{ "id": "epyw2hz1p8", "slug": "gamera-rebirth", "title": "Gamera Rebirth", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_manga", "label": "Anime and manga", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_manga" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_series", "label": "Anime series, episodes, and franchises", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_series.anime_ovas_onas_streaming", "label": "OVAs, ONAs, and streaming-original anime", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_series.anime_ovas_onas_streaming" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_series.anime_ovas_onas_streaming", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later: OVAs, ONAs, and streaming-original anime", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_series.anime_ovas_onas_streaming", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_manga", "label": "Anime and manga", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_manga" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_series", "label": "Anime series, episodes, and franchises", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_series" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_series.anime_ovas_onas_streaming", "label": "OVAs, ONAs, and streaming-original anime", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_series.anime_ovas_onas_streaming" } ] } ], "excerpt": "GAMERA -Rebirth- (ガメラ リバース) is a 2023 six-episode Netflix 3DCG anime by ENGI, directed by Hiroyuki Seshita, the first animated Gamera work, set in 1989 Tokyo with Gamera fighting five classic kaiju.", "snippet": "GAMERA -Rebirth- (ガメラ リバース) is a 2023 six-episode Netflix 3DCG anime by ENGI, directed by Hiroyuki Seshita, the first animated Gamera work, set in 1989 Tokyo with Gamera fighting five classic kaiju.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_anime_series.anime_ovas_onas_streaming", "markdown": "# Gamera Rebirth\n\n**GAMERA -Rebirth-** (ガメラ リバース, Gamera Ribāsu) is a 2023 Japanese anime series featuring the giant turtle monster Gamera, released worldwide on Netflix on September 7, 2023 as a six-episode 3DCG production.[1](https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/gamera-rebirth-press-notes-from-kadokawa) It was the first animated entry in the Gamera franchise, which had previously consisted of live-action special-effects films beginning with Daiei Film's *Gamera: The Giant Monster* in 1965.[1](https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/gamera-rebirth-press-notes-from-kadokawa) • [2](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81087387)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | 6-episode 3DCG anime, the first animated Gamera work; episodes run roughly 43 to 45 minutes[1](https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/gamera-rebirth-press-notes-from-kadokawa) • [3](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/gamera-rebirth-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde1otq0) |\n| Release | All six episodes streamed worldwide on Netflix from September 7, 2023; announced at the series' Comic-Con International 2023 panel[1](https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/gamera-rebirth-press-notes-from-kadokawa) |\n| Staff | Director Hiroyuki Seshita; co-director Keisuke Ide; production by studio ENGI; original story by KADOKAWA[2](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81087387) |\n| Setting | Summer 1989 in Tokyo, where four children witness Gamera's emergence and his battles against giant monsters[4](https://qr.netflix.com/title/81087387) |\n| Monsters | Gamera fights five kaiju from his classic era; the fifth, Viras, was revealed in the trailer shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2023[1](https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/gamera-rebirth-press-notes-from-kadokawa) |\n| Main cast | Hisako Kanemoto (Boko), Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Joe), Aki Toyosaki (Junichi), Subaru Kimura (Brody)[2](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81087387) • [5](https://gamera-rebirth.com/news/index00130000.html) |\n| Theme song | \"Natsuake\" by WANIMA, showcased in the Comic-Con trailer[1](https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/gamera-rebirth-press-notes-from-kadokawa) |\n| Age rating | TV-14 on Netflix; the British Board of Film Classification rated the season for injury detail, language, threat, and violence[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/gamera-rebirth) • [3](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/gamera-rebirth-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde1otq0) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Story\n\nThe series is set in the summer of 1989, when elementary school friends Boko, Joe, Junichi, and Brody are spending their final summer vacation before middle school.[4](https://qr.netflix.com/title/81087387) • [5](https://gamera-rebirth.com/news/index00130000.html) Swarms of the monster Gyaos attack Tokyo, and the children are saved by the appearance of Gamera, a giant turtle-like kaiju who fights the creatures.[7](https://www.kadokawa.co.jp/product/322310000366/) Netflix's synopsis describes the premise as four kids in Tokyo witnessing the emergence of the turtle kaiju Gamera, who stands up against giant human-eating monsters.[4](https://qr.netflix.com/title/81087387)\n\nAcross the season Gamera battles five of his classic-era foes, and the story centers on the bond among the four children thrown into the conflict.[8](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/gamera-rebirth/)\n\n## Production\n\nKADOKAWA announced the project as a new anime featuring Gamera, with worldwide distribution on Netflix.[2](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81087387) The series was produced by studio ENGI as a 3DCG anime, directed by Hiroyuki Seshita with Keisuke Ide as co-director.[2](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81087387) • [1](https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/gamera-rebirth-press-notes-from-kadokawa) In an interview, Seshita said that when Kadokawa offered him the project, he accepted on the condition that it be not just hard science fiction but a pure, pro-wrestling-style combat anime, and that bringing the older characters of the Gamera franchise into a new era was a main goal.[9](https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/gamera-rebirth-director-hiroyuki-seshita-interview)\n\nThe main voice cast was announced as Hisako Kanemoto as Boko, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Joe, Aki Toyosaki as Junichi, and Subaru Kimura as Brody, with [Mamoru Miyano](https://www.edgepedia.org/mamoru-miyano) and [Saori Hayami](https://www.edgepedia.org/saori-hayami) among the additional cast.[5](https://gamera-rebirth.com/news/index00130000.html) • [2](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81087387) An exclusive edit of the first episode and a second trailer premiered at [San Diego Comic-Con](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-diego-comic-con) 2023, where Viras was revealed as the fifth kaiju and the main theme \"Natsuake\" by WANIMA was showcased.[1](https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/gamera-rebirth-press-notes-from-kadokawa)\n\n## Place in the Gamera franchise\n\nGamera debuted in *Gamera: The Giant Monster*, a special-effects film released in 1965 by Daiei Film, now part of Kadokawa. The character is portrayed as a protector of humanity, a friend to children, and an ally of justice, with a humorous turtle-like design and the ability to fly, including spinning like a disc, and to breathe fire.[2](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81087387) Eight Gamera films were produced from the 1960s through the 1980s, followed by a three-part Heisei series in the 1990s (*[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe](https://www.edgepedia.org/gamera-guardian-of-the-universe)* in 1995, *[Gamera 2: Attack of Legion](https://www.edgepedia.org/gamera-2-attack-of-legion)* in 1996, and *[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris](https://www.edgepedia.org/gamera-3-revenge-of-iris)* in 1999) and the 2006 film *Gamera the Brave*.[2](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81087387) • [10](https://cinemakadokawa.jp/gamera/works/)\n\n*Rebirth* arrived seventeen years after the monster's last film and was the first Gamera-focused television series.[8](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/gamera-rebirth/) Kadokawa positioned it as the first Gamera work of the [Reiwa era](https://www.edgepedia.org/reiwa-era), following the Showa and Heisei generations.[10](https://cinemakadokawa.jp/gamera/works/)\n\n## Release and related media\n\nAll six episodes began streaming on Netflix worldwide on September 7, 2023.[1](https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/gamera-rebirth-press-notes-from-kadokawa) A re-edited television version began broadcasting on NHK General on Saturdays at 23:45 from April 2025, and a Blu-ray BOX was released on March 25, 2026, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the Gamera franchise, which a limited merchandise project also marked.[11](https://gamera-rebirth.com/news/index00870000.html)\n\nA vertical-scrolling, full-color manga adaptation illustrated by Renga Kizima began serialization on Kadokawa's KadoComi service on September 13, 2023, with English translations sold through BOOK☆WALKER. After the 15th chapter was released on January 27, 2025, completing the adaptation of the series' second episode, all but the first three chapters were removed from KadoComi and the manga went on indefinite hiatus.[12](https://wikizilla.org/wiki/GAMERA_-Rebirth-_%28manga%29) A prequel comic, *GAMERA -REBIRTH-: CODE THYRSOS*, was announced by Titan Comics.[13](https://westfieldcomics.com/wow/pdfs/2025-09-PDF_08TitanCatalog.pdf)\n\n## Reception\n\nStarburst's review called the series a deeply impressive return, praising the balance between action and emotional weight and noting that the motion-smoothed animation served the kaiju battles better than the human characters.[8](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/gamera-rebirth/) Audience ratings varied by platform: TMDB listed 7.8, [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) 6.6, and the Japanese review site Filmarks averaged 3.5 out of 5 from 835 user reviews.[14](https://latestnetflix.com/series/214592) • [6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/gamera-rebirth) • [15](https://filmarks.com/animes/3938/5321) Some viewers criticized the 3D character animation while praising the monster fights.[14](https://latestnetflix.com/series/214592)\n\nDirector Seshita said during the press tour that a second season would be produced if the show performed well, and that Kadokawa had also considered a live-action Gamera series under the same condition. According to one kaiju-industry tracker, Netflix numbers released afterward indicated weak performance, making a second season unlikely, though nothing has been formally announced either way.[16](https://www.kaijuconversation.com/upcoming-kaiju-television)\n\n## References\n\n1. [GAMERA -Rebirth- English and Japanese Press Notes From Kadokawa, SciFi Japan](https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/gamera-rebirth-press-notes-from-kadokawa)\n2. [GAMERA -Rebirth-, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81087387)\n3. [Gamera -rebirth-, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/gamera-rebirth-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde1otq0)\n4. [Watch GAMERA -Rebirth-, Netflix Official Site](https://qr.netflix.com/title/81087387)\n5. [メインキャストは、金元寿子・松岡禎丞・豊崎愛生・木村昴に決定！, GAMERA -Rebirth- 公式サイト](https://gamera-rebirth.com/news/index00130000.html)\n6. [Gamera: Rebirth streaming information, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/gamera-rebirth)\n7. [GAMERA -Rebirth-〖タテスク〗, KADOKAWA](https://www.kadokawa.co.jp/product/322310000366/)\n8. [GAMERA REBIRTH review, Starburst Magazine](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/gamera-rebirth/)\n9. [GAMERA -Rebirth- Director Hiroyuki Seshita Interview, SciFi Japan](https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/gamera-rebirth-director-hiroyuki-seshita-interview)\n10. [作品紹介｜ガメラ生誕60周年プロジェクト｜KADOKAWA](https://cinemakadokawa.jp/gamera/works/)\n11. [アニメ『GAMERA -Rebirth-』ガメラ60周年記念 限定グッズ制作プロジェクト始動！, GAMERA -Rebirth- 公式サイト](https://gamera-rebirth.com/news/index00870000.html)\n12. [GAMERA -Rebirth- (manga, 2023–), Wikizilla](https://wikizilla.org/wiki/GAMERA_-Rebirth-_%28manga%29)\n13. [Titan Comics catalog, September 2025](https://westfieldcomics.com/wow/pdfs/2025-09-PDF_08TitanCatalog.pdf)\n14. [GAMERA -Rebirth- (2023) Netflix Series, Latest Netflix](https://latestnetflix.com/series/214592)\n15. [GAMERA -Rebirth- アニメ情報・レビュー・評価, Filmarks](https://filmarks.com/animes/3938/5321)\n16. [Upcoming Kaiju Television, Kaiju Conversation](https://www.kaijuconversation.com/upcoming-kaiju-television)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Anime and manga › Anime series, episodes, and franchises › OVAs, ONAs, and streaming-original anime*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/gamera-rebirth", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/gamera-rebirth.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Gamera Rebirth\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/gamera-rebirth. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Gamera Rebirth](https://www.edgepedia.org/gamera-rebirth)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/gamera-rebirth](https://www.edgepedia.org/gamera-rebirth). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Gamera Rebirth\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/gamera-rebirth. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "GAMERA -Rebirth- is a 2023 six-episode Netflix 3DCG anime by ENGI, directed by Hiroyuki Seshita, the first animated Gamera work, set in 1989 Tokyo with Gamera fighting five classic kaiju." }