by The upcoming theatrical anime Armored Trooper Votoms: The Grey Witch (Hexe) has unveiled new details about its military machines, including the iconic Scope Dog, the heavily armoured Rising Beetle, and the Balalant army’s Blocker. The latest announcement also includes additional film stills featuring Ash Vamps and Maki Stauffenberg, giving fans a closer look at the characters and their equipment ahead of the movie’s premiere.
Directed by Mamoru Oshii, the new production is part of Sunrise’s 50th-anniversary celebration. The first film is scheduled to premiere in Japanese cinemas on November 20, 2026, while the second film’s release date has yet to be announced. The project marks a major new chapter for the long-running Armored Trooper Votoms franchise, which has attracted mecha anime fans for more than four decades.
The October 9 announcement focuses on the mechanical designs that will appear in the film. These machines are central to the series’ identity, where soldiers fight in compact humanoid weapons known as Armored Troopers, or ATs. Unlike giant robots portrayed as nearly invincible heroes, Votoms’ machines are military equipment operated by soldiers whose lives are often treated as expendable.
The newly revealed designs highlight the differences between the Gilgamesh and Balalant forces, as well as the specialised equipment used for combat and battlefield support. The updated visuals also include Maki in her pilot suit for the first time in the promotional materials.
With Oshii directing, veteran Votoms creator Ryosuke Takahashi supervising, and Sunrise handling planning and production alongside Production I.G, the film brings together an experienced creative team to explore a new story set during the final stages of the Hundred Years’ War.
Armored Trooper Votoms: The Grey Witch — Release Date and Latest Updates
Here are the main details confirmed for the upcoming theatrical project.
- Official title: Armored Trooper Votoms: The Grey Witch
- Japanese title: Sōkō Kihei Votoms: Haiiro no Hexe
- Project format: Two-part theatrical film series
- First film release: November 20, 2026
- Second film release: To be announced
- Director: Mamoru Oshii
- Original work: Hajime Yatate and Ryosuke Takahashi
- Script: Mamoru Oshii and Kei Yamamura
- Original mechanical design: Kunio Okawara
- Character design concept: Kazuya Kise
- Character designers: Tetsuya Nishio, Takashi Kojima, and Shingo Ogiso
- Music: Kenji Kawai
- Sound director: Kazuhiro Wakabayashi
- Planning and production: Sunrise
- Production assistance: Production I.G
- Distributor: Bandai Namco Filmworks
The first film is scheduled for release in Japan on November 20, 2026. The official website confirms that the project will consist of two theatrical instalments, although the release date for the second film remains unannounced.
Scope Dog: The Iconic Armored Trooper Returns
The Scope Dog remains one of the defining machines of the Votoms universe.
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The Scope Dog is one of the most recognisable machines in Armored Trooper Votoms. In The Grey Witch, the production team has revealed multiple versions of the machine, including desert-coloured, green, and commander variants.
The Scope Dog is designated ATM-09-VC in the new film. It is a mass-produced Armored Trooper used by the Gilgamesh military and designed to perform a wide range of battlefield tasks.
Rather than being a specialised machine built exclusively for one elite pilot, the Scope Dog is a practical combat unit that can be adapted to different environments and operational needs. Its widespread use and flexibility make it an important part of the franchise’s military setting.
Key Scope Dog features
The newly published mechanical information highlights several familiar systems:
- Triple-turret optical sensors: Three rotating optical lenses mounted on the head help the machine observe its surroundings.
- Roller-dash mobility: Wheels built into the legs allow rapid movement across suitable terrain.
- Arm Punch mechanism: The arms can extend to deliver powerful close-range strikes.
- Heavy machine gun: The weapon provides the Scope Dog with substantial conventional firepower.
- Automatic loading system: The new film’s version includes an automatic loading mechanism for the heavy machine gun.
The machine has also been adapted for the environment of Valkyria II, the planet where the film’s story takes place. These adjustments demonstrate how the military modifies its equipment to meet the demands of a particular battlefield.
Different Scope Dog variants
The newly released designs include several configurations.
The desert-coloured Scope Dog is adapted for the conditions on Valkyria II. Its appearance reinforces the harsh military environment in which the characters operate.
The green Scope Dog offers another colour variation of the same basic combat machine, while the commander variant expands the range of designs shown in the announcement.
The production team has also revealed the Scope Dog PK, a modified version intended for the Independent Propaganda Company. This unit has additional armour and improved communication and data-link capabilities for working alongside the Rising Beetle PK.
These differences are important because they show that the Scope Dog is not simply a single design repeated throughout the movie. Its equipment and configuration change depending on the role it must perform.
Rising Beetle: A Heavier Armored Trooper for Battlefield Support
Another major machine revealed in the latest announcement is the Rising Beetle, designated ATH-06-VC.
Unlike the Scope Dog, which belongs to the medium-class category, the Rising Beetle is a larger, heavy-class Armored Trooper. Its design emphasises armour protection, power, and battlefield support.
The machine was developed to operate behind frontline units and provide support to other combat vehicles. Its larger frame and stronger protection make it suitable for missions requiring more durability than a standard medium-class AT can offer.
The Rising Beetle also has different configurations for specific operational needs. The new mechanical information identifies the standard Rising Beetle and a specialised Rising Beetle PK variant.
What makes the Rising Beetle different?
The Rising Beetle is built around three main characteristics:
- Heavy-class construction: Its larger body distinguishes it from medium-class machines such as the Scope Dog.
- Thicker armour: Greater protection helps it operate in demanding battlefield conditions.
- High power output: Its design supports heavy-duty battlefield and support roles.
The Rising Beetle can also be equipped with an external control unit that allows it to function as the central system for directing artillery fire. This feature expands its usefulness beyond direct combat, giving it an important role in coordinating military operations.
Rising Beetle PK: A Specialised Version for Battlefield Reporting
The Rising Beetle PK is a modified two-seat version adapted for the Independent Propaganda Company.
Its design combines the original Rising Beetle head with a Scope Dog-style head unit, separating the pilot’s responsibilities from those of the rear-seat operator.
Additional cameras and transmission equipment are installed on its backpack, allowing the machine to record events across a wide area and send data quickly.
Its mission-data storage system has also been modified to help ensure that recorded footage can be brought back from the battlefield.
These features reflect the unit’s unusual assignment. Rather than focusing exclusively on destroying enemy machines, it supports the recording and reporting of military operations.
This detail is especially relevant to Maki Stauffenberg, whose assignment involves investigating Ash and documenting the truth about what happens on the battlefield.
Blocker: The Balalant Army’s Armored Trooper
The third major machine revealed is the Blocker, designated B·ATM-02-V. It is a medium-class Armored Trooper developed by the Balalant military.
The Blocker serves as a principal machine for the opposing force. Its inclusion provides a clearer look at the equipment used by the enemy and helps establish the military contrast between the two sides.
According to the official mechanical information, the Blocker is generally inferior to the Scope Dog in overall performance. The Balalant military has therefore been transitioning toward its successor, the Fatty, although the Blocker continues to see frontline service in its modified form.
The version featured in The Grey Witch has been adapted for the Valkyria battlefield.
The name “Blocker” is a designation used by the Gilgamesh military, with the term referring to an obstructer or hindrance.
Why the Blocker matters
The Blocker helps establish that the film’s combat is shaped by the equipment and resources available to each military force.
The Scope Dog’s versatility and performance contrast with the Blocker’s role as an older machine that remains in service despite the development of newer models.
This approach is consistent with the wider Votoms setting, where military hardware is treated as practical equipment rather than as magical or invulnerable weapons.
Machines can be modified, replaced, damaged, or lost. Their value comes from their capabilities and how effectively soldiers use them in battle.
For fans of mechanical design, the Blocker is an important addition because it broadens the range of machines showcased in the film’s new promotional materials.
New Film Stills Reveal Ash Vamps and Maki Stauffenberg
Alongside the mechanical designs, the production team has released new still images featuring Ash Vamps and Maki Stauffenberg.
One of the notable highlights is the first official reveal of Maki wearing her pilot suit. The image gives fans a closer look at her appearance as she prepares to enter the dangerous world of Armored Trooper combat.
The stills also provide additional glimpses of Ash, the soldier whose reputation has made her a source of fear and curiosity among the military.
The combination of character images and mechanical designs helps establish the relationship between the human drama and the machines that define the franchise.
Although the Armored Troopers are central to the action, the story focuses on the soldiers who pilot them and the consequences of fighting in a seemingly endless war.
The new images therefore serve two purposes: they introduce the film’s visual presentation while reinforcing the importance of Ash and Maki to the story.
Who Is Ash Vamps, the Soldier Known as the Grey Witch?
Ash Vamps is the central figure in Armored Trooper Votoms: The Grey Witch. Voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro, Ash is a soldier feared by others because she repeatedly survives missions that appear almost impossible to endure.
She belongs to the Third Company of a penal unit within the 601st Airborne Battalion. The group is made up of troublesome or otherwise difficult soldiers, and its unusual composition contributes to its reputation.
Ash has earned the nickname “the Witch” because she returns from dangerous operations as a survivor when others might not. Her continued survival makes her a subject of interest to military authorities.
Her reputation is also the reason Maki Stauffenberg is sent to investigate her.
The character is central to the film’s mystery. The question is not simply whether Ash is an exceptional pilot, but why she continues to survive under circumstances that appear to leave little room for escape.
Her story is closely connected to the brutal nature of the Hundred Years’ War and the way military organisations treat soldiers as expendable resources.
Maki Stauffenberg: The Officer Searching for the Truth
Maki Stauffenberg is a female officer in the 808th Independent Propaganda Company, voiced by Asami Ando.
She is assigned to a frontline base on Valkyria with the stated purpose of covering the war. However, she has a more important confidential mission: investigating Ash Vamps, the soldier known as the Witch.
Maki’s assignment brings her into contact with the Vamps platoon and exposes her to the dangers of frontline operations.
Rather than remaining an observer, she decides to participate in a high-risk assault mission as an Armored Trooper pilot. This choice puts her directly into the conflict she has been sent to investigate.
Her role creates an important contrast with Ash. Maki is trying to understand the truth behind Ash’s survival, while Ash is already deeply embedded in the harsh realities of battlefield life.
The film’s story is built around their encounter and the revelations that emerge as Maki follows Ash into increasingly dangerous situations.
What Is Armored Trooper Votoms: The Grey Witch About?
The new film is set during the final stages of the Hundred Years’ War, a conflict between the Gilgamesh and Balalant powers in the Astragius Galaxy.
The war has continued for nearly a century, leaving soldiers and civilians caught in a conflict whose original causes have become increasingly difficult to understand.
The story takes place on Valkyria II, the second planet of the Asgard system. Maki arrives at a frontline base and receives the confidential assignment to investigate Ash Vamps.
Ash belongs to a penal unit made up of soldiers who have been punished or assigned there for various reasons. Despite the unit’s difficult circumstances, Ash repeatedly returns alive from missions that appear nearly impossible to survive.
As Maki investigates her, she joins the unit for a dangerous forced-descent operation against enemy positions.
The mission rapidly becomes more desperate, and Maki begins to approach the truth behind Ash’s reputation.
The official synopsis presents the film as a story of two women who meet and fight to survive on a merciless battlefield.
How Mamoru Oshii’s Direction Fits the Votoms Universe
Mamoru Oshii is directing The Grey Witch. He is widely known for his work on Ghost in the Shell, as well as for his distinctive approach to science fiction, atmosphere, and philosophical storytelling.
His involvement brings a new creative perspective to a franchise that has traditionally focused on military conflict, armoured machines, and the lives of soldiers caught in war.
Oshii has described himself as a longtime admirer of the original Votoms series and has said that he is approaching the project as a serious war-action production.
The film also has the involvement of Ryosuke Takahashi, the creator and director of the original Armored Trooper Votoms, who is serving as a supervisor.
This combination is notable because it brings together the original franchise’s creative heritage and a director with a distinctive cinematic style.
The production team includes character concept designer Kazuya Kise, character designers Tetsuya Nishio, Takashi Kojima, and Shingo Ogiso, and original mechanical designer Kunio Okawara.
The mechanical design team includes Shinobu Tsuneki, Yudai Sono, Toru Ishiguchi, and Wataru Inada. Kenji Kawai is composing the music, while Kazuhiro Wakabayashi is handling sound direction.
The Legacy of Armored Trooper Votoms
The original Armored Trooper Votoms television series premiered in 1983 and became an influential entry in the mecha anime genre.
Unlike stories in which giant robots are treated as unique, heroic machines, Votoms places considerable emphasis on mass-produced weapons and the ordinary soldiers who operate them.
Its Armored Troopers are designed for battlefield practicality. They can be damaged or destroyed, and their pilots must rely on skill, tactical awareness, and survival instincts rather than extraordinary plot armour.
This approach gives the franchise a gritty military identity.
Over the years, the series has expanded through additional animation projects, model kits, and other merchandise. Its mechanical designs have remained particularly popular among fans who appreciate realistic military-inspired machines.
The Grey Witch continues this tradition by placing its story during the Hundred Years’ War rather than simply repeating the setting of the original television series.
The new film also introduces characters such as Ash and Maki, whose personal stories offer a fresh perspective on the familiar conflict.
Sunrise’s 50th-Anniversary Project and Production Details
Armored Trooper Votoms: The Grey Witch is part of Sunrise’s 50th-anniversary project.
Sunrise is handling planning and production, while Production I.G is providing production assistance. Bandai Namco Filmworks is distributing the theatrical release.
The film’s two-part format allows the story to unfold across two cinema releases. However, the second film’s premiere date and the exact division of the narrative between the instalments have not yet been announced.
The first film’s November 20, 2026 release is the key date for fans to watch. The official website also provides trailers, character information, mechanical designs, and other promotional materials.
As the release approaches, further announcements may provide additional details about the story, promotional events, and merchandise.
Armored Trooper Votoms Comprehensive Model Exercise 2026
The announcement also highlights the Armored Trooper Votoms Comprehensive Model Exercise 2026 exhibition in Tokyo.
The event is scheduled to run from October 9 through November 8, 2026, at 1010 PARK on the seventh floor of Kitansenju Marui in Adachi, Tokyo.
- Event: Armored Trooper Votoms Comprehensive Model Exercise 2026
- Dates: October 9–November 8, 2026
- Venue: 1010 PARK, 7F, Kitansenju Marui
- Address: 3-92 Senju, Adachi-ku, Tokyo
- Opening hours: 10:00 AM–7:00 PM
- Last general entry: 6:30 PM
- Last timed-entry admission: 6:00 PM
The exhibition includes a dedicated display for Armored Trooper Votoms: The Grey Witch, allowing fans to explore the franchise’s mechanical designs and related material.
Opening hours may change during the event period, so visitors should confirm the latest information before travelling.
The latest announcement for Armored Trooper Votoms: The Grey Witch gives fans a more detailed look at the machines that will define its battlefield action.
The Scope Dog remains the franchise’s iconic mass-produced Armored Trooper, with several variants adapted for different operational needs. The Rising Beetle adds a larger, heavily armoured support machine, while the Blocker represents the Balalant military’s frontline equipment.
The newly released stills featuring Ash Vamps and Maki Stauffenberg also reinforce the film’s focus on the people behind the machines. Their story explores survival, military secrecy, and the truth behind a soldier who repeatedly returns from seemingly impossible missions.
With Mamoru Oshii directing and Ryosuke Takahashi supervising, the film brings together a strong creative team to develop a new story within the Votoms universe.
The first instalment will arrive in Japanese cinemas on November 20, 2026, with the second film’s release date still to be announced.
