General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20266 min read

K: Missing Kings (劇場版 K MISSING KINGS)

K: Missing Kings (劇場版 K MISSING KINGS, Gekijōban K Missing Kings) is a 2014 Japanese animated film that continues the story of the 2012 television anime K, produced by the writer collective GoRA and the animation studio GoHands and directed by Shingo Suzuki, who also served as character designer.¹ Set in a modern Japan whose history diverges slightly from our own, the K franchise follows seven Kings, each of whom rules a Clan and bestows supernatural powers on its members.² The film opened in Japanese theaters on July 12, 2014, and acts as the bridge between the first television series and the second, K: Return of Kings.³^•⁴

Key fact	Detail
Japanese release	July 12, 2014; runtime listed as 74 minutes by the distributor KlockWorx and 75 minutes by JFDB¹^•³
Staff	Director and character design: Shingo Suzuki; series director: Hiromitsu Kanazawa; series composition and screenplay: GoRA; music: Mikio Endo; animation production: GoHands¹^•⁵
Main cast	Daisuke Namikawa (Yashiro Isana), Daisuke Ono (Kuroh Yatogami), Mikako Komatsu (Neko), Kenjiro Tsuda (Mikoto Suoh), Yui Horie (Anna Kushina), Masakazu Morita (Yukari Mishakuji)¹^•⁶
Story placement	Set one year after the Academy Island incident, in which four Kings were involved and the Red King Mikoto Suoh died⁶
Overseas releases	Los Angeles premiere July 5, 2014; Malaysia July 17, 2014; United States (limited) July 18, 2014; Taiwan August 15, 2014⁷
English edition	Licensed by Viz Media, announced at Anime Expo 2015⁴
Japanese home video	Released May 29, 2015 by King Records with KlockWorx as sales agent¹

Spoilers

Place in the franchise

The K television series first aired in 2012 and, according to GoRA, was the first hit anime built on an original concept and screenplay written by the collective. Its success led to this film version and then to the second television series, K: Return of Kings; the franchise later expanded into the six-film theatrical series K: Seven Stories in 2018, as well as novels, manga, stage performances, drama CDs, and games.²

The first season ended its central mystery and killed off major characters, and the film was GoRA's chosen way to extend the story: a sequel rather than a prequel.⁸ Reviewers and viewers alike treat it as a connective work; an Anime News Network review by Theron Martin describes it as the bridge between the two K television series.⁶

Plot

The story begins one year after the Academy Island incident, the conflict in which four of the seven Kings crossed paths and in which the Red King Mikoto Suoh died and the Silver King Yashiro Isana, known as Shiro, disappeared.⁶ His Silver Clansmen, Kuroh Yatogami and Neko, have searched for him ever since without finding a lead, and the Red Clan HOMRA has fractured, leaving the young Anna Kushina vulnerable.⁶

The turning point comes when Kuroh and Neko encounter HOMRA members Rikio Kamamoto and Anna being chased through the city.¹ The pursuers belong to the Green Clan: the swordsman Yukari Mishakuji, Kuroh's senior fellow student, kidnaps Anna because her psychic abilities can lead him to Shiro, and the Green Clan seeks to use her clairvoyance to locate the Dresden Slate and shift the balance of power in Shizume City.⁸^•⁶

Climax. Kuroh and Neko form an alliance with the Blue King Reisi Munakata and his organization Scepter 4 and storm the besieged Mihashira Tower to rescue Anna. Cornered on the helipad, Anna hears Mikoto's voice in her crimson glass marbles and accepts her royal destiny; the Red Sword of Damocles materializes above the tower and consecrates her as the new Red King. Her crimson aura destroys the Green Clan's barriers and forces Yukari to retreat, HOMRA reunites under her, and the film closes with Shiro's parachute descending toward Tokyo.⁶

Production and cast

Shingo Suzuki, who had worked on the Mardock Scramble productions, directed the film and designed the characters, with Hiromitsu Kanazawa as series director and GoRA handling series composition and screenplay. Mikio Endo composed the music and the group angela performed the theme song.¹^•⁵ The television cast returned, including Daisuke Namikawa, Daisuke Ono, Tomokazu Sugita, and Yui Horie, joined by new cast members Masakazu Morita as Yukari Mishakuji, Kaori Nazuka as Douhan Hirasaka, and Kazuyuki Okitsu as Nagare Hisui.⁵^•⁹ Producers listed for the film are Glovision, KlockWorx, Mainichi Broadcasting System, and Starchild Records.⁶

Release

The film opened across Japan on July 12, 2014.³ Its international rollout began with a Los Angeles premiere on July 5, 2014, followed by Malaysia on July 17, a limited United States release on July 18, and Taiwan on August 15.⁷ Viz Media announced the English-language license for the film and for K season 2 at Anime Expo 2015.⁴ In Japan, King Records released the home video edition on May 29, 2015, with KlockWorx handling sales.¹

Adaptations

A manga adaptation ran in Square Enix's Monthly G Fantasy beginning with the May 2015 issue, drawn by Haruto Shiota with story composition by Hideyoshi Furuhashi of GoRA; the collected volume went on sale September 26, 2015.¹⁰ Marvelous later staged a stage play adaptation, K -MISSING KINGS-, the fourth production in its stage K series, adapting the film's story of Kuroh and Neko searching for Shiro after the first television season.¹¹

Reception

The film received few English-language reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a Tomatometer score of 74 percent from two critics.¹² Nicolas Rapold of The New York Times called the animation "a pure sensual delight," describing the cityscape's intense, flamelike blues and reds, while Martin Tsai of the Los Angeles Times judged the sequel "just as much of a hot mess" as the series, criticizing half-baked ideas such as a network of ninjas connected by a smartphone app and Mikio Endo's score.¹²^•⁸ Theron Martin of Anime News Network and a reviewer for UK Anime Network each scored it 50 out of 100; the UK Anime Network review concluded that for fans the film is "more of the same," and for newcomers that is also the case.⁶ Audience ratings have been warmer: IMDb lists 6.8 from about 1,100 votes, and Google Play users gave it 4.7 stars across 59 reviews.⁹^•¹³

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Japanese anime features › Released 2014 to 2026

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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