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. (Oldest information is at the bottom of the page.)
June 11: Great Mechanics G, 2026 Summer issue
These are Witch‘s A.T.s!
TEXT A: Rising Beetle: from its name and appearance, it’s clearly a Beetle-type mecha, but it’s not equipped with swamp clogs. Its armament appears to be quite large-caliber, possibly a grenade or rocket-type weapon.
TEXT B: This Scopedog has a remarkably small head, giving it unprecedented proportions. In comparison to the human-size torso, this might be considered a more realistic size. The arms are highly detailed, suggesting they likely contain various internal mechanisms.
TEXT C:
Staffing details and intriguing A.T. design sketches have been revealed!
In the previous issue of this magazine, we published a quick report on the first details of Armored Troop Votoms, the Gray Witch. Since then, another stage of information has been released, including concept illustrations and features. We have already reported that Mamoru Oshii will be directing the project, but the mechanical designers, who are of great interest to us, have also been announced. The key figures in this project are Shinobu Tsuneki and Yoshihiro Sono. Tsuneki is a veteran who also worked on mecha designs for Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and Sono is a creator who will be familiar to our longtime readers, since he was in charge of the Armored Trooper Votoms: A.T. Stories manga, which was serialized in this magazine in the past.
As you can see from the released design sketches of the Scopedog and Rising Beetle, their proportions and details are quite different from previous A.T.s, making them very challenging designs. It’s like that the design is based on scenes and actions that director Oshii wants to depict, but we’re curious to see what kind of movements it will exhibit.
It was also announced the the film will be a two-part theatrical release, with the first part scheduled for November 20, 2026. There are still about five months to go, but we’re really looking forward to the premiere.
CAPTION 1: A Scopedog firing a rifle in a trench. Its shoulder is painted red, but it’s the left shoulder, not the right. Surely Vanilla didn’t paint it himself…
CAPTION 2: The pilot who appeared in the special report. Could she be the Gray Witch? She looks like she’d lower her goggles when she fights seriously.
CAPTION 3: An interface that appears to belong to an A.T. While the visuals are modern, it doesn’t have too much information, giving it a retro feel typical of an A.T.
CAPTION 4: The Scopedog can bend its arms in directions impossible for a human body to fire. This mechanical movement is quite rational for firing while hiding in a trench.
May 12: Premiere date announced
November 20 is the schedule release date for the first of two films in the Grey Witch project. Key art was revealed along with a new teaser with this text:
Life becomes a disposable commodity.
Accompanying that was this message from Director Mamoru Oshii:
I was a huge fan of the original Armored Trooper Votoms. It’s a work I’ve always admired and always wanted to try someday. Some people might be skeptical, wondering if I’ll just serve fast food or something, but I’m doing this seriously. We are making a serious war action film.
Original Concept & Supervision: Ryosuke Takahashi
Original Mechanical Design: Kunio Okawara
Mechanical Design: Shinobu Tsunoki, Yudai Sono
Music: Kenji Kawai
Production: Sunrise
Production Assistance: Production I.G
Read more about it on Anime News Network here
The official website was updated with information on Advance tickets, Products, and the Sunrise World pavilion at Shizuoka Hobby Show 2026. Which takes us to…
May 13: Shizuoka Hobby Show 2026
Products for the new A.T. designs were displayed for the first time at this annual event, starting with Bandai Spirits.
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.
I’m so excited for this! Any new votoms is good!