We already knew that the new Ghost in
the Shell anime was coming on July 7, 2026. What we didn't
know for sure was where. Now it's confirmed: the Science SARU series
will be available on Prime Video simultaneously in more
than 240 countries and regions on the same day of its
premiere, making it one of the most accessible anime releases of the year from
the get-go.
The distribution strategy is direct:
simultaneous premiere on television and streaming on July 7, with no waiting
windows by region. The new trailer released alongside this announcement
reinforces the visual and atmospheric tone of the series, further anticipating
the creative direction that the Science SARU team is taking with the material.
The first two episodes already had their world
premiere at the Annecy International Animation Festival in
June, and on July 4 there will be a screening at the Anime
Expo followed by a panel featuring director Mokochan,
character designer Shuhei Handa, and other members of the team. For
a franchise with the historical weight of Ghost in the Shell, presenting itself
in Annecy before the official premiere is a move that speaks to the ambitions
that the production has.
The Production Team
Mokochan makes his directorial debut in this
project within Science SARU. The scripts and composition of
the series are in charge of Toh Enjoe. Character design and lead
animation direction are the responsibility of Shuhei Handa. The
music is directed and composed by Taisei Iwasaki, Ryo
Konishi and Yuki Kanesaka. The production committee is
made up of Bandai Namco Filmworks, Kodansha, Science
SARU and Production I.G.
About Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell (Kokaku Kidotai) is one of the most influential
franchises in Japanese science fiction, originating in the manga by Masamune
Shirow in 1989. Mamoru Oshii's 1995 film redefined
what anime could do as a means of philosophical and visual expression, and
since then the franchise expanded through series such as Ghost in the
Shell: Stand Alone Complex and multiple additional adaptations. The
new version of Science SARU was announced in May 2024 and represents the
studio's debut in one of the most demanding universes of Japanese anime, with a
global distribution on Prime Video that gives it an unprecedented scale of
scope for the franchise.
