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KILLTUBE Anime Film Reveals Cast, Behind-the-Scenes Video, Key Visual

Studio Dotou revealed on Saturday at Anime Expo the main cast members for its first anime film KILLTUBE, as well as a behind-the-scenes video, and a key visual.

Yui Tsukada will make her debut starring role as the freewheeling protagonist Musashi (center in YouTube thumbnail above), Kengo Kawanishi will play con artist Kikuchiyo (right), and Ayane Sakura will play inventor Leonardo (left).

The staff also revealed an in-progress preview video.

The studio screened the world premiere of a scene from KILLTUBE featuring guest director Kazuaki Kuribayashi during Anime Expo on Saturday.

Japanese company CHOCOLATE Inc. (live-action film Mondays: See You "This" Week!, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba's Total Concentration exhibition, production and publicity for Dark Gathering anime) announced its plan to produce KILLTUBE in April 2024. The company is targeting the 90-minute film for spring 2026, with plans for a worldwide release.

CHOCOLATE Inc. describes the film:

In 2026, Japan continues its isolation under the Edo Shogunate. Amidst strict social hierarchies, three indivi duals, treated as scums of society, cross paths in a prison cell destined for a fateful encounter. They join the dueling video platform "KILLTUBE" to pursue fortune and to win their freedom in a segregational world. In an era dubbed the "Age of Great Duels," where one can amass immense wealth simply by defeating the strong, they face discrimination from samurais and merchants seeking power and authority. As they break the limits of convention and claim victory after victory, they rise in popularity, becoming decorated celebrities of their time.
However, just as they reach the height of their fame, they uncover the hidden truth behind "KILLTUBE"...

The staff aims to use 3D CG to depict the look of shin-hanga (Showa period woodblock prints) in vivid colors and different textures. CHOCOLATE Inc. is working with up-and-coming VFX studio KASSEN and concept artist group WACHAJACK with a budget of 1 billion yen (about US$6.6 million).

Kazuaki Kuribayashi is directing and planning the film at STUDIO DOTOU. CHOCOLATE Inc. is in charge of planning and production.

The film's staff also includes:

• Script: Saeri Natsuo, Ryō Takemura, Takenori Tokuyama
• World View Setting: Yūsuke Ujita
• Technical Direction: Takumi Shiga (CAVIAR), Masato Goto, Bivi, Frog96, Marusō
• Character Design/Technical Direction: Nike Shimaguchi
• Technical Direction/VFX Supervisor: Takahiro Ōta (KASSEN)
• Music Director: Matsuza Katakumi
• (Music) Composition: Takao Ogi
• Concept Art Director: Fujihiko Sawai (WACHAJACK)
• Concept Artist: Shūsei Sasaya
• Character Settings: ARuFa
• Graphic Designer: Masataka Yoshida
• Art Director: Takuya Sekikawa
• CG Lead Animator: Daisuke Kaneko (StudioNoco)
• CG Supervisor: Yūki Mizoguchi
• CG Animation Supervisor: Satoshi Takeno (MontBlanc Pictures)
• Background Modeling Supervisor: Jun Kazuse (Barehand)
• CG Effects Supervisor: Tai Komatsu
• Technical Artist: Hiroyuki Okada
• CG Producer: Nanao Nakatsuka

The film project is part of the "108 Experiments" initiative by CHOCOLATE Inc. to develop new ways to create works, present them, and earn revenue to nurture original stories.

CHOCOLATE Inc., Kassen Inc., and WACHAJACK established Studio Dotou (Dotou means "raging waves" in Japanese) to bring together various professionals to create "new ways of making things," without being bound by the boundaries of their respective fields of expertise or industry conventions.

Sources: KILLTUBE's YouTube channel and website, Comic Natalie

ANN's coverage of Anime Expo 2025 is sponsored by Yen Press and Ize Press!