It has been announced that the TV anime "Snowball Earth," based on the manga by Tsujitsugu Yuichiro, currently serialized in "Monthly! Spirits" (Shogakukan), will begin airing on Nippon TV in April 2026. The main cast has also been announced, with Takuto Yoshinaga playing the protagonist, Yabusame Tetsuo, who is extremely shy but is the "savior" of humanity. Daisuke Hirakawa will play Yukio, Tetsuo's robot best friend; Ami Koshimizu will play Nogi Aoi, a curious woman who controls a fiery monster; and Yoshimi Tamura will play Takimura Hagione, a passionate researcher with highly skilled skills.
The film is a sci-fi, monster, and robot action story set on Snowball Earth, an Earth covered in snow and ice. Additional staff for the anime have also been announced, including mecha design by Kim Se-jun, who was the mecha animation director for "Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time" and the animation mechanical designer for "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuX." Ryuta Yanagi, who worked on "Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale," will be in charge of monster design, while Tatsuya Kato, Hiroaki Tsutsumi, and YUKI KANESAKA, who worked on the music for "Dr. Stone," will be in charge of music.
A teaser visual featuring Tetsuo and the giant robot Yukio has been released, accompanied by the tagline, "A boy with zero friends saves the Earth!?" A teaser PV has also been released, showcasing footage from the anime. It depicts the shy Tetsuo and the robot Yukio taking on the final battle in space that will determine the fate of humanity. Tetsuo's companions, Aoi Nogi and Hagimura Hagi, also make an appearance. The video also includes a battle scene between Yukio and a galactic monster.
Yoshinaga, who plays Tetsuo, said, "I was touched and captivated by Tetsuo's bravery in instantly throwing himself at someone and by the way he tried so hard to communicate, even though he is not good at it. I absolutely wanted to play Tetsuo! I wanted to be by Yukio's side! That was the only thing I wanted to do when I auditioned...and when I heard the results, I couldn't help but howl. I will do my best to live in the world of ice so that the charm of the work can be fully conveyed!!"
Hirakawa, who plays Yukio, said, "Robots! Monsters! A fierce battle! There's no way you can't get excited! And the human drama (sometimes a drama between humans and robots) that unfolds as people try to survive! There's no way you can't be moved! I want to put all my heart into the film so that it lives up to the fun of the original and the amazing visuals!"
Koshimizu, who plays Nogi Ao, said, "I am very honored to be able to play the life of Ao, who always smiles despite carrying a lot on her shoulders. Each character has their own thoughts and feelings, and their strength to never give in no matter what the environment, as well as their sudden weaknesses, are portrayed beautifully. I feel that this is a work that makes you feel what it means to be alive again. I would like to work together as a cast team to survive in this world!!"
Tamura, who plays Takimura Hagito, said, "I was able to participate in a script reading session before recording and received advice from my senior colleagues, so it was a very refreshing and valuable experience. The battle with the galactic monster is a heart-pounding development that you won't want to miss a single moment of, so I hope you will be moved by joy and despair!!"
*Staff (titles omitted)
Director: Sakai Munehisa▽ Assistant Director: Iwata Takeshi▽ Series Composition: Murakoshi Shigeru▽ Character Design/Chief Animation Director: Kono Toshiya▽ Mecha Design: Kim Se-jun▽ Monster Design: Yanagi Ryuta▽ Art Director: Fujino Mari▽ Color Design: Noji Hirono▽ CG Director: Motooka Hiroki▽ Motion Graphics: Oshiro Takemune (Production IG)▽ Director of Photography: Hayashi Kenta, Kodera Shota▽ Editor: Nagasaka Tomoki▽ Music: Kato Tatsuya, Tsutsumi Hiroaki, YUKI KANESAKA▽ Animation Production: Studio KAI
*Cast (titles omitted)
Yabusame Tetsuo: Takuto Yoshinaga ▽ Yukio: Daisuke Hirakawa ▽ Nogi Ao: Ami Koshimizu ▽ Takimura Hagione: Yoshi Tamura
