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Toshihiko Takamizawa of THE ALFEE is writing a song for Mamoru Oshii’s new VOTOMS film. Nobody saw that combination coming.
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Gray Witch is an all-new theatrical anime produced to mark Sunrise’s 50th anniversary, and its theme song has been confirmed as Mika Nakashima’s “Na mo Naki Shijin no Yo ni.” Takamizawa wrote the track, and Sony Music Labels is releasing it. The film opens Friday, November 20, 2026.
Mamoru Oshii directs, Hajime Yatate and Ryosuke Takahashi are credited with the original work, and Takahashi also supervises the film. Kenji Kawai handles the music and Kunio Okawara is credited with the original mechanical design. If you know the TV series, that list of names alone is enough to make you brace yourself.
This article runs through the theme song and the people behind it, the release date and where the story sits on the timeline, the full staff list including the director and cast, and the schedule and ticket price for the opening-day stage greetings.
Who sings the theme song for Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Gray Witch?
The theme song is “Na mo Naki Shijin no Yo ni,” sung by Mika Nakashima and written for her by Toshihiko Takamizawa of THE ALFEE. Sony Music Labels is handling the release.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Theme song | Na mo Naki Shijin no Yo ni |
| Vocals | Mika Nakashima |
| Songwriting | Toshihiko Takamizawa (THE ALFEE) |
| Label | Sony Music Labels |
A pre-release teaser and a theme song trailer went out alongside the announcement. Nakashima had this to say about the track.
From the moment I heard the intro, Takamizawa-san’s one-of-a-kind world and the scenery of the anime opened up in front of me, and I was pulled straight into the story
Source: Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Gray Witch official site
Takamizawa’s own comment digs in further. “It is not about belting out hope, but neither is it about sinking down into despair. I felt there was a ‘power of song’ here that stands in the space between the two and lights a small lamp deep in the dark.”
That word, the space between, is what cuts to the heart of VOTOMS. The story of a soldier riding an Armored Trooper is a story that keeps going in a place that is neither victory nor defeat. In the sense that the film has landed on a song that is neither a chest-thumping rock number nor a damp lament, this is a casting choice that understands the body temperature of the work. …Although I am hardly in a position to say so, given that my mental image of Takamizawa had stalled at the guy who swings a guitar around.
When does it open? How the timeline differs from the TV series
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Gray Witch opens nationwide in Japan on Friday, November 20, 2026. This is the first film, and a second one is said to be announced at a later date.
The TV series, which aired in 1983, was set after the end of the Hundred Years War. This film is set during the war’s final phase. It is a drama about soldiers riding the Scopedog Armored Trooper, and the Balarant forces’ AT, the Fatty, makes its first appearance.
Which means you can get in from the earlier end of the timeline without having watched the TV series. Conversely, for anyone who has followed the franchise, this is the story of the battlefield Chirico was thrown into back when it was “still going.” Keep that order straight and the footage in the trailer starts to mean something different.
The main visual is a new piece drawn by character designer Takashi Kojima, showing Ash in the cockpit with a Scopedog standing behind.
Who directs, and who is in the cast? The full staff list
Mamoru Oshii directs. He co-writes the script with Kei Yamamura, the original work is credited to Hajime Yatate and Ryosuke Takahashi, and Takahashi doubles as supervisor.
| Role | Credit |
|---|---|
| Director and script | Mamoru Oshii (script co-written with Kei Yamamura) |
| Original work and supervision | Hajime Yatate, Ryosuke Takahashi (Takahashi supervises) |
| Character design | Original concept Kazuchika Kise / Tetsuya Nishio, Takashi Kojima, Shingo Ogiso |
| Mechanical design | Original Kunio Okawara / Shinobu Tsuneki, Yudai Sono, Ju Ishiguchi, Wataru Inada |
| Music and sound direction | Music Kenji Kawai / sound director Kazuhiro Wakabayashi |
| Production | Planning and production Sunrise / production support Production I.G / distribution Bandai Namco Filmworks |
Fourteen cast members in total
Miyuki Sawashiro plays the lead, Ash Vamps. Mabuki Ando plays Maki Stauffenberg and Shinichiro Miki plays Alix Ballack.
| Character | Japanese VA |
|---|---|
| Ash Vamps | Miyuki Sawashiro |
| Maki Stauffenberg | Mabuki Ando |
| Alix Ballack | Shinichiro Miki |
| Ignis Schweinsteiger | Yuki Kaji |
| Fritz Gersdorff | Yuichi Nakamura |
| Brunhard Muller | Satoshi Tsuruoka |
| Adrian Deisler | Tomokazu Sugita |
| Matt Hummels | Kenta Miyake |
| Soltig van Gunnar | Chafurin |
| Vido Hildebrandt | Hochu Otsuka |
| Mateusz Julian Podolski | Daisuke Ono |
| Weisweiler | Takayuki Sugo |
| Oliver | Takahiro Sakurai |
| Girl mechanic | Sumire Uesaka |
Hochu Otsuka and Chafurin take the heavier roles, while the younger-leaning Yuki Kaji and Yuichi Nakamura are placed on the front line. Casts in Mamoru Oshii films are defined by the length of the dialog and how much weight the monologues carry, so I suspect putting Sumire Uesaka in as the girl mechanic will turn out to be more important than it looks.
Where are the opening-day stage greetings held?
The opening-day stage greetings take place on Friday, November 20, 2026, at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku. The 17:00 screening has its greeting after the film, and the 20:10 screening has its greeting beforehand.
| Screening | Greeting timing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 17:00 screening | After the film | Flat special-event price, US$20 (tax included, converted at roughly 153 yen to the dollar) |
| 20:10 screening | Before the film | Flat special-event price, US$20 (tax included) |
Mamoru Oshii, Miyuki Sawashiro, Mabuki Ando, Shinichiro Miki, and Yuki Kaji are scheduled to appear, with Mafia Kajita hosting. Note that the price is the flat special-event rate of US$20 (tax included), not standard admission.
Chances to see Mamoru Oshii take the stage on opening day do not come around often. If you want to hear the director explain how the film is built in his own words, these two screenings are the shortest route to it.
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In summary: opening November 20, with a theme song pairing Mika Nakashima and Toshihiko Takamizawa
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Gray Witch is an all-new production marking Sunrise’s 50th anniversary, and it opens nationwide in Japan on Friday, November 20, 2026. The theme song is Mika Nakashima’s “Na mo Naki Shijin no Yo ni,” written by Toshihiko Takamizawa and released through Sony Music Labels. This is the first film, and a second one is said to be announced at a later date.
Mamoru Oshii directs and co-writes, the original work is credited to Hajime Yatate and Ryosuke Takahashi (with Takahashi supervising), Kenji Kawai composes, Kunio Okawara is credited with the original mechanical design, Sunrise handles planning and production, Production I.G provides production support, and Bandai Namco Filmworks distributes. The setting is the final phase of the war, earlier than the TV series, and the Balarant forces’ AT, the Fatty, makes its first appearance. The opening-day stage greetings are at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku for the 17:00 and 20:10 screenings, at a flat special-event price of US$20 (tax included).
Take the combination of Mamoru Oshii, Kenji Kawai, and Kunio Okawara, then add production support from Production I.G. Dropping a Mika Nakashima and Toshihiko Takamizawa theme song on top of that is a surprisingly straightforward choice given how heavy the material is. Takamizawa’s phrase about the space between hope and despair also happens to be a summary of what VOTOMS has been doing for more than 40 years. Setting the story in the war’s final phase should work as an on-ramp for anyone who has never seen the TV series, too.
Opening day is November 20. If you are going after one of the two Shinjuku screenings, just do not forget that the price is a flat US$20.
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