Patlabor watch order
In a near-future Tokyo full of giant construction robots called Labors, the police's underfunded Special Vehicles Section 2 fights Labor crime with robots of its own. Created by the Headgear group (including Mamoru Oshii and Yutaka Izubuchi), it mixes workplace comedy with political thrillers across two continuities: the original OVA and films, and the TV series line.
First time? Watch the Early Days OVA, then Patlabor: The Movie and Patlabor 2. If you love the squad, carry on with the TV series and The New Files, a separate, lighter continuity.
First-timer order
The usual advice: Early Days as an introduction, then the two Oshii films. WXIII is a side story with weaker reviews, so it can wait. The TV series and New Files are a separate, lighter continuity for when you want more of the squad.
- Patlabor: Early Days (original OVA)
The first anime: rookie Noa Izumi joins SV2 and pilots the Ingram she names Alphonse. Mostly standalone cases mixing comedy and workplace drama, and the occasional conspiracy. Starts the original continuity that the films continue.
- Patlabor: The Movie
Directed by Mamoru Oshii. In 1999, during the huge Babylon Project rebuild of Tokyo Bay, Labors start running amok, and SV2 traces it to a suspicious new operating system. A sequel to Early Days and a good place to see what the franchise is about.
- Patlabor 2: The Movie
Oshii's second film, set in 2002, three years after the first. A mysterious attack pushes Tokyo toward a military crisis, and the scattered former members of SV2 are drawn back together. A slow, political thriller.
- WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3
A side story set in 2000, between the first two films. Two detectives investigate attacks on Labors around Tokyo Bay and uncover something monstrous, loosely adapting the manga's Waste 13 arc. SV2 only plays a supporting part.
- Patlabor the Mobile Police (TV series)
A longer retelling with its own version of how the team came together, so it starts a separate continuity. Moves between everyday police comedy and a running fight with the Schaft corporation and its rogue Labor, the Griffon.
- Patlabor: The New Files
The second OVA series, a sequel to the TV series rather than to Early Days. It closes out the Griffon storyline, then returns to the squad's day-to-day cases.
- Patlabor EZY: File 1
The first part of a new three-part theatrical series directed by Yutaka Izubuchi, made of eight episodes in total. A new SV2 squad works in a 2030s Tokyo where AI and autonomous robots are replacing piloted Labors. Files 1 and 2 hold standalone episodes.
- Patlabor EZY: File 2
Three more standalone episodes, released in Japanese cinemas in August 2026.
- Patlabor EZY: File 3
The two-part finale of EZY, due in Japanese cinemas in March 2027.
- MiniPato (optional)
Three 12-minute comedy shorts in a paper-puppet style, written by Oshii and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, that explain and poke fun at the Ingram's weapons, its design and merchandising, and SV2's budget. Shown in cinemas alongside WXIII. A parody outside both continuities. Optional.
- Patlabor Reboot (optional)
An eight-minute action short made by Studio Khara for the Japan Animator Expo. A standalone one-off with no place in either timeline. Optional.
Story order
Two separate lines. The original line runs Early Days → The Movie (1999) → WXIII (2000) → Patlabor 2 (2002). The TV line runs TV series → The New Files. EZY is a new story set decades later, and MiniPato and Reboot are one-offs outside both lines.
- Patlabor: Early Days (original OVA)
The first anime: rookie Noa Izumi joins SV2 and pilots the Ingram she names Alphonse. Mostly standalone cases mixing comedy and workplace drama, and the occasional conspiracy. Starts the original continuity that the films continue.
- Patlabor: The Movie
Directed by Mamoru Oshii. In 1999, during the huge Babylon Project rebuild of Tokyo Bay, Labors start running amok, and SV2 traces it to a suspicious new operating system. A sequel to Early Days and a good place to see what the franchise is about.
- WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3
A side story set in 2000, between the first two films. Two detectives investigate attacks on Labors around Tokyo Bay and uncover something monstrous, loosely adapting the manga's Waste 13 arc. SV2 only plays a supporting part.
- Patlabor 2: The Movie
Oshii's second film, set in 2002, three years after the first. A mysterious attack pushes Tokyo toward a military crisis, and the scattered former members of SV2 are drawn back together. A slow, political thriller.
- Patlabor the Mobile Police (TV series)
A longer retelling with its own version of how the team came together, so it starts a separate continuity. Moves between everyday police comedy and a running fight with the Schaft corporation and its rogue Labor, the Griffon.
- Patlabor: The New Files
The second OVA series, a sequel to the TV series rather than to Early Days. It closes out the Griffon storyline, then returns to the squad's day-to-day cases.
- Patlabor EZY: File 1
The first part of a new three-part theatrical series directed by Yutaka Izubuchi, made of eight episodes in total. A new SV2 squad works in a 2030s Tokyo where AI and autonomous robots are replacing piloted Labors. Files 1 and 2 hold standalone episodes.
- Patlabor EZY: File 2
Three more standalone episodes, released in Japanese cinemas in August 2026.
- Patlabor EZY: File 3
The two-part finale of EZY, due in Japanese cinemas in March 2027.
- MiniPato (optional)
Three 12-minute comedy shorts in a paper-puppet style, written by Oshii and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, that explain and poke fun at the Ingram's weapons, its design and merchandising, and SV2's budget. Shown in cinemas alongside WXIII. A parody outside both continuities. Optional.
- Patlabor Reboot (optional)
An eight-minute action short made by Studio Khara for the Japan Animator Expo. A standalone one-off with no place in either timeline. Optional.
Release order
The original OVA came first (1988), followed by the first film and the TV series in 1989. The New Files ran from 1990 to 1992, Patlabor 2 came in 1993, and WXIII with MiniPato in 2002. EZY arrives as three theatrical parts in 2026 and 2027.
- Patlabor: Early Days (original OVA)
The first anime: rookie Noa Izumi joins SV2 and pilots the Ingram she names Alphonse. Mostly standalone cases mixing comedy and workplace drama, and the occasional conspiracy. Starts the original continuity that the films continue.
- Patlabor: The Movie
Directed by Mamoru Oshii. In 1999, during the huge Babylon Project rebuild of Tokyo Bay, Labors start running amok, and SV2 traces it to a suspicious new operating system. A sequel to Early Days and a good place to see what the franchise is about.
- Patlabor the Mobile Police (TV series)
A longer retelling with its own version of how the team came together, so it starts a separate continuity. Moves between everyday police comedy and a running fight with the Schaft corporation and its rogue Labor, the Griffon.
- Patlabor: The New Files
The second OVA series, a sequel to the TV series rather than to Early Days. It closes out the Griffon storyline, then returns to the squad's day-to-day cases.
- Patlabor 2: The Movie
Oshii's second film, set in 2002, three years after the first. A mysterious attack pushes Tokyo toward a military crisis, and the scattered former members of SV2 are drawn back together. A slow, political thriller.
- WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3
A side story set in 2000, between the first two films. Two detectives investigate attacks on Labors around Tokyo Bay and uncover something monstrous, loosely adapting the manga's Waste 13 arc. SV2 only plays a supporting part.
- MiniPato (optional)
Three 12-minute comedy shorts in a paper-puppet style, written by Oshii and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, that explain and poke fun at the Ingram's weapons, its design and merchandising, and SV2's budget. Shown in cinemas alongside WXIII. A parody outside both continuities. Optional.
- Patlabor Reboot (optional)
An eight-minute action short made by Studio Khara for the Japan Animator Expo. A standalone one-off with no place in either timeline. Optional.
- Patlabor EZY: File 1
The first part of a new three-part theatrical series directed by Yutaka Izubuchi, made of eight episodes in total. A new SV2 squad works in a 2030s Tokyo where AI and autonomous robots are replacing piloted Labors. Files 1 and 2 hold standalone episodes.
- Patlabor EZY: File 2
Three more standalone episodes, released in Japanese cinemas in August 2026.
- Patlabor EZY: File 3
The two-part finale of EZY, due in Japanese cinemas in March 2027.
Explained
Why are there two versions of the story?
Patlabor was planned as a multimedia project, so the OVA, films, TV series and Masami Yuki's manga each tell the story their own way. The original OVA (Early Days) leads into the films. The TV series starts over with its own origin and continues in The New Files OVA. You can watch either line on its own.
Do I need Early Days before the movies?
It helps. The first film is a sequel to Early Days and assumes you know the squad, though it's watchable on its own. Patlabor 2 follows the first film and works best after it.
Where does WXIII fit?
Between the first and second films, in 2000. It's a side story about two detectives, with SV2 in the background, so it's the most skippable of the three films.
What is Patlabor EZY?
A new anime directed by Yutaka Izubuchi, one of the original Headgear creators, released in Japan as three theatrical "Files" with eight episodes in total: File 1 in May 2026, File 2 in August 2026 and the two-part finale, File 3, due in March 2027. It follows a new SV2 team in the 2030s. No English release had been announced as of October 2026. The live-action The Next Generation: Patlabor (2014–15) is a separate project, not anime.
Where can I watch it in English?
The TV series and Early Days stream on HIDIVE in the US. Maiden Japan and Section23 put out the OVAs, TV series and films on disc, and Discotek announced new Blu-ray releases for late 2026. The first two films have English dubs; The New Files was only partly dubbed (four episodes) on its old Central Park Media release.