{"id":687542,"date":"2025-08-28T06:10:34","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T03:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/killtube-team-talks-pushing-animation-boundaries-at-anime-expo-2025-2\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T06:10:34","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T03:10:34","slug":"killtube-team-talks-pushing-animation-boundaries-at-anime-expo-2025-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/killtube-team-talks-pushing-animation-boundaries-at-anime-expo-2025-2\/","title":{"rendered":"KILLTUBE Team Talks Pushing Animation Boundaries at Anime Expo 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Over a year has passed since the teaser pilot of the anime<\/a> film <\/span>KILLTUBE <\/span><\/i>went viral for its frenetic, mesmerizing visuals. <\/span>This year\u2019s Anime Expo attendees got to hear about the film\u2019s developments firsthand from <\/span>CHOCOLATE Inc.<\/b>\u2018s director <\/span>Kazuaki Kuribayashi<\/b> and animation producer <\/span>Fuko Noda<\/b>. Attendees also got to see a preview of behind-the-scenes content and new updates on the project.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Set to release in 2026, <\/span>KILLTUBE<\/span><\/i> imagines an alternate universe where the Edo period extends into the current day, samurai still dominate society, and citizens of Japan are bound by a strict class hierarchy. The only way to climb the ladder is by dueling with others to get to the top. These fights must be livestreamed \u2014 hence birthing the concept of \u201cduel streaming.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The film follows three protagonists: Musashi, a rowdy boy raised by dogs and then by a samurai; Kikuchiyo, an attractive, money-hungry con artist who uses his looks to his advantage; and Leonardo, an engineer who believes she is Leonardo da Vinci incarnate. Several recurring characters were also introduced at the panel, some of whom had chimera or mecha elements to their design.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy of CHOCOLATE Inc.<\/em><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The anime film is part of a larger \u201c108 Experiments\u201d project, in which the staff tests how far they can push the boundaries of what an animation production can entail. Attendees got to see part of this experimentation in action with a frame-by-frame walkthrough of <\/span>KILLTUBE<\/span><\/i>\u2019s pilot, which utilized both 2D and 3D animation. Along with these two animation techniques, the team drew from video game<\/a> styles as well as historical Japanese artworks, creating further layers of intricacy.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/b>For example, in the scene where Musashi jumps off a rooftop on a skateboard, the effects are hand-drawn on top of a background and a character that [are both] made from CG,\u201d Noda said. \u201cAnd then to this, we\u2019ve added elements inspired by Edo period art, so it\u2019s creating a style that\u2019s uniquely Japanese.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 CHOCOLATE\/ KILLTUBE<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Similar to the animation\u2019s construction, the staff\u2019s production workflow operates outside of normal parameters. Whereas production staff is often configured in a top-down fashion, with the director at the top informing people on how to execute the vision, <\/span>KILLTUBE<\/span><\/i>\u2019s team works bottom-up, with each member of the staff building on the foundation the director has created.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes a CG animator comes up with an idea, [saying,] \u2018I wanna try this kind of movement\u2019 \u2014 and that develops into a new direction for a scene. Or a concept art inspires changes to the story itself. The blueprint gets built along the way, and that allows unexpected and exciting ideas to keep stacking up,\u201d Noda said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely tough, but I believe that this kind of creative freedom leads to surprises you could never get if everything was fully planned from the start.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The panel additionally included a quiz about the history of the Edo period, where the audience could participate for the chance of winning a <\/span>KILLTUBE<\/span><\/i> T-shirt. Each question revealed a new piece of history that the team infused into their film, from combining the geographies of old Edo and modern-day Tokyo to using Edo-era kites as the blueprint for <\/span>KILLTUBE<\/span><\/i>\u2019s livestreaming drones.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The staff\u2019s collaborative dedication kindled this extensive creative output. \u201cWe have about 100 staff members for the<\/span> KILLTUBE<\/span><\/i> team, and for everything we draw, we basically all put out ideas,\u201d Kuribayashi said. \u201cEven for the drones [alone], we had 50+ ideas.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy of CHOCOLATE Inc.<\/em><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the panel progressed, it became increasingly clear that collaboration lay as the keystone of all of their experiments. Outside of internal collaboration, the production staff took input from fans and even incorporated some of their ideas into the project, such as one person\u2019s suggestion to create a weapon inspired by <\/span>chonmage<\/span><\/i>, or the topknot hairstyle associated with samurai. In another extension of gratitude, Kuribayashi and Noda thanked the panel\u2019s host, <\/span>Ian Boggs<\/b>, by featuring him as a character in <\/span>KILLTUBE<\/span><\/i>\u2019s newest promotional poster, as well as designing a full character page of him and his dog.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To encourage fan participation as well as garner financial support, the team additionally announced the launch of the <\/span>KILLTUBE BACKERS\u2019 STORE<\/span><\/a>, where supporters can monetarily contribute to the project in exchange for a feature in the final film. These features vary based on monetary tiers and include opportunities such as app<\/a>earing as a background character. The team additionally hinted at future merchandise sales.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy of CHOCOLATE Inc.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The biggest announcement at the panel was the reveal of the main voice cast: <\/span>Yui Tsukada<\/b> as Musashi, <\/span>Kengo Kawanishi<\/b> as Kikuchiyo, and <\/span>Ayane Sakura<\/b> as Leonardo. The cast was unveiled through posters of the voice actors with their character counterparts, as well as a promotional video.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe worked with an <\/span>artist from New York<\/span><\/a> for these visuals,\u201d said Kuribayashi about the posters, highlighting another example of the team\u2019s global outreach.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 CHOCOLATE\/ KILLTUBE<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While <\/span>KILLTUBE<\/span><\/i> might seem like a daring, daunting project at first glance, the panelists showcased how they are succeeding at pushing the boundaries of possibility. \u201c<\/span>KILLTUBE<\/span><\/i> is a project that will change the history of anime. It\u2019s something that could only be born in Japan,\u201d Kuribayashi said. \u201c[We\u2019re] entering a new stage of animation. Please look forward to it!\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Want more<\/span> KILLTUBE<\/span><\/i>?<\/span> Check out the <\/span>latest trailer<\/span> and Anime Trending\u2019s <\/span>exclusive interview<\/span> with Kuribayashi and Noda at Anime Expo 2025.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n