All You Need Is Kill (2026) – Review and Summary

While it may make you teary-eyed towards the end, does All You Need Is Kill build on the gains that anime-style movies made in 2025?

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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“All You Need Is Kill” Film Details

  • Director(s): Ken’ichirô Akimoto, Yukinori Nakamura
  • Writer(s): Yûichirô Kido
  • Based On Work By: Hiroshi Sakurazaka
  • Distributor: GKIDS
  • Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 22 Minutes
  • Public Release Date (In Theaters): January 16, 2026
  • Genre(s): Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Young Adult, Animation
  • Content Rating: Rated R
  • Primary Language: Non-English (Japanese)

Movie Summary

Rita and Keiji did not have the best childhoods. Keiji was mercilessly bullied, and Rita? Her mom was an addict, abusive, to the point of trying to kill her once, and had some form of a mental disorder. Luckily for both, they were able to escape their past and now work at the site of a gigantic, one-year-old alien plant named Doral. Keiji is an engineer, and Rita is seemingly tasked with getting samples or cutting off branches – it’s hard to say what her exact job is.

However, on the anniversary of Doral’s arrival, it blooms, attacks everyone, and Rita and Keiji begin a time loop that resets upon their deaths. This forces the two socially awkward, often self-isolated young people to make more of an effort than they have ever made before to break a cycle in their lives.

Cast and Characters

Rita (Ai Mikami)

  • Character Summary: Raised by a single mother, Rita is tough, chip on her shoulder tough, and often isolates herself. But, it seems if someone makes a genuine effort to get over her wall, and not in a way to impress others, she can be kind, loving, supportive, all the things she didn’t really get growing up.

Keiji (Natsuki Hanae)

  • Character Summary: While bullied growing up, it seems not getting to have much in the way of friendship gave Keiji time to become a notable engineer, which allows him and Rita, as they face Doral, to hack, reprogram, and even improve all the equipment they’ll need to not only survive, but defeat Doral.

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

Quality Action Scenes [81/100]

While days separated from seeing the movie, I wouldn’t say the action sequences left the kind of impression that will lead me to refer to them in the future, but I do think the action pieces do stand out enough to establish what’s at stake. The violence of death makes it so, as we watch Rita and Keiji die over 50 times, you realize it isn’t just about saving the world, or ending the loop, but not having to go through the pain of being mauled.

Note, both have gone through physical trauma over their lives, and as much as they may have become numb to life, this goes beyond their pain thresholds. Also, I should say, this isn’t a graphic movie, but it is made clear that the type of pain they experience is the type that will jar you from some form of sleep, and leave you in a cold sweat. At least, until the shock leads to frustration, which helps fuel later fights, as they build in speed, blood, and style.

In addition, Rita and Keiji seeing one another die also has an effect on them and further the emotions behind the battles. Which builds to a possible tear-inducing finale.

On The Fence

How It Gets You Emotionally Invested In The Leads, But Indifferent To The Rest [76/100]

All You Need Is Kill pushes you to trauma bond with Rita and Keiji like they trauma bond with each other. Through seeing Rita struggle as a kid, through multiple incidents with her mom, and then a single sequence establishing that Keiji was physically bullied, you can easily connect with them. Then add them both being outcasts, albeit self-imposed to a degree, as late teens or early adults? You feel something for them. Add in the underdog vibe, and they are ideal protagonists.

But one thing that might be an issue for you is that everyone else in Rita and Keiji’s world is as much of a stranger at the beginning of the film as they are in the end. For Keiji, this is okay and makes sense, as we don’t really see him interact with anyone but Rita. However, there are people who try to connect with Rita, who she seems affected by when she sees them die – so not getting to know them, their names, anything meaningful, it feels off, if not wrong.

I’d even go as far as to say that, as much of an emotional journey Rita and Keiji go on together, being that the film repeats the same day, and their focus is mainly on ending the loop, there is a need to question if anything has truly changed by the time the movie is over. Yeah, those two are closer than ever, but have their attitude towards work and other people changed? I wouldn’t say either really healed old wounds, so are they still chained to their childhood trauma?

It’s all just weird how so much happens yet, because they are repeating the same day, and are mainly focused on Doral, it also feels like nothing really changed, too.

Overall

Our Rating (78/100): Mixed (Divisive)

All You Need Is Kill is entertaining, but it isn’t necessarily memorable and doesn’t feel like it rides the momentum of the great 2025 anime-style movies. It dumps a bit of trauma on you to get you into the leads, has decent enough action, but as the reincarnations go on, you may have mixed feelings. Why? Well, while not dying again is of the utmost importance, there is the question of what will come after, and you don’t get a hint or idea of what that may be.

So it is hard to know if either character truly grew as people, or simply built a trauma bond, better dexterity, but still are the same people who seemed unable, if not unwilling, to have a fruitful life. Making the whole time loop feel like it didn’t push the lesson most groundhog day narratives seek to.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been writing reviews since 2010, with a focus on dramas and comedies.