Shōjo owes a major debt to Princess Knight, Osamu Tezuka’s groundbreaking manga that influenced genre classics like The Rose of Versailles and Revolutionary Girl Utena. Netflix is adapting Tezuka’s classic into The Ribbon Hero, an upcoming animated film helmed by director Yuki Igarashi (Star Wars: Visions) and his studio, Outline. Tezuka’s story revolves around Sapphire, a young girl raised as a prince to preserve the future of her kingdom. As a protagonist who ventures beyond the genre trope of cross-dressing, Sapphire’s arc will be reimagined in The Ribbon Hero, which has been described as “a lone hero’s attempt to overcome their harsh destiny.”
A modern interpretation of Princess Knight demands a radical reworking of its world and characters, which is why Igarashi has teamed up with Kei Mochizuki (Fate/Grand Order, Touken Ranbu) and Mai Yoneyama (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Lazarus) for character design and concept collaboration.
Polygon had the opportunity to ask Igarashi a few questions via email regarding his love for Tezuka’s body of work and his creative approach to Netflix’s The Ribbon Hero, which is slated for an Aug. 2026 release. Igarashi also touched upon the influence of tokusatsu — special effects-laden live-action Japanese television — on the “magical girl” subgenre, and how it seeped into The Ribbon Hero. Check out our full conversation below.
Osamu Tezuka’s influence on manga cannot be overstated. His astounding body of work includes Astro Boy, Phoenix, and Dororo, among others. What do you think is the appeal of Princess Knight?
Princess Knight made a tremendous contribution to the genre of shōjo manga in Japan, as well as to women’s entertainment, more broadly. I believe its greatest appeal lies in its iconic characters and its portrayal of a free-spirited, energetic female hero.
Sapphire’s gender-swap-via-crossdressing trope was directly inspired by the real-life theater troupe, Takarazuka Revue. Did you have any influences that helped shape The Ribbon Hero and the way it reimagines Tezuka’s manga for contemporary times?
Since Princess Knight, the genre of “girls who fight” has developed in Japan. In that sense, it has had a particular influence on magical girl series such as Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon and the PreCure franchise. Because the magical girl genre has also been deeply connected to tokusatsu heroes, it has likewise been heavily influenced by tokusatsu culture.
While Princess Knight maps Sapphire’s arduous adventure, it is ultimately an inspiring story about overcoming adversity. Would you want audiences to have a similar takeaway from The Ribbon Hero, or does it aim to evoke different emotions?
Whether someone can overcome adversity depends a great deal on their individual qualities. And because it’s an extremely stressful experience, people naturally tend to avoid it. That’s precisely why, with this work, I aimed to create a story that gives people the courage to face adversity head-on.
Your contributions to animation are immense. For The Ribbon Hero, you’ve collaborated with artists Kei Mochizuki and Mai Yoneyama. Which elements of character design/concept art did you pay most attention to? How do they define the lone hero of this story?
In depicting Sapphire this time, I wanted to portray “beauty” not as “cuteness,” but as “coolness.” That’s why I approached Ms. Mochizuki and Ms. Yoneyama for this project. I see their work as representing the very forefront of “beauty” as it has been expanded and redefined by women creators over the past half-century and more.
You previously mentioned deep respect for Tezuka’s work. Apart from Princess Knight, do you have any favorite Tezuka classics that you would recommend?
My favorite is the “Nostalgia” arc of Phoenix. I also really love The Tree in the Sunlight. As for Astro Boy, there’s an early work called Ambassador Atom that I’m very fond of, because it offers quite a different image of Atom.
How was your experience working on Star Wars: Visions? Would you consider revisiting the franchise with an animated one-shot similar to “Lop & Ochō?”
Working on Star Wars: Visions was an absolute joy. If I ever get the chance to do more, I’m ready anytime, haha. I’d love to create a story about a Rebel team made up entirely of “outcasts” from non-human species (including Lop, of course), traveling together through the frontier regions.
The Ribbon Hero is scheduled to be released in Aug. 2026 on Netflix.
