The Great Yokai War: Guardians
Theatrical release poster
Japanese name
Kanji	妖怪大戦争 ガーディアンズ
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn Yōkai Daisensō Gādianzu
Directed by	Takashi Miike
Screenplay by	Yūsuke Watanabe
Produced by	Misako Saka Norikazu Tsubaki
Starring	Kokoro Terada Hana Sugisaki Sakura Ando Takahiro Miura Yuko Oshima Eiji Akaso Renji Ishibashi Kenichi Endō Akira Emoto Nanako Matsushima Kazuki Kitamura Nao Ōmori Takao Osawa
Cinematography	Hideo Yamamoto
Edited by	Naoichiro Sagara
Music by	Kōji Endō
Production company	OLM, Inc.
Distributed by	Toho and Kadokawa
Release date	August 13, 2021 (2021-08-13) (Japan)
Running time	118 minutes[1]
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Box office	¥32,972,990[2]

The Great Yokai War: Guardians (Japanese: 妖怪大戦争 ガーディアンズ, Hepburn: Yōkai Daisensō Gādianzu) is a 2021 Japanese fantasy adventure film directed by Takashi Miike.^[3] A sequel to The Great Yokai War, the film was released in Japan on August 13, 2021 by Toho and Kadokawa.^[3][4] Among the film's cast of creatures is the title character from the 1966 Daiei film series Daimajin.^[5]

The film premiered in Japan on August 13 and internationally at the online event Fantasia International Film Festival on August 25, 2021.^[6][7]

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.

— Kadokawa^{[8][9][10][11][12]}

Cast

• Kokoro Terada as Kei Watanabe^[4][13]
• Hana Sugisaki as Fox-Faced Woman^[4][14]
• Rei Inomata as Dai Watanabe^[10][12]
• Takao Osawa as Inugami Gyōbu^[4]
• Nao Ōmori as Nao Omori^[4]
• Sakura Ando as Ubume^[4][15]
• Yuko Oshima as Yukionna^[4][15]
• Eiji Akaso as Amanojaku^[4][16]
• Takahiro Miura as Tengu^[4][15]
• Renji Ishibashi as Ōkubi^[4]
• Kenichi Endō as Yadokai^[4]
• Hiroshi Aramata as Amefurikozō^[4]
• SUMIRE as Ibarakidoji^[4][16]
• Takashi Okamura as Azukiarai^[4]
• Koji Okura as Shojo^[4]
• Hikakin as Yokai Hikakin^[4]
• Ryūnosuke Kamiki as Professor Katō^[17]
  • Kei's Homeroom teacher, he is actually Yasunori Kato, the villain from the previous film. Kamiki, who plays him, had played the main character Inao Tadashi in the previous film, The Great Yokai War 2005.
• Akira Emoto as Old Man^[12]
• Kazuki Kitamura as Tsuna Watanabe^[12]
• Nanako Matsushima as Reika Watanabe^[12]
• Myra Arai as Rokurokubi^[18]

Production

Production credits^[1][8]

Featured yōkai

Release

The film's 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.^[19]

Manga adaptation

On December 26, 2020 a manga adaptation of the film began being serialized by Kadokawa in Monthly Shōnen Ace.^[20]