JAPAN GAMING & ENTERTAINMENT 
The original is a fully 3D CG game. Even so, the anime film SEKIRO: NO DEFEAT was made entirely with hand-drawn 2D animation.
On September 6, 2026, Game*Spark published an interview with director Kenichi Kutsuna about this choice. According to the interview, Kutsuna made telling a poignant, beautiful story the film’s theme, aiming to bring out the beauty of the source material as fully as possible. This is said to be Kutsuna’s first time directing a feature-length animated film.
The interview also reveals the research behind the film’s visuals. Historical consultants were brought in to thoroughly research period details such as architecture and clothing. For the sword-fighting scenes, the production directly interviewed people connected to a traditional swordsmanship school. The film also adds elements created specifically for the anime that are not found in the game, including the perspective of ordinary people such as villagers and scenes showing Kuro — who is kept protected — looking happy in an age-appropriate way.
The film is a completely new anime production based on FromSoftware’s action game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. It has been playing in Japanese theaters for a limited three-week run since September 4, 2026. Arch Inc. and STUDIO BETTA are producing the project, Qzil.la is handling animation production, and ANIMEC is distributing it.
The Japanese voice cast reprises their roles from the original game, with Daisuke Namikawa as Wolf, Miyuki Satou as Kuro, and Kenjiro Tsuda as Genichiro Ashina. The screenplay is by Takuya Sato, character design is by Takahiro Kishida, and the music is by Shuta Hasunuma. The theme song is “Blu,” an album track by Ryuichi Sakamoto.