The Ribbon Hero Second Trailer Adds Cast, Theme Song by Girls Archives
The trailer confirms that the film is adapting Tezuka's classic property with a modern action focus and a pre-debut K-pop adjacent theme song, signaling a cross-industry push between anime and HYBE's IP development arm.
Reporting from 4 sources: Anime News Network, Comic Natalie, KAI-YOU, Anime Corner.
The second trailer for the feature-length anime film "The Ribbon Hero," based on Osamu Tezuka's "Princess Knight," was released on June 23, 2026. The trailer reveals three new cast members: Seiran Kobayashi as Pine, a friend of protagonist Sapphire; Kouki Uchiyama as Velvet, an executive of the religious organization Mitra; and Mayumi Shintani as Zircon, Sapphire's elderly attendant. The theme song "Reborn" is performed by the pre-debut Japan-Korea girl group Girls Archives. The trailer opens with a scene of a country destroyed by the calamity Nergal and includes action sequences, a sword fight, and a transformation scene. Sapphire is voiced by Saya of the comedy duo Lalande. The film is directed by Yuki Igarashi, with original character designs by Kei Mochizuki and character design cooperation by Mai Yoneyama. Production is by Twin Engine, with animation by Studio OUTLINE. "The Ribbon Hero" will premiere globally on Netflix on August 8, 2026. The film has also been selected for an official screening at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival.
Seiran Kobayashi previously voiced the protagonist Lop in the 2021 anthology "Star Wars: Visions," an episode directed by Yuki Igarashi. Kouki Uchiyama described his character Velvet as having "a cool personality but has something he wants to achieve," a figure who tries to use Sapphire and appears to play an important role in the story. Mayumi Shintani said of her character Zircon: "It's wonderful how she supports from a parental standpoint while sometimes being like a friend, sharing joys and sorrows."
The theme song "Reborn" is a pre-debut track for Girls Archives., a Japan-Korea girl group consisting of five members: YUISA, ENA, SEOYEON, HINARI, and SOJEONG. The group is a collaboration between HYBE's NEB headquarters, known for storytelling and IP development with BTS, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, ENHYPEN, and ILLIT, and Japan's INCS TOENTER, known for supercell and HoneyWorks. The group's virtual character designs were done by illustrator LAM. Girls Archives. commented on the theme song: "We hope our song remains as a warm afterglow, like a scene that lingers in someone's heart long after the film ends."
The film marks Yuki Igarashi's feature-length directorial debut. He is known for the ending video of "Jujutsu Kaisen" Season 1 and work on "Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!" The full staff list includes script associate Komura Junko, animation character designer Issei Arakaki, artistic direction by Cedric Herole, art direction by Masanobu Nomura, Nergal design by okama, color design by Natsumi Watabe, CG direction by Akine Nagamine, compositing direction by Hikaru Fukuda, editing by Junichi Uematsu, music by Satoru Kosaki and Ryuichi Takada of MONACA, sound direction by Keiichiro Miyoshi, and sound production by TOHOKUSHINSHA FILM CORPORATION.
The film has been selected for an official screening at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, held from June 21. Director Yuki Igarashi is scheduled to appear at the festival.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 4 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime News Network News The Ribbon Hero Anime Film's 2nd Trailer Unveils More Cast, Theme Song
- Comic Natalie 「THE RIBBON HERO」第2弾予告公開 小林星蘭、内山昂輝、新谷真弓が出演
- KAI-YOU Netflix映画『THE RIBBON HERO』第2弾予告公開 追加キャストに小林星蘭、内山昂輝、新谷真弓
- Anime Corner THE RIBBON HERO Reveals New Trailer, Theme Song by Girls Archives, Additional Voice Cast