SEKIRO: NO DEFEAT, the anime adaptation of FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, is getting a three-week limited theatrical release in Japan starting today. Ahead of the premiere, the anime’s official channels released a special 1-minute trailer last night titled “The Battle in the Silvergrass Fields.” However, it seems the anime’s director Kenichi Kutsuna did not wish for this footage to be released beforehand.
In a post to his personal X account, Kutsuna surprised Sekiro fans by warning them not to watch the new trailer if they plan to see the movie in theaters. “I know it’s probably too late, but a scene which – while not a plot spoiler per se, contains a cinematic reveal that really shouldn’t be spoiled – has been uploaded online. The director’s wish is for audiences to go to the theater without having seen that video.”
In a follow-up post, Kutsuna adds that this mishap was caused by the negligence of production company ARCH. For the record, Sekiro: No Defeat was animated by studio Qzil.la and co-produced by ARCH and Kadokawa. The director emphasizes that Kadokawa’s side is not to be blamed for the trailer issue.
The rather unprecedented statement from an anime director has garnered much surprise from Japanese fans and left people wondering about what could have led to this mishap. At the time of writing, neither company involved in production has addressed the matter, and the trailer remains live on YouTube.
Meanwhile, Sekiro: No Defeat’s global version is planned to stream via Crunchyroll. The exact release date is TBD.
