The supernatural sci-fi manga Spirit Circle, written and illustrated by Satoshi Mizukami, is officially receiving a television anime adaptation, with its broadcast and streaming debut scheduled for December 2026. The announcement also revealed its first teaser visual, promotional video, main voice cast and production staff.
However, the adaptation carries additional significance as it will be the final directorial work of Tatsuo Sato, the veteran anime director who passed away in April 2026. Sato had been leading the project as director and series composer before his death, with assistant director Kentaro Mizuno and the production team carrying his work forward to completion.
Produced by Twin Engine, the anime will be animated through a collaboration between studios NAGOMI and EOTA. The series is also confirmed to have 18 episodes, bringing Mizukami’s reincarnation-focused story to television.
Spirit Circle Anime Reveals First Trailer and Main Cast
Alongside the adaptation announcement, the production committee released the first promotional video and teaser visual for Spirit Circle.
The teaser visual features Kouko Ishigami staring intensely ahead, with blood running from a prominent wound on her forehead. Accompanying the image is the unsettling tagline:
“Even if we are reincarnated countless times, I will come to kill you.”
The first promotional video introduces the central conflict between Kouko and protagonist Futa Okeya. It begins with a question about whether people believe in reincarnation before revealing Kouko’s shocking declaration:
“I’ll make you die seven more times!”
The footage also shows glimpses of the different past lives connecting Futa and Kouko, including moments in which the characters appear in different historical periods and circumstances. Rune and East also make appearances in the trailer.
The main voice cast has been confirmed as follows:
- Futa Okeya: Kazuki Ura
- Kouko Ishigami: Anna Nagase
- Rune: Eri Yukimura
- East: Yuichi Nakamura
The promotional video features the characters’ voices, giving viewers their first proper introduction to the anime’s central cast.
What Is Spirit Circle About?
Spirit Circle is a supernatural science-fiction fantasy manga that revolves around reincarnation, past lives and the connections between souls across different eras.
The story follows Futa Okeya, a middle school student who can see spirits and generally leads an ordinary school life.
Everything changes when he encounters a mysterious new transfer student named Kouko Ishigami. Instead of becoming friends, Kouko immediately attempts to kill him, revealing that their souls are connected by a terrible conflict originating from their previous lives.
Futa eventually learns that their relationship extends far beyond their current identities. To understand why Kouko wants him dead, he uses an extraordinary device called the Spirit Circle, which allows him to experience his previous lives.
His journey takes him across different periods of history, from ancient civilisations to the distant future, as he experiences multiple lifetimes and gradually uncovers the truth behind his connection with Kouko.
Through these different lives, the story explores how relationships, choices, hatred and affection can persist across generations, even when the people involved are born into completely different circumstances.
The central mystery revolves around whether Futa and Kouko can finally put an end to the cycle of conflict connecting their souls.
Tatsuo Sato’s Spirit Circle Anime Becomes His Final Directorial Work
One of the most significant aspects of the adaptation is the involvement of Tatsuo Sato, the veteran director known for several influential science-fiction and anime series.
Sato served as both director and series composer for Spirit Circle, helping guide the production before passing away on April 24, 2026, at the age of 61.
His previous directing credits include:
- Martian Successor Nadesico
- Bodacious Space Pirates
- Stellvia of the Universe
Throughout his career, Sato worked on several science-fiction stories and ensemble-driven productions, making his involvement in Spirit Circle particularly notable given the series’ complex narrative involving different eras, identities and interconnected lives.
Following his passing, assistant director Kentaro Mizuno took a central role in continuing the production while carrying forward Sato’s intentions for the project.
NAGOMI, EOTA and Twin Engine also expressed their gratitude for Sato’s contribution, explaining that the production team completed the anime while inheriting the vision and intentions he had placed into the work.
The upcoming adaptation will therefore stand as the final directorial project of a filmmaker who contributed significantly to Japanese animation.
NAGOMI and EOTA Handle Animation Production
The animation production for Spirit Circle is being handled jointly by NAGOMI and EOTA, both part of the Twin Engine group.
The confirmed production staff includes:
- Director / Series Composition: Tatsuo Sato
- Assistant Director: Kentaro Mizuno
- Character Design: Satoru Fujimoto
- Animation Production: NAGOMI × EOTA
- Production: Twin Engine
The series is based on the original manga by Satoshi Mizukami, published by Shonen Gahosha.
With its complicated narrative involving seven different lives, multiple historical periods and a central mystery that gradually unfolds, the adaptation will have to bring together several distinct settings and character identities across its 18 episodes.
The production team has confirmed that the anime will tell the story across all 18 episodes, allowing the adaptation to cover the manga’s interconnected reincarnation narrative.
Anna Nagase Performs Spirit Circle’s Ending Theme
Another detail revealed alongside the trailer is the anime’s ending theme, titled “Koko ga Donna Sekai Demo” (No Matter What Kind of World This Is), performed by Anna Nagase, who also voices Kouko Ishigami.
The song has been written specifically for the anime and marks Nagase’s first solo vocal performance.
The ending theme credits are as follows:
- Song: Koko ga Donna Sekai Demo
- Artist: Anna Nagase
- Lyrics: UiNA
- Composition and Arrangement: Tatsuya Kato
Having the voice actress behind Kouko perform the ending theme adds another connection between the music and the series’ central story.
When Will Spirit Circle Anime Release?
The Spirit Circle television anime is scheduled to begin broadcasting and streaming in December 2026.
The series will consist of 18 episodes, with its main cast and production staff already confirmed. Further details regarding the exact premiere date, broadcasting channels and streaming platforms have yet to be announced.
With its first promotional video now available, viewers can finally get a glimpse of how Satoshi Mizukami’s acclaimed reincarnation story is being brought to animation.
The adaptation is also an opportunity to experience Tatsuo Sato’s final directorial work, making the December release particularly meaningful for fans of the director and his previous productions.
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About Spirit Circle
Spirit Circle is a Japanese supernatural science-fiction manga written and illustrated by Satoshi Mizukami, known for works such as Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer and Planet With.
The manga began serialization in Shonen Gahosha’s Young King Ours magazine in 2012 and concluded in March 2016, with its chapters collected into six volumes.
The story follows Futa Okeya and Kouko Ishigami, two characters connected through a series of past lives and an unresolved conflict spanning different historical periods. Through a mysterious device known as the Spirit Circle, Futa experiences his previous incarnations and gradually uncovers the truth behind their relationship.
The television anime adaptation is produced by Twin Engine, with animation by NAGOMI and EOTA. It is scheduled to premiere in December 2026 and will be the final directorial work of Tatsuo Sato.
Source: Comic Natalie
