and Alone Again. I remember covering those three works in this magazine, and not so recently. It’s been 15 years already. Time flies so fast, it’s depressing. Those Votoms Reborn works had a rather interesting lineup. One was set in a different location in the Astragius Galaxy, another was a completely new work, and the third was a Chirico story, and they could be described as exploring the “aftermath” of Votoms.
Now that I think about it, when that series came out, I feel like the internet slang “choking,” which is often used in relation to Votoms, was hardly used at all. Just considering the subsequent release of new novels and plastic models, you can see the potential of this work.
Then came the big guy.
What’s great about The Grey Witch is that it’s being directed by Mamoru Oshii and produced by Sunrise Production IG.
How will someone as big as Oshii handle a major title like Votoms? Is it set in the Astragius Galaxy? The teaser shows something like a Scopedog, but what will the mecha be like? As can be seen from his past works, Oshii has a deep understanding of military matters. Moreover, in his career he has taken works with existing source material (Urusei Yatsura, Patlabor, Ghost in the Shell) or established worldviews and reinterpreted them in his own unique way, resulting in many highly acclaimed and distinctive works. He is the perfect person, or rather, a creator who we would like to see tackle Votoms in its 43rd year.
And with Production IG involved, it’s certain that the staffing will be different from previous Votoms works.
Currently, the only announcement regarding this project is that it will start in 2026. We hope to continue following its progress in this magazine, so please look forward to it.