Votoms Returns With New Film Teaser and Mika Nakashima Theme Song

The Armored Trooper Votoms franchise is preparing for a major comeback with Sōkō Kihei Votoms Haiiro no Hexe, also known internationally as Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe. Sunrise and Production I.G have released a fresh teaser trailer and visual for the upcoming two-film anime project, offering a new look at its characters, military setting and distinctive mecha atmosphere. The footage also introduces the first movie's theme song, "Na mo Naki Shijin no Yō ni," performed by Mika Nakashima. The track was written, composed and arranged by Toshihiko Takamizawa, vocalist and guitarist of THE ALFEE.

The first chapter is scheduled to premiere in Japanese theaters on November 20, 2026. Miyuki Sawashiro leads the cast as Ash Vamps, a feared Armored Trooper pilot who has earned the ominous nickname of the Grey Witch. Mabuki Andou voices Maki Stauffenberg, an officer secretly tasked with investigating Ash and the mysteries surrounding her past. The supporting cast includes several major names from the Japanese voice acting industry, including Shinichirō Miki, Yūki Kaji, Yūichi Nakamura, Tomokazu Sugita, Daisuke Ono, Mamoru Oshii's frequent collaborators and many others.

The new films are being directed by Mamoru Oshii, the filmmaker behind influential works such as Ghost in the Shell, while original Votoms creator and director Ryōsuke Takahashi serves as supervisor. Kenji Kawai is composing the soundtrack, reuniting with Oshii after collaborations on projects including Ghost in the Shell and Patlabor 2: The Movie. Mechanical design is being handled by a team that includes Shinobu Tsuneki and Yoshiro Sōno, with veteran designer Kunio Ōkawara credited for the franchise's original mechanical concepts.

Originally launched in 1983, Armored Trooper Votoms became one of the defining titles of the "real robot" branch of mecha anime. Instead of presenting machines as nearly invincible super weapons, the series portrays them as mass-produced military equipment with serious limitations and extremely vulnerable pilots. Its original story follows Chirico Cuvie, an elite Gilgamesh soldier who becomes entangled in a conspiracy during a century-long conflict with the Balarant Union. Die Graue Hexe marks the franchise's first major anime entry since Armored Trooper Votoms: Alone Again debuted in 2011.