Studio Trigger Announces New Project from Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill Creators

Studio Trigger revealed a brand-new project at Anime Expo 2026, marking the fourth collaboration between director Hiroyuki Imaishi and screenwriter Kazuki Nakashima. No title, plot details, or release window have been disclosed yet.

A Legendary Creative Partnership Returns

Imaishi and Nakashima are responsible for some of the most explosive and beloved anime of the past two decades. Their first collaboration, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, debuted in 2007 and became a touchstone for mecha fans with its relentless escalation and raw emotional core. They followed it with Kill la Kill in 2013, Studio Trigger's flagship series that fused absurdist comedy with kinetic action and fashion-industry allegory. Their third joint venture, the 2019 theatrical film Promare, brought their signature maximalist style to the big screen and performed well at the global box office.

Each project pushed the boundaries of animation in different ways, and the announcement of a fourth outing has generated significant excitement among fans who have waited seven years since Promare for the duo to reunite.

Stacked Production Team

The staff sheet unveiled alongside the announcement reads like a reunion of the creative forces that defined Trigger's identity. Sushio, the animation director and character designer whose linework powered both Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill, returns in the dual role of animation director and designer. Shigeto Koyama, known for his bold mechanical and character designs across all three prior collaborations, is handling character and mechanical design once again.

Tomotaka Kubo takes the art director chair, while Saishi Ichiko is credited with logo design. Hiromi Wakabayashi, a longtime Trigger collaborator whose credits span Inferno Cop and Kill la Kill, is also attached to the project in an as-yet-unspecified role.

On the music side, composer Hiroyuki Sawano will score the project. Sawano is one of the most prolific and recognizable composers working in anime today, with credits including Attack on Titan, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, and 86: Eighty-Six. His bombastic orchestral style is a natural fit for the Imaishi-Nakashima brand of high-octane storytelling.

Production and Distribution Partners

SANZIGEN Animation Studio, the 3DCG house that collaborated with Trigger on Promare's CG-heavy action sequences, will handle 3DCG animation for the new project. The partnership proved highly effective in Promare, blending hand-drawn and CG elements into a seamless visual spectacle, and its continuation signals a similarly ambitious visual approach.

XFlag is attached as a production partner, while TOHO will distribute. TOHO's involvement as distributor suggests the project could be headed for a theatrical release, though no format has been confirmed. The distributor's anime portfolio has expanded significantly in recent years, with major titles bolstering its slate.

What Remains Unknown

Details are still scarce. Trigger has not revealed a title, story premise, setting, or target release window. The studio's official message asked fans to look forward to further announcements. Given the gap between the Promare announcement and its eventual premiere, it may be some time before substantial details emerge, though the depth of the staff reveal suggests production is already well underway.

A Pattern of Escalation

Imaishi and Nakashima's body of work follows a clear trajectory: each project has been bigger and bolder than the last, expanding in scope from a television mecha epic to a fashion-fueled action series to a theatrical feature. Whatever form the fourth collaboration takes, the creative pedigree and production infrastructure surrounding it point to another ambitious undertaking from one of anime's most distinctive creative partnerships. Further details are expected in the coming months as Trigger builds toward a formal title reveal.