STUDIO DOTOU has released a new short 28-second trailer for its upcoming anime film KILLTUBE, ahead of its world premiere panel at this year’s Anime Expo. The anime feature film is expected to be released worldwide sometime in Spring 2026.
🔥KILLTUBE at AX 2025!🔥
— KILLTUBE global (@KILLTUBEgl) June 21, 2025
We’re so excited to finally share our project with you all! pic.twitter.com/jrbbanYxqk
A world premiere of a scene from the film will be presented at Anime Expo in a panel on July 5, 2025 at the JW Platinum from 12:00 PM PST to 12:50 PM PST. It will feature special guests director Kazuaki Kuribayashi (Kizumonogatari film trilogy web production assistant) and animation producer Fuko Noda. Kuribayashi will also reveal behind-the-scenes moments and story behind KILLTUBE’s creation during the panel.
Japanese production company CHOCOLATE Inc. released a 1-minute pilot of KILLTUBE last April, when they also announced the film’s production.
VFX studio Kassen and artist collective Wachajack are credited as co-creators for the film.
The full production staff for the film includes:
- • Scriptwriters: Saeri Natsuo, Ryo Takemura, Takenori Tokuyama
- • World View Setting: Yusuke Ujita
- • Technical Direction: CAVIAR’s Takumi Shiga , Masato Goto, Bivi, Frog96, Marusou
- • Character Design/Technical Direction: Nike Shimaguchi
- • Technical Direction/VFX Supervisor: Kassen’s Takahiro Ota
- • Music Director: Matsuza Katakumi
- • Music Composition: Takao Ogi
- • Concept Art Director: Wachajack’s Fujihiko Sawai
- • Concept Artist: Shusei Sasaya
- • Character Settings: ARuFa
- • Graphic Designer: Masataka Yoshida
- • Art Director: Takuya Sekikawa
- • CG Lead Animator: StudioNoco’s Daisuke Kaneko
- • CG Supervisor: Yūki Mizoguchi
- • CG Animation Supervisor: MontBlanc Pictures’s Satoshi Takeno
- • Background Modeling Supervisor: Barehand’s Jun Kazuse
- • CG Effects Supervisor: Tai Komatsu
- • Technical Artist: Hiroyuki Okada
- • CG Producer: Nanao Nakatsuka
KILLTUBE will be CHOCOLATE Inc’s first anime film production as part of its “108 Experiments” initiative to develop new ways to “create works, present them, and earn revenue to nurture original stories.” The company previously worked on the production and publicity for the Dark Gathering anime series, as well as planning the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’s Total Concentration exhibition. The film also has a reported budget of 1 billion yen (US$6.8 million).
The official synopsis of the film is described by CHOCOLATE Inc. as:
In 2026, Japan continues its isolation under the Edo Shogunate. Amidst strict social hierarchies, three individuals, treated as scums of society, cross paths in a prison cell destined for a fateful encounter. They join the dueling video platform “KILLTUBE” to pursue fortune and to win their freedom in a segregational world.
In an era dubbed the “Age of Great Duels,” where one can amass immense wealth simply by defeating the strong, they face discrimination from samurais and merchants seeking power and authority. As they break the limits of convention and claim victory after victory, they rise in popularity, becoming decorated celebrities of their time.
However, just as they reach the height of their fame, they uncover the hidden truth behind “KILLTUBE”…
Sources: press release, Anime News Network
