Ginga Kōkō Senkan San Magnolia also by Suzume Somemiya—being serialized in Media Factory's seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive from June 2020 to August 2021, from April 2021 to October 2022, and from March 2023, respectively.

While on the surface, the public believes the war is being fought between machines, in reality, the Juggernauts are being piloted by humans, all of whom are "86"—the designation given to the Colorata minority of San Magnolia.

The 86 originally had equal rights, but were persecuted and scapegoated by the dominant Alba race and the Alba-supremacist Republic government to the point where Colorata were both officially designated and popularly considered subhuman.

The 86 were not permitted to have personal names and were immured in internment camps in the 86th District (their namesake), all the while being forced to fight in the Republic's war with the Empire to receive better treatment.

She is assigned as the Handler of the Spearhead Squadron of the Eastern Front: an elite unit composed entirely of 86 veterans who have earned names, in the form of callsigns.

Its notoriety stems from the state in which its commanding officers are left: Handlers presiding over the squad have descended into insanity and some have gone as far as committing suicide.

A prequel manga series titled 86: Fragmental Neoteny was serialized in Monthly Comic Alive from April 26, 2021,[71] to October 27, 2022.

Ginga Kōkō Senkan San Magnolia began serialization in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Alive magazine on March 27, 2023.

[76] An anime television series adaptation was announced in a livestream commemorating the first anniversary of Kadokawa's "Kimirano" light novel website on March 15, 2020.

[62] It is produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Toshimasa Ishii, with Toshiya Ōno writing the scripts, Tetsuya Kawakami designing the characters, and Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto composing the music.

[79][80][a] On March 28, 2021, Tokyo MX broadcast a special program commemorating the start of the series starring main cast members Shōya Chiba and Ikumi Hasegawa, producer Nobuhiro Nakayama and music composer Hiroyuki Sawano.

[88] Joe Ballard of Comic Book Resources noted the light novel's critical acclaim and called it "a movingly honest portrayal of war, drama, the supernatural, and the shockingly discriminatory views of a nation's general public, 86-Eighty-Six is anything but your standard light novel series.

"[89] UK Anime News praised the first volume of the light novel, calling it thought-provoking, emotional and incredibly difficult to put down.

[95] At the close of season one, the site praised the show's stellar production value, solid animation and music, and beautiful conveyance of its themes.