Adapting a beloved video game into a movie is never an easy task, especially when the original experience is defined as much by its gameplay as its story. For Sekiro: No Defeat, director Kenichi Kutsuna believes preserving the feel of combat was just as important as retelling the narrative of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Speaking to Polygon during the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where Sekiro: No Defeat premiered, Kutsuna revealed that one gameplay mechanic became the foundation of the anime’s action sequences: the game’s signature guard system.
The anime recreates Sekiro’s guard mechanic
Unlike many video game adaptations that simply retell a story, Kutsuna wanted audiences to experience battles the way players do in FromSoftware’s acclaimed action game.
“One of the biggest elements that I put in the movie is the guard that you have in the game,”
Kutsuna said.
He explained that viewers will be able to recognize successful blocks through both the film’s visuals and sound design.
“When you watch the movie, you can actually see through the sound and the image where there was a guard and when there wasn’t one.”
The guard and posture system is one of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’s defining gameplay mechanics, rewarding perfectly timed deflections over traditional dodging and creating tense sword fights throughout the game.
Capturing the difficulty of a FromSoftware boss fight
Kutsuna also wanted the anime to recreate another hallmark of Sekiro: the struggle players experience while overcoming its notoriously difficult boss battles.
Rather than simply showcasing stylish action, the director focused on making each fight feel demanding and hard-earned.
“I really put a lot of thought into it and through the storytelling, we tried to actually make the viewers feel this difficulty, like after a combat scene people will say, ‘Oh my God, I actually watched something that felt difficult.'”
That approach reflects what helped make Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice one of FromSoftware’s most celebrated titles after its 2019 release. Developed by FromSoftware and published by Activision, the game went on to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2019, earning praise for its fast-paced sword combat and challenging encounters.
Some fan-favorite locations had to be cut
Compressing a game that can take more than 30 hours to complete into a feature-length film inevitably meant difficult decisions.
Kutsuna admitted several bosses and locations were left out to keep the runtime manageable.
“If we had put everything in, the movie would last maybe eight hours, so we had to make choices.”
Among the biggest omissions was Mibu Village, one of the game’s memorable late-game locations.
“I really wanted to put Mibu Village in, but we had to make choices.”
Sekiro: No Defeat is scheduled to open in Japanese theaters on September 4, where it will receive a three-week theatrical run. Following its theatrical release, the anime will stream on Crunchyroll, although an international streaming date has not yet been announced.
With its emphasis on faithfully recreating the rhythm and tension of Sekiro’s combat, the adaptation appears focused on delivering more than just a retelling of the game’s story. Instead, Kutsuna hopes longtime fans will recognize the mechanics that made the original title so memorable while introducing newcomers to one of FromSoftware’s most acclaimed worlds.
