The galaxy far, far away is about to get a whole lot more animated—literally. At Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025, Disney and Lucasfilm officially pulled back the curtain ontheir next major Star Wars project:Star Wars: Visions – The Ninth Jedi, a full-length anime series slated to debut in 2026 exclusively on Disney+. It marks the first time theVisionsbrand steps beyond its anthology roots and dives into serialized storytelling.
TheStar Warsfranchise has always evolvedwith its audience. From classic trilogiesto Disney+ original series, it adapts while expanding its mythos.Visions, which launched in 2021 as a collection of self-contained anime shorts, offered creators the freedom to reinterpret Star Wars without the constraints of canon. The results were electric. Now, withThe Ninth Jedi, Lucasfilm is betting big on one of the anthology’s most beloved tales—delivering a series with the scale and ambition worthy of its cinematic peers.
From Short to Series: The Evolution ofThe Ninth Jedi
Origins inVisionsVolume 1
Originally releasedas part ofStar Wars :VisionsVolume 1,The Ninth Jediwas directed byKenji Kamiyamaand produced by renowned anime studioProduction I.G.. The short stood out for its unique premise:set after the fall of the Jedi, it followedLah Kara, the daughter of a legendary lightsaber-smith, as she delivered sabers to Force-sensitive warriors in hiding. With a mysterious Margrave, color-changing lightsabers, and high-stakes deception, the episode s
truck a chord with viewers and critics alike.
Official Announcement & Fan Reception
The announcement came during the final day of Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Tokyo. James Waugh, Lucasfilm’s Senior VP of Franchise Content and Strategy, introduced Kamiyama on stage to deliver the news personally. Applause erupted as Kamiyama confirmed his return as supervising director, while the short’s new sequel, titledThe Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope, will appear inVisionsVolume 3 this October.
Serialized anime (not a short or anthology)
Disney+ (exclusive)
2026
Storyline: Jedi Lore and Lost Legends
Bridging the Past and Future
While the upcomingChild of Hopeshort will serve as a narrative bridge, it’s not the series premiere. Instead, it sets the stage for the new series, which will chronicle Kara’s journey as she searches for her missing father and works to reunite the Jedi.It’s an original take on the Jedi legacy—one that exists outside of canon, giving creators more narrative room to explore ideas like:
Kamiyama teased that the mystery behind these lightsabers—why they change color and what that signifies—will play a central role in the series.
Production Details & Creative Team behind The Ninth Jedi Anime
The creative minds behindThe Ninth Jedisignal a project steeped in quality and ambition.
There’s no word yet on the returning cast, but fans are hoping to see Chinatsu Akasaki reprise her role as Kara and Tetsuo Kanao as Margrave Juro.
WhileThe Ninth Jedidoesn’t tie directly into the official timeline, it offers a spiritually aligned narrative (that is, it is not canon).Set long afterThe Rise of Skywalker, the galaxy is still recovering from war and tyranny. Jedi have faded into myth, and scattered Force-users are searching for meaning, purpose, and each other.
This backdrop provides fertile ground for storytelling. Without ties to existing characters or major plot arcs, the anime can craft something wholly original—an approach that has resonated deeply with fans craving fresh perspectives.
Star Wars: Visionsbegan as an experiment. WithThe Ninth Jedi, that experiment becomes evolution. It’s a sign that Lucasfilm is open to letting creators reinterpret the franchise in meaningful ways. More importantly, it speaks to anime’s growing role in global pop culture—and its power to shape how audiences engage with even the most iconic IPs.
