Production I.G's Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi debuted its first trailer at Anime Expo, confirming an August 5 premiere on Disney+ and Hulu.
Production I.G's Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi will premiere on Disney+ and Hulu on August 5, 2026. The first trailer for the limited anime series debuted at an Anime Expo panel on July 2, where attendees also received an early screening of the premiere episode in Japanese with English subtitles.
The Ninth Jedi first appeared as one of the standout entries in the original Star Wars: Visions anthology, which paired international animation studios with the Star Wars franchise for a collection of original anime shorts. Directed by Kenji Kamiyama and animated by Production I.G, the short introduced Kara, the daughter of legendary lightsaber smith Juro, in a story set during the rebuilding of the Jedi Order after its collapse. The episode quickly became a fan favorite, earning praise for its original characters and imaginative world-building within the Star Wars universe.
Lucasfilm first announced the series expansion at Star Wars Celebration Japan in 2025, signaling confidence in the story's potential for a longer format. A sequel short titled "The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope" then debuted as part of Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 on October 29, 2025, serving as a narrative bridge between the original short and the upcoming limited series.
The trailer was screened in both English-subtitled and English-dubbed versions during Anime Expo's "First Look" panel on July 2. Kenji Kamiyama returns as supervising director and series script supervisor, ensuring creative continuity with the original short that resonated with both anime fans and Star Wars audiences.
The series follows Kara as she navigates her path in a galaxy where the Jedi Order has fractured. Production I.G's signature visual quality is on full display in the trailer, blending the studio's established sci-fi anime expertise with the Star Wars aesthetic. Beyond the trailer debut, panelists screened the full premiere episode for attendees, giving the Anime Expo audience an exclusive early look at the series more than a month before its wider release.
Production I.G brings decades of sci-fi anime credentials to the project. The studio's portfolio includes landmark titles such as Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex which Kamiyama also directed and Psycho-Pass. That background in cerebral, action-driven science fiction positions the team well for a Star Wars story centered on the mysticism of the Force and the reconstruction of a fallen order.
Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi premieres August 5 on both Disney+ and Hulu, making the series accessible across Disney's two major streaming platforms in the United States. The limited series continues the Visions brand's mission of bringing distinct anime perspectives to the Star Wars galaxy, following two anthology volumes and a third collection that included the "Child of Hope" sequel short.
With the premiere roughly one month away, additional details on the full voice cast and episode count may emerge in the coming weeks. For now, the Anime Expo trailer and episode screening have set the stage for one of the summer's most anticipated anime-adjacent premieres.
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