Like many Kitaro installments, the movie was produced by Toei Animation, releasing on November 27, 2023.
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- Adaptational Job Change: Mizuki works for a blood company in the original tale, only investigating Kitaro's parents when they're giving away their blood. In Kitaro Birth, Mizuki works for an agency investigating the Fantastic Drug M.
- Adaptational Relationship Overhaul: Big time. Mizuki, in his original appearance, was only able to interview Medama Oyaji and his wife before they both died, and his relationship with the young Kitaro wasn't always a healthy one (in fact, in one version he dropped the newborn Kitaro after being spooked by him, giving him his iconic look). In this movie, however, Mizuki and Medama Oyaji have known each other much longer, and as such he's welcomed as a second father to Kitaro.
- Buddy Picture: What sets this apart from many Kitaro installments is this unique presentation. Instead of a monster/problem of the week format, this movie is more about a supernatural drug bust with a human and a yokai teaming up to track it and resolve the problem.
- Darker and Edgier: While the Kitaro franchise is no stranger to creepy, dark, and downright scary content, this installment gets down to brass tacks very quickly, with a lot more blood and gore than there usually would be in the TV series.
