# Mutafukaz
**Mutafukaz**, released in the United States as **MFKZ**, is a 2017 Franco-Japanese adult animated science-fiction action film co-directed by the French comic artist Guillaume "Run" Renard and the Japanese animator Shojiro Nishimi, produced by Ankama Animations and [Studio 4°C](https://www.edgepedia.org/studio-4-c). It adapts Renard's comic series of the same name and follows Angelino, a young misfit in the fictional Los Angeles stand-in Dark Meat City who discovers he is half human and half Macho, a member of an alien race secretly controlling the world.[1](https://www.studio4c.co.jp/works/en/pages/48.html) • [2](https://medias.unifrance.org/medias/46/200/182318/presse/mutafukaz-presskit-english.pdf) The title is a coined word meaning "motherfuckers" in Hispanic gang slang, and the film carries the profanity and extreme violence that the title signals.[1](https://www.studio4c.co.jp/works/en/pages/48.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title / US title | Mutafukaz; retitled MFKZ for the GKIDS North American release[3](https://2danicritic.github.io/index_files/ReviewHtml/review_MFKZ.html) |
| Directors | Guillaume "Run" Renard (also screenwriter) and Shojiro Nishimi[1](https://www.studio4c.co.jp/works/en/pages/48.html) |
| Production | Ankama Animations (France) and Studio 4°C (Japan); 2D hand-drawn and computer animation[2](https://medias.unifrance.org/medias/46/200/182318/presse/mutafukaz-presskit-english.pdf) |
| Runtime | 94 minutes per Studio 4°C and the US release; the Unifrance press kit lists 90 minutes[1](https://www.studio4c.co.jp/works/en/pages/48.html) • [2](https://medias.unifrance.org/medias/46/200/182318/presse/mutafukaz-presskit-english.pdf) |
| Premiere and release | World premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2017; French theatrical release in May 2018[4](https://eastasia.fr/2019/02/23/video-mutafukaz-entretien-avec-guillaume-renard-20022019/) |
| Source comic | Six volumes plus a spin-off, about 700 pages, published by Ankama Éditions from 2006; over 135,000 copies sold[4](https://eastasia.fr/2019/02/23/video-mutafukaz-entretien-avec-guillaume-renard-20022019/) • [2](https://medias.unifrance.org/medias/46/200/182318/presse/mutafukaz-presskit-english.pdf) |
| Recognition | Nominated at the 46th Annie Awards[5](https://www.bunka.go.jp/j-mediaarts/en/animation/FeaturingStudios/STUDIO4C.html) |
## Origin of the project
The Mutafukaz universe began online in 2000 with an animation-heavy website introducing the characters. Its popularity led to the seven-minute short film *Mutafukaz: Operation Blackhead*, directed by Run and Yan Blary and released in 2002 in a mix of Flash and 3D; it received festival awards and was selected at the Sundance Festival in 2003.[2](https://medias.unifrance.org/medias/46/200/182318/presse/mutafukaz-presskit-english.pdf) The first comic volume followed from Ankama Éditions in 2006, and the series grew to six volumes plus a spin-off volume, *Méta Muta*, totaling about 700 pages.[4](https://eastasia.fr/2019/02/23/video-mutafukaz-entretien-avec-guillaume-renard-20022019/)
The film adaptation started in 2009 as a partnership between Ankama Animation and Studio 4°C, the Japanese studio behind *Mind Game* and *[Tekkonkinkreet](https://www.edgepedia.org/tekkonkinkreet)*. Ankama's head, Anthony Roux, had founded Ankama Japan to build Franco-Japanese collaborations and met Studio 4°C's president Eiko Tanaka, who chose Mutafukaz because its urban universe felt close to the studio's identity.[4](https://eastasia.fr/2019/02/23/video-mutafukaz-entretien-avec-guillaume-renard-20022019/) Renard said he had admired Nishimi's work on *Tekkonkinkreet* and *Batman: Gotham Knight* and considered the studio a benchmark in animation.[6](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/annecy-mutafukaz-creator-director-guillaume-run-renard-talks-053035548.html)
## Production
**An eight-year, self-financed production.** Renard stated that the film took eight years from start to finish and was entirely self-financed by Ankama, with no support from France's CNC (Centre national du cinéma). The project was halted several times; Ankama prioritized its *Dofus* feature film, and Studio 4°C's teams worked on the images for four years, followed by two more years of post-production. Because the screenplay was also written in Japanese and the dialogue lip-sync was done in Japanese, Renard had to write a new French adaptation matched to the Japanese lip sync.[4](https://eastasia.fr/2019/02/23/video-mutafukaz-entretien-avec-guillaume-renard-20022019/) During production the film was planned at 1 hour 50 minutes and cut to 1 hour 30 at the studio's request.[7](https://obsessionb.com/2018/06/01/rencontre-guillaume-run-renard-pour-mutafukaz/)
Renard wrote the scenario and guidelines while Nishimi handled the animation side; the two later shared the director credit, with Nishimi making his feature-film directorial debut.[6](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/annecy-mutafukaz-creator-director-guillaume-run-renard-talks-053035548.html) • [1](https://www.studio4c.co.jp/works/en/pages/48.html) The creative team reunited the *Tekkonkinkreet* pair of Nishimi and art director Shinji Kimura, with Teiichi Takiguchi as animation director and Eiko Tanaka and Anthony Roux as producers.[8](https://gkids.com/films/mfkz/) • [1](https://www.studio4c.co.jp/works/en/pages/48.html)
## Story and setting
The film is set in Dark Meat City (DMC), a crime-ridden, graffiti-covered alternative-world Los Angeles suffering under a global warming-fueled heatwave.[9](https://www.timeout.com/movies/mfkz) Angelino, nicknamed Lino, is an onyx-black young man with oversized eyes who delivers pizzas by day and shares a run-down hotel room with his friend Vinz, whose head is a burning skull, and an army of cockroaches.[2](https://medias.unifrance.org/medias/46/200/182318/presse/mutafukaz-presskit-english.pdf) After a scooter accident caused by the sight of a girl named Luna, he begins to suffer hallucinations in which sinister beings appear among the humans, and he is hunted by the men in black, a secret organization led by Bruce Macchabee.[2](https://medias.unifrance.org/medias/46/200/182318/presse/mutafukaz-presskit-english.pdf) • [1](https://www.studio4c.co.jp/works/en/pages/48.html)
The antagonists are the Machos, cosmic entities formed from the dark matter of the universe who can take any human or animal form, have infiltrated positions of power, and keep a base on the dark side of the Moon. Captured after a manhunt, Angelino learns he is half human and half Macho, and must choose between joining those who secretly exploit the world's resources or another path.[2](https://medias.unifrance.org/medias/46/200/182318/presse/mutafukaz-presskit-english.pdf) Renard described the story's themes as the search for identity, one's place in society, friendship, and love, with the city's gangs ultimately uniting against the common threat.[2](https://medias.unifrance.org/medias/46/200/182318/presse/mutafukaz-presskit-english.pdf)
## Style and influences
Renard mixed 1950s science fiction, [Lucha libre](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucha-libre), film noir, and gang culture, deliberately avoiding modern technology in the designs because, he said, technology ages quickly on screen; he called the combination the project's DNA and a "pop culture shaker".[6](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/annecy-mutafukaz-creator-director-guillaume-run-renard-talks-053035548.html) Critics located the film's look in a fusion of Japanese animation and street art, with photorealistic background cells simulating live-action camera techniques against distinctly two-dimensional cartoonish characters.[10](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/mfkz/) Time Out described it as a blend of *Grand Theft Auto*, *[Do the Right Thing](https://www.edgepedia.org/do-the-right-thing)*, *Akira*, and the 1990s cartoon *Duckman*, with a dubstep soundtrack.[9](https://www.timeout.com/movies/mfkz) The French DJ The Toxic Avenger composed the soundtrack.[11](https://www.filmtoast.de/filme/mutafukaz/)
## Release and reception
After its June 2017 premiere at Annecy and a festival run, the film received a French theatrical release in May 2018.[4](https://eastasia.fr/2019/02/23/video-mutafukaz-entretien-avec-guillaume-renard-20022019/) In the United States, GKIDS licensed the film and retitled it MFKZ, a less offensive abbreviation for viewers seeing the title in passing; the English dub features [Michael Chiklis](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-chiklis), Giancarlo Esposito, Jorge Gutierrez, Dascha Polanco, RZA, Vince Staples, and [Danny Trejo](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-trejo).[3](https://2danicritic.github.io/index_files/ReviewHtml/review_MFKZ.html) • [8](https://gkids.com/films/mfkz/) The Japanese cast includes Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as Angelino, Tokio Emoto as Vince, and Shinnosuke Mitsushima as Willy.[1](https://www.studio4c.co.jp/works/en/pages/48.html) The film was nominated at the 46th [Annie Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/annie-awards).[5](https://www.bunka.go.jp/j-mediaarts/en/animation/FeaturingStudios/STUDIO4C.html)
Critical reception was mixed. Reviewers consistently praised the animation, world-building, and soundtrack while faulting the story: Time Out gave three of five stars, calling it uneven but attention-grabbing and noting a leering attitude toward its few female characters alongside a callous revelry in gun violence;[9](https://www.timeout.com/movies/mfkz) Slant Magazine found the chases and shoot-outs drove the plot at a plodding pace;[10](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/mfkz/) and the German site Filmtoast called it a feast for eyes and ears that neglects a coherent story.[11](https://www.filmtoast.de/filme/mutafukaz/) Common Sense Media rated it 17+ for chaotic gun violence and near-constant strong language.[12](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/mfkz)
## Aftermath
The comic series continued after the film, with a new narrative arc announced for 2018 and a spin-off published in 2017 as six monthly 32-page issues.[2](https://medias.unifrance.org/medias/46/200/182318/presse/mutafukaz-presskit-english.pdf) A direct sequel to the film and comics, readable independently of the main series and spin-offs, was later published, and the series has been marketed with a figure of 165,000 copies sold.[13](https://www.editions-ruedesevres.fr/pdf/Catalogue_RdS_Fall_2023_Liens%20interactifs_2.pdf)
## References
1. [MUTAFUKAZ, Studio 4°C works page](https://www.studio4c.co.jp/works/en/pages/48.html)
2. [Mutafukaz press kit (English), Unifrance](https://medias.unifrance.org/medias/46/200/182318/presse/mutafukaz-presskit-english.pdf)
3. [Review of MFKZ, 2DAniCritic](https://2danicritic.github.io/index_files/ReviewHtml/review_MFKZ.html)
4. [MUTAFUKAZ : Entretien avec Guillaume Renard, EastAsia (2019)](https://eastasia.fr/2019/02/23/video-mutafukaz-entretien-avec-guillaume-renard-20022019/)
5. [STUDIO4°C, Japan Media Arts Festival Overseas Promotion](https://www.bunka.go.jp/j-mediaarts/en/animation/FeaturingStudios/STUDIO4C.html)
6. [Annecy: 'Mutafukaz' Creator-Director Guillaume 'Run' Renard Talks Inspiration, Animation and Adaptation, Variety via Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/annecy-mutafukaz-creator-director-guillaume-run-renard-talks-053035548.html)
7. [Guillaume « Run » Renard pour MUTAFUKAZ, Obsession B (2018)](https://obsessionb.com/2018/06/01/rencontre-guillaume-run-renard-pour-mutafukaz/)
8. [MFKZ, GKIDS Films](https://gkids.com/films/mfkz/)
9. [MFKZ review, Time Out (2018)](https://www.timeout.com/movies/mfkz)
10. [Review: MFKZ, Slant Magazine (2018)](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/mfkz/)
11. [Mutafukaz, Filmtoast (2019)](https://www.filmtoast.de/filme/mutafukaz/)
12. [MFKZ Parents' Guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/mfkz)
13. [Éditions Rue des Sèvres Fall 2023 catalog](https://www.editions-ruedesevres.fr/pdf/Catalogue_RdS_Fall_2023_Liens%20interactifs_2.pdf)
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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 › Animated films by source material and subject › Films based on comics and games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 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