New KILLTUBE Trailer Released, Full Premiere Panel Confirmed for Anime Expo 2025 in July

Image Via DOTOU

The upcoming anime film KILLTUBE just got a new teaser. It’s short—just 28 seconds—but already feels kind of intense. STUDIO DOTOU is working on it, and they say it’s going to be released globally around Spring 2026, but no fixed date has been announced yet.

There will also be a special panel for the film at Anime Expo on July 5, 2025. It’ll be held at JW Marriott Platinum Ballroom, from 12:00 PM to 12:50 PM PST. They will show a scene from the movie there. Director Kazuaki Kuribayashi, who worked before on some web production for Kizumonogatari, will be joining the panel. Fuko Noda, the animation producer, will also be there. Kuribayashi is going to talk about the behind-the-scenes stuff and how they even started with this whole project.

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A Movie with High Goals and a Big Team: KILLTUBE Trailer

This is the first anime film by CHOCOLATE Inc., and part of their “108 Experiments” idea. They want to try new ways of making and showing creative things. In the past, they helped with Dark Gathering and the Demon Slayer: Total Concentration exhibition. For KILLTUBE, the budget is huge—1 billion yen, which is like $6.8 million.

They already showed a short one-minute pilot back in April 2024. That’s when they also said the film was in production. Alongside them, Kassen is working on VFX, and artist group Wachajack is doing visual and concept stuff.

There’s a long list of staff. Writers include Saeri Natsuo, Ryo Takemura, and Takenori Tokuyama. Yusuke Ujita made the world setting. Nike Shimaguchi is doing character design, and Takahiro Ota is in charge of VFX supervision. Other key people include Takao Ogi on music, Fujihiko Sawai leading concept art, and Satoshi Takeno doing CG animation. Also, there’s background modeling, effects, graphics, and sound, all handled by different artists. The team is big and aiming for something ambitious.

What’s It About Anyway?

The movie is set in an alternate 2026. Japan is still closed off under Edo-era rule. Three people who are considered outsiders end up in the same prison. Their lives change when they join a brutal online fight platform called KILLTUBE, where beating opponents brings money, fame, and maybe even freedom.

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They get stronger, win matches, and suddenly everyone knows who they are. But while they rise in popularity, something doesn’t feel right. There’s a secret hidden inside KILLTUBE, and they’re about to find it.

KILLTUBE is not looking like just another action anime. It has a weird world, heavy rules, and seems to talk about how people are seen or ignored by society. With so many creative minds working on it, and a fresh idea at its center, it might become something people notice in 2026. Until then, that Anime Expo panel might give fans the first real taste of what’s coming.

Written By “Sujoy Bhowmik - India Today Gaming”