{"id":4949,"date":"2026-07-05T10:21:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T02:21:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/ghost-in-the-shell-anime-2026-king-gnu-op-prime-video-july-7\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T10:21:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T02:21:03","slug":"ghost-in-the-shell-anime-2026-king-gnu-op-prime-video-july-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/ghost-in-the-shell-anime-2026-king-gnu-op-prime-video-july-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghost in the Shell Anime Gets King Gnu OP \u2014 Premieres July 7 on Prime Video"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Science SARU&#8217;s new <em>Ghost in the Shell<\/em> anime is just 48 hours away \u2014 and today&#8217;s Anime Expo 2026 panel in Los Angeles delivered the soundtrack reveal fans have been waiting for. King Gnu will perform the opening theme <strong>&#8220;GO GHOST&#8221;<\/strong>, with MILLENNIUM PARADE&#8217;s <strong>&#8220;Blue&#8221;<\/strong> bookending every episode as the ending. Singapore fans can catch the international exclusive on Prime Video from <strong>10:30 PM SGT this Tuesday, July 7<\/strong> \u2014 no waiting for a delayed Asian release.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ghost-in-the-shell-2026-city-2029.jpg?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The near-future networked city of 2029 as depicted in Ghost in the Shell THE GHOST IN THE SHELL\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of THE GHOST IN THE SHELL COMMITTEE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Back to Where It All Started: The Original Manga, Animated at Last<\/h2>\n<p>Officially titled <em>Ghost in the Shell THE GHOST IN THE SHELL<\/em>, this new TV series is the first direct anime adaptation of Shirow Masamune&#8217;s original 1989 manga \u2014 the text that launched a global franchise spanning Mamoru Oshii&#8217;s landmark 1995 film, the Stand Alone Complex TV series, and a Hollywood live-action remake. Where those productions each carved their own artistic path, this series returns to the source: Shirow&#8217;s densely plotted, visually idiosyncratic cyberpunk world, now given a full weekly TV run for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>The story unfolds in the year 2029, a Japan where the internet has merged with the human nervous system and fully cyberised bodies are commonplace. Major Motoko Kusanagi \u2014 a full-body cyborg officer \u2014 leads Section 9, a black-ops police unit created to fight crimes that blur the line between human consciousness and digital network. Threading through the early episodes is the Puppet Master, a ghost-hacker who can rewrite memories and identities without leaving a trace, whose true nature becomes the series&#8217; central philosophical mystery.<\/p>\n<h2>King Gnu Confirmed for &#8220;GO GHOST&#8221; \u2014 A Double Debut at AX 2026<\/h2>\n<p>King Gnu \u2014 the four-piece alternative rock band known for <em>Hakujitsu<\/em>, their explosive run of anime tie-in tracks, and a reputation for pairing jazz-influenced arrangement with stadium-ready hooks \u2014 will open every episode of the series. PV5, released today alongside the Anime Expo announcement, sets the track against a rapid-cut sequence of Kusanagi and the Section 9 team, and you can watch it here.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gt-video\">\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bYIT69zX8nE\" title=\"TV\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u30fc\u30b7\u30e7\u30f3\u300e\u653b\u6bbb\u6a5f\u52d5\u968a THE GHOST IN THE SHELL\u300f\u30d7\u30ed\u30e2\u30fc\u30b7\u30e7\u30f3\u30d3\u30c7\u30aa\u7b2c5\u5f3e\uff5c2026\u5e747\u67087\u65e5(\u706b)\u653e\u9001\uff06\u914d\u4fe1\u958b\u59cb\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;\" allow=\"accelerometer;clipboard-write;encrypted-media;gyroscope;picture-in-picture;web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption>PV5 featuring King Gnu&#8217;s opening theme &#8220;GO GHOST&#8221; \u2014 via Ghost in the Shell Official Channel on YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For the ending, MILLENNIUM PARADE&#8217;s &#8220;Blue&#8221; was confirmed earlier in the production cycle. Tsuneta Daiki (\u5e38\u7530\u5927\u5e0c) is the connection between both acts: he co-leads King Gnu as its primary songwriter and founded MILLENNIUM PARADE as a separate collective project. The two groups sharing theme duties on a single anime is a first \u2014 King Gnu and MILLENNIUM PARADE have never appeared on the same series before \u2014 and the pairing gives the show a rare sonic coherence between its opening and ending moods.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/king-gnu-band-photo-go-ghost.jpg?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"King Gnu, who perform the opening theme GO GHOST for Ghost in the Shell THE GHOST IN THE SHELL\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of King Gnu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Science SARU and a Literary Screenwriter You Should Know<\/h2>\n<p>Animation production sits with Science SARU, the Tokyo studio founded by Masaaki Yuasa and Eunyoung Choi, whose recent output includes <em>Dandadan<\/em>, <em>Inu-Oh<\/em>, <em>The Heike Story<\/em>, and <em>The Cat and the Dragon<\/em>. Science SARU is not a house style operation \u2014 each project looks and moves differently \u2014 but the studio consistently works with directors who lean toward expressive character drawing over photorealistic finish. For <em>Ghost in the Shell<\/em>, that orientation aligns well with Shirow&#8217;s original manga, which prioritised kinetic action and dense detail over the moody darkness of the Oshii films.<\/p>\n<p>Direction is handled by Moko-chan (\u30e2\u30b3\u3061\u3083\u3093) in their TV series directorial debut. Series composition and screenplay go to Enj\u014d Toh (\u5186\u57ce\u5854) \u2014 an unusual and exciting hire. Enj\u014d is a celebrated literary SF author: his novel collection <em>Self-Reference ENGINE<\/em> is considered one of the most formally experimental Japanese SF books of the 2000s, and his short story <em>D\u014dkeshi no Ch\u014d<\/em> (\u9053\u5316\u5e2b\u306e\u8776) won the Akutagawa Prize, Japan&#8217;s most prestigious literary award, in 2012. Bringing that kind of philosophical weight to the Ghost in the Shell screenplay feels right for a franchise that has always used cyberpunk trappings to ask hard questions about consciousness, identity, and what it means to be human. Character design and chief animation direction are by Shuhei Handa (\u534a\u7530\u4fee\u5e73).<\/p>\n<p>One curiosity heading into the premiere: as of today&#8217;s announcement, no voice cast has been revealed for any character \u2014 a rare degree of secrecy for a show less than 48 hours from air.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ghost-in-the-shell-2026-kusanagi.jpg?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Major Motoko Kusanagi with glowing red eyes in Ghost in the Shell THE GHOST IN THE SHELL by Science SARU\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of THE GHOST IN THE SHELL COMMITTEE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>When and Where to Watch in Singapore<\/h2>\n<p>Prime Video holds the international streaming rights as an exclusive, with episodes dropping simultaneously alongside Japan&#8217;s TV broadcast. Episode 1 streams from <strong>10:30 PM SGT on Tuesday, 7 July 2026<\/strong>. New episodes will follow weekly in the same slot. The series airs in Japan in the late-night &#8220;\u706b\u30a2\u30cb\u30d0\u30eb!!&#8221; (Tuesday Anival) slot on Kantele and Fuji TV.<\/p>\n<p>For more of this season&#8217;s anime highlights, our <a href=\"\/blog\/category\/manga-anime\/\">full anime coverage<\/a> has everything currently airing and confirmed. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theghostintheshell-anime.jp\/\">official Ghost in the Shell anime site<\/a> (Japanese) will carry updates on the still-unannounced voice cast and weekly episode information going forward.<\/p>\n<p><!--GT-SCOUT source=\"Web (Japanese source) -- not yet covered in English media\" theme=\"Anime\" flags=\"none\"--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Science SARU&#8217;s Ghost in the Shell THE GHOST IN THE SHELL premieres July 7 on Prime Video as an international exclusive, with King Gnu&#8217;s &#8220;GO GHOST&#8221; confirmed as the opening theme at Anime Expo 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[25],"tags":[264,482,105,624,205,204],"class_list":["post-4949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-manga-anime","tag-anime-2026","tag-anime-expo-2026","tag-ghost-in-the-shell","tag-king-gnu","tag-prime-video","tag-science-saru"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ghost-in-the-shell-2026-key-visual-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p13AlF-1hP","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3704,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/ghost-in-the-shell-2026-anime-prime-video-singapore\/","url_meta":{"origin":4949,"position":0},"title":"Ghost in the Shell (2026) Is Coming to Prime Video &#8212; 7 July","date":"June 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Ghost in the Shell returns with Science SARU on Amazon Prime Video from 7 July. Here is everything Singapore fans need to know.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Manga Anime&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ghost-in-the-shell-2026-key-visual-scaled.jpg?fit=849%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3493,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/ghost-in-the-shell-anime-july-2026-prime-video\/","url_meta":{"origin":4949,"position":1},"title":"Ghost in the Shell Anime Premieres 7 July on Prime Video \u2014 Ending Theme Revealed","date":"June 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Science SARU's Ghost in the Shell anime hits Prime Video 7 July 2026. New 4th PV reveals the Puppet Master and ending theme 'Blue' by MILLENNIUM PARADE.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Manga Anime&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ghost-in-the-shell-2026-pv4-key-visual.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4574,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/ghost-in-the-shell-2026-anime-prime-video\/","url_meta":{"origin":4949,"position":2},"title":"Ghost in the Shell Returns on Prime Video This July 7","date":"July 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Science Saru reimagines Ghost in the Shell for Prime Video, premiering on 7 July 2026 \u2014 the first time the franchise has been animated without Production I.G.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Manga Anime&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ghost-in-the-shell-2026-key-visual.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4227,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/ghost-in-the-shell-anime-prime-video-july-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":4949,"position":3},"title":"Ghost in the Shell Anime Drops on Prime Video 7 July \u2014 Science SARU at the Helm","date":"June 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Ghost in the Shell gets an all-new anime series by Science SARU \u2014 streaming globally on Prime Video on 7 July 2026, Singapore included.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Manga Anime&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ghost-in-the-shell-key-art.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4746,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/ghost-in-the-shell-2026-anime-prime-video-science-saru\/","url_meta":{"origin":4949,"position":4},"title":"Ghost in the Shell 2026 Anime Premieres 7 July on Prime Video \u2014 Science SARU Takes the Helm","date":"July 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Science SARU's Ghost in the Shell TV anime hits Prime Video on 7 July 2026 \u2014 streaming in Singapore and 240+ countries from Day 1. No Production I.G., no AI, and a bold new creative direction.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Manga Anime&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ghost-in-the-shell-2026-anime-key-visual.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3367,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/summer-2026-anime-singapore-streaming-guide\/","url_meta":{"origin":4949,"position":5},"title":"Summer 2026 Anime: Your Singapore Streaming Guide","date":"June 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Ghost in the Shell, Sekiro: No Defeat, Bleach's grand finale and more \u2014 your complete guide to streaming summer 2026 anime in Singapore.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Manga Anime&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sekiro-no-defeat-anime.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4949"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}