A new installment in the Armored Trooper Votoms mech franchise has been unveiled in the form of Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe. It’s directed by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor the Movie, Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer), produced by Sunrise (with Production I.G assisting), and will deploy in 2026.
A short video was also released, previewing some mechs moving through a forest at night.
In addition to the new Armored Trooper Votoms animation’s announcement, there’s a visual for Sunrise’s 50th anniversary, featuring human characters or mechanical objects from Mobile Suit Gundam, Armored Trooper Votoms, Cowboy Bebop, Love Live!, and more. Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe is meant to be a commemoration project for this anniversary.
The original Armored Trooper Votoms TV anime began airing in April 1983, slightly more than a decade after Sunrise’s founding in 1972, and almost four decades before Sunrise became Bandai Namco Filmworks after a reorganization (today, Sunrise is still used as a brand name). The 52-episode “real robot” series was created and directed by Ryosuke Takahashi (MUTEKING THE Dancing HERO chief director, Gasaraki director, Young Black Jack series composer and supervisor), with mechanical designs from Kunio Okawara (Mobile Fighter G Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam Seed co-mechanical designer, Mobile Suit Gundam). HIDIVE describes the synopsis as such:
The series revolves around Chirico Cuvie, a battle-worn soldier who accidentally becomes involved in a mission to steal military secrets from allied forces. However, during the mission, he discovers that the real reason behind the assignment is a beautiful woman locked inside a container. Barely escaping alive and running from his own army, he’ll have to fight to unravel the truth behind the betrayal, the mysterious woman, and the conspirators who will do anything to silence him.
Armored Trooper Votoms later inspired a number of OVAs, including 2011’s Armored Trooper Votoms: Chirico’s Return. It is also considered as a visual influence on the Heavy Gear universe from Canadian company Dream Pod 9. According to comic book artist and illustrator Tim Eldred, who created the Votoms Viewer’s Guide, Dream Pod 9 (then-Ianus Publications) originally tried to get the rights to produce a Armored Trooper Votoms RPG after getting a copy of the guide, and created Heavy Gear when they failed.
Source: Gundam website
