Sekiro: No Defeat Concept site Watch the trailer
Wolf, the one-armed shinobi, locking blades in a dark forest, from the first trailer

Coming to Crunchyroll January 2027

Sekiro: No Defeat. The hand-drawn anime of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, in eight episodes.

Watch the trailer Where to watch

Kadokawa Qzil.la ARCH Crunchyroll

About the show

Studio Qzil.la and production house ARCH bring FromSoftware's Sekiro to animation, led by Kadokawa and streaming on Crunchyroll. Director Kenichi Kutsuna, screenwriter Takuya Sato and character designer Takahiro Kishida lead a series drawn entirely by hand, with a theme song by Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Wolf drawing his katana over a swirl of black ink, the first key visual

Story

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.

Official synopsis
Wolf and Kuro standing on blood-spattered snow, the main visual

Characters

A shinobi known only as Sekiro, and the boy he is sworn to protect, the Divine Heir. Daisuke Namikawa and Miyuki Satou return as Wolf and Kuro, with Kenjiro Tsuda as Genichiro Ashina and Tetsuo Kanao as Isshin: the game's Japanese cast, back for the anime.

All eight characters and their cast

A temple hall in thick fog on Mount Hiei

Creators

Kenichi Kutsuna directs, Takuya Sato writes the screenplay and Takahiro Kishida designs the characters. Shuta Hasunuma composes the score; the theme song is "Blu" by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Qzil.la animates, ARCH produces, Kadokawa leads.

Creators

Snow on terraced fields below a cedar in the Japanese mountains

What's new

The theatrical edition opened in Japanese cinemas on 4 September 2026 for a three-week run, and had its first screening outside Japan at SCAD AnimationFest on 24 September. The full series, eight episodes going beyond the theatrical cut, streams on Crunchyroll from January 2027.

Release details

Characters

Nine names from Ashina, in the official character designs.

  • Wolf mid-leap in a red cloak and yellow scarf, drawing his sword

    Wolf

    Voiced by Daisuke Namikawa

  • Kuro, a young lord in a green kimono, holding an open book

    Kuro

    Voiced by Miyuki Satou

  • Genichiro in red and purple armour, leaping with a great bow

    Genichiro

    Voiced by Kenjiro Tsuda

  • Emma in a dark kimono, holding a red paper parasol

    Emma

    Voiced by Shizuka Ito

  • The Sculptor, a gaunt old man in an orange robe, carving wood with a chisel

    The Sculptor

    Voiced by Jin Urayama

  • Hanbei in battered red armour and a face mask, a sword at his hip

    Hanbei

    Voiced by Akimitsu Takase

  • Owl, a huge white-haired shinobi in a fur mantle, drawing his sword

    Owl

    Voiced by Takaya Hashi

  • Isshin, an aged swordsman in a pale robe, seated and leaning on an armrest

    Isshin

    Voiced by Tetsuo Kanao

  • The Divine Child, a long-haired girl in a white hood and an amber robe

    Divine Child

    Voiced by Risa Shimizu

Who they are in Ashina

Trailer

Wolf in close-up, the opening frame of the official trailer
Official trailer 2, Crunchyroll
A warrior with a scarred cheek glaring past his blade as snow falls, a frame from Kadokawa's promotional video
Promotional video, Kadokawa
Wolf and Kuro before the armoured figures of Genichiro and Isshin, the second key visual
Second key visual, September 2026

Official trailer 2 and the promotional video play here, from YouTube; each player loads only when you press play, in a viewer over the page.