* Image is for illustrative purposes only.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 feature film directed by Dan Trachtenberg, released on Hulu and Disney+ on June 6, 2025 (US). It is the first animated entry in the Predator series. Structured as an anthology of three episodes, it follows “killers” from different eras and regions, each caught up in a deadly struggle with a Predator.
Synopsis of “The Sword”
One of the three episodes, “The Sword,” is set in Japan in 1609. Kenji and Kiyoshi, samurai brothers at odds over the succession, have just crossed blades when they are attacked by a Predator known as the “Oni Predator,” which bears the reputation of an “oni.” As many of their retainers are cut down, Kiyoshi is gravely wounded, but in the end the brothers set aside their enmity, fight together, and face the Predator with Japanese swords.
The Oni Predator and the Japanese Sword
The Oni Predator in this episode is depicted as an unusual individual lacking upper-jaw fangs (mandibles). Against this monstrous enemy, uchigatana are consistently used as the humans' weapon, and together with the appearance of late-Sengoku samurai in armor, sword choreography with Japanese swords is the episode's central highlight.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of critics gave the film a positive review. Critics praise its pacing and visuals, while some note that the story of each episode is formulaic. Nonetheless, the sword-fight choreography with Japanese swords in “The Sword” is cited as one of the film's highlights.
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.