Tezuka's catalog is active across animation, publishing, and merchandising. Netflix's The Ribbon Hero is streaming, a French Astro Boy Reboot is set for 2027, Scholastic has five new Graphix titles in the works, NHK has a live-action special due in August, and Kenelephant is releasing Dororo sofvi figures in December 2026.
Tezuka's manga and characters are being adapted and reissued across several markets at once. Netflix began streaming The Ribbon Hero on August 8, 2026, an animated film based on Tezuka's 1953 manga Ribbon no Kishi, also known as Princess Knight, directed by Yuuki Igarashi at his studio OUTLINE. The film stars Saya of comedy duo Lalande as Sapphire, with Seiran Kobayashi as Pine, Koki Uchiyama as Velvet, and Mayumi Shintani as Zirco. A final trailer released July 30 added five cast members as Sapphire's coworkers at a mining site. The film is available with Indonesian dubbing.
On television, a French-produced Astro Boy Reboot was presented at the 2026 Annecy Animation Film Festival, giving Atom a secret identity and setting a 2027 release. NHK is producing a live-action special based on Tezuka's autobiographical manga Paper Fortress, titled Tezuka Osamu no Sensō, with Kengo Kōra as Tezuka and Konosuke Harada as Tetsurō Osamu; it premieres in August. A documentary clip from TEZUKA! God of Manga shows director Jorge Gutierrez describing Astro Boy's resonance with Mexican audiences.
In publishing, Scholastic's Graphix imprint announced five new Tezuka reimagining titles with Tezuka Productions: Atomcat/Astro Cat, Princess Knight, The Three-eyed One, Triton of the Sea, and Zero Man. Samuel Sattin returns as writer, with Japanese artists handling illustrations. In merchandising, Kenelephant opened preorders for two sofvi figures from its Tezuka Osamu Characters Sofvi Collection: Dororo (011) and Hyakkimaru (012), each including a trading card, directed by Kenelephant's Chuku Kobo studio. The figures reproduce a conversation scene from the episode Muzanbari no Maki and are scheduled for sale in December 2026.
The Busan International Film Festival added a curated anime strand to its 31st edition, Japanese Animation Special: Masterpieces of Madness, Exhilarating Prospects 12+1, pairing 12 anime films with Paul Grimault's The King and the Mockingbird. The selection includes Tezuka's Phoenix 2772, Mamoru Oshii's Angel's Egg, and Rintaro's Metropolis, with Rintaro set to appear.
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Kenelephant opened preorders at Rakuten Books for two sofvi figures from its Tezuka Osamu Characters Sofvi Collection. Dororo (011) lists at a reference price of 13,200 yen, discounted to 11,188 yen, and Hyakkimaru (012) at 15,400 yen, discounted to 12,948 yen. Each includes a special trading card. The line is directed by Kenelephant's Chuku Kobo studio and draws on Tezuka's manga and picture books.
The Busan International Film Festival has added a curated anime strand to its 31st edition. Titled Japanese Animation Special: Masterpieces of Madness, Exhilarating Prospects 12+1, the program pairs 12 anime films with one European classic, Paul Grimault's The King and the Mockingbird. The selection spans Taiji Yabushita's The White Snake Enchantress, Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix 2772, Mamoru Oshii's Angel's Egg, Rintaro's Metropolis, and new works from Shingo Natsume and Ryo Katanosaka. Rintaro, now working on a new Galaxy Express 999 feature, will appear at the festival.
Kenelephant's Chūkū Kōbō studio is releasing Hyakkimaru and Dororo sofubi figures as the 6th installment of the Tezuka Osamu Characters Sofvi Collection. Both figures reproduce the conversation scene from the episode "Muzanbari no Maki" and are scheduled for sale in December 2026, with advance reservations open from August 28 to September 18.
Scholastic announced five new titles under its Graphix imprint in partnership with Tezuka Productions, each reimagining a manga by Osamu Tezuka. The lineup: Atomcat/Astro Cat, Princess Knight, The Three-eyed One, Triton of the Sea, and Zero Man. Samuel Sattin returns as writer, continuing from Unico: Awakening, with Japanese artists handling illustrations. Unico: Awakening launched August 6, 2024 with art by Gurihiru and will end with its eighth volume; volume three shipped July 7.
Netflix began streaming the animated film The Ribbon Hero on August 8, 2026. The movie is based on Osamu Tezuka's 1953 manga Ribbon no Kishi, also known as Princess Knight. Director Yuki Igarashi leads the project, marking his first feature-length directorial work. Character designs come from Kei Mochizuki, known for Fate/Grand Order and Touken Ranbu ONLINE, with Mai Yoneyama, who worked on Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, as character design collaborator. Animation production is by OUTLINE, with production by Twin Engine. The story follows Sapphire, princess of the lost kingdom Silverland, who loses everything to a calamity called Nergal and arrives in Goldland, where she decides to fight to protect her new home. The cast includes Saya from the comedy duo Lalande as Sapphire, Seiran Kobayashi as Pine, Kouki Uchiyama as Velvet, and Mayumi Shintani as Zircon. The theme song is Reborn by Girls Archives. The film is also available with Indonesian dubbing, handled by Kantana CS Pro Indonesia with Guritno as dialogue director.
Netflix began streaming the final trailer for The Ribbon Hero, the new anime film based on Osamu Tezuka's Princess Knight manga, on July 30. The trailer previews the English dub and reveals five new cast members who play Sapphire's coworkers at a mining site. Yoshimasa Hosoya voices Rock, Mito Tsukino voices Hecate, Yusuke Tezuka voices Chorogy, Lunlun voices Chick, and Debidebi Debiru voices Tack. Mito Tsukino, Lunlun, and Debidebi Debiru are VTubers affiliated with NIJISANJI, and these are their first roles in a feature-length anime. The film stars Saya of comedy duo Lalande as Sapphire, in what Netflix says is her first leading role in a feature-length animated production. Seiran Kobayashi voices Pine, Koki Uchiyama voices Velvet, Mayumi Shintani voices Zirco, and Haruhiko Jo voices Pope. Yuuki Igarashi directs the film at his new studio OUTLINE, marking his feature-length directorial debut. The film premieres exclusively on Netflix worldwide on August 8. The story follows Sapphire, a princess who loses her homeland of Silverland to a calamity called Nergal, then finds hope in Goldland before Nergal returns.
In a clip from the upcoming documentary TEZUKA! God of Manga, director Jorge Gutierrez recalls discovering Astro Boy on Mexican TV in the 1980s. He argues the serialized storytelling felt familiar to audiences raised on telenovelas, and that Tezuka's work was more culturally aligned with Mexico than the creator knew.
A new French-produced Astro Boy series, Astro Boy Reboot, was presented at the 2026 Annecy Animation Film Festival. The show gives the classic character a secret identity: young boy Atom hides that he is the robot superhero Astro. The series combines sitcom and sci-fi elements, with each episode split between Atom's daily life and Astro's heroics. It is set for a 2027 release.
NHK is producing a live-action television special based on Osamu Tezuka's autobiographical manga 'Paper Fortress,' which depicts his wartime childhood. The special, titled 'Tezuka Osamu no Sensō,' will also draw from Tezuka's short story 'God Father's Son' and interweave his life in 1973 with his alter ego's story in 1945. Kengo Kōra stars as Tezuka, and Konosuke Harada plays the protagonist Tetsurō Osamu. The special premieres in August, with filming starting in May in the Kansai area.