‘Death Stranding Isolations’ Teaser Brings Hideo Kojima’s Strange World to Hand-Drawn Anime
Few video game worlds are as instantly recognizable as the one Hideo Kojima built for ‘Death Stranding.’ Its desolate landscapes, ghostly threats, and fragile human connections have long felt like natural material for expansion beyond the console. Now that expansion is picking up speed, and it is arriving in a form fans may not have expected.
Kojima Productions released a new teaser trailer and key visual at the BEYOND THE STRAND event at Azabudai Hills Gallery in Tokyo. The reveal gave fans their first real look at a project that has been in the pipeline for some time. The animated series was first announced in 2025.
That brings us to the news making the rounds on social media. Rotten Tomatoes shared the first teaser trailer for ‘Death Stranding Isolations,’ noting that the new anime premieres in 2027 on Disney+. The post’s 35-second clip opens on a vast, misty crater, with a lone figure standing on a rocky ledge and a thin beam of light rising from the center of the basin.
That crater is more than just scenery. The teaser carries the line “My mom became a crater,” and the series is described as one in which the souls of the dead become stranded among the living, triggering massive explosions known as “Death Stranding” that leave a young girl isolated from the world. It is a grim hook, and a very ‘Death Stranding’ one.
The story itself will not follow the games. The anime is set in the same world as Kojima’s video game series starring Norman Reedus, but it tells a completely new story separate from the games. It follows a young man and woman as they set out on an adventure.
Timeline-wise, the series slots in after the events of the first game. It takes place in North America immediately after Sam, the game’s protagonist, reconnects the continent through the Chiral Network, though the renewed connections bring about new and unforeseen consequences. Another description offers a bit more flavor: while Sam Bridges walks across the continent to save America, other people are trying to deal with their own isolation in their own ways.
The cast of characters is starting to take shape, too. So far, four characters are known: an old man seeking salvation outside Bridges’ network, a female warrior, a boy with a grudge against Bridges, and a lonely young girl. In the teaser, the young girl, who is also a Porter, is seen having nightmares about the BTs, or Beached Things.
Behind the scenes, the credits lean on recognizable names. Kojima serves as executive producer, Takayuki Sano directs, and Tow Ubukata handles series composition and screenplay. Ilya Kuvshinov, known for ‘Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045,’ contributes the original character designs.
The animation itself is a major selling point. The show uses a traditional, hand-drawn 2D style, with some of Japan’s top animation talent at E&H production bringing it to life. The studio’s previous credits include ‘Ninja Kamui.’
As for where to watch, there is a small wrinkle in the reporting. The trailer confirms the series will stream on both Hulu and Disney+ when it premieres in 2027. Rotten Tomatoes’ post highlights Disney+, while other outlets note it will also reach other Disney services.
There is still plenty left to learn. Kojima Productions has given only the 2027 window, with no exact release date. A separate ‘Death Stranding: Mosquito’ anime movie is also reportedly in the works. For a franchise built on the idea of reaching across great distances, the wait for more footage may feel suitably isolating.
