Anime Expo 2025: The KILLTUBE Staff Talks With Anime Herald

Note: Due to time constraints, this will be published on Anime Herald's main site on August 30, 2025. We apologize for the inconvenience.

• Author: Seth Burn

• Editor: Samantha Ferreira

Anime Herald: What animation techniques were used to create KILLTUBE?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: The base is computer graphics animation. We also synergize that with hand-drawn animation, as well as the old technique ukiyo-e. We’re trying to create a very new look.

Anime Herald: It does look different. The original trailer caused quite a stir on Reddit. People thought it was going to be a video game at first.

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: First of all, we would like to make KILLTUBE as a game.

We want to spread this world globally, as much as possible. It could be via gaming, or drama, or theater.

(Editor’s note: I believe drama referred to streaming, and theater referred to a worldwide release in movie theaters.)

Anime Herald: How did KILLTUBE get greenlit? It’s very hard for independent projects to get funding. What was special about KILLTUBE?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: This was realized because of Pony Canyon’s investment. To get them on board, we first created a pilot film.

As you may know, I have nothing on my resume as an animation director. No one would want to invest without knowing what kind of world I could create. It was a risk, but because we created the pilot, people understood what kind of I could create. That led to the investment from Pony Canyon.

Anime Herald: How did you create the pilot?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: First, we gathered people who believed in this project, from all around Japan. Usually, you create characters when you have an idea about the story. Or someone who specializes in concept art. We had so many ideas from so many different genres. People came together to develop this project.

Anime Herald: How did you get them to come together to work on KILLTUBE?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: I approached people I knew directly. People who I trusted and have been friends with. I approached artists I admired as well.

Anime Herald: What is your background? How did you know these people?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: I was an advertising creative director. I’ve created live action advertisements.

Anime Herald: Where did the money come from to fund the pilot?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: I own a creative advertising company. That company funded the pilot.

Anime Herald: What is your origin story? How did you end up in advertising?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: I went straight into the advertising industry. I was there for about ten years.

Anime Herald: Is that what you always wanted to do?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: I wanted to create something that I had never seen before, like a game or an anime. What attracted me to the advertising industry was that we had to create something that moved people within a very restrictive short time frame.

Anime Herald: What ads have you done that you would say you are known for?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: Many. (Laughs)

Anime Herald: Which was your favorite?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: The C.C. Lemon parkour commercial.

(Editor’s note: I genuinely want a C.C. Lemon drink right now. It’s a good ad.)

Anime Herald: What is your origin story?

Fuko Noda: I’ve been working in anime production for my entire career. I worked at STUDIO4℃ and MAPPA before moving on to Chocolate Inc.

Anime Herald: What were the manga and anime that made you want to join the industry?

Fuko Noda: Tekkonkinkreet. When I saw that I felt like I must go on and produce anime films.

Anime Herald: Were you into anime as well growing up?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: Yes. Dragon Ball Z.

Anime Herald: A classic. What was the original idea for KILLTUBE, and how did the story evolve?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: Ever since I was a child, I was fascinated by the idea of “what if Japan didn’t open their borders during the Edo period?” If that didn’t happen, we’d probably still have samurai in Japan. Those samurai would probably want to be popular on social media. I had fantasized about what that would be like. I felt like it would be a great story.

Anime Herald: Let’s talk about your 108 experiments. My favorite is #3: try creating storyboards in original ways. How do you create storyboards?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: We have three scriptwriters creating ideas and providing the basis for the script. Beyond that, we have twenty other people, character designers, concept designers, throwing out ideas. Then the director would come in and organize all of those ideas. That process has been repeated.

Anime Herald: What does experiment #6 mean to you? (Create animation with a gaming mindset)

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: As we are in the process of making a feature film, we are asking ourselves “what if this were a game?”

For example, when it came to weapon and combat design, we’ve thought about what might look cool in a game. We would create protocols for the battles that would look good in a game as well.

Anime Herald: Let’s skip to #15. (Have professional comedians expand the worldview setting.)

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: When I’m creating this world, I always think about what kind of stores we’d see lined up on the street, What would be interesting. Comedians give ideas from out of ideas. I’d like to bring in comedians and listen to their ideas of what we might see. We haven’t done this yet, but we’d like to.

Anime Herald: What is your favorite junk food that has been created for KILLTUBE? (#21, Have "culinary professionals" devise fictional junk food.)

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: In Japan, we have a lot of elite influencer chefs. We’d like to ask them what kind of dishes they’d create in this world. This is another thing we haven’t been able to do yet, but we would like to.

Anime Herald: How far along in the production process are you?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: Around 35%. We are looking to have the film be around 90 minutes long.

Anime Herald: What is your ideal form of product placement for KILLTUBE? (#32)

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: We are looking at innovative promotion methods. For now, this is spreading via word of mouth.

Anime Herald: How do you want to release and distribute KILLTUBE?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: The ideal would be to have a global theatrical release. It’s the only place where you can have the heat of people focused on the movie for ninety minutes together.

Anime Herald: Have you ever seen the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: I haven’t.

Anime Herald: Late in the movie, they are searching for the Holy Grail. There are a series of three tests, three traps they have to pass through. The third is the leap of faith. You have to step across with a chasm below. That is what I feel like you have done with KILLTUBE.

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: Thank you very much. (Laughs)

Anime Herald: Do you have any questions for us?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: What do you think will make KILLTUBE popular in the United States?

Anime Herald: Finishing it. You have to complete the project. All ninety minutes.

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: Thank you.

Anime Herald: Thank you very much.

You can find the pilot for KILLTUBE on YouTube.