Japanese studio Science SARU will make a new Ghost in the Shell anime based on Masamune Shirow’s cyberpunk manga [2]. The committee announced the news on October 23, confirming that another screen adaptation has entered production after the TV run that aired earlier this year. Staff shared early flyers during an apparel preview in Tokyo [1].
Surprise Reveal at Dover Street Market
The official reveal came unexpectedly during a private media preview at DOVER STREET MARKET GINZA in Tokyo. Reporters and industry guests attending the press preview session for the OPEN HOUSE public event received printed flyers saying animation work had begun on a new anime [2]. The gathering took place ahead of an exclusive retail release set for October 24, where visitors can buy limited clothing made in an official partnership with street fashion label GEEKS RULE. Staff handed the flyers to attendees before pictures circulated on social media. The prints gave guests their first look at the official announcement visual for Ghost in the Shell, revealing the project to the public for the first time [1].
Flyers soon led to an online update. The @thegits_animeEN account on X posted a teaser visual confirming that Science SARU will return to animate the new anime [1, 2]. But staff didn’t share a release date, episode count, or broadcast format [1]. Work continues at the Tokyo studio [2].
Event staff paired the news with street fashion by placing prints next to limited jackets and shirts made with GEEKS RULE before sales begin on October 24. The pop-up opened in Ginza [1]. Media guests received the printed flyers before any public video stream appeared online [2].
New Ghost in the Shell Project Production
The announcement visual gives fans early clues about the anime [1]. It carries a copyright line for writer Masamune Shirow, publisher Kodansha, and the production committee [2]. While story points stay secret, the image points to fresh missions for Major Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 [1]. Science SARU animated the 2026 TV run, and the studio will lead animation duties once more [2]. Animators aim to build on the visual style set in the first season [1].
Key creators shaped the 2026 TV run. Director Mokochan, who worked as an assistant director on the first season of DAN DA DAN, led the team to match the tone of the manga. Novelist EnJoe Toh, who wrote books like Self-Reference ENGINE and Code Buddha after working on Godzilla Singular Point, supervised series composition and scripts, while Shuhei Handa designed characters and served as executive animation director [1, 2]. Emi Katanosaka directed art under supervisor Osamu Masuyama, while Satoshi Hashimoto picked colors, Hikari Ito directed compositing, and Taisei Iwasaki composed music with Ryo Konishi and Yuki Kanesaka. Sound director Yuji Tange and sound effects artist Shota Yaso shaped audio [1].
Veteran voice actors brought Section 9 to life on TV. Maaya Sakamoto voiced cyborg leader Motoko Kusanagi, joined by Hiroki Yasumoto as Batou and Yuichi Nakamura as Togusa. Kazuhiro Yamaji voiced department chief Daisuke Aramaki. Toru Nara voiced sniper Saito, Kousuke Goto played Ishikawa, Atsushi Miyauchi voiced Borma, and Yuuya Uchida played Paz. Kikuko Inoue voiced the Puppet Master [1].
The 2026 Television Adaptation Broadcast
The previous anime debuted on Japanese TV on July 7, 2026. Networks aired episodes on ‘Ka-Anival!!’, a late-night block run by Kansai TV and Fuji TV on Tuesday nights at 11:00 p.m. to showcase new animated projects. Viewers tuned in each week as the team shared a fresh look at the cyberpunk story of Ghost in the Shell. The season ended after a run of 10 episodes, giving the story a regular late-night home on network TV [3].
Amazon Prime Video handled digital streaming. Japanese subscribers gained on-demand access on July 7 at 11:30 p.m. JST, just thirty minutes after the Fuji TV broadcast, while the service simultaneously streamed episodes to viewers in more than 240 countries and regions around the world. Only mainland China, Russia, and Vietnam were excluded from the global release [3].
The story followed Major Kusanagi in Japan in the year 2029. In a world tied by vast corporate networks, Kusanagi leads an offensive tactical unit known as the Shell Squad to fight cybercrime and international conspiracies. Her cyber team joins Daisuke Aramaki from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to track a hacker called the Puppet Master [1].
Franchise History and Manga Roots
Masamune Shirow created the cyberpunk manga in May 1989. The first chapters ran in Young Magazine Kaizokuban, a special issue from Kodansha [1]. Serialization ended in 1991 [2]. Shirow later wrote sequel books including The Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor and Man-Machine Interface [1].
Other writers grew the story in print. In 2019, Junichi Fujisaku launched The Human Algorithm to follow Section 9 after the Major left [2]. Spinoff books such as Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn and Glitch Witch told how the Puppet Master sought to merge with Kusanagi [1]. These books kept fans reading for decades [2].
Screen adaptations began in 1995 when director Mamoru Oshii directed the movie Ghost in the Shell, later returning to direct the sequel film Innocence in 2004. Kenji Kamiyama directed the popular TV series Stand Alone Complex from 2002 to 2005, followed by the television movie Solid State Society. Production I.G also made the Arise film series between 2013 and 2015, along with the 3D series SAC_2045 animated with SOLA DIGITAL ARTS from 2020 to 2022 [1, 2]. In 2017, Hollywood released a live-action film starring Scarlett Johansson. These diverse screen versions kept the cyberpunk story in front of audiences around the world for over thirty years [2].
Future of Ghost in the Shell Adaptations
Science SARU keeps a busy work schedule. It recently finished Jaadugar: A Witch’s Life in Mongol, which debuted on July 4. Sci-fi fans are following several big anime updates this season [2]. In another sci-fi franchise update, the Code Geass Star Chaser Aspal teaser outlined plans for a 2027 debut across upcoming seasonal anime broadcast schedules.
The committee has not yet named a release window or picked streaming partners. Science SARU and Kodansha have not set early trailer dates either [1]. But quick confirmation of another anime shows steady backing for the brand [2]. Official project channels plan to share updates as animation work moves ahead in Tokyo [1].
This follow-up project gives Science SARU room to adapt more plots from Masamune Shirow’s original Ghost in the Shell books. Having set the core dynamic between Kusanagi, Aramaki, and the Puppet Master in the first 10 episodes, the animation team can explore fresh parts of the printed manga world [1]. The studio’s bold visual style brings fresh energy to classic cyberpunk themes that have shaped science fiction in print and film for over thirty years [2]. Audiences can watch for official staff announcements, character sheets, and first teaser clips as production moves toward its screen debut [1]. Animators continue development in Tokyo under the oversight of the production committee as work proceeds [2].
- ONLINE NEWS Tan, M. (2026, October 23). Another Science SARU-Produced The Ghost in the Shell Anime Is on the Way. Anime Trending. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Jovanovic, M. (2026, October 23). Ghost in the Shell New Anime Project by Science SARU Announced. Anime Corner. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Anime News Network. (2026, October 23). Science Saru’s The Ghost in the Shell Gets New Anime Project. Anime News Network. [Article Link]
