Ghost in the Shell 2026 release date revealed in new trailer for the Science Saru anime
Overview & Key Takeaways
Bandai Namco Filmworks revealed a wave of new details on Sunday for its upcoming anime, The Ghost in the Shell, including a release date.
Bandai Namco Filmworks revealed a wave of new details on Sunday for its upcoming anime, The Ghost in the Shell, which is officially set to premiere on July 7, 2026. Produced by Science Saru, the same studio behind Devilman Crybaby and Inu-Oh, and directed by Touma Kimura (aka Mokochan), the series serves as a full retelling of Masamune Shirow’s landmark cyberpunk manga of the same name and reboots the series following several previous adaptations.
The Ghost in the Shell series will stream exclusively on Prime Video worldwide (except China and Russia), and will also air in Japan on Kanai TV and Fuji TV’s Ka-Aniva! anime block. Series episodes will drop every Tuesday evening at 11 PM JST, which should mean episodes will release at 9 AM EST on Prime Video, though the worldwide release timing is still unclear. Polygon has reached out to Prime Video for further clarification on scheduling.
Lucky attendees of the Annecy Animation Film Festival will get to experience the new show early with an exclusive screening of the first two episodes. The special event, aptly called “Dive into The Ghost in the Shell,” will include behind-the-scenes insights from director Mokochan and other members of the anime’s core creative team. The Ghost in the Shell is Mokochan’s directorial debut following his work as a key animator and storyboarder on Dandadan and Tatami Time Machine Blues, both of which are also Science Saru productions.
Bandai Namco Filmworks also teased a story synopsis on X, with the tagline reading: “Wired bodies. Networked Ghosts." As in the manga, the series will take place in 2029, focusing on Motoko Kusanagi and the rest of Public Security Section 9 as they confront “complex cyber-crimes and international conspiracies.” The synopsis also paints the elusive “Puppet Master” as the main antagonist of the series, mirroring the 1995 film and the first season of Stand Alone Complex.
A new key visual, drawn by the show’s chief animation director Nao Naito, was also unveiled alongside various character designs for the main cast. The artwork features every member of Public Security Section 9 holding their preferred firearms. Motoko Kusanagi is front and center, standing on one of the many infamous tachikomas (named Fuchikoma), the fan-favorite rolling spider-like robots that are as deadly as they are hilarious.
The excitement and anticipation of entering the near-future are at a boiling point, but fortunately, the wait to experience “a new era of cyberpunk action” is less than two months away.
