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On June 23rd, 2025, STUDIO DOTOU revealed a brand-new trailer on X (formerly Twitter) ahead of Anime Expo 2025 with an exclusive behind-the-scenes panel on Saturday, July 5, from 12:00 PM to 12:50 PM, in JW Platinum, with featured guests who include the film’s director, Kazuaki Kuribayashi and animation producer Fuko Noda.
The panel will dive into the creative vision behind KILLTUBE, offering rare insights from the team bringing this ambitious project to life including the world premiere of never-before-seen footage, behind-the-scenes moments, and the story behind KILLTUBE’s creation.
KILLTUBE is an “experimental ground” under the guise of a theatrical anime. It has garnered over 5 million views since it released its pilot films on YouTube back in 2024. The project has already gained early attention worldwide.
The film’s story is set in 2026 when 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.
About KILLTUBE:
Led by anime industry newcomer Kazuaki Kuribayashi, the youngest ever recipient of the Japan Advertising Agencies Association Creator of the Year Medal, creators from outside the animation-film industry—including advertising, live-action cinema, and music—are joining forces to take on the challenge of producing an original work: KILLTUBE.
Director and creator Kazuaki Kuribayashi, has never created an animated feature film nor have they ever even directed an anime. So can a person like that even create a masterpiece? Of course, everyone would wonder this.
His only weapon is the “creative direction” technique he learned in the advertising industry. It’s a technique where you have to gather ideas from various areas and combine them all together to reach one goal. Those areas can span production, advertising, and even business. After mixing different kinds of blood into all of the processes, what will the end product actually look like? Kazuaki Kirubayashi guarantees that it will be an anime that you’ve never seen before.
Focusing on a world that blends new and old elements of Japanese culture, KILLTUBE is set to be a one-of-a-kind experience aiming to be the next piece of generation-defining media.
Check out the full trailer for yourself below!
You can follow along with all of The Beat’s Anime Expo 2025 coverage here!
English (US)