A new trailer for Sekiro: No Defeat provides an intense taste of the anime adaptation of the FromSoftware hit, while director Kenichi Kutsuna explained how the game’s hard-hitting feel translates to the big screen.
Ax: Shadows Die Twice is undoubtedly one of FromSoftware’s absolute flagships. The adventure of the Shinobi Wolf has also driven numerous players crazy since its release in 2019 – after all, it is one of the hottest titles from the legendary studio.
The reason for this is not only the annoying fights, but also the lack of classic RPG elements. If you want to survive in “Sekiro”, you have to master the system. And it’s exactly this intense feeling that the upcoming anime adaptation is supposed to have “Axe: No Defeat” transferred to the big screen, which can now be seen in a brand new trailer.
Audiovisual power and full support from FromSoftware
Unsurprisingly, the new footage doesn’t do things by halves: especially in the second half, razor-sharp cuts and a dark, cinematic aesthetic dominate, while you get a good impression of how Studio Qzil.la perfectly translates the game’s fluid, highly dynamic combat system into 2D animation.
The focus of the trailer is of course once again the well-known protagonist, who has to defend his master, the Divine Heir Kuro, against the corrupt powers of Genichiro Ashina. For while the Interior Ministry brings the country of Ashina to its knees, Genichiro turns to forbidden, unholy forces in a desperate attempt to save his homeland.
The animation studio does everything it can to stay as true to the original as possible: the script and storyboarding were created in close collaboration with the developers of “Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice,” while FromSoftware accompanied the entire process and personally checked and approved every step of the project.
Combat, rhythm and hard decisions: the vision behind the adaptation
But how do you adapt a game whose core is the combat system and especially parrying for a film? Director Kenichi Kutsuna said in a recent interview Polygon reveal how he wants to transfer the unique feeling of the game to the screen.
Accordingly, the combat mechanics are particularly essential for the visual narrative: “One of the most important elements that I incorporated into the film is the block function, which you know from the game. When you watch the film, you can actually tell from the picture and sound where there was blocking and where there wasn’t.”
However, Kutsuna doesn’t just want viewers to watch passively, but to make the feeling of FromSoftware games directly tangible: “I really thought about it a lot. Through storytelling, we tried to let viewers actually feel the level of difficulty. After a fight scene, we want people to say, ‘Oh my God, I just saw something that felt really hard.'”
However, the director is aware that fans of the original will not find every moment from the game in the anime. Kutsuna openly admitted that it was simply impossible to squeeze a 30-hour gaming experience into the running time of a movie.
The team therefore had to make tough decisions: “If we had included everything, the film would last maybe eight hours – we had to set priorities. I really wanted to include the Mibu village, but in the end we had to give it up with a heavy heart.”
“Sekiro: No Defeat” starts on September 4, 2026, initially for a three-week, exclusive cinema broadcast in Japan. For all fans outside of Japan, one thing is already certain: Crunchyroll will stream the anime worldwide. A specific date for the digital release is currently pending.
Links to Amazon, Media Markt, Saturn and some other retailers are usually affiliate links. When you make a purchase, we receive a small commission with which we can finance the free-to-use site. You have no disadvantages.