Patlabor EZY, an eight-episode anime split into three theatrical films, is rolling out in Japan. File 1 opened May 15, 2026, File 2 opened August 14, 2026, and File 3 is set for March 5, 2027, with a Blu-ray release on March 12. The project is directed by Yutaka Izubuchi at J.C. Staff, with Kazunori Ito writing the script.
Patlabor EZY is the first new anime in the franchise since 2002, and it is being released as eight episodes across three theatrical films rather than as a television series. File 1 hit theaters on May 15, 2026, containing the first two episodes. File 2 followed on August 14, with episodes four through six, and File 3 arrives on March 5, 2027, with the final two episodes as a two-part story.
The production brings back several franchise veterans. Yutaka Izubuchi, a mechanical designer and HEADGEAR member, directs a Patlabor title for the first time, working at J.C. Staff. Writer Kazunori Ito and composer Kenji Kawai return from the original staff. Shigeru Chiba reprises his role as Shigeo Shiba, and the cast includes Sumire Uesaka, Kikunosuke Toya, Ami Koshimizu, and Megumi Hayashibara. The opening theme is by Mori Calliope, the ending theme by Mariko Nagai.
The story is set in the 2030s, where AI-driven autonomous robots are replacing piloted Labors. The police still use upgraded AV-98Plus Ingram units, which have been overhauled over nearly four decades, leading some officers to mock them as junkers. File 3 introduces a new mech, the AV-17 Sentinel, piloted by Kaoru Mitarai (Kaori Nazuka) and commanded by Takuya Niiro (Taku Yashiro).
Bandai Namco Filmworks has backed the rollout with extensive merchandising, including a ROBOT魂 action figure and an RG 1/48 plastic model of the Ingram Plus, plus a Shibashigeo-focused book and a commercialized Shanghai Tei curry based on an in-series recipe. File 1 opened at #8 in the Japanese box office.
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To commemorate the release of Mobile Police Patlabor EZY File 2, the curry from the in-series Chinese restaurant Shanhai-tei has been commercialized as a retort product. The curry reproduces the recipe left by the previous-generation owner, developed with Tadashi Iwamoto, chairman of the Japan Western Cuisine Association. It sells for 864 yen per 180g serving.
A stage greeting for Mobile Police Patlabor EZY File 2 was held August 15 at Shinjuku Piccadilly. Director Deuchi Yu and cast members discussed the film, with Ise Mariya making her first stage appearance as Terada Kurumi. The event also announced a new staff talk and visitor gifts.
Bandai Namco Filmworks will release the Blu-ray for Mobile Police Patlabor EZY File 2 on August 21, 2026, exclusively at A-on STORE and Premium Bandai. The disc includes the 72-minute film, a soundtrack CD, trailers, and a storage box with new illustrations by Masami Yuuki and Akemi Takada.
To mark the theatrical release of "Mobile Police Patlabor EZY File 2" on August 14, 2026, the franchise has launched a pair of food-related collaborations. The "Mobile Police Patlabor EZY Shanghai Tei Chinese-style Curry" recreates the recipe left by Hayao Sakimiya, the former owner of Shanghai Tei, a restaurant that appears in the film. Developed with Tadashi Iwamoto, chairman of the Japan Western Food Association, the 180g curry retails for 864 yen and uses ingredients common in Chinese cuisine such as pork, bamboo shoots, sweet bean sauce, oyster sauce, and shiitake mushrooms. Buyers who purchase it together with the simultaneously released Nosan Nika Rice 1kg will receive a card featuring an illustration by Masami Yuuki. Separately, the standing soba chain Nadai Fuji Soba is running its annual collaboration with the series from August 10 to August 24 at eight stores, including the newly added Sangenjaya location. The collaboration features special visuals and tapestries based on the Korokke Soba menu item, and select stores will display Patlabor figures in sample cases.
The Patlabor EZY anime project announced on August 10, 2026, that its third compilation film, "File 3," will open in Japanese theaters on March 5, 2027. The announcement came with a teaser trailer, a new visual, and details on two new cast members and a new mecha. Kaori Nazuka voices Kaoru Mitarai, the pilot of the new AV-17 Sentinel unit, and Taku Yashiro voices Takuya Niiro, the unit's commander. The AV-17 Sentinel has been in service with the First Special Vehicles Division since 2017 and features rear entry for pilot boarding, high mobility, and a riot shield compatible with the Ingram. The Blu-ray Disc for "File 3" will ship on March 12. The film contains the seventh and eighth episodes of the eight-episode anime, telling a two-part story. "File 1" opened on May 15, and "File 2" opens on August 14. The story is set in the 2030s, where AI-driven autonomous robots are replacing piloted Labors, and SV-2 continues its crime-prevention duties with upgraded AV-98Plus Ingram units. Yutaka Izubuchi directs at J.C. Staff, with Kazunori Ito writing the script.
The official Patlabor X account posted the trailer from the end credits of Mobile Police Patlabor EZY File 1 that carried the credit "trailer approval: Mamoru Oshii." The trailer closely follows the preview for Oshii's 1991 film Kerberos: The Cerberus of Hell, and was planted by storyboard artist Shinji Higuchi.
Bandai Spirits announced a ROBOT魂 action figure of the Ingram Plus (AV-98Plus) Unit 2 from the new anime Patlabor EZY. Preorders open August 3, 2026, with a January 2027 release. The figure includes weapons, hands, an alternate head, and a newly sculpted Type 17 command vehicle.
Pia Corporation released Mobile Police Patlabor: Shibashigeo Pia on August 5 to commemorate Mobile Police Patlabor EZY. The book focuses on Shibashigeo, with interviews with voice actor Shigeru Chiba and director Yutaka Izubuchi, plus a new cover by Akemi Takada. It includes bonuses like an A3 poster and postcards.
A retrospective screening and talk event for Mobile Police Patlabor EZY File 1 will be held on July 26, 2026, at United Cinemas Toyosu. Director Yutaka Izubuchi, screenwriter Kazunori Ito, and storyboard artist Shinji Higuchi will appear. Attendees receive a printed booklet of the 130-page Episode 3 storyboard.
Bandai Spirits has announced the RG 1/48 scale plastic model kit of the AV-98Plus (Ingram Plus) from the film "Mobile Police Patlabor EZY." The kit is scheduled for release on June 6, 2026, priced at 6,050 yen including tax. The Ingram Plus is an upgraded version of the Type 98 AV Ingram that first entered service in 1998. In the film, set in the 2030s, the unit has been repeatedly overhauled over nearly 40 years, leading some police officers to mock it as a "junker." The RG kit includes gimmicks such as an opening and raising cockpit hatch, a revolver cannon stored in the legs that can be drawn out, and a stun stick that can be pulled from the shield. It also features an internal frame, real metallic gloss injection for silver parts, a deployable chest floodlight, and a pilot figure. The package illustration was revealed on June 3, drawing positive social media reactions about the box art and the mecha's profile. Some fans expressed hope for a future kit of the Type Zero from the same film.
Bandai Spirits Hobby Division has released new product images of the RG 1/48 AV-98Plus (Ingram Plus) plastic model kit from Mobile Police Patlabor EZY. The kit features an internal frame for wide articulation, metallic gloss injection on silver parts, a deployable chest searchlight, a stun stick that stores in the shield, and detailed cockpit hatches with a lift mechanism. The legs include a revolver cannon drawer gimmick and deployable spare ammunition. It is scheduled for release on June 6, 2026, priced at 6,050 yen.
Yutaka Izubuchi, mechanical designer and HEADGEAR member, directed a Patlabor title for the first time with the theatrical film Mobile Police Patlabor EZY. In an interview, he discussed the series' 38-year history, the meaning of the title, and the ending theme by Mariko Nagai.
The third-week visitor gift for Mobile Police Patlabor EZY File 1 is a B6-size Ingram Plus Deck-Up Card that can be cut out and stood up. A talk event called Bucchan's Room Part 2 has also been announced, with guests including scriptwriter Kazunori Ito and original character designer Masami Yuuki.
The Patlabor EZY 'File 1' film opened at #8 in the Japanese box office, while the live-action Shōjiki Fudōsan film debuted at #4. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie returned to #1 in its fourth weekend, and Detective Conan: Highway no Datenshi held at #3 in its sixth weekend.
Bandai Namco Filmworks released a new video for the Patlabor EZY anime project on Thursday, introducing the main characters of the Special Vehicles Division 2. The project consists of eight episodes released as three theatrical films. The first film, File 1, debuted on May 15, 2026, and contains the first two episodes in an omnibus format. File 2 follows on August 14, 2026, with episodes four through six, and File 3 arrives in March 2027 with the final two episodes as a two-part story. The story is set in the 2030s, where Labors have become commonplace and are increasingly replaced by autonomous robots. SV2 still uses a tuned-up version of the SV-98 Ingram. The cast includes Sumire Uesaka as Towa Kuga, Kikunosuke Toya as Kippei Atori, Ami Koshimizu as Saki Hirata, Chikahiro Kobayashi as Akihiko Hazama, Setsuji Sato as Yuta Yanai, Yume Matsumura as Hachikuma Yuzuki, and Megumi Hayashibara as Kimika Saeki. Shigeru Chiba reprises his role as Shigeo Shiba. Yutaka Izubuchi directs at J.C. Staff, with Kazunori Ito writing the script. Mori Calliope performs the opening theme, and Mariko Nagai performs the ending theme.
The long-delayed Patlabor sequel, Patlabor EZY, begins its theatrical rollout in Japan on Friday, May 15. First announced in 2017, the project went quiet for years before resurfacing with a multi-part release plan. The series consists of eight episodes split into three chapters. File 1 hits theaters this week, File 2 follows on August 14, and File 3 arrives in March 2027. Episodes 1 through 6 are standalone anthology entries, while episodes 7 and 8 form a continuous story. The sequel is set a few decades after the original Patlabor and follows a new cast of characters in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Special Vehicle Unit Section 2 Division 2. They pilot an upgraded version of the classic Ingram mecha, the AV98Plus Ingram Plus, and deal with problems caused by AI and autonomous robots. Yutaka Izubuchi, who directed Rahxephon and worked as mechanical designer on the original Patlabor, directs the series at J.C.Staff. Writer Kazunori Ito and composer Kenji Kawai return from the original staff. The opening theme is performed by VTuber Mori Calliope. A life-sized Ingram mecha was spotted on a truck in Tokyo ahead of the premiere.