Veteran Voice Actors Take On Tezuka's Princess Knight
The Ribbon Hero reimagines Osamu Tezuka's Princess Knight (リボンの騎士). Princess Sapphire's homeland of Silver Land is destroyed by a catastrophe known as Nergal. Arriving in Gold Land in despair, she begins to find hope through the kindness of its people, only for Nergal to resurface. Sapphire ties her ribbon and resolves to fight back against fate.
Three new additions bring veteran anime talent to the cast. Kōki Uchiyama (内山昂輝), the voice of Tomura Shigaraki in My Hero Academia and Meruem in Hunter x Hunter, takes on Velvet, an executive of the religious organization Mitra who seeks to manipulate Sapphire. Seiran Kobayashi (小林星蘭), who plays Eri in My Hero Academia, voices Pine, Sapphire's friend. Mayumi Shintani (新谷真弓), known for playing Haruko Haruhara in FLCL, rounds out the additions as Zirco, Sapphire's elderly attendant and guardian.
The newly released second trailer shows Sapphire meeting and befriending Pine alongside a sword-fighting confrontation between Sapphire and Velvet, all set to the theme song "Reborn."
In comments released with the announcement, Uchiyama described Velvet as cool but driven by a goal he won't reveal, calling the film "a human drama, a fantasy, and an action piece." Shintani said she threw extra energy into her performance to match the animation quality, and noted that Zirco supports Sapphire as a guardian while sometimes standing beside her as a friend, sharing her joys and worries. Kobayashi called Pine a character who feels as relatable as a real friend despite the fantasy setting.
The three join Sāya from comedy duo Laland, who leads the cast as Princess Sapphire. Yūki Igarashi (五十嵐祐貴) directs at studio OUTLINE, with Twin Engine producing.
Girls Archives. Debuts With 'Reborn'
The theme song "Reborn" marks the pre-debut single for Girls Archives. (ガールズアーカイブ), a new unit born from a first-time collaboration between South Korean entertainment company HYBE's NEB (Next Entertainment Business) division and Japanese talent agency INCS TOENTER. INCS TOENTER manages creators behind supercell and HoneyWorks, while HYBE's NEB handled concept design and story planning for the group.
Girls Archives. performs with both real and virtual artist personas, each with distinct visuals unveiled alongside the trailer announcement. In a statement, the group said they hoped the song would "linger in people's hearts like a scene that stays with you long after the film ends."
Looking Ahead
The Ribbon Hero streams exclusively on Netflix worldwide starting August 8, 2026.
Tezuka originally serialized Princess Knight in 1953. The Ribbon Hero takes a fresh approach to the source material, so no familiarity with the original manga is needed.