It has been revealed that actor Toma Ikuta will star in the Netflix film "Demon City: Onigoroshi," which will be released on February 27, 2025. Ikuta played the protagonist's deceased beloved lover in the currently streaming Netflix series "Sayonara no Tsuzuki," which brought tears to viewers' eyes, but in this film he plays a hitman with a sickle in hand who vows to avenge his beloved wife and daughter.
The original manga "Onigoroshi" by Kawabe Shindo, which began serialization in 2020 and concluded its four-year run in the November 22nd issue of Weekly Manga Goraku (Nihon Bungeisha), is set in the provincial city of Shinjo and depicts the revenge of the protagonist, Sakata Shuhei (Ikuta), a hitman whose wife and daughter have been taken away, with overwhelming intensity and powerful violence. Sakata's daughter Ryo is played by Touma Ami, and Sakata's wife Aoi, who was shot to death in front of him, is played by Kiryu Aso.
It was also announced that Matsuya Onoe, Masahiro Higashide, Masanobu Takashima, and Mio Tanaka will appear as the villains upon whom Sakata seeks revenge.
Onoe and the other four are all members of the Kimengumi, an organization that controls Shinjo City from behind the scenes. Onoe plays Haruhara Ryu, the mayor of Shinjo City, who plans to build a resort facility with Japan's first full-scale casino, and Higashide plays Fushi Kanta, the president of a security company who hides his inner perversion and raises Sakata's daughter like a beloved daughter. Takashima plays Shinozuka Kotaro, a detective in the First Investigative Division of Shinjo Police Station, and Tanaka plays Takemoto Homare, the president of a local cleaning company involved in drug trafficking. Each of them covers their public faces with strange masks and plays a group of villains who commit all sorts of atrocities for their own causes and selfish gain.
Also appearing in the film will be Takenaka Naoto as Kono Haruo, the boss of the Kono-gumi, a yakuza group in Shinjo City, and Otoo Takuma as Takigawa Yoshifumi, who works at the police box and also works as an informant.
The director and screenwriter is Seiji Tanaka, who also directed the film "Melancholic" (2018). This was his first feature film and won the Director's Award at the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival's Japanese Film Splash section, as well as the New Director's Award at the 21st Udine Far East Film Festival, Europe's largest Asian film festival.
◇Comment from Toma Ikuta
I will be appearing in the Netflix movie "Demon City." I have almost no lines. I was given a difficult role in which I have to express all my emotions through action. That's sharp, Netflix! It should be interesting. Because I put my body on the line so much.
◇Comment from the original author, Shindo Kawabe
Netflix is the birthplace of top-notch video works such as House of Cards and Narcos, which cannot be seen on TV or in movie theaters. I still remember the days when I was waiting for Netflix to come to Japan. I heard that a movie will be made on Netflix with a luxurious cast including up-and-coming director Tanaka, Ikuta, Onoue, and Higashide. I'm really looking forward to it. I hope all readers will be watching with interest.
◇Comment from Director and Screenwriter Seiji Tanaka
I am really happy to have had the opportunity to take on the "revenge + violent action" genre, which I love as an audience member. After much discussion with the staff and cast about how to create a story unique to the film while retaining the worldview and powerful impact of the original "Onigoroshi," the film was finally completed. The delicate acting and overwhelming physical expression of the main actor, Ikuta, were truly magnificent, and I was deeply moved on set. All the characters are truly full of originality and realism, enriching the town of Demon City. Please look forward to it!
