Inside the Second Trailer
The Ribbon Hero follows Sapphire, a princess who loses her kingdom of Silverland to a calamity called Nergal. She arrives in Goldland carrying the weight of that loss, and slowly begins to find hope through the kindness of the people around her. When Nergal returns to threaten her new home, Sapphire takes up a sword and fights back.
The second trailer opens with kingdoms crumbling under Nergal and the ominous line, "You, the cursed princess?" After a tense beat, the theme song "Reborn" kicks in as Sapphire receives a prosthetic arm, her new weapon, and sets out from her homeland.
The footage introduces Pine, Sapphire's new companion. The two discover they have things in common, warm up to each other, and become friends. But the trailer also reveals Velvet, who crosses swords with Sapphire and drops a bombshell: Sapphire herself destroyed Silverland. Whether she truly is the "Ribbon Demon" remains to be seen. Transformation sequences and action scenes round out the preview.
Three New Voices Join the Cast
Kōki Uchiyama (Banagee Links in Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, Kei Tsukishima in Haikyu!!) voices Velvet, a high-ranking member of a religious organization called "Mitra" who seeks to use Sapphire for his own ends. Uchiyama described Velvet as cool but driven, and encouraged audiences to discover what motivates him by watching the film. "You can enjoy it as a human drama about characters carrying all kinds of baggage, as a fantasy, or as an action film," he said.
Seiran Kobayashi (小林星蘭) voices Pine, Sapphire's new friend. Kobayashi started her career as a child actress in live-action film and television before moving into voice work. She noted Pine's relatability, calling her the kind of character who feels like "a friend or even yourself."
Mayumi Shintani (新谷真弓) plays Zirco, Sapphire's attendant and caretaker. Shintani praised the film's visual beauty and said she approached the role determined to match the quality of the animation. She described Zirco as someone who supports Sapphire like a guardian while staying close like a friend.
They join Saaya, one half of Japanese comedy duo Laland, who leads the film as Princess Sapphire.
Girls Archives. Debut With "Reborn"
The trailer also confirmed the film's theme song: "Reborn," performed by Girls Archives. (ガールズアーカイブ), a new Japan-Korea unit whose members have both real-life and virtual identities.
The group was born from a first-time collaboration between HYBE's NEB (Next Entertainment Business) division and INCS TOENTER, the Japanese company behind supercell and HoneyWorks. NEB has built a global track record in storytelling and IP development through its work with BTS, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, ENHYPEN, and ILLIT. "Reborn" is the unit's pre-debut single.
"We hope that, like a scene that stays in someone's heart long after the movie ends, our song will linger as a warm afterglow," the group said in a statement shared by Animate Times.
Looking Ahead
The Ribbon Hero premieres on Netflix on August 8, 2026, as a worldwide exclusive, so international fans won't need to wait for a separate release window. The animated film is produced by TWIN ENGINE and animated at studio OUTLINE, with Yūki Igarashi directing and music composed by MONACA.
The film is based on Osamu Tezuka's Princess Knight, a manga that debuted in 1953 and is widely credited as a foundational work of the shōjo genre. Princess Knight has been published in English by Vertical (now an imprint of Kodansha USA), making the source material accessible to readers curious about the original. No word yet on whether Netflix will offer an English dub alongside the Japanese audio at launch.