A new trailer for Sekiro: No Defeat, the upcoming anime based on the Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice action-adventure game, has been revealed.
The over 90-second preview shows off more of the anime’s distinctive visual style, accompanied by dialogue from various characters and a mix of intense and dramatic music. At the end, the words “Let us live together, so that we may die” are featured.
Other reveals include a 2026 theatrical premiere in Japan, and the usage of Ryuichi Sakamoto‘s “Blu” as the theme song. “Blu” comes from the musician and composer’s The Best of ‘Playing the Orchestra 2014’ album.
Sekiro: No Defeat is set in the Sengoku era of Japan and centers on the land of Ashina. The titular Sekiro is a shinobi, whose fate is intertwined with a boy called the Divine Heir. 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.
Sekiro: No Defeat got its first showing last year, via a world premiere trailer that debuted at gamescom 2025. That reveal inspired accusations of AI usage due to the anime’s unique visuals and animation production studio Qzil.la‘s AI interests, prompting an official statement on the matter (Qzil.la’s website has since removed direct mention of the term “AI” as well, only retaining the generic “latest technology”). At the time, the official press release said that the anime was “fully hand-drawn,” and the KADOKAWAanime channel’s video description for the new trailer also mentions this point.
Animator Kenichi Kutsuna (storyboarder and director for Magical Destroyers, Vlad Love (“Mitsugu” Version), and The Fire Hunter‘s opening animations) is directing Sekiro: No Defeat. The staff lineup also includes Takahiro Kishida (Haikyu!!, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind) as character designer and Yuji Kaneko (Tengoku Daimakyo) as background art director.
Crunchyroll will exclusively stream the anime this year (excluded regions include Japan, China, Korea, Russia, and Belarus).
The Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice game was first released in March 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam, and in October 2020 for the now-defunct Stadia. It was developed by FromSoftware.
Staff
• Director: Kenichi Kutsuna
• Scriptwriter: Takuya Sato (selector infected WIXOSS director, Fate/stay night series composer)
• Character Designer: Takahiro Kishida
• 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
• Color designer: Azusa Sasaki (Lycoris 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
Sources: KADOKAWAanime YouTube channel, Sekiro: No Defeat website
