Of all the panels and news to come for Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025, the Star Wars: Visions panel was my most anticipated considering the series would return to Japan’s legendary anime scene and several returning studios were coming back for more, leaving me eager to learn if that meant continuations for some of Vol. 1‘s best or not. My dreams not only came true, as sequels to “The Duel,” “The Village Bride,” and “The Ninth Jedi” are on their way, while the rest of the new stories look to set up for more visually arresting and intriguing new takes on the franchise, but my wildest expectations were blown out of the water when it was announced there would be a whole series around the world of “The Ninth Jedi”!!!!!! What?!?!!!! It’s a bold new direction for Visions and I’m so here for it! Visions Vol. 3 is out October 29, while Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi will follow in 2026. Check out all the cool new and returning stories below!
For some reason, the livestream video from Day 3 isn’t on YouTube as of this publishing, but I’ll link to it when it does return. Otherwise, I was relying on the coverage from the fine folks at Star Wars Explained and Distant Echoes to learn the news, plus Star Wars Holocron for even more photos, while Star Wars Underworld has posted the Vol. 3 Sizzle Reel that was shown, so I’ve posted that first and then I’ll break down the new shorts!
“The Duel: Payback” by Kamikaze Douga
When it was revealed Kamikaze Douga was coming back for Vol. 3, I hoped they’d bring their talents to a new world given how fleshed out and expanded “The Duel” from Vol. 1 has already been, as it’s gotten a spellbinding and wild novel in Ronin: A Visions Novel, while two comics have looked into the characters’ past, and heck, they had some beautiful Black Series figures at Celebration to purchase. Given the novel is already a sequel, I’m curious if “The Duel: Payback” will honor it at all or not, but I’d understand if the studio decides to do their own thing, as Visions is all about possibilities and new takes on what we know and love. According to the panel, “Payback” sees a Jedi named Grand Master in Ronin’s way. We got a glimpse of new character designs, like a Wookiee and a weird little creature riding a mouse droid, a praying mantis inspired character, and an AT-AT with a little house on top! The sizzle reel above showcases more of the short’s dazzling and largely black and white animation back in action. I didn’t feel like we needed to revisit this world after it has been so much already, but what I’m seeing has me excited for the return anyways! As stated in the original reveal of Vol. 3, ANIMA Inc is working with Douga on this one.
“The Village Bride: The Lost Ones” by Kinema Citrus
An early standout, “The Village Bride” was an all-timer from Vol. 1, especially after F makes her big move and stuns the galaxy with her fancy footwear and lightsaber blade. I was originally hoping for a novel to expand on F’s story, but I’ll glad take a sequel instead! F will explore a new village where children have gone missing and I can bet we’ll dive a bit more into F’s past, given the hints at how dark her experience with Order 66 was and how it lingers still for her. The images shown at the panel include F with some children and a hair-haired person, with looks like an Imperial-type uniform on, standing in front of what looks like a digital screen…maybe how they are luring the children away? I am very hyped for this and can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeves, as even the small glimpse of F taking out her blade again has my heart skipping a beat!
“The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope” by Production I.G.
“The Ninth Jedi” remains my favorite Visions so far, so the idea of a sequel put me over the moon and back. Picking up after the events of the first entry, “Child of Hope” follows Kara not only looking for her father, but figuring out her place as the potential Ninth Jedi. Writer and director Kenji Kamiyama was there to thank fans and reveal while he’s handing off directing duties for “Child of Hope,” he will be back for more of Kara’s story in the stunner reveal of the panel:
Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi by Production I.G.
This is a full series continuing the world of the “The Ninth Jedi” shorts! Visions Presents is a brand new off-shoot of the Visions brand, giving creatives a larger and longer canvas to explore stories, so it could become host to even more continuations or out-right full series for new stories alike! Starting with The Ninth Jedi, with its lightsaber smith idea, moody and intriguing setting, and downright thrilling mixture of action and heart, is the perfect place and…well, I’m still not quite over this reveal!! It’s genuinely shocking and I’m glad Lucasfilm is so open to allowing unique stories like this get even more room to shine and explore their own take on the Galaxy Far, Far Away. Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi will hit Disney+ in 2026!
“Yuko’s Treasure” by Kinema Citrus
In a change of pace from their “The Village Bridge” work, Kinema Citrus has a second short in Vol. 3 which features an adorable bear-droid named Billy, which I guess has a microwave in its belly but that’s not all it does, and Yuko is an orphan who lives with the droid. Billy is the cutest take on a droid yet and I can’t wait to see what he and Yuko get up to on Tatooine.
“The Smuggler” by Studio TRIGGER
Another returning studio, TRIGGER goes in a new original direction rather than returning to the worlds of “The Twins” or “The Elder,” and given how wildly different their first two were, I’m down for them doing some new again! “The Smuggler” features a Han Solo-like character, which I’m assuming is the shorter, pink-haired girl in the character concept art shown. This short features quite a bit in the Sizzle Reel and it looks to have a good combination of suspense and humor, given the scene of them taking the landspeeder for a big jump and celebrating the successful landing.
“The Bounty Hunters” by WIT Studio
WIT Studio’s first short will focus on a duo of titular bounty hunters and the designs shown, the sharp-eyed masked woman and the lanky, backpack wearing droid with her, are intriguing, while it’ll be neat to see a seedier side of the galaxy!
“The Song of Four Wings” by Project Studio Q
Mechs are the name of the game in this cool looking short, as it’s the one in the Sizzle Reel where we see AT-AT’s emerging from the snow, which I originally thought was in reverse but I’m glad I was wrong, and part where the astromech comes apart and attaches to the woman with it, making her into a little X-wing… I need that action figure set right now!!
“The Bird of Paradise” by Polygon Pictures
Of the new shorts, “The Bird of Paradise” is the the most visually gorgeous and intriguing one to me, as its lead character Nakime has both a light and dark side to her, set to explore the struggle between the two and other mythology-related ideas. It’s the one which kicks off the Sizzle Reel, if you want an idea of how beautiful the previews they showed off look in motion.
“Black” by David Production
Wanting to focus on the stormtroopers given they are often overlooked, “Black” is on a whole other visual plane of existence, while the jazzy soundtrack makes me think of the Peanuts. Is it all a fever dream in a character’s head? Or trying to go so wild and unique so stormtroopers are memorable again? You can check out more about “Black,” including the clip, in the YouTube video above, but I don’t know how long it’ll last!
That’s it for Star Wars: Visions Vol. 3 at Celebration Japan, but expect to learn about the voice cast ahead of its release on October 29. Now excuse, I have to go scream into a pillow in excitement for 2026’s Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky.