Enjoying this article? Add us as a preferred source on Google.
Code Geass: Aspal of the Star Chase, an all-new entry in the Code Geass series, begins its theatrical event screening run in 2027. On November 5, 2026, the main visual, core staff, lead characters and cast were all unveiled at once, along with confirmation of advance preview screenings touring five major Japanese cities starting in January 2027.
The setting is the Roman Empire in the year 606 of the Divine Calendar. In an era when citizens suffer under Emperor Phocas’s tyranny and endless warfare, Aspal, a slave boy with no memories living in the imperial city of Neapolis, encounters Zoe, a mysterious woman who lives on as nothing but a head. Aiban Shibata voices Aspal, with Hibiku Yamamura as Zoe.
Kazuya Nomura of Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie directs, novelist Mado Nozaki handles series composition, Rorua is on character design, Taro Iwashiro scores the music, and Sunrise is handling animation production. Series veterans Ichiro Okouchi and Goro Taniguchi are credited on the story concept. The reveal also included Chronos, a new unit in the series’ Agalmata mech class.
This article covers the screening format and timing, the characters and cast, the staff, and what we know about the world so far. No Lelouch, no Britannia: what does this Code Geass inherit, and what does it throw out? Here is the answer the franchise gave us in its 20th anniversary year.
- Event screenings in 2027, with advance preview screenings touring five major cities from January 2027
- Set in the Roman Empire in year 606 of the Divine Calendar, following the slave boy Aspal and Zoe, who lives as a severed head
- Aiban Shibata plays Aspal and Hibiku Yamamura plays Zoe. The new mech is the Agalmata unit Chronos
- Kazuya Nomura directs, Mado Nozaki writes, with Ichiro Okouchi and Goro Taniguchi on story concept
First up: when and where you can actually see it.
When can you watch Code Geass: Aspal of the Star Chase? Event screenings in 2027, previews from January
The main production rolls out via event screenings in 2027. Not a TV series, but a theatrical event screening format. Ahead of that, advance preview screenings will tour five major Japanese cities beginning in January 2027. The city names, dates and how to attend were all unannounced as of November 6, 2026, and will be shared later through the official site and official X account.
The project’s existence first came to light on September 26, 2026, when a teaser dropped on the official YouTube channel. It showed a battlefield crisscrossed with arrows and something enormous and humanoid fighting, and announced the production as part of the series’ 20th anniversary push. Roughly a month and a half later, we got this full reveal.
| Item | Details (as of November 6, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Screening format | Event screenings |
| Screening start | 2027 (exact date unannounced) |
| Advance preview screenings | Touring five major Japanese cities from January 2027. Details to follow |
| Teaser video | Released September 26, 2026 |
| Official site/X | geass.jp/aspal/, @GEASS_Aspal |
The event screening approach is the same one Rozé of the Recapture used: show chapters in theaters first, then send them to TV broadcast and streaming afterward. Rozé moved to TV broadcast in July 2026, so I expect Aspal to follow the same path. That said, as of November 2026 there has been no announcement about TV broadcast or streaming.
What’s the story? The Roman Empire in year 606 of the Divine Calendar, a slave boy named Aspal, and a woman who lives as a severed head
The year is 606 of the Divine Calendar. Citizens of the Roman Empire are suffering under Emperor Phocas’s tyranny and a string of wars with neighboring states. Aspal, a slave boy with no memory of his past living in the imperial city of Neapolis, one day encounters Zoe, a mysterious woman who lives on as nothing more than a head. That meeting sets the story in motion. That is as far as the official synopsis goes.
A bespoke Divine Calendar, the Roman Empire, an emperor named Phocas. The historical Eastern Roman emperor Phocas lived in the early seventh century and was known for his brutal rule. Borrowing a real name while building the story on a timeline entirely separate from Britannia tells you a lot. The word “Geass” does not appear anywhere in the official information released so far. Whether “a woman who lives as a severed head” is this series’ counterpart to the immortal C.C. is something nobody can say yet.
In his announcement comment, director Kazuya Nomura said that while feeling the weight of building an entirely new world, he confronted the big theme of “what is happiness?” through protagonist Aspal. If Lelouch’s story was about destroying the world and rebuilding it, a slave boy’s story starts from the opposite end.
Who is in the cast? Aiban Shibata as Aspal, Hibiku Yamamura as Zoe, and Chronos as the new mech
Two main characters have been revealed. Aiban Shibata plays the slave boy Aspal, and Hibiku Yamamura plays the mysterious Zoe.
| Character | Role | Cast |
|---|---|---|
| Aspal | A slave boy living in Neapolis with no memory of his past. The protagonist | Aiban Shibata |
| Zoe | A mysterious woman who appears before Aspal, living as nothing but a head | Hibiku Yamamura |
Shibata said he has been playing the role while reflecting on the turbulence of Aspal’s life, hoping that the boy finds his own version of happiness by the end. Yamamura said she was drawn in by Zoe’s divine, otherworldly beauty and wants to carry the character’s soul as she performs. Names from the original series such as Jun Fukuyama as Lelouch or Yukana as C.C. were not part of this reveal.
The mechs here are called Agalmata. Not Knightmare Frames. Chronos was revealed as the new unit, with Yoshi credited on Agalmata design. It’s safe to assume that massive humanoid shape standing on the arrow-filled battlefield in the teaser was this.
Who is on the staff? Kazuya Nomura directs, Mado Nozaki writes, with Ichiro Okouchi and Goro Taniguchi on story concept
Kazuya Nomura is directing. He helmed Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie and Joker Game, which means he arrives from a somewhat different lineage than Sunrise’s usual robot shows. Series composition goes to Mado Nozaki, the novelist behind know, Babylon and Kado: The Right Answer, who also wrote anime scripts for Kado: The Right Answer and Babylon.
| Role | Staff |
|---|---|
| Original work/planning | Sunrise |
| Story concept | Ichiro Okouchi, Goro Taniguchi |
| Director | Kazuya Nomura |
| Series composition | Mado Nozaki |
| Character design | Rorua |
| Agalmata design | Yoshi |
| Music | Taro Iwashiro |
| Sound director | Kisuke Koizumi |
| Animation production | Sunrise |
Having Ichiro Okouchi and Goro Taniguchi side by side on story concept is a big deal. The two men who built Lelouch of the Rebellion lay the framework, and Mado Nozaki does the actual writing. CLAMP’s character designs are not carried over; Rorua’s art gives the series a different face. And since Taro Iwashiro has no history of scoring past entries, the sound will be new territory too.
Nozaki commented that he is charging ahead alongside Aspal through days of adventure in search of things never seen before. Anyone who knows how Kado: The Right Answer ends will not picture a gentle story when they hear that this is the writer tackling “what is happiness?”
Enjoying this article? Add us as a preferred source on Google.
Final thoughts: Code Geass: Aspal of the Star Chase hits event screenings in 2027, with previews from January
Code Geass: Aspal of the Star Chase is an all-new series entry rolling out through event screenings in 2027. Advance preview screenings run in five major Japanese cities from January 2027, with details to be announced later. The setting is the Roman Empire in year 606 of the Divine Calendar, where under Emperor Phocas’s tyranny a slave boy from Neapolis named Aspal (Aiban Shibata) meets Zoe (Hibiku Yamamura), a mysterious woman who lives as nothing but a head. Kazuya Nomura directs, Mado Nozaki handles series composition, Rorua does character design, Taro Iwashiro scores, Ichiro Okouchi and Goro Taniguchi are on story concept, and Sunrise is producing. The mechs are called Agalmata, and the new unit Chronos has been revealed.
Ditch Lelouch, ditch the Knightmare Frames, ditch CLAMP’s art, and start over with a slave in the Roman Empire. By putting this forward for the 20th anniversary, Sunrise is trying to make Code Geass a brand built on a storytelling voice rather than a specific setting. Installing Okouchi and Taniguchi on story concept is presumably how they guarantee that voice carries over. How Mado Nozaki’s take on “what is happiness?” resonates against the ending of Lelouch’s story is the thing to watch here.
I’m getting to one of those five cities for the January previews. If your homework isn’t done, knock out Rozé before the year’s out.
Leave a Reply