If you missed seeing cute girls piloting giant mechanical behemoths, Kazuhiro Takamura heard your prayers. The director who gave us gems like Strike Witches and Vividred Operation has just released the first trailer for Vertex Force, an original anime that will officially land in the fall season, specifically in October 2026. And yes, the guy isn’t hiding his tastes: he’s already declared without shame that this project is basically a love letter to everything he loves in the animation industry, combining his creative fetishes in one place.

The Winning Formula: Brute Force, Innocence, and Mechas

Unlike other productions that throw the entire cast at you at once, studio SMDE decided to release information gradually to build more intrigue. So far, the trailer introduced only Haruka Todo, a 16-year-old high school student from Okinawa. Far from being the typical fragile girl who needs rescuing, Haruka is pure muscle, endless energy, and a fairly innocent charisma. Although they haven’t revealed who her seiyuu will be, her design already shows the director is betting big on the contrast between light-hearted youth comedy and large-scale destructive action.

A Veteran Team to Polish the Irons

Where they really pulled out the big wallet was in the production team behind the machines. To ensure the battles don’t look like recycled graphics, they brought in Kanetake Ebikawa (the genius behind spectacular designs in Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and The Witch from Mercury) to handle the engine design. Additionally, JNTHED joined for the ENIA designs, while Masashi Suzuki is working closely with Takamura on the scripts. Basically, they’ve assembled a true Dream Team to make sure the robots look as spectacular as the protagonists.

Vertex Force Synopsis

Vertex Force is an original anime that blends adorable character aesthetics with high-intensity mechanical combat. The story will introduce us to a world where young, athletic girls like the cheerful Okinawa student Haruka Todo become involved in dynamic battles using advanced technology. Through a mix of relaxed daily life moments and pure action sequences, the series will explore the mysteries of these powerful machines and the weight that falls on the shoulders of those who pilot them.

Are you hopping on the hype train for this return to classic mechas or would you rather wait to see the full cast?