The highly anticipated anime adaptation of Yuuhirou Tsujitsugu’s “Snowball Earth” manga has officially unveiled its main cast, additional production staff, and confirmed an April 2026 premiere on the Nippon Television network. The announcements were made alongside the release of a new teaser video and visual, building excitement for the sci-fi action series.
Premiere Date and Animation Studio
Fans can mark their calendars for April 2026, when “Snowball Earth” is set to begin its broadcast on Nippon Television. The anime is being brought to life by Studio KAI, known for its work on titles like “Umamusume: Pretty Derby Season 3” and “Sentenced to Be a Hero”.
Key Cast Members Revealed
The voice cast for the core characters has been announced, featuring established talents in the industry:
- Takuto Yoshinaga will voice Tetsuo Yabusame.
- Daisuke Hirakawa takes on the role of Yukio.
- Ami Koshimizu is cast as Ao Nogi.
- Konomi Tamura will play Hagane Takimura.
Expanding the Production Team
In addition to the previously announced director Munehisa Sakai (“Zombieland Saga”), the production committee has revealed further key staff members who will shape the anime’s visual and narrative direction:
- Assistant Director: Takeshi Iwata (“The iDOLM@STER Shiny Colors”).
- Series Composition: Shigeru Murakoshi (“Ninja Kamui”).
- Character Design & Chief Animation Director: Toshiya Kouno (“Himesama “Goumon” no Jikan desu”).
- Art Director: Mari Fujino (“Sonny Boy”).
- Color Design: Hironori Noji (“Sidonia no Kishi”).
- CG Director: Hironori Motooka (“6HP”).
- Motion Graphics: Hiromu Ooshiro (“Ore dake Level Up na Ken” episode director, Production I.G).
- Directors of Photography: Kenta Hayash (“Yuuki Bakuhatsu Bang Bravern”) and Shouta Kodera (“Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo”).
- Editing: Tomoki Nagasaka (“D.Gray-man”).
- Music: Tatsuya Katou (“Trigun Stampede”), Hiroaki Tsutsumi (“Kuromukuro”), and Kanesaka Yuk (“Dr. Stone”).
- Mechanical Design: Se-jun Kim (“One Punch Man” animation director).
- Monster Design: Ryouta Yanagi (“Kaijuu 8-gou” animation director).
TOHO animation is producing the anime.
The Gripping Premise of “Snowball Earth”
The anime adapts Yuuhirou Tsujitsugu’s action sci-fi manga, which began serialization in Shogakukan’s Gekkan! Spirits in January 2021. VIZ Media has licensed the manga for English release.
The story plunges audiences into a post-apocalyptic world. It follows Tetsuo Yabusame, a pilot who once bravely battled galactic monsters with his giant robot, Yukio. After a devastating war where Earth seemingly lost, Tetsuo escapes into space in an escape pod, entering a cold sleep. Eight years later, his pod crash-lands back on Earth, but the world he knew is gone. He awakens to a planet entirely frozen beneath an impenetrable blanket of ice and snow—a “Snowball Earth.” Humanity has vanished, leaving Tetsuo to navigate a ruined, frozen landscape and unravel the mystery of what happened, all while striving to fulfill a promise he made to his fallen partner, Yukio.
