Uchiyama Leads a Stacked New Cast
The biggest name in the new additions is Kōki Uchiyama (内山昂輝), who takes on the role of Velvet, an executive of the religious organization Mitra who manipulates Sapphire for his own ends. Uchiyama, known internationally for voicing Tomura Shigaraki in My Hero Academia and Meruem in Hunter x Hunter, described Velvet as "cool on the surface, but driven by something he wants to make real." He called the film enjoyable "as a human drama, a fantasy, and an action piece."
Former child actress Seiran Kobayashi (小林星蘭), who voiced the lead in the 2018 theatrical film Okko's Inn, plays Pine, Sapphire's new friend. Mayumi Shintani (新谷真弓), recognizable to Western fans as Nonon Jakuzure in Kill la Kill and Haruko in FLCL, rounds out the additions as Zircon, Sapphire's loyal attendant.
Sāya of comedy duo Laland returns as lead character Sapphire.
The Second Trailer Sets a Darker Tone
The new trailer opens on a grim note: Sapphire's kingdom crumbles under the calamity known as Nergal, and a voice asks, "Are you the cursed princess?" After a tense pause, the theme song "Reborn" kicks in and flips the mood. Sapphire sets out from her ruined homeland with a prosthetic arm that doubles as a weapon.
From there, the trailer splits between warmth and threat. Sapphire meets Pine, and the two bond over shared ground, eventually becoming friends. "I want to do something for someone," Sapphire says as she searches for her purpose. But Velvet shatters that resolve with a direct accusation: Silverland wasn't just destroyed. Sapphire destroyed it herself.
The footage also showcases a ribbon-wrapped transformation sequence and several action set pieces. The film is directed by Yūki Igarashi (五十嵐祐貴) at studio OUTLINE; Igarashi, whose directorial debut was the acclaimed Star Wars: Visions short "Lop and Ocho," is making his feature-length debut here.
A Tezuka Classic, Rebuilt for 2026
The Ribbon Hero reimagines Osamu Tezuka's Princess Knight, the landmark manga that began serialization in the girls' magazine Shojo Club in 1953. The original followed Princess Sapphire, born with both a boy's and a girl's heart, as she fought disguised as a male knight. A TV anime adaptation aired from 1967 to 1968, and a short original anime screened at Tezuka Osamu World in 1999. This Netflix film marks the first animated adaptation of the property in 27 years.
The new version keeps Sapphire at its center but builds an original story around the calamity Nergal, which destroys her homeland Silverland and sends her on a journey through Goldland. Character design concepts come from illustrator Kei Mochizuki, known for work on Fate/Grand Order and Touken Ranbu Online. Twin Engine handles production.
Theme Song by New Japan-Korea Unit
The film's theme song "Reborn" marks the pre-debut single for Girls Archives., a joint project between HYBE's NEB (Next Entertainment Business) division and Japanese digital entertainment company INCS toenter. The unit blends real and virtual personas. "We hope our song lingers like a scene that stays in someone's heart long after the film ends," the group said in a statement reported by Oricon News.
Looking Ahead
The Ribbon Hero premieres worldwide on Netflix on August 8, 2026, so international fans won't need to wait for a separate release window. No English dub details have been confirmed yet. The source manga Princess Knight is available in English from Vertical (now part of Kodansha USA), giving viewers a way to explore Tezuka's original before the film arrives.