TL;DR, Bandai Namco Filmworks revealed the new Armored Trooper Votoms film series, Die Graue Hexe, will be two films, with the first opening November 20. Mamoru Oshii directs, Ryosuke Takahashi supervises, and Kenji Kawai composes.

Bandai Namco Filmworks confirmed a new Armored Trooper Votoms anime as a two-film project titled Sōkō Kihei Votoms Haiiro no Hexe, or Armored Trooper Votoms Die Graue Hexe. The first film opens November 20 in Japan. G are producing.

The project matters for mecha fans because it pairs director Mamoru Oshii with franchise creator Ryōsuke Takahashi and composer Kenji Kawai. The announcement also included a teaser trailer, a teaser visual, and fresh staff details. Armored Trooper Votoms Die Graue Hexe brings back the grounded, real robot pedigree of the 1983 classic with a team known for serious sci-fi craft.

Pre-sales and model kit tie-ins were detailed alongside the film rollout, signaling an organized push across theaters and hobby channels.

Armored Trooper Votoms Die Graue Hexe release date and two-film plan

Bandai Namco Filmworks set a clear rollout. The new Votoms project is structured as two films, with the first opening in Japan on November 20. The company revealed the plan alongside a teaser trailer and visual.

A date for the second film was not yet confirmed at the time of the announcement.

If you are tracking the Votoms Die Graue Hexe release date, the headline is simple. The first film November 20 is locked. Everything else, including subsequent screenings and formats, will follow in separate updates from the producers.

G are on production duties, which points to a standard theatrical run before any downstream releases.

• A two MoviTicket Card set for the pair of films goes on sale May 16. Sales begin at the 64th Shizuoka Hobby Show and through an online retail outlet, per the distributor.
• Bandai Spirits plans a High Grade Scopedog model kit in Die Graue Hexe desert color this fall. A pre-assembled Hi-Meal R figure under Tamashii Nations is also slated. Prototypes will appear at the Shizuoka event.

These dates and tie-ins mark a coordinated start to Armored Trooper Votoms Die Graue Hexe. Fans who want physical extras can plan around May pre-sales and fall hobby releases. Those waiting for the second feature should keep an eye on official channels, since its schedule has not been announced.

For now, the target is November, when the first chapter brings VOTOMS back to the big screen.

Who is making Armored Trooper Votoms Die Graue Hexe

Mamoru Oshii directs the new feature pair. He called himself a huge fan of the original Votoms and described this as a dream project. In comments shared with the reveal, he addressed any skepticism tied to his experimental works and said he is treating this as a serious effort.

That alignment sets the tone for Mamoru Oshii Votoms at feature scale.

Series creator Ryōsuke Takahashi joins as supervisor. He noted that directors leave their own touch on films and said he looks forward to seeing Oshii’s touch on this story. For searchers tracking staff, this is the Ryousuke Takahashi Votoms link many hoped to see, placing the originator in a guiding role while giving Oshii the chair.

Composer Kenji Kawai reunites with Oshii, continuing a partnership that includes Ghost in the Shell and Patlabor 2: The Movie. His involvement, flagged as Kenji Kawai music Votoms in official materials, points to atmospheric scoring with a tech-noir edge. Mechanical design credits go to Shinobu Tsuneki and Yoshiro Sono, the latter known for Sōkō Kihei Votoms: AT Stories.

Their design work will define the VOTOMS units and battlefield hardware.

G, with Bandai Namco Filmworks handling the reveal. The staff mix blends franchise DNA and auteur direction. Oshii brings a methodical pace and layered staging.

Takahashi ensures continuity with the 1983 worldview. Kawai anchors the soundscape. Tsuneki and Sono shape the machines.

It is a compact, veteran team aligned to deliver Armored Trooper Votoms Die Graue Hexe with a familiar, hard-sci-fi texture.

What the teaser and visual hint about Armored Trooper Votoms Die Graue Hexe

Bandai Namco Filmworks rolled out a Votoms teaser trailer and a teaser visual alongside the staff reveal. The companies did not publish a scene-by-scene breakdown, but the creative team did frame expectations. Director Mamoru Oshii stated he is approaching the film as a serious war action story.

He acknowledged some might view the project with suspicion due to his more playful past work, then stressed that this film aims for weight and realism.

Supervisor Ryōsuke Takahashi added that each director leaves a signature. He said he is a fan of the Oshii touch and looks forward to seeing it applied to Votoms. That comment suggests a measured style, careful blocking, and attention to cause-and-effect in combat.

G specialize in grounded mecha, which supports that approach.

For context, the 1983 Armored Trooper Votoms defined real robot grit. It depicted mass-produced VOTOMS units as vulnerable machines that racked up high pilot casualties. Stories centered on battlefield attrition and conspiracy, not super-robot heroics.

Expect the new visuals to echo that lineage rather than glamorize invincible hardware, given what the filmmakers said.

Outside the footage, Bandai Spirits detailed companion items. A High Grade Scopedog model kit in Die Graue Hexe desert color is planned for fall, with a Tamashii Nations Hi-Meal R figure also on the way. Prototypes will be shown at the 64th Shizuoka Hobby Show.

While merchandise does not confirm plot points, it shows how Armored Trooper Votoms Die Graue Hexe is being positioned in stores and events as a return to classic, utilitarian mecha aesthetics.

Source: ANN