Armitage III (OVA) VHS

Mars, 2046. Detective Ross Sylibus has transferred from Chicago to the Martian colony — partly to escape the memory of watching a robot kill his former partner. On his first day, a famous country singer is murdered on his incoming flight. The killer leaves behind a disturbing discovery: the singer was a Third Type android — a robot so biologically advanced it can pass completely as human, capable of reproduction, emotion, and genuine human experience. Someone is systematically hunting and killing all the Third Types on Mars, and the killer's manifesto is fueling violent anti-robot sentiment across the colony. Sylibus is partnered with Naomi Armitage — aggressive, unpredictable, phenomenally capable, and hiding something significant about her own nature. As the body count rises and the conspiracy behind the killings reaches into the highest levels of Martian government and Earth politics, Armitage's secret becomes impossible to contain — and the question of what it means to be human in a world that manufactures people becomes impossible to ignore.

Armitage III is a four-episode cyberpunk OVA produced by AIC and Pioneer LDC, directed and character-designed by Hiroyuki Ochi, and written by Chiaki J. Konaka — the writer of Cardcaptor Sakura movie scripts, Catnapped!, Serial Experiments Lain, Digimon Tamers, and Birdy the Mighty. Released in Japan between February and November 1995, it draws heavily from Philip K. Dick's android-as-human-mirror tradition while building its own dense near-future political world. The OVA was later re-edited as the feature film Armitage III: Poly-Matrix with a new dub featuring Kiefer Sutherland and Elizabeth Berkley — the first major anime production to cast Hollywood stars in lead roles. The original OVA dub cast features Bryan Cranston as Ross Sylibus, pre-Malcolm in the Middle and Breaking Bad, in one of his most substantial pre-fame anime roles alongside Dougray Scott as Rene D'anclaude. The Pioneer/Geneon Perfect Collection DVD released November 5, 2002 collects all four uncut episodes on a single disc.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director / Character Design: Hiroyuki Ochi
Screenplay: Chiaki J. Konaka (Cardcaptor Sakura movie, Catnapped!, Serial Experiments Lain, Birdy the Mighty, Digimon Tamers)
Studio: AIC (Anime International Company) / Pioneer LDC
Music: Hiroyuki Namba

Japanese Cast:
- Chiharu Kataishi as Naomi Armitage
- Hiroko Kasahara as additional cast (DNA², Love Hina)
- Wataru Takagi as additional cast
- Nobutoshi Kanna as additional cast

English Dub Cast (AIC / Pioneer — Los Angeles):
- Bryan Cranston as Ross Sylibus (Breaking Bad, Malcolm in the Middle — pre-fame role; also in Moldiver and Macross II)
- Dougray Scott as Rene D'anclaude
- Dorothy Elias-Fahn as Naomi Armitage (Rurouni Kenshin, Mahoromatic, Steel Angel Kurumi, Love Hina)
- Steve Blum as additional cast (Cowboy Bebop, Mahoromatic, Moldiver, Noir, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust)
- Wendee Lee as additional cast (El-Hazard, Tenchi Universe, Gestalt, Kurogane Communication)
- Richard Cansino as additional cast (Mahoromatic, Nightwalker, Rurouni Kenshin, WXIII Patlabor)
- Lia Sargent as additional cast (Gate Keepers 21, éX-Driver, Ninja Cadets)
- Brianne Siddall as additional cast (Arc the Lad, Metropolis)
- Dan Woren as additional cast (Macross II)

Edition Details

Japanese Title: アミテージ・ザ・サード (Amitēji za Sādo / Armitage the Third)
Runtime: ~140 Minutes (Complete OVA, 4 Episodes)
Director: Hiroyuki Ochi
Original Release Date (Japan): February 25 – November 25, 1995
Publisher: Pioneer Entertainment / Geneon Entertainment
Rating: 16+
Region: Region NTSC
Note: Bryan Cranston voices Ross Sylibus in this original OVA dub — pre-Breaking Bad. Hollywood-cast Poly-Matrix film is a separate release. Written by Chiaki J. Konaka (Serial Experiments Lain).
Genre: Cyberpunk, Sci-Fi, Action
Themes: Third Type Androids, Philip K. Dick Influence, Mars Colony Politics, Android Civil Rights, Bryan Cranston Pre-Fame Role

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.