Spirit Circle: 18-episode anime premieres December 2026

The manga Spirit Circle by Satoshi Mizukami is receiving an 18-episode TV anime adaptation, which will premiere in Japan in December 2026. The project is also the final directorial work of Tatsuo Sato, who died in April 2026. A teaser visual, a first promotional video, and the voice actors for the four central characters were unveiled on November 5.

Seven Lives and a Mysterious Encounter

High school student Futa Okeya can see ghosts. His seemingly ordinary school life changes when new classmate Kouko Ishigami appears and suddenly attacks him. The reason lies in a connection spanning previous lives. With the help of the Spirit Circle that gives the series its name, Futa relives his past existences and confronts a story that stretches from antiquity into the future.

The manga source ran from 2012 to 2016 in the magazine Young King Ours published by Shonen Gahosha. The anime announcement thus comes roughly ten years after the series concluded. According to the Japanese trade outlet MANTANWEB, more than 800,000 copies were circulated in total.

Tatsuo Sato's Final Directorial Work

Tatsuo Sato directed the series and was responsible for series composition. The director was known for works including Martian Successor Nadesico, Bodacious Space Pirates, and Stellvia. After his death in April, deputy director Kentaro Mizuno brought the production to completion together with the team. The animation is being produced by NAGOMI and EOTA from the Twin Engine group. Character design is handled by Satoru Fujimoto.

Kazuki Ura voices Futa Okeya, and Anna Nagase plays Kouko Ishigami. Eri Yukimura can be heard as Run, and Yuichi Nakamura as East. Nagase also sings the ending song "Koko ga Donna Sekai demo," her first solo song. The released first PV shows the four characters.

A specific premiere date, the Japanese broadcasters, and international streaming services have not yet been announced. The 18 episodes, however, have been officially confirmed.

Other recent manga adaptations include Manchuria Opium Squad and the new manga version of Witch on the Holy Night. aninew has also previously reported on the expansion of the producer Twin Engine.