The Ribbon Hero

The Ribbon Hero (Japanese: リボンヒーロー, Ribon Hīrō) is a 2026 Japanese animated film. It marks the feature directorial debut of Yuuki Igarashi. The film adapts Osamu Tezuka's manga series *Princess Knight* and is produced by Netflix and Twin Engine, with animation by Outline. Character designs are by Kei Mochizuki, with contributions from Mai Yoneyama and Issei Arakaki. The music was composed by Satoru Kosaki and Ryuichi Takada. The film’s theme song, "Reborn," is performed by Girls Archives.

The story begins with a monster named Nergal, which emerged from the Sea of Ash long ago and destroyed everything. Humanity failed to stop it until a warrior called the Ribbon Hero was awakened. In the present, Princess Sapphire, who has no powers, wakes up in the ruins of her castle after Nergal’s attack. She is awakened by Zirco, and they find her parents contaminated by Nergal’s spores. Sapphire refuses to leave, but Zirco forces her to escape. Everyone flees by ship, watching their homeland be destroyed.

After reaching the coast and hiding in an abandoned mine, Zirco makes an iron arm brace for Sapphire’s broken arm. The next morning, they wander across plains looking for a new home. In Goldland, a bread-deliverer named Pine meets two strangers who ask for bread. She invites them home, revealing they are Sapphire and Zirco, who have been starving for seven years and seek work. Pine’s father tells them mining crystals is the quickest way to earn money.

On mining day, they meet teammates Rock, Chorogy, Hecate, Chick, and Jack. While mining, the monster Ash King attacks. Sapphire falls into a crystal cavern and awakens her ribbon’s power, transforming into the Ribbon Hero, whom she calls the "Princess Knight." After driving the monster back, the group is summoned by Velvet, who warns that fighting the monster without precautions will destroy the area. The next day, Sapphire makes a pact with Velvet to defeat the Ash King. Velvet reveals Nergal is not native to their world and consumes human souls once their crystals are depleted. Sapphire battles Nergal inside the Pillar of Creation and unknowingly awakens a power that lets her transform into a white swan.

Three months later, the Partners inform the Pope that Nergal’s spores have appeared in the capital, prompting evacuation.