The Great Yokai War

A young boy named Tadashi Ino moves to a small town after his parents' divorce. At a local festival, he is chosen to be that year's Kirin Rider, referring to the legendary Chinese chimera, the Qilin:[lower-alpha 1] a protector of all things good. He soon discovers that his new title is quite literal, as a nefarious spirit named Yasunori Katō appears. Katō - a demon whose mystical powers are born of his rage at the annihilation of Japan's local tribes - desires vengeance against the modern Japanese for their actions against the yōkai.[10] To carry out his revenge, Katō allies himself with a yōkai named Agi, summoning a fiery spirit called Yomotsumono: a creature composed of the resentment carried by the multitudinous things mankind has discarded. Katō feeds yokai into Yomotsumono's flames, fusing them with the numerous discarded tools and items to form kikai. These kikai - under Katō's control - capture other yōkai to build their numbers while killing humans. One such yokai, a sunekosuri[lower-alpha 2] escapes and befriends Tadashi who attempts to obtain the Daitenguken[lower-alpha 3] from the mountain as a right of passage for the role of Kirin Rider.

Scared by the tales told of the mountain, Tadashi falters upon his arrival at the mountain and tries to flee. However, tricked by the sea spirit Shōjō,[lower-alpha 4] who picked Tadashi out, he manages to overcome a test to prove his worth. Accompanied by Shōjō, Kawahime,[lower-alpha 5] and Kawatarō,[lower-alpha 6] Tadashi makes his way to the Daitengu[lower-alpha 7] who gives him the sword before being taken away by the kikai. In spite of Tadashi's attempts, the sword is broken as Agi takes the sunekosuri as her captive before the boy is knocked unconscious.

When Tadashi comes to his senses, he finds himself among yōkai as they discuss how to fix the sword; they ultimately decide to request the aid of the blacksmith Ippondatara.[lower-alpha 8] Upon learning that Ippondatara was also captured, General Nurarihyon[lower-alpha 9] and his group leave. Kawataro restrains an ittan-momen,[lower-alpha 10] praising the bumbling Azukiarai,[lower-alpha 11] unaware that he only remained behind due to his foot getting numb.

When Katō's industrial fortress takes flight towards Tokyo, Tadashi and company pursue it. They arrive shortly after the fortress ingests Tokyo's Shinjuku Capital Building, finding Ippondatara who reforges the sword. Ippondatara refuses to talk about how he escaped, ashamed that the sunekosuri took his place in becoming a kikai. Donning new attire, Tadashi and company go into battle. They are greatly outnumbered until they receive unlikely aid from thousands of yōkai who believe they are coming to a party; their festival brawl with the kikai allows Tadashi and Kawahime to enter the fortress safely, followed by a yōkai-obsessed reporter named Sata whom Kawahime saved in the past.

Tadashi is forced to slay the kikai that the sunekosuri became, restoring it to its original form yet leaving it gravely injured. In a rage, Tadashi battles Agi before she is called back by Katō to begin the final phase by joining with Yomotsumono. Despite Tadashi's attempts, Katō outmatches him. Kawahime attempts to protect the boy, stating that while she hates humans due to them abandoning her, she has no desire for revenge as she considers it a human emotion. Unfazed, Katō takes the two out as Azukiarai awkwardly arrives.

Katō calls Agi to join him. However, her love for him is a hindrance to the process, so Katō kills her instead before entering the oven to become one with Yomotsumono. However, due to Sata's actions, one of Azukiarai's adzuki beans ends up in the mix with Katō, causing a chain reaction of positive emotion that destroys Yomotsumono.

After the yokai take their leave, Tadashi and Sata find themselves on the street and the boy tells his first white lie to the reporter about Kawahime's feelings towards him. Years later, Tadashi is a grown man who has lost the ability to see yokai, even the sunekosuri. The film ends with the sunekosuri being confronted by an Azuki-pupiled Katō.

• Scott, A.O. The New York Times (June 30, 2006), p. B6: "A Motley Crew of Spirits Recruit a Boy to Be Savior"
• Lovece, Frank. Film Journal International (review)
• 2005 Film Review

• Kamiki Ryunosuke, who played Tadashi, the main character, believed that Kawataro the kappa was real, going as far as to feed him cucumbers. Abe Sadao, not wanting to disappoint the young boy, kept up the charade till the very end.
• In the new remake of the Movie, The Great Yokai War: Guardians, Kamiki plays the role of Kato, the villain from this movie.

• The Great Yokai War at IMDb
• The Great Yokai War at AllMovie