Predator: Killer of Killers
プレデター:キラー・オブ・キラーズ
An animated anthology film directed by Dan Trachtenberg, released on Hulu/Disney+ in June 2025 — the first animated entry in the Predator franchise. Its segment "The Sword" is set in 1609 Japan, where rival samurai brothers battling for clan succession are forced to confront a Predator with their swords.
Description
Overview
Predator: Killer of Killers is an animated anthology film directed by Dan Trachtenberg, released on Hulu and Disney+ on June 6, 2025 in the United States — the first animated entry in the Predator franchise. Structured as three segments, the film follows different "killers" across history and geography as each is drawn into a deadly confrontation with a Predator.
"The Sword" Segment
One of the three segments, "The Sword," is set in Japan in 1609. Rival samurai brothers Kenji and Kiyoshi, locked in a succession dispute, are engaged in a duel when they are attacked by an Oni Predator. After many of their retainers are cut down and Kiyoshi is severely wounded, the brothers ultimately set aside their feud and fight together against the Predator, wielding their swords.
The Oni Predator and the Katana
The Oni Predator featured in this segment is distinguished by its absence of upper mandibles, an unusual physical trait among Yautja. Throughout the segment, the katana serves as the consistent weapon wielded by the human characters, and the sword-based combat, set against the backdrop of armored late-Sengoku-period samurai, forms the episode's central set piece.
Reception
The film scored in the low 7s on IMDb. While critics praised its pacing and visual execution, some found the individual segments' stories formulaic; even so, the katana-based swordplay in "The Sword" has been highlighted as one of the film's standout elements.
Real Swords Featured
Samurai Swordbearing Culture in the Late Sengoku Period
The episode is set around 1609, a transitional period shortly after the Battle of Sekigahara (1600) established Tokugawa rule and the era of civil war drew to a close. Samurai of this period still carried the uchigatana as a practical combat weapon, and armored swordfighting remained common. With a blade length of roughly 70 cm, the uchigatana could be wielded one- or two-handed, making it a practical length suited to both group combat and close-quarters grappling — the kind of armored, sword-based combat depicted in this episode.
Succession Disputes and the Samurai Sword
From the Sengoku period into the early Edo period, disputes between brothers over the headship of a daimyo house or samurai clan were a well-documented historical phenomenon, with succession struggles often settled through armed conflict. The episode's premise of a succession dispute between brothers reflects this historical backdrop, in which the sword served not merely as a weapon but as a symbolic instrument wielded to stake a claim to legitimate succession within a samurai family.
See authentic Japanese swords
See authentic Japanese swordsThis page is intended to introduce Japanese sword culture and is not affiliated with any of the works mentioned.