SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE anime adaptation

It has been announced that the first film adaptation of the action-adventure game "SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE" (FromSoftware), which depicts the battles of ninjas at the end of the Warring States period, will be a hand-drawn 2D anime called "SEKIRO: NO DEFEAT." Kenichi Kutsuna will serve as director, and Qzil.la will produce the animation.

Following the game, Daisuke Namikawa will be appearing as Wolf, Miyuki Sato as Kuro, and Kenjiro Tsuda as Genichiro Ashina. A teaser visual drawn by character designer Takahiro Kishida has also been released.

Director Kutsuna commented, "In adapting the overwhelmingly beautiful "SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE" into an anime, I have gathered all the "beauty" I can muster and approached the production of this work. I am sure that fans of the game and those experiencing the world of "SEKIRO" for the first time through the anime will take something home with them when they watch it. Please look forward to it."

Shun Fukudome, CEO of Qzil.la, the company that produced the anime, said, "Expressing the charm of the original work, which combines beauty and intensity, in the form of animation was a challenge that required great resolve. Together with the wonderful creators who agreed to take on this challenge, we are constantly experimenting in pursuit of the visual beauty that can only be expressed through animation. We will work wholeheartedly to create a work that will leave a lasting impression on fans of the original work, as well as those who are experiencing the work for the first time through the anime."

Suzuki Satoshi, president and CEO of ARCH, the company producing the anime, commented, "As a producer, when planning this work, I discussed with the staff how we should turn 'The Story of a Lonely Master and Servant' into an anime. There are two characters, master and servant, yet they are lonely. I believe we have been given a theme that is deeply relevant to us who live in the modern world. In addition, this work prompted Director Kutsuna to start the creative group Studio Beta, and ARCH is involved in the management. I am pleased that we are able to bring this work to you thanks to many people, including FromSoftware, who created the original work, KADOKAWA, which oversees domestic development, and Crunchyroll, which oversees overseas development."

*Staff (titles omitted)

Director: Kenichi Kutsuna ▽ Screenplay: Takuya Sato ▽ Character Design: Takahiro Kishida ▽ Assistant Director: Shunsuke Fukui ▽ Chief Animation Director: Kaito Mogi ▽ Action Animation Director: Takashi Mukaida ▽ Art Director: Yuji Kaneko ▽ Color Design: Azusa Sasaki ▽ Director of Photography: Keisuke Nozawa ▽ Editor: Yoshinori Murakami ▽ Sound Director: Yasushi Nagura ▽ Music: Shuta Hasunuma ▽ Produced by: ARCH; Animation Production: Qzil.la

*Cast (titles omitted)

Wolf: Daisuke Namikawa ▽ Kuro: Miyuki Sato ▽ Genichiro Ashina: Kenjiro Tsuda