Kojima Productions has shared a first look at Death Stranding Isolations, the animated series set in the world of DEATH STRANDING. A teaser and new details were revealed during the studio’s 10th anniversary event in Tokyo, along with confirmation that author Tow Ubukata is handling series composition and screenplay. The series will stream exclusively on Disney+ or other Disney services in 2027.
Death Stranding Isolations is a completely separate story from the games. It’s set in North America straight after Sam (the protagonist of the original game) has reconnected the continent via the Chiral Network. As America rebuilds, the new connections that are made have all sorts of unforeseen consequences.
Right at the heart of the series is a young girl who, like so many others, was left in total isolation following the Death Stranding (the horrific explosions that occur when the dead cross over into the living world). Over time she comes to prefer being all on her own, to avoid any real human contact and just let fate take her. A series of chance encounters alters that and she is thrown into a world she didn’t know existed. The series follows a young man and a young woman as they go on an adventure. The cast also includes a number of other people who have taken a different path to Sam and his Bridges comrades: an old man who in some way or other is able to connect people in a manner that is utterly inexplicable, a female soldier caught in the gears of war and destruction and a boy who is absolutely furious at the sheer absurdity of his own life.
The series uses traditional hand-drawn 2D animation, produced by E&H Production, the studio behind NINJA KAMUI, BULLET/BULLET and the Magic Knight Rayearth television series. Takayuki Sano is directing, with Hideo Kojima as executive producer and Ilya Kuvshinov as original character designer. KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS is producing.
Sano says he approached the project with a real sense of responsibility, given what he sees as a fundamental aspect of Kojima’s work:
One of the unique abilities of entertainment is its power to enhance the spirituality of those who consume it, and I think this is something that Mr Kojima’s works have always achieved. As a result, I approached this production with an exceptionally strong sense of duty and responsibility. I knew that no matter what, I needed to accomplish the same thing.
The reveal was at BEYOND THE STRAND: The Odyssey of Creation and Endeavour, the 10th anniversary exhibition of Kojima Productions. It’s at the Azabudai Hills Gallery in Tokyo from 31 October to 20 December 2026. The exhibition includes previously unseeable production materials, a limited edition 10th Anniversary LUDENS statue and a 360 degree immersive video installation created specifically for the show.
Death Stranding Isolations will stream on Disney+ or other Disney services in 2027.
