The Great Yokai War: Guardians

Overview

An indirect sequel to The Great Yokai War, the film is the latest and the first Reiwa era installation of the Yokai Monsters franchise, and was released in Japan on August 13, 2021, by Toho and Kadokawa.

Among the film's cast of entities is the title character from the 1966 Daiei film series Daimajin. The character's appearance in the film was presumably influenced by Miike's unmade reboot attempt, which subsequently became the precursor of the drama series Daimajin Kanon (2010) following the commercial failure of Gamera the Brave (2006).

Gamera, the iconic kaiju associating with the creation of Daimajin, also made a cameo appearance in the spinoff prequel, The Great Yokai War: Guardians Side Story Heian Hundred Demon Tale (Japanese: 妖怪大戦争ガーディアンズ外伝 平安百鬼譚, Hepburn: Yōkai Daisensō Gādianzu Gaiden Heian Hyakkitan), while the kaiju was also briefly mentioned in the 2005 film.

The monstrous entity "Yokaiju" and its association with Inugami Gyōbu are based on the corresponding characters from the GeGeGe no Kitarō series by Shigeru Mizuki, whose participations had affected the direction of the Yokai Monsters series.

While the 2005 film featured Mizuki's hometown Sakaiminato, Tottori, Guardians instead spotlighted Musashino, Tokyo. This is a presumbed reference to both Tokorozawa Sakura Town (opened in 2020) and My Neighbor Totoro (1988), where Daiei Film and Studio Ghibli were both under the umbrella of Tokuma Shoten, leading to the associations of the Heisei Gamera trilogy and the Ghibli movies in productions.

Additionally, the film had the Yokaiju to transform into a gigantic, cherry blossom-esque tree and to dissipate at the climax. This is potentially another reference to all of the Sakura Town, previous Daimajin projects, and Studio Ghibli; it is reminiscent of the endings of Wrath of Daimajin (1966) and the 1990s novel, and the Nightwalker's fate from Princess Mononoke (1997).

Following the previous entry, the film involved a reappearance of the demonic villain Yasunori Kato, played by Ryūnosuke Kamiki who was the cast of Inao Tadashi, the 2005 protagonist.

Plot

Ancient fossils sleeping in Fossa Magna have gathered together and transformed into a giant yōkai. The destination is Tokyo. Only the yōkai were aware of the truth about this invasion, which seems to modern humans to be a natural disaster. If nothing is done, the world will be destroyed. This can be stopped by Watanabe, an elementary school student in Tokorozawa, Saitama, who inherits the blood of the legendary monster hunter. Suddenly, the great adventure of the boy who was selected as the "hero who saves the world" and the yōkai who involved him begins now.

Cast

Kokoro Terada as Kei Watanabe

Hana Sugisaki as Fox-Faced Woman

Rei Inomata as Dai Watanabe

Takao Osawa as Inugami Gyōbu

Nao Ōmori as Nao Omori

Sakura Ando as Ubume

Yuko Oshima as Yukionna

Eiji Akaso as Amanojaku

Takahiro Miura as Tengu

Renji Ishibashi as Ōkubi

Kenichi Endō as Yadokai

Hiroshi Aramata as Amefurikozō

SUMIRE as Ibarakidoji

Takashi Okamura as Azukiarai

Koji Okura as Shojo

Hikakin as "Yōtuber" Hikakin

Ryūnosuke Kamiki as Professor Katō, Kei's Homeroom teacher and Yasunori Kato in disguise

Akira Emoto as Old Man

Kazuki Kitamura as Tsuna Watanabe

Nanako Matsushima as Reika Watanabe

Myra Arai as Rokurokubi

Tiernan as Count Dracula

Amon Ishida as Mummy (undead)

Production

Production credits

Release

The film premiered in Japan on August 13 and internationally at the online event Fantasia International Film Festival on August 25, 2021.

Its U.S. premiere took place on August 28, 2021, as part of the Japan Cuts film festival held by the Japan Society in New York City.

Manga adaptation

On December 26, 2020 a manga adaptation of the film began being serialized by Kadokawa in Monthly Shōnen Ace.

Mobile game

A collaboration with the mobile game Ao Oni Online of the Ao Oni series was made, and Daimajin and Yōkaiju and Hikakin appeared as playable characters and an ornament where the game also collaborated with related figures and productions including Hikakin and Dekakin between 2021 and 2023, and the Netflix series Gamera Rebirth in 2023.