A anniversary is being celebrated early at Fantasia Film Festival! Here, Garo Taiga made its cinematic worldwide debut for its emerald jubilee while fans in Japan must wait until October 17, 2025. Getting an early look is exciting—I’m always eager for any IP known for intense action and visceral body horror. With a few challenges involving some amusing tough guys to defeat–namely a duo whom I like to call the Clockwork Twins–and a foul-mouthed talking ring (wonderfully voiced by Hironobu Kageyama), I couldn’t help but think of Vampire Hunter D, where the protagonist’s left hand also has a sarcastic personality.
When there are transformation scenes as wild as The Guyver, and it sticks to a premise simple enough for younger viewers, it’s a visceral element I can enjoy. Here, our hero, Taiga Saejima (Hiroyuki Watanabe) must retrieve a stolen artifact housing the souls of four elementals. They can help him face his rival, Jado (Toshiki Seto), or hinder him. When this individual is too powerful to face alone, Taiga will need help from other Makai Knights for help.