# King of Thorn (いばらの王 king of Thorn)
**King of Thorn** (*Ibara no Ō*, いばらの王) is a Japanese animated science fiction film released in Japan on 1 May 2010. Directed by Kazuyoshi Katayama, produced by Sunrise, and based on the manga of the same title by Yuji Iwahara, it runs 109 minutes and follows a girl placed in cold sleep to escape a lethal pandemic who awakens in a facility overrun by thorns and monsters.[1](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/335986) • [2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/king_of_thorn)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | いばらの王 -King of Thorn- (*Ibara no Ō*)[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/king_of_thorn) |
| Japanese release | 1 May 2010, distributed by Kadokawa Pictures; 109 minutes, color[1](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/335986) |
| Studio and staff | Animation by Sunrise; directed and co-written by Kazuyoshi Katayama, script with Hiroshi Yamaguchi; character design Hidenori Matsubara[1](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/335986) • [3](https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB08766810) |
| Source | Manga *Ibara no Ō* by Yuji Iwahara, serialized in Comic Beam (published by Enterbrain)[1](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/335986) • [4](https://reviewne.jp/contents/12124) |
| Premise | A disease called Medusa petrifies and kills its victims; 160 people are frozen until a cure can be found[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/king_of_thorn) |
| Main cast | Kana Hanazawa (Kasumi Ishiki), Eri Sendai (Shizuku Ishiki), Toshiyuki Morikawa (Marco Owen), Sayaka Ohara (Katherine Turner)[3](https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB08766810) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/king_of_thorn) |
| Theme song | MISIA, "EDGE OF THIS WORLD"[6](https://www.sunrise-inc.co.jp/kingofthorn/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot setup
The story is set in the near future. A mysterious epidemic called Medusa, designated an S-class infectious disease, kills 100 percent of those infected: after an incubation period of 30 to 60 days, petrification begins and death follows within 12 hours. As the disease spreads worldwide, the UN declares a state of emergency.[7](https://www.ne.jp/asahi/gensou/kan/eigahyou59/ibaranoou.html) • [2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/king_of_thorn)
With no cure in prospect, the chemical manufacturer Venus Gate, represented on screen by Mr Vegas (played by Tsutomu Isobe), announces a cold sleep process that works for at least 100 years: 160 selected people will be frozen until a cure is found. In October 2015, in spite of worries that Venus Gate was linked with a religious cult, the 160 chosen candidates are taken to a Scottish castle to be placed in frozen sleep, which an apparent artificial intelligence called ALICE monitors.[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/king_of_thorn) The facility's activation date is given as 13 October 2015.[8](https://www.sunrise-world.net/titles/pickup_294.php)
**Kasumi Ishiki.** The protagonist is Kasumi Ishiki, a 15-year-old Japanese high school student who lost her parents to Medusa. Kasumi and her identical twin sister Shizuku both applied for cold sleep, but only Kasumi was chosen, and she carries a sense of guilt at surviving while her sister is left behind. Shizuku nevertheless accompanies her to the facility, reading the fairy tale "Briar Rose" ([Sleeping Beauty](https://www.edgepedia.org/sleeping-beauty)) on the bus ride there.[8](https://www.sunrise-world.net/titles/pickup_294.php) • [6](https://www.sunrise-inc.co.jp/kingofthorn/)
**Awakening.** Kasumi's sleep is interrupted abruptly. She and a small group of other sleepers awaken to find the Cold Sleep Capsule Center covered in enormous thorns, in which monstrous creatures stalk and kill the awakened candidates one by one. The film draws its imagery from "Briar Rose", with a thorn-covered castle replacing the fairy tale's wall of brambles.[6](https://www.sunrise-inc.co.jp/kingofthorn/) • [9](https://www.jbspins.com/2010/07/japan-cuts-10-king-of-thorn.html)
### Characters
The Sleeping Beauty parallel is carried by the two sisters. Kasumi is introverted; Shizuku is outgoing and quick-moving, and in the face of inevitable death remains forward-looking and encouraging toward her sister. She has a large scar on her right leg.[8](https://www.sunrise-world.net/titles/pickup_294.php)
Marco Owen ([Toshiyuki Morikawa](https://www.edgepedia.org/toshiyuki-morikawa)) is a 24-year-old British prisoner, heavily tattooed and physically imposing, who won a cold sleep slot and was escorted from prison to the facility. Having lost his younger sister Laura, he burns with hatred for the people who exploit Medusa, and uses the facility's catastrophe to set a plan in motion.[8](https://www.sunrise-world.net/titles/pickup_294.php) Other named roles include Timothy Laisenbach (Akiko Yajima) and Katherine Turner (Sayaka Ohara).[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/king_of_thorn)
## Production
Kazuyoshi Katayama, known for *The Big O*, directed and co-wrote the film, his first theatrical feature. It was made as a theatrical anime aimed at older audiences and at overseas release, with the character designs pushed in a more realistic direction than typical television anime.[10](https://animeanime.jp/article/2010/05/01/6389.html) • [8](https://www.sunrise-world.net/titles/pickup_294.php) The film's relative scarcity of CGI was noted by one German reviewer as contributing to a fairy-tale visual quality.[11](https://www.filmstarts.de/kritiken/192383.html)
## Adaptation choices
Whereas the original manga begins with the survivors' awakening, the movie begins with the emergence of the virus, expanding the setup before the cold sleep.[12](https://www.animationforadults.com/2014/02/king-of-thorn-2010.html) The Science Fiction Encyclopedia entry observes that the film suffers from trying to condense the source manga into a single film, with many changes: it does not entirely cohere, the tempo feels rushed, the Sleeping Beauty parallels seem forced, and the Medusa problem facing the world is left unresolved, while the plentiful action and solid animation make it, viewed uncritically, a good horror-in-science-fiction film.[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/king_of_thorn)
## Reception
Aggregated scores place the film in middling territory. Rotten Tomatoes reports a Tomatometer of 54 percent with 250-plus audience ratings and a 3.3 of 5 audience score; [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) shows 58 percent and 6.3/10; Filmarks lists 3.2/5 from 826 reviews.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/king_of_thorn) • [13](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/king-of-thorn) • [14](https://filmarks.com/movies/24930) Audience comments commonly praise the animation and action sequences while finding the second half confusing: one reviewer describes it as "a strange mashup of Alien and Sleeping Beauty" whose ending feels disconnected from the rest of the film.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/king_of_thorn) The Japanese review site Anime!Anime! calls the film challenging and not kind to the viewer, but filled with the pleasures of science fiction cinema that reward repeated viewing.[10](https://animeanime.jp/article/2010/05/01/6389.html)
## Availability
As of 2026 the film streams on [Crunchyroll](https://www.edgepedia.org/crunchyroll) with subtitles and an English dub (released on the platform 11 August 2017) and is available for digital rental on Prime Video, DMM TV, and J:COM Stream in Japan; Netflix lists the title but it is not currently available to stream there.[15](https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/G71F4Q0X7/king-of-thorn?modal=add-to-list) • [16](https://filmarks.com/movies/24930/vod) • [17](https://www.netflix.com/title/70142789)
## References
1. [いばらの王 King of Thorn (2010), allcinema](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/335986)
2. [King of Thorn, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/king_of_thorn)
3. [いばらの王 King of thorn, CiNii Books](https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB08766810)
4. [いばらの王 King of Thornのあらすじ/作品解説, レビューンアニメ](https://reviewne.jp/contents/12124)
5. [King of Thorn, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/king_of_thorn)
6. [いばらの王 -King of Thorn- 公式サイト, Sunrise](https://www.sunrise-inc.co.jp/kingofthorn/)
7. [いばらの王 -King of Thorn- (映画感想), にわか映画ファンの駄目な日常](https://www.ne.jp/asahi/gensou/kan/eigahyou59/ibaranoou.html)
8. [いばらの王 -King of Thorn-, サンライズワールド](https://www.sunrise-world.net/titles/pickup_294.php)
9. [Japan Cuts '10: King of Thorn, J.B. Spins](https://www.jbspins.com/2010/07/japan-cuts-10-king-of-thorn.html)
10. [映画評 『いばらの王 –King of Thorn-』, アニメ！アニメ！](https://animeanime.jp/article/2010/05/01/6389.html)
11. [King of Thorn, FILMSTARTS.de](https://www.filmstarts.de/kritiken/192383.html)
12. [King Of Thorn (2010), Animation For Adults](https://www.animationforadults.com/2014/02/king-of-thorn-2010.html)
13. [King of Thorn streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/king-of-thorn)
14. [いばらの王 King of Thorn, Filmarks映画](https://filmarks.com/movies/24930)
15. [King of Thorn, Crunchyroll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/G71F4Q0X7/king-of-thorn?modal=add-to-list)
16. [いばらの王 King of Thorn 配信まとめ, Filmarks](https://filmarks.com/movies/24930/vod)
17. [King of Thorn, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/title/70142789)
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*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 1999 to 2013*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license