Twin Engine revealed on Tuesday a special trailer for Gekijōban Mononoke Dai-San-Shō: Hebigami (Mononoke the Movie: Chapter 3: Snake God), the third installment of the Mononoke franchise’s film trilogy. The special trailer features clips from the previous two films, and new clips from the third film depicting Mononoke’s unique horror.
Image courtesy of Twin Engine
©Twin Engine
Twin Engine describes the third film’s story:
After two major incidents involving Mononoke—a deadly battle between a medicine seller (Hiroshi Kamiya) wielding a demon-slaying sword and a Karakasa umbrella, and the subsequent showdown with the Fire Rat—it seemed as though peace had finally arrived in the inner palace. However, the medicine seller still sensed a lingering presence of “something” and remained vigilant. Meanwhile, Empress Sachiko (Tanezaki Atsumi), the wife of the ruling emperor (Irino Miyu), is blessed with a long-awaited baby boy, but her joy is short-lived as she passes away despite the hopes and prayers of those around her.
Hoping to change her formal marital relationship with the emperor by giving birth to an heir, Sachiko finds herself at rock bottom and becomes embroiled in a terrifying plot that threatens to overturn the very existence of the Ooku. Her regret at not being rewarded for her irreparable sacrifice and her anger with nowhere to go soon begin to turn into resentment. Mizorogi Hokuto (Tsuda Kenjiro), a priest of the Ooku’s faith, “Omizu-sama,” watches events unfold with a solemn expression. At the same time, unnatural earth tremors (earthquakes) occur frequently within the Ooku. A mysterious incident begins with the creepy movement of a gigantic, crawling creature and the falling of triangular scales. This is followed by a mysterious incident in which a maid is twisted, crushed, and strangled to death. A medicine seller rushes to the scene, only to be confronted by a giant snake-shaped Mononoke called the Snake God. After a standoff, the seller manages to repel the monster with a talisman, but he must discover its three characteristics—form, truth, and reason—before he can remove the demon-slaying sword and slay the Snake God. Where does the Snake God come from? Why has it become so angered that it threatens to consume the Ooku? And why has it now reared its head and begun to move? The roots of these questions lie hidden 150 years ago, in the true story of the birth of the Ooku.
What is the shocking truth that will shake the nation, never before revealed? The medicine seller risks everything to confront the Mononoke, which is the very essence of the Ooku’s dark history. However, he finds himself cornered in an unprecedented situation, confronted by a snake god who harnesses years of resentment and unimaginable strength… As his life is threatened, even more unpredictable and extraordinary events unfold! What will become of the medicine seller as he faces his greatest crisis?
Hiroshi Kamiya reprises his role as the Medicine Seller, with other returning cast from the previous two films.
New cast members for the third film include:
Kenji Nakamura returns from the second film as the general director, and Tomoaki Koshida is directing the third film at Studio Kafka and EOTA. Aina The End performs the theme song “No Epilogue.”
The new film will open in Japan on May 29.
Mononoke The Movie: Phantom in the Rain (Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa), the first film, premiered in Japan in July 2024. Netflix is streaming the film. The film won the Axis: Satoshi Kon Award for Excellence in Animation for best animated feature film at 2024’s Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. Aina The End performed the theme song “Love Sick.”
Mononoke the Movie Trilogy: Chapter 2: The Ashes of Rage (Gekijōban Mononoke Dai-Ni-Shō: Hinezumi) opened in Japan in March 2025. Aina The End performed the film’s theme song “Hana Musō.”
The Mononoke anime premiered in 2007 and aired for 12 episodes. The series is a spinoff of the Ayakashi – Samurai Horror Tales anime. Specifically, it follows the medicine seller from the “Bakeneko” (Goblin Cat) arc. The Mononoke anime has five arcs, the last of which is titled “Bakeneko.”
Kenji Nakamura directed the television anime at Toei Animation, and Takashi Hashimoto designed the characters and served as chief animation director. Yasuharu Takanashi composed the music.
Source: Press release
