A new trailer for the Sekiro: No Defeat anime has been released. The 60-second preview offers a look at the show’s landscapes and the relationship between the titular Sekiro and his young ward Kuro, who wishes to die due to a curse, along with flashes of action.
Sekiro: No Defeat is set to begin a three-week theatrical run in Japan on September 4, with a streaming release to follow sometime this year. Crunchyroll will exclusively stream the anime outside of Japan, China, Korea, Russia, and Belarus.
The synopsis reads:
The time is Sengoku. Japan is fractured into many independent nations entangled in ceaseless war. At the center lies Ashina, a land of sacred earth and ancient mystery. Two decades after Sword Saint Isshin Ashina reclaimed the region in a brutal coup, a new threat emerges from within: The Interior Ministry. Desperate to protect his homeland, Isshin’s grandson Genichiro turns to forbidden powers. The only hope lies in a kidnapped boy — the Divine Heir — and his silent protector: a loyal shinobi known only as Sekiro. This is the story of a lord and his retainer — and their quest to restore balance to a nation on the edge.
The adaptation of FromSoftware‘s 2018 action-adventure game is directed by Kenichi Kutsuna (storyboarder and director for Magical Destroyers, Vlad Love (“Mitsugu” Version), and The Fire Hunter‘s opening animations) at Qzil.la. Other staff include scriptwriter Takuya Sato (selector infected WIXOSS director, Fate/stay night series composer), character designer Takahiro Kishida (Haikyu!!, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind), and background art director Yuji Kaneko (Tengoku Daimakyo). Daisuke Namikawa voices Wolf, while Miyuki Sato is Kuro/The Divine Heir.
Sekiro: No Defeat was selected for Annecy 2026’s Midnight Specials category, which houses “more radical, whackier, and often disturbing form of animation, blending satire, experimentation and high-octane thrills.”
Qzil.la issued a statement last August to deny the use of generative AI in this particular production after suspicion arose due to the studio’s interest in the technology (it has since scrubbed the term “AI” from its website) and the anime’s aesthetic.
Production credits
• Director: Kenichi Kutsuna
• Scriptwriter: Takuya Sato (selector infected WIXOSS director, Fate/stay night series composer)
• Character Designer:Takahiro Kishida (Haikyu!!, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind)
• Deputy director: Shunsuke Fukui (Magical Destroyers opening animation production cooperation, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! Episode 2 co-director)
• Chief animation director: Kaito Moki
• Action animation director: Takashi Mukoda (Run With the Wind co-main animator)
• Background art director: Yuji Kaneko(Tengoku Daimakyo)
• Color designer: Azusa Sasaki (Lyc oris Recoil)
• Compositing director: Keisuke Nozawa (Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song-)
• Sound director: Yasuhiro Nagura (Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc)
• Music composer: Shuta Hasunuma
• Produce: ARCH
• Animation production: Qzil.la
Cast
• Daisuke Namikawa as Wolf
• Miyuki Sato as Kuro/The Divine Heir
• Kenjiro Tsuda as Genichiro Ashina
Source: KADOKAWAanime YouTube channel
