Sunrise is producing multiple projects: a first-ever joint TV anime with SHAFT (Fool Night, streaming on Netflix in 2026), the Sunrise 50th Anniversary project (2026-2028) including six original 3DCG shorts, and the Gundam 50th Anniversary prologue short A Boy with Gundam. The Gundam Hathaway sequel also performed strongly at the Japanese box office.
Sunrise's recent activity centers on two anniversary milestones and an unprecedented studio collaboration. Bandai Namco Filmworks launched the Sunrise 50th Anniversary project in June 2026, a slate running through 2028 that includes six original 3DCG animated shorts produced with other studios. The first two shorts, Dice with Demon and Metafear, were revealed alongside the previously announced Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe. Separately, the Gundam 50th Anniversary prologue short A Boy with Gundam, directed by Tsukuro Hayakawa, debuted in May 2026 as part of the Road to 50 campaign, ahead of the actual 2029 anniversary.
In a move that drew industry attention, Sunrise and SHAFT announced their first-ever joint anime project on June 18, 2026, with a countdown to a full reveal. That reveal on June 23 disclosed the project is an adaptation of the manga Fool Night, produced by both studios and streaming worldwide on Netflix in 2026. The series is directed by Atsuyuki Yukawa and features Koki Uchiyama and Minako Kotobuki in lead roles. This is the first time the two studios have jointly produced a TV anime.
The Gundam franchise remains a strong performer. The sequel in the Gundam Hathaway trilogy, which premiered in Japan in January 2026, grossed over 2.7 billion yen nationally, exceeding the first film's 2.23 billion yen. The film was noted for replicating Yoshiyuki Tomino's storytelling style despite pacing issues. Together, these projects show Sunrise leveraging its legacy franchises while also expanding into new collaborations and original works.
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Premium Bandai opens reservations September 8 at 11:00 for three Gunpla kits tied to the MS IGLOO OVAs, all shipping in March 2027. The Zaku Ground Combat Set and Ground Combat Gundam Ground Combat Set, both from MS IGLOO 2: Gravity Front, cost 3,080 yen each. The EX Model Hildolfr from MS IGLOO: The Hidden One Year War returns at 8,580 yen.
Sunrise's 50th anniversary Armored Trooper Votoms film The Grey Witch, directed by Mamoru Oshii, revealed its full main cast. Shinichiro Miki, Yuki Kaji, Yuichi Nakamura, Tomokazu Sugita, Takahiro Sakurai, and Sumire Uesaka join previously announced Miyuki Sawashiro and Mafumi Ando. Set at the end of the Hundred Years War, the film opens nationwide November 20, 2026, and a 30-second trailer was shown.
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, the 2001 feature set between episodes 22 and 23 of the Cowboy Bebop TV series, is returning to Japanese theaters in a 4K remastered version starting October 30, 2026. The remaster was created under the full supervision of director Shinichiro Watanabe, who said he hopes audiences will experience "the crystallization of the passion and soul we poured into this work, in the darkness of a movie theater." The announcement came with a new 25th anniversary visual drawn by Toshihiro Kawamoto, the film's character designer and animation director, with background art by Atsushi Morikawa and main title design by Toshiaki Uesugi of Mach 55. The film follows Spike Spiegel and the Bebop crew as they chase a 300 million woolong bounty tied to a bioterror incident on Mars, a case that leads them to a man who was supposed to have died in a past war.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash - The Witch of Kirke begins unlimited streaming on Amazon Prime Video at midnight on Monday, August 31, 2026. Prime members can also rent or purchase the film, with rental at 550 yen and purchase at 2,550 yen. The film runs 1 hour 46 minutes.
The Gundam x Hololive collaboration revealed its second wave of pilot suit designs, mobile suits, and chibi figures for six talents: Oozora Subaru, Usada Pekora, Tsunomaki Watame, Mori Calliope, IRyS, and Todoroki Hajime. The new additions bring the total displayed to 12. A special booth at TOKYO Toy Show 2026 will show the latest project information and products.
Bandai Namco Filmworks announced at Anime NYC 2026 that the Fool Night anime will stream worldwide on Netflix starting November 26, with all episodes released at once. The series is the first collaboration between Sunrise and Shaft, directed by Atsuyuki Yukawa, who previously worked as a unit director on Suzume. The second teaser trailer and new cast were revealed alongside the date. Junya Enoki voices Akira Yatsuki, deputy head of the personnel department at the Fourth Tenka Institute; Aya Endo voices Saeko Kano, a former soldier and Akira's bodyguard; and Kiyomitsu Mizuuchi voices Jin Hiragishi, head of the 'Nashi Division' who hires protagonist Toshiro Kamiya. Previously announced cast includes Kouki Uchiyama as Toshiro Kamiya and Minako Kotobuki as Yomiko Horai. The staff includes series composer Jin Tanaka of Oshi no Ko, character designer Robert Sato, sound director Yota Tsuruoka, and music composer Tatsuya Kato of Dr. Stone. The manga by Kasumi Yasuda has been serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Superior since November 2020, with 13 volumes released.
Bandai Namco Filmworks announced a paid membership tier for the Sunrise official YouTube channel, launching September 1. The first offerings are full series streams of Armored Trooper Votoms and Future GPX Cyber Formula, including OVAs and films. Members get badges and stamps, plus a making-of video for the new Votoms film.
NASA has changed the launch vehicle for its SunRISE mission, which studies solar storms using six CubeSats, from ULA's Vulcan Centaur to SpaceX's Falcon Heavy. The reason was not disclosed, though the change follows anomalies in two of Vulcan Centaur's four launches. The launch date remains undetermined.
Bandai Namco Filmworks announced on July 24 that the 23rd installment of free streaming on the official Sunrise YouTube channel will add 'Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere' and 'Cross Ange: Rondo of Angel and Dragon' for the first time. Both series will release episodes 1 through 6, starting August 7 and September 18 respectively.
Bandai will release a set of Gashapon figures from the 'Machibouke' series featuring characters and mobile suits from the anime Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. The lineup includes four types: Amate Yuzuriha (also known as Machu), Nyaan, Shuji Ito, and the GQuuuuuuX mobile suit itself. The figures are made of PVC, with characters standing approximately 3 cm tall and mobile suits about 3.5 cm. Each figure costs 400 yen (tax included). Orders will be accepted on the Gashapon Online store from June 25, 2026 at 11:00 JST through July 5, 2026 at 23:59 JST. Delivery is scheduled for around late September 2026. Bandai notes that the figures may also appear in capsule vending machines nationwide before the delivery date. Orders will close once the planned quantity is reached. The announcement was made on June 24, 2026 via Dengeki Hobby Web. The series is produced by Bandai and is licensed under Sotsu and Sunrise.
The manga Fool Night by Kasumi Yasuda will receive a television anime adaptation produced by Sunrise and Shaft, the first collaboration between the two studios, Netflix announced on June 23 during its Anime Studio Focus panel at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. The series will stream worldwide on Netflix in 2026. Director Atsuyuki Yukawa, who worked as a unit director on Suzume, will helm the project, with Jin Tanaka handling series composition, Tatsuya Kato composing the music, and Yota Tsuruoka directing sound. The cast includes Koki Uchiyama as protagonist Toshiro Kamiya and Minako Kotobuki as Yomiko Horai. A teaser trailer and visual were also released. Yasuda's manga, which launched in Shogakukan's Big Comic Superior in November 2020, has 12 compiled volumes and a cumulative print run of approximately 600,000 copies across 17 countries. It ranked 12th in the male reader list of Kono Manga ga Sugoi 2023.
Sunrise and SHAFT have launched a new anime project together, marking the first collaboration between the two studios. The announcement came on Thursday via a newly created official X account, which began a countdown to a full reveal scheduled for June 23 at 24:30 JST (effectively June 24 at 12:30 a.m.). The account posted a teaser video featuring color script artwork, offering a glimpse into the project's visual direction. Bandai Namco Filmworks, Sunrise's parent company, confirmed the project is an original animation. Sunrise is known for franchises including Mobile Suit Gundam, Love Live!, and Code Geass, while SHAFT is recognized for its distinct visual style in works like Puella Magi Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series. The project's title, format, story, and production staff are expected to be announced when the countdown concludes next week.
Bandai Namco Filmworks announced the Sunrise 50th Anniversary project, running from 2026 to 2028, to mark 50 years since the first Sunrise-branded work, Muteki Chōjin Zambot 3, in 2027. The project includes a key visual of 50 selected works and the Mirai e no Kōro short film project, which will produce six original 3DCG animated shorts in collaboration with other studios. The first two shorts, Dice with Demon and Metafear, were revealed, and the previously announced Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe is also part of the initiative.
The film premiered in Japan in January 2026 and grossed over 2.7 billion yen nationally, outperforming the first film's 2.23 billion yen. The review notes the movie successfully replicates Yoshiyuki Tomino's storytelling style but struggles with pacing in its first two-thirds.
Bandai Namco and Sunrise released a nearly six-minute animated short on Thursday as the opening piece of the Gundam 50th Anniversary Project. The video, titled A Boy with Gundam, debuted during the Conference Spring 2026 presentation and is available on the official English and Japanese Gundam channels. It is set in the real world and follows a grandfather who, while visiting a life-size moving Gundam statue with his family, recalls how the original Mobile Suit Gundam shaped his life from childhood onward. Amuro Ray and other pilots appear in flashback sequences, and the short closes with a montage of franchise references. The song Kinjito by the group PEOPLE 1 plays over the footage, and the English upload carries subtitles for the lyrics. Tsukuro Hayakawa directed, storyboarded, and handled CG direction. Shinya Watada served as unit director. Juri Toida designed the animation characters, and Bandai Namco Studios' Yasuto Morioka provided the original character designs. The actual 50th anniversary arrives in 2029, and Bandai Namco is assembling a slate of projects under the Road to 50 banner ahead of that date.