Patlabor EZY is a theatrical anime project that began its rollout in Japan on May 15, 2026, with the first film, File 1, opening at #8 in the Japanese box office.
Patlabor EZY, a sequel to the original Patlabor franchise, premiered in Japanese theaters on May 15, 2026, after being first announced in 2017 and then going quiet for years. The project consists of eight episodes split into three theatrical films. File 1, which contains the first two episodes in an omnibus format, opened at #8 in the Japanese box office. File 2 follows on August 14, 2026, with episodes four through six, and File 3 arrives in March 2027 with the final two episodes as a two-part story. Episodes 1 through 6 are standalone anthology entries, while episodes 7 and 8 form a continuous story.
The story is set in the 2030s, a few decades after the original Patlabor, where Labors have become commonplace and are increasingly replaced by autonomous robots. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Special Vehicle Unit Section 2 Division 2 pilots an upgraded version of the classic Ingram mecha, the AV98Plus Ingram Plus, and deals with problems caused by AI and autonomous robots. The cast includes Sumire Uesaka as Towa Kuga, Kikunosuke Toya as Kippei Atori, Ami Koshimizu as Saki Hirata, Chikahiro Kobayashi as Akihiko Hazama, Setsuji Sato as Yuta Yanai, Yume Matsumura as Hachikuma Yuzuki, and Megumi Hayashibara as Kimika Saeki. Shigeru Chiba reprises his role as Shigeo Shiba from the original series.
Yutaka Izubuchi directs at J.C.Staff, with Kazunori Ito writing the script and Kenji Kawai returning as composer. The opening theme is performed by Mori Calliope, and the ending theme is performed by Mariko Nagai. A life-sized Ingram mecha was spotted on a truck in Tokyo ahead of the premiere. Early reviews have described the first film's approach to mecha as mundane machinery as grounded and comedic.
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The Patlabor EZY 'File 1' film opened at #8 in the Japanese box office, while the live-action Shōjiki Fudōsan film debuted at #4. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie returned to #1 in its fourth weekend, and Detective Conan: Highway no Datenshi held at #3 in its sixth weekend.
Bandai Namco Filmworks released a new video for the Patlabor EZY anime project on Thursday, introducing the main characters of the Special Vehicles Division 2. The project consists of eight episodes released as three theatrical films. The first film, File 1, debuted on May 15, 2026, and contains the first two episodes in an omnibus format. File 2 follows on August 14, 2026, with episodes four through six, and File 3 arrives in March 2027 with the final two episodes as a two-part story. The story is set in the 2030s, where Labors have become commonplace and are increasingly replaced by autonomous robots. SV2 still uses a tuned-up version of the SV-98 Ingram. The cast includes Sumire Uesaka as Towa Kuga, Kikunosuke Toya as Kippei Atori, Ami Koshimizu as Saki Hirata, Chikahiro Kobayashi as Akihiko Hazama, Setsuji Sato as Yuta Yanai, Yume Matsumura as Hachikuma Yuzuki, and Megumi Hayashibara as Kimika Saeki. Shigeru Chiba reprises his role as Shigeo Shiba. Yutaka Izubuchi directs at J.C. Staff, with Kazunori Ito writing the script. Mori Calliope performs the opening theme, and Mariko Nagai performs the ending theme.
The long-delayed Patlabor sequel, Patlabor EZY, begins its theatrical rollout in Japan on Friday, May 15. First announced in 2017, the project went quiet for years before resurfacing with a multi-part release plan. The series consists of eight episodes split into three chapters. File 1 hits theaters this week, File 2 follows on August 14, and File 3 arrives in March 2027. Episodes 1 through 6 are standalone anthology entries, while episodes 7 and 8 form a continuous story. The sequel is set a few decades after the original Patlabor and follows a new cast of characters in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Special Vehicle Unit Section 2 Division 2. They pilot an upgraded version of the classic Ingram mecha, the AV98Plus Ingram Plus, and deal with problems caused by AI and autonomous robots. Yutaka Izubuchi, who directed Rahxephon and worked as mechanical designer on the original Patlabor, directs the series at J.C.Staff. Writer Kazunori Ito and composer Kenji Kawai return from the original staff. The opening theme is performed by VTuber Mori Calliope. A life-sized Ingram mecha was spotted on a truck in Tokyo ahead of the premiere.