Sekiro: No Defeat just put everyone on notice with its second official trailer. Thanks to breathtaking animation and fluid sword action, it instantly grabbed the attention of both the gaming and anime communities, who are already counting down the days to its release.

If this stunning new footage is anything to go by, the series is staying incredibly faithful to the game. With Studio Qzil.la handling the animation, this adaptation of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice proves that after taking home the 2019 Game of the Year, it’s now coming for Anime of the Year.

Sekiro: No Defeat’s Second Trailer Reveals a Flawless Hand-Drawn Masterpiece

Released at the 2026 SXSW festival, the Sekiro: No Defeat trailer follows the silent shinobi, Wolf (Sekiro), in a story set in late-1500s Sengoku Japan. Wolf is sworn to protect his young lord, Kuro, the Divine Heir, since his blood carries a mystical power that grants immortality.

As the world is tearing itself apart in a massive war, every desperate clan wants a piece of that power to survive. This leads to a warlord named Genichiro kidnapping Kuro and slicing off Wolf’s arm in the process. From there, it becomes a relentless, blood-soaked quest for redemption.

The trailer shows Sekiro carving his way through different towering beasts, corrupted monks, and rival samurai just to break the cycle of immortality for good. And the animation appears as good as any top-tier anime of the present, with fluid battle sequences.

Studios Qzil.la and Kadokawa explicitly confirmed that zero AI was used in its production, and promised a return to painterly 2D hand-drawn animation, which can be seen in every single frame, especially in the sword fights.

What’s even more amazing is that the original Japanese video game cast is reprising their roles, bringing back Daisuke Namikawa as Wolf, Kenjiro Tsuda as Genichiro Ashina, Miyuki Sato as Kuro, and the iconic booming voice of Gyoubu Oniwa.

Sekiro’s Anime Adaptation Finally Brings Authentic Shinobi Action Back To Anime

It has been a long time since fans have witnessed a true shinobi story, and this adaptation finally brings that much-needed authentic mythology back to the screen. The trailer immediately gives off heavy Dororo vibes, showcasing a war-torn Japan crawling with supernatural threats.

Both anime center on a heavily scarred, quiet protagonist journeying through a world overrun by demons and human cruelty. Just like Hyakkimaru, Wolf is a battle-scarred warrior relying on a weaponized prosthetic to survive. It perfectly captures that same blood-soaked atmosphere of a lone swordsman carving his way through a world ruined by demons and human cruelty.

Sekiro Faithful Adaptation Could Easily Steal 2026’s Anime of the Year Title

While director Kenichi Kutsuna confirmed that Sekiro: No Defeat will stay incredibly faithful to its source material, a direct 1:1 translation of the video game simply wouldn’t work on screen. Instead of relying on the game’s first-person player POV, the anime will adopt a more cinematic approach that really fleshes out the lore.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is famous for its multiple branching endings, so the production team is working closely with FromSoftware to choose and adapt one specific storyline from the game. This makes it especially exciting for veteran players, as they won’t know until the very end which route the studio chose, or whether they plan to forge a completely new path.

With the massive success of anime like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and NieR:Automata Ver1.1a, the bar for video game adaptations has never been higher. But with how Studio Qzil.la and director Kenichi Kutsuna are handling the anime’s production, Sekiro: No Defeat already looks like an absolute visual masterpiece.

The 2026 anime lineup is certainly packed with massive returning giants like Bleach, One Piece, Black Clover, and Jujutsu Kaisen. Yet, if this adaptation is even half as good as its trailer suggests, Sekiro’s well-written story will easily make it a top contender for anime of the year.

Sekiro: No Defeat is officially set to stream exclusively on Crunchyroll in 2026.

Systems

Released

March 22, 2019

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence

Developer(s)

From Software

Engine

Proprietary Engine