← all stories
Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka is dead, and his catalog is being adapted across live-action television, a Netflix anime film, a stage play, and a new French-produced Astro Boy series. A separate feature documentary, Tezuka: God of Manga, is raising funds on Kickstarter toward completion in 2028, the 100th anniversary of his birth.
Synthesized from 11
Yomimono stories · updated
1d ago
The most recent stories about Osamu Tezuka are not about the man but about the pace at which his work is being remade. A Kickstarter for the feature documentary Tezuka: God of Manga opened on Wednesday toward a US$49,999 goal and a close on November 13, with the film scheduled to complete in 2028, the 100th anniversary of Tezuka's birth. It has raised US$10,726 so far, and interviews with creators including Katsuhiro Otomo, Riyoko Ikeda, Naoki Urasawa, Go Nagai, and Yoshiyuki Tomino are attached.
Adaptations run in parallel. NHK is producing a live-action special titled Tezuka Osamu no Sensō, based on his autobiographical manga Paper Fortress and his short story God Father's Son, with Kengo Kōra as Tezuka. Netflix began streaming The Ribbon Hero, an animated film based on the 1953 manga Princess Knight, on August 8, 2026, directed by Yuki Igarashi at OUTLINE. The Phoenix Future arc was staged in Tokyo in February, and a new French-produced Astro Boy series, Astro Boy Reboot, was presented at Annecy and is set for a 2027 release.
Print and merchandise follow the same pattern. Scholastic's Graphix imprint announced five new Tezuka reimagining titles with Tezuka Productions, with Samuel Sattin returning as writer after Unico: Awakening. Kenelephant's Tezuka Osamu Characters Sofvi Collection is releasing Dororo and Hyakkimaru figures, and its sixth installment reproduces a conversation scene from the Dororo episode Muzanbari no Maki, scheduled for sale in December 2026. Busan added a curated anime strand to its 31st edition that includes Tezuka's Phoenix 2772. Coverage diverges on reception: Jorge Gutierrez argues in a documentary clip that Astro Boy was more culturally aligned with Mexico than Tezuka knew.
Key facts
- Documentary target completion
- Tezuka: God of Manga is scheduled to complete in 2028, the 100th anniversary of Tezuka's birth, with backer rewards shipping July 2028. ↗
- Documentary funding
- The Kickstarter aims for US$49,999, closes November 13, and has raised US$10,726 so far; Jason Andrew Cohn directs and Bread & Butter Films produces. ↗
- Phoenix stage run
- Hi no Tori Mirai-hen ZEROMDISTANCE runs at Sakura Hall in Shibuya Cultural Centre Owada in Tokyo from February 6 to 8, directed and written by Ryusei Kudoh. ↗
- Dororo sofvi figures
- Kenelephant's sixth Tezuka Osamu Characters Sofvi Collection installment reproduces the conversation scene from the Dororo episode Muzanbari no Maki, scheduled for sale in December 2026. ↗
- Scholastic Graphix lineup
- Five titles are planned with Tezuka Productions: Atomcat/Astro Cat, Princess Knight, The Three-eyed One, Triton of the Sea, and Zero Man, with Samuel Sattin as writer. ↗
- The Ribbon Hero release
- The animated film based on the 1953 manga Princess Knight began streaming on Netflix on August 8, 2026, directed by Yuki Igarashi at OUTLINE. ↗
- Ribbon Hero premise
- The story follows Sapphire, princess of the lost kingdom Silverland, who loses everything to a calamity called Nergal and arrives in Goldland. ↗
- Astro Boy Reboot release
- The French-produced Astro Boy Reboot, presented at the 2026 Annecy Animation Film Festival, is set for a 2027 release. ↗
- NHK live-action special
- Tezuka Osamu no Sensō is based on Paper Fortress and God Father's Son, stars Kengo Kōra as Tezuka, and premieres in August. ↗
- Busan anime strand
- The Busan International Film Festival's 31st edition includes Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix 2772 in its Japanese Animation Special strand. ↗
Timeline
- Oct 14, 2026 Tezuka Documentary Launches Kickstarter Toward 2028 Release
- Oct 12, 2026 Phoenix Future Arc Gets Stage Play Run in Tokyo This February
- Sep 14, 2026 Dororo and Hyakkimaru Figures Join Tezuka Osamu Sofvi Collection
- Sep 2, 2026 Busan Adds Anime Spotlight Strand With Rintaro, Angel's Egg, Metropolis
- Aug 29, 2026 Dororo Figures Join Tezuka Osamu Characters Sofvi Collection
- Aug 20, 2026 Scholastic's Graphix Imprint to Release 5 New Tezuka Manga Titles
- Aug 7, 2026 Netflix Film The Ribbon Hero Based on Tezuka Manga Starts Streaming
- Aug 4, 2026 The Ribbon Hero Final Trailer Adds Five Cast Members Ahead of Netflix Premiere
- Jul 22, 2026 Jorge Gutierrez Says Astro Boy Was More Mexican Than Tezuka Realized
- Jun 27, 2026 Astro Boy Reboot Gives the Robot Hero a Secret Identity
- May 19, 2026 Osamu Tezuka's War Manga 'Paper Fortress' Gets Live-Action NHK Special
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Facts
- Noted
- Osamu Tezuka has a film in the program · 2026-09-02
Connections
Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/osamu-tezuka.
CC BY 4.0.
Claim activity
When a claim about Osamu Tezuka was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against
open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.
- Confirmed Osamu Tezuka writes Phoenix Oct 13 · source
- Confirmed Osamu Tezuka writes Astro Boy Sep 6 · source
- Confirmed Osamu Tezuka writes Triton of the Sea Sep 6 · source
- Confirmed Osamu Tezuka writes Princess Knight Aug 30 · source
All coverage
1d ago
Kenelephant has previewed 16 capsule toy products for release in February and March 2027. Nine arrive in February, including Uni Miniature Collection, Sonepon Goods Collection, PEPOTARO Figure Collection, mojojojo Todd Friends pouch Vol. 2, boiboi Planet Nenne Figure Mascot, Victor Goods Collection, Oiroppu Figure Strap, Dehara Yukinori JIZO- Mascot Charm, and Monkey Club Tiny Rex Figure Collection. Seven follow in March, among them a Time Travel Series Tezuka Osamu Characters Coin Case with four types, including Atom from Astro Boy and Pinoko.
Oct 14
A feature-length documentary on Osamu Tezuka titled Tezuka: God of Manga launched its Kickstarter campaign on Wednesday, aiming for US$49,999 and closing November 13. It has raised US$10,726 so far. Directed by Jason Andrew Cohn and produced by Bread & Butter Films, the film is scheduled to complete in 2028, the 100th anniversary of Tezuka's birth, with backer rewards shipping July 2028.
Oct 12
Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix manga is getting another stage adaptation, this time of the "Future" arc. Hi no Tori Mirai-hen ZEROMDISTANCE runs at Sakura Hall in Shibuya Cultural Centre Owada in Tokyo from February 6 to 8. Jutta Yuki plays Masato, Narumi Yasuda voices the Phoenix, Moro Morooka plays Dr. Saruta, Adone Kudo and Shiina Yuzuki play Tamami, and Kaiki Ohara plays Rock. Ryusei Kudoh directs and writes.
Sep 14
Kenelephant opened preorders at Rakuten Books for two sofvi figures from its Tezuka Osamu Characters Sofvi Collection. Dororo (011) lists at a reference price of 13,200 yen, discounted to 11,188 yen, and Hyakkimaru (012) at 15,400 yen, discounted to 12,948 yen. Each includes a special trading card. The line is directed by Kenelephant's Chuku Kobo studio and draws on Tezuka's manga and picture books.
Sep 2
The Busan International Film Festival has added a curated anime strand to its 31st edition. Titled Japanese Animation Special: Masterpieces of Madness, Exhilarating Prospects 12+1, the program pairs 12 anime films with one European classic, Paul Grimault's The King and the Mockingbird. The selection spans Taiji Yabushita's The White Snake Enchantress, Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix 2772, Mamoru Oshii's Angel's Egg, Rintaro's Metropolis, and new works from Shingo Natsume and Ryo Katanosaka. Rintaro, now working on a new Galaxy Express 999 feature, will appear at the festival.
Aug 29
Kenelephant's Chūkū Kōbō studio is releasing Hyakkimaru and Dororo sofubi figures as the 6th installment of the Tezuka Osamu Characters Sofvi Collection. Both figures reproduce the conversation scene from the episode "Muzanbari no Maki" and are scheduled for sale in December 2026, with advance reservations open from August 28 to September 18.
Aug 20
Scholastic announced five new titles under its Graphix imprint in partnership with Tezuka Productions, each reimagining a manga by Osamu Tezuka. The lineup: Atomcat/Astro Cat, Princess Knight, The Three-eyed One, Triton of the Sea, and Zero Man. Samuel Sattin returns as writer, continuing from Unico: Awakening, with Japanese artists handling illustrations. Unico: Awakening launched August 6, 2024 with art by Gurihiru and will end with its eighth volume; volume three shipped July 7.
Aug 7
Netflix began streaming the animated film The Ribbon Hero on August 8, 2026. The movie is based on Osamu Tezuka's 1953 manga Ribbon no Kishi, also known as Princess Knight. Director Yuki Igarashi leads the project, marking his first feature-length directorial work. Character designs come from Kei Mochizuki, known for Fate/Grand Order and Touken Ranbu ONLINE, with Mai Yoneyama, who worked on Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, as character design collaborator. Animation production is by OUTLINE, with production by Twin Engine. The story follows Sapphire, princess of the lost kingdom Silverland, who loses everything to a calamity called Nergal and arrives in Goldland, where she decides to fight to protect her new home. The cast includes Saya from the comedy duo Lalande as Sapphire, Seiran Kobayashi as Pine, Kouki Uchiyama as Velvet, and Mayumi Shintani as Zircon. The theme song is Reborn by Girls Archives. The film is also available with Indonesian dubbing, handled by Kantana CS Pro Indonesia with Guritno as dialogue director.
Aug 4
Netflix began streaming the final trailer for The Ribbon Hero, the new anime film based on Osamu Tezuka's Princess Knight manga, on July 30. The trailer previews the English dub and reveals five new cast members who play Sapphire's coworkers at a mining site. Yoshimasa Hosoya voices Rock, Mito Tsukino voices Hecate, Yusuke Tezuka voices Chorogy, Lunlun voices Chick, and Debidebi Debiru voices Tack. Mito Tsukino, Lunlun, and Debidebi Debiru are VTubers affiliated with NIJISANJI, and these are their first roles in a feature-length anime. The film stars Saya of comedy duo Lalande as Sapphire, in what Netflix says is her first leading role in a feature-length animated production. Seiran Kobayashi voices Pine, Koki Uchiyama voices Velvet, Mayumi Shintani voices Zirco, and Haruhiko Jo voices Pope. Yuuki Igarashi directs the film at his new studio OUTLINE, marking his feature-length directorial debut. The film premieres exclusively on Netflix worldwide on August 8. The story follows Sapphire, a princess who loses her homeland of Silverland to a calamity called Nergal, then finds hope in Goldland before Nergal returns.
Jul 22
In a clip from the upcoming documentary TEZUKA! God of Manga, director Jorge Gutierrez recalls discovering Astro Boy on Mexican TV in the 1980s. He argues the serialized storytelling felt familiar to audiences raised on telenovelas, and that Tezuka's work was more culturally aligned with Mexico than the creator knew.
Jun 27
A new French-produced Astro Boy series, Astro Boy Reboot, was presented at the 2026 Annecy Animation Film Festival. The show gives the classic character a secret identity: young boy Atom hides that he is the robot superhero Astro. The series combines sitcom and sci-fi elements, with each episode split between Atom's daily life and Astro's heroics. It is set for a 2027 release.
May 19
NHK is producing a live-action television special based on Osamu Tezuka's autobiographical manga 'Paper Fortress,' which depicts his wartime childhood. The special, titled 'Tezuka Osamu no Sensō,' will also draw from Tezuka's short story 'God Father's Son' and interweave his life in 1973 with his alter ego's story in 1945. Kengo Kōra stars as Tezuka, and Konosuke Harada plays the protagonist Tetsurō Osamu. The special premieres in August, with filming starting in May in the Kansai area.