Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi is streaming all eight episodes on Disney+ and Hulu, having premiered August 5, 2026. The series expands the 2021 Visions short into a limited series from Production I.G.
Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi is a limited anime series from Production I.G that expands the 2021 Star Wars: Visions short into eight episodes. All eight premiered at once on August 5, 2026, on Disney+ and Hulu. Kenji Kamiyama, who wrote and directed the original short, returns as supervising director and series script supervisor; Shunsuke Tada directs and Hitoshi Ito produces, with Lucasfilm's Jacqui Lopez and Josh Rimes as executive producers. The project was announced at Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025. A sequel short, "The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope," debuted in Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 on October 29, 2025.
Promotion ran through the summer. Anime Expo announced a July 2 screening of the first episode with Tada, Ito, Kamiyama, and Lucasfilm executives. The first full trailer arrived during an Anime Expo panel and confirmed the August 5 date, and the final trailer began streaming August 3 in English dub and Japanese dub with English subtitles. The Japanese cast includes Chinatsu Akasaki as Lah Kara, Nao Omori as Nawaam, Tetsuo Kanao as Juro, Hiroshi Naka as Dunbay, Maaya Sakamoto as Tahoola, Nobuyuki Hiyama as Kwana, and Shinichiro Miki as Lah Zhima. Early impressions of the first episode cited recycled plot elements from The Phantom Menace and pacing compressed to short length; the animation drew praise, the mix of 3D CGI against 2D backgrounds did not.
In August, Tada said the villain Nawam's blue lightsaber was chosen to create surprise against the Sith red convention, and that Naruto character designer Tetsuya Nishio produced seven or eight helmet designs. In October, Kamiyama, Tada, and Ito described the Star Wars catalog as working reference, naming Clone Wars and the Star Wars Outlaws game as preparation.
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Anime News Network spoke with supervising director Kenji Kamiyama, series director Shunsuke Tada, and producer Hitoshi Ito about Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi. The three discussed their first encounters with Star Wars, from Kamiyama's Episode IV viewing at twelve to Ito's theatrical start with The Phantom Menace in eighth grade, and named Clone Wars and the Star Wars Outlaws game as their main preparation.
Director Toshihisa Tada revealed that Nawam, the new villain in Star Wars: Visions: The Ninth Jedi, wields a blue lightsaber to create surprise, breaking the Sith red convention. The character's design, including a Japanese-style helmet, was developed with Naruto character designer Tetsuya Nishio, who produced seven or eight helmet designs.
The official YouTube channels for Star Wars and Disney+ began streaming the final trailer for Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi on Monday, August 3, 2026. The limited anime series expands the story from the original Star Wars: Visions short, and all eight episodes will premiere at once on Wednesday, August 5, on Disney+ and Hulu. The trailer is available in both English dub and Japanese dub with English subtitles. Kenji Kamiyama, who wrote and directed the original short, returns as supervising director and series script supervisor. Shunsuke Tada directs the new series, with Hitoshi Ito producing and Lucasfilm's Jacqui Lopez and Josh Rimes as executive producers. Production I.G handles the animation. The Japanese cast includes Chinatsu Akasaki as Lah Kara, Nao Omori as Nawaam, Tetsuo Kanao as Juro, Hiroshi Naka as Dunbay, Maaya Sakamoto as Tahoola, Nobuyuki Hiyama as Kwana, and Shinichiro Miki as Lah Zhima, with several reprisals from the original short. The series was first announced at Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 as part of the Star Wars: Visions Presents initiative.
The staff of Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi revealed the Japanese voice cast on Friday. The limited series spinoff from the Star Wars: Visions project will premiere on August 5 on Disney+ and Hulu. The cast includes Chinatsu Akasaki reprising her role as Lah Kara, along with new cast members Nao Ōmori, Tetsuo Kanao, Hiroshi Naka, Maaya Sakamoto, Nobuyuki Hiyama, Shinichirō Miki, and others. Kenji Kamiyama returns as supervising director and series script supervisor, with Shunsuke Tada directing.
The first series under the Star Wars: Visions Presents banner, The Ninth Jedi, continues Lah Kara's story across eight episodes. Early impressions of the first episode cite recycled plot elements from The Phantom Menace and compressed pacing that feels more suited to a short. Production I.G's animation is praised, but the use of 3D CGI against 2D backgrounds is distracting. All episodes stream on Disney+ and Hulu from August 5.
Lucasfilm and Production I.G released the first full trailer for Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi during a panel at Anime Expo on Thursday. The trailer confirms the limited anime series will premiere on August 5 on Disney+ and Hulu. The panel also screened the first episode in Japanese with English subtitles. The series expands the story of "The Ninth Jedi," a short from the first Star Wars: Visions anthology volume in 2021. Kenji Kamiyama, who wrote and directed the original short, returns as supervising director and series script supervisor. Shunsuke Tada directs the new series. Hitoshi Itō produces, and Lucasfilm's Jacqui Lopez and Josh Rimes are executive producers. The project was first announced at Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025. A sequel short titled "The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope" debuted as part of Star Wars: Visions Volume 3, which premiered on October 29, 2025. The new series follows Kara, the daughter of lightsaber smith Juro, as the Jedi attempt to rebuild after the Order's fall.
Anime Expo announced a special screening of the first episode of the limited anime series Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi on July 2, with a panel featuring director Shunsuke Tada, producer Hitoshi Itō, supervising director Kenji Kamiyama, and Lucasfilm executives. The series premieres this summer on Disney+.