Thirteen years. It’s a ridiculous amount of time to wait for a sequel to an anime that ended on a cliffhanger so massive it basically broke the internet before "breaking the internet" was even a common phrase. If you were hanging around the anime community back in 2010, you remember the chaos. GAINAX dropped a bomb in the final seconds of Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, revealed that Stocking was actually a demon, cut Panty into 666 pieces, and then… nothing. Absolute silence. For over a decade, fans survived on crumbs, fanart, and the faint hope that Hiroyuki Imaishi would eventually get the band back together.
Now, the Panty and Stocking new season is actually real. It’s happening. But it isn't coming from GAINAX.
The landscape of the animation industry shifted under our feet while we were waiting. In 2011, shortly after the original series aired, Imaishi and a core group of creators left GAINAX to form Studio TRIGGER. For years, the rights to the "Anarchy Sisters" stayed locked in a vault at a dying studio, leaving the creators unable to touch their own masterpiece. That changed recently when TRIGGER officially announced they had acquired the IP rights from GAINAX. This isn't just another reboot or a cash grab. This is a homecoming.
The Trigger Acquisition and New Garterbelt
When Studio TRIGGER showed that teaser at Anime Expo, the room basically exploded. Honestly, it’s rare to see a studio fight this hard to get an old property back. Usually, when a studio dies, its IP goes to a holding company or just rots. TRIGGER buying the rights back means they have full creative control. They don't have to play by anyone else’s rules.
The new project is officially titled New Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. Note the "New." It’s a deliberate choice.
Expect the art style to remain jarring, filthy, and high-energy. The original series drew heavy inspiration from Western cartoons like Drawn Together and The Powerpuff Girls, blending that with high-octane Japanese "sakuga" animation. Based on the initial PV (Promotional Video) footage, the aesthetic hasn't been "modernized" in a way that loses the grit. It still looks like a fever dream. It still looks like something you shouldn't watch with your parents in the room.
Why the Delay Actually Helped the Show
If the Panty and Stocking new season had come out in 2012, it might have just been more of the same. But look at what Studio TRIGGER has done in the interim. They’ve refined their "over-the-top" house style through Kill la Kill, Promare, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. They’ve learned how to balance genuine emotional stakes with absolute visual carnage.
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The industry has changed, too. Streaming services are now desperate for adult animation that actually feels adult, not just "family sitcom with swear words." Panty and Stocking fits this niche perfectly. It’s crass, it’s vulgar, but it’s also incredibly stylish.
There's a specific kind of kinetic energy in Imaishi’s work that other directors struggle to replicate. You see it in the way the characters move—stretching, squashing, and breaking the laws of physics every three seconds. Taking thirteen years to get the rights back gave the team time to become even better at what they do. They aren't the hungry upstarts anymore; they are the titans of the industry.
What We Know About the Story So Far
Let’s talk about that cliffhanger. Most people assume the new season has to start exactly where the old one left off. You remember: Stocking betrays Panty, claims she’s a demon because "it’s more fashionable," and Panty gets turned into literal ghost-meat.
The PV suggests we are getting exactly what we asked for. We see the sisters back in action, but there’s a sense that the world has moved on. The "New" in the title might imply a soft reboot, or it might just be a meta-joke about how long it’s been. Honestly, with this show, it could be both.
The dynamic between the sisters is the heart of the show. You have Panty, who is obsessed with sex, and Stocking, who is obsessed with sugary treats. Their bickering drove the plot of the first season. But now that Stocking’s "demon" status is out in the open, the power balance has shifted. Is she a villain? Is she just a jerk? Probably both.
The Return of the Soundtrack
You cannot talk about this show without mentioning the music. Taku Takahashi and the team at m-flo created a soundtrack that defined the 2010s for many anime fans. "Fly Away" is still a club banger.
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Reports indicate that the musical identity of the show is a top priority for TRIGGER. They know the "D市" (Daten City) vibe depends on that heavy electronic, French-house influenced sound. Without the right beats, the visuals don't land the same way. The new season needs to sound as expensive as it looks.
Production Challenges and the 2025/2026 Timeline
Animation isn't magic. It's a grueling process of thousands of drawings and massive budgets. While the hype for the Panty and Stocking new season is at an all-time high, TRIGGER is a busy studio. They’ve been balancing this alongside Delicious in Dungeon and other unannounced projects.
Production cycles for high-end anime have lengthened significantly over the last decade. Back in the day, a 12-episode season could be churned out in a year. Now? Fans expect Edgerunners level quality. That means longer lead times.
We’ve seen the "Battlefield" teaser. We’ve seen the character sheets. The core staff, including Hiromi Wakabayashi (producer) and Shigeto Koyama (designer), are all back. This isn't a "B-team" project. This is the main event.
The Voice Cast Dilemma
One thing fans are worried about is the voice acting. For the Japanese dub, getting the original cast back is usually standard. But for the English dub? The Funimation/Crunchyroll dub of the first season is legendary. It’s one of the few instances where the English script—filled with localized insults and creative swearing—is arguably more popular than the original.
With the industry shifting and voice actors moving on, fans are crossing their fingers that Jamie Marchi and Monica Rial return. Without their specific brand of chaotic energy, the English version would feel like a hollow imitation.
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Is Panty and Stocking Still Relevant?
Some people argue that the show's humor is a product of its time. 2010 was a different era of the internet. We were all on 4chan and Gaia Online. But the truth is, the "gross-out" humor of the show was always secondary to its style.
The show is a satire of celebrity culture, religious tropes, and gender roles. If anything, that’s more relevant today than it was back then. We live in an era of influencers and "cancel culture." Imagine what Panty would do with a TikTok account. The possibilities for satire are endless.
The Panty and Stocking new season doesn't need to change its DNA to fit in. It just needs to be louder than everything else. That’s what it was always good at. It was the punk rock of anime. While other shows were trying to be "moe" or "deep," Panty and Stocking was busy vomiting on the screen and looking cool doing it.
Actionable Steps for the Fandom
If you’re looking to get ready for the return of the Anarchy sisters, don't just sit around waiting for a release date. The landscape is moving fast.
- Watch the "New Panty and Stocking" PV on the official TRIGGER YouTube channel. It contains specific visual cues about the new art direction—look closely at the line work. It’s thicker and more stylized than the first season.
- Revisit the original 13 episodes. You’ve probably forgotten the smaller details, like the "Chuck" subplots or the specific ways the ghosts were defeated.
- Follow Hiromi Wakabayashi on X (formerly Twitter). He’s often the one dropping behind-the-scenes tidbits and convention news.
- Check the Studio TRIGGER Patreon. They often post production sketches and "behind the scenes" looks at what the animators are currently working on. It’s the best way to see the actual progress of the new season.
- Update your playlists. Re-listening to the original OST will remind you why the rhythm of this show matters so much.
The return of this series is a miracle of copyright law and creator persistence. It proves that in the modern anime industry, if a creator cares enough about their work, they can literally buy it back from the grave. The wait has been long, but the pieces are finally back together. All 666 of them.