Studio
Dotou has
released a new official trailer for its first feature
anime, KILLTUBE, sparking great anticipation among fans of the
genre. This preview comes just days before the exclusive world premiere
of a scene at Anime Expo 2025, which will be held in Los
Angeles on July 5 at 9:00 p.m. The panel will feature guest
conductor Kazuaki Kuribayashi.
A feudal dystopia where viral duels are the path to freedom
The film is
being developed by the Japanese company CHOCOLATE Inc., known for
its participation in projects such as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba –
Total Concentration and the Dark Gathering anime.
Announced in April 2024, the film will run for 90 minutes and
is scheduled to be released worldwide in spring 2026.
KILLTUBE transports us to an
alternative Japan in 2026, where the country is still under the isolation of
the Edo shogunate. In this rigidly hierarchical society, three social outcasts
find themselves in a cell and decide to join a dueling video platform called KILLTUBE. In
the midst of the "Age of Great Duels", where defeating
the strongest means wealth and fame, these characters challenge the established
order and seek their freedom, facing discrimination from samurai and powerful
merchants.
As they
become popular celebrities after multiple victories, a
disturbing truth about the KILLTUBE system begins to be revealed...
A
revolutionary visual style and high-caliber equipment
The film
takes a unique visual approach by recreating the shin-hanga style
(Japanese prints from the Showa period) in 3D CG with rich
colors and detailed textures. To achieve this innovative aesthetic,
CHOCOLATE Inc. collaborates with emerging VFX studio KASSEN and
conceptual artist group WACHAJACK, with an estimated
budget of 1 billion yen (approximately $6.6 million).
Kazuaki
Kuribayashi directs
and plans the project from Studio Dotou, founded by CHOCOLATE Inc.,
KASSEN Inc. and WACHAJACK, with the intention of revolutionizing audiovisual
production methods.
Part of
the ambitious "108 Experiments" project
KILLTUBE is part of CHOCOLATE Inc.'s
"108 Experiments" initiative, which aims to explore
new ways of creating, distributing, and monetizing original content.
Under this vision, Studio Dotou emerges as a space where different
professionals who seek to break with the conventional limits of the creative
industry converge.
