“I don’t need it. I feel like having the pain is what makes you feel alive”

Set in feudal-era Japan, a young boy named Kotaro and his faithful dog Tobimaru are caught in the turmoil of a grim prophecy. At the request of the Ming Dynasty’s aging emperor, the boy is pursued by a band of formidable Chinese assassins. After escaping the destruction of the temple that took him in, he runs into a mysterious stranger who gets pulled into the chase.

When Kotaro’s dog is poisoned, the nameless stranger reluctantly accepts payment to escort them to a temple in Shirato. The unlikely companions form a bond over saving Tobimaru’s life, but unrest is brewing all around them. The Chinese assassins clash with the local lord as they build a religious tower, and a blond-haired, bloodthirsty swordsman among them seeks a worthy opponent. Chaos erupts when the assassins find Kotaro, and the Stranger must face his past before a horrible fate is met again.

© BONES / STRANGERS 2007

In feudal Japan, a young boy named Kotaro and his dog Tobimaru are hunted by Chinese warriors intent on fulfilling a sinister prophecy. When Tobimaru is injured by a poisoned blade, they enlist the help of a lone ronin with a mysterious past to protect them. But will one man be enough to save them from their pursuers and get them to the safety of a remote temple?

Director Masahiro Andô cut his teeth as an animator on such classics as Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Fullmetal Alchemist and Cowboy Bebop. All of his experience is brought to bear in Sword of the Stranger’s epic action scenes, with dazzling sword fights inspired by great jigaideki-chanbara films like Yojimbo and 47 Ronin. The animation and muted colour scheme beautifully capture the landscapes and architecture of feudal age Japan.

The film was released in 2007 to great critical acclaim, becoming Japan’s official submission for the Academy Award for Best Animated Picture. As well as having the best samurai action you’ll see at BAFF this year, it features probably the most adorable shiba inu you’ll see in any film ever.