It was released in Japan on January 18, 2019, and is notable for the actors who played the characters in the stage play reprising their roles, despite the story being set in a different continuity.
The first film follows a group of sword warriors, known as "Touken Danshi", as they attempt to stop an enemy faction known as the Time Retrograde Army from interfering with the Honnō-ji Incident.
Because of the film's success, a sequel centering on a different Honmaru and a mostly different line-up of Touken Danshi note was released in March 3, 2023.
The first film also received a Manga adaptation recapping the story.
Visit the Touken Ranbu character page for character-related tropes.
Touken Ranbu: The Movie provides examples of:
- A Child Shall Lead Them: A young girl takes over as Saniwa when the original is moved out due to his advanced age. The new Touken Danshi embrace the transformation and play with her at the end of the film, though it is never made clear how, given her age, she will command what is effectively an army.
- Adaptation Personality Change: In the first film, Mikazuki is portrayed in the first live-action film as decidedly being a loner and distant outside of his friendship with the Saniwa, with Yagen and Yamanbagiri's comments about him implying he's always stayed to himself. This is the opposite of how Mikazuki is typically depicted, as in the original browser game and its various spin-offs, he is fairly pleasant with his peers and forms friendships with a wide range of Touken Danshi.
- Adapted Out: Konnosuke doesn't appear in this film, nor is he mentioned, although the shrine that the Touken Danshi use to time travel features several kudagitsune statues that resemble him.
- Alternate Continuity: While it employs some of the same actors as the stage play adaptation and addresses the Honnouji Incident, which was also the subject of the first stage play, it takes place in a different continuity, explaining why the characterization, relationship dynamics, and story differ.
- Ambiguously Human: The Saniwa in the first film. He looks human and is apparently susceptible to human aging, but he is never seen outside of his room, and when he is seen within his room, he is only shown in an unmoving seated position, even when he isn't meeting with the Touken Danshi.After years of service, the Saniwa is also revealed to need to be "transferred out" due to his magic fading, a process that causes him to vanish from existence when it completes, leaving only the pendant through which he channels his magic behind for the new Saniwa to inherit.
- Animate Inanimate Object: All of the Touken Danshi, being tsukumogami, object Youkai that acquire souls after a hundred years, were sentient long before the Saniwa gave them human forms. As such, while they were still in sword form, they witnessed all of the significant historical events that they were a part of, although they don't always have perfect recollections of what happened. The film's major plot twist reveals that not only did Yagen misremember which fire he burned in with Oda Nobunaga, thus leading him to believe that Nobunaga died during the Honnouji Incident, but Mikazuki was also able to witness the "correct" version of Oda Nobunaga's death because his former master Hideyoshi Toyotomi brought him to Azuchi Castle the day he assassinated Nobunaga.
- Arc Words: "Nobunaga must die."
- Ascended Meme: The jokingly fandom entertained the idea of the Saniwa being a little girl long before this film confirmed that it was indeed possible for the Saniwa to be a child.
- Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Quite possibly what happened to the original Saniwa after they were transferred out.
- As You Know:
- For the sake of the audience members who may be unfamiliar with the characters, they will occasionally espouse casual facts about themselves or others to their comrades that they should already be aware of.
- Around the 20-minute mark of the film, everyone (save for Mikazuki, who was meeting with the Saniwa) gathers for drinks and explains their historical background to Honebami Toushirou, who had just manifested in Honmaru.
- Artistic License – History: The film’s biggest plot twist relies on this, as it’s revealed that Oda Nobunaga dying during the Honnouji Incident is the “incorrect” timeline; In the film's timeline, he escaped through a secret passage thanks to Ranmaru and fled to Azuchi Castle with a small army, requesting assistance from his comrade Hideyoshi Toyotomi, only to be betrayed by him and killed in a manner nearly identical to how he would have died during the Honnouji Incident. According to all historical accounts, however, Oda Nobunaga died during the Honnouji Incident after being betrayed by Akechi Mitsuhide, and Azuchi Castle was later demolished by Akechi's forces rather than being burned down by Hideyoshi Toyotomi's forces as depicted in the film.
- Bad Liar: Downplayed Trope. Mikazuki isn't bad at lying; rather, his comrades are so used to his clever deceptions that they can sometimes guess whether he's intentionally trying to divert their attention from something or is telling them the truth. If what he's saying is too obvious to be deceptive, they assume he's telling the truth, even if his corresponding actions are suspicious. However, in this case, their guess was incorrect, and only Uguisumaru was able to put together that both Mikazuki and the Saniwa were hiding something from them, which prompts him to get the truth from Mikazuki.
- Barrier Warrior: The Saniwa is mostly a Non-Action Guy, but he can use his power to create a protective barrier around Honmaru to keep the HRA at bay. His powers weakening, requiring him to be switched out with another Saniwa, causes the barrier to weaken. The HRA take note of this and begin attempting to destroy the barrier while they have the opportunity.
- Benevolent Boss: The Saniwa of this Honmaru is a pretty laid-back guy who can care freely joke with his subordinates and shows concern about their safety, so much so that he is hesitant to send them into battle until Mikazuki assures him that they will be fine. He also takes care of their emotional well-being, ordering Fudou Yukimitsu, who is still grieving the death of his former master, to stay behind and rest while the rest of the team plus Honebami goes to deal with Oda Nobunaga.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: The Touken Danshi are initially sent back in time to ensure that Oda Nobunaga can kill himself to spite Akechi Mitsuhide's forces without the HRA intervening. Nobunaga being rescued from his fate by "Mumei" / "Nameless" is what kicks off the main plot of the movie.
- Bittersweet Ending: There's a lot of sweetness, but there's also a hint of bitterness. The old master, with whom Mikazuki clearly had a special bond, has disappeared without a trace after being transferred out, but a new Saniwa, a little girl, has joined their Honmaru in his place, and has been welcomed with open arms by her subordinates. The ending shows the movie's team (plus Kurikara Gou) playing with her while Mikazuki sits alone drinking tea, before she walks over and hugs him. As he carries her on his back, the other swords join them, and he muses to his old master that he has more that he wants to protect now, and that everything is well.
- Blade Lock: Mikazuki does this with the enemy Oodachi in the final confrontation. One-handedly.
- Bloodless Carnage: Zig-zagged. Some characters bleed, such as Ranmaru Mori and Mikazuki in one of the final scenes, but the vast majority of characters aren't shown bloodied, regardless of how serious their injuries should be.
- Brainwashed and Crazy:
- Kurikara Gou, who was under the influence of the Historical Retrograde Army for a good portion of the films run.
- In the sequel, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro spends a good portion of the film under Shuten-Douji's control after being cursed by him 13 minutes in.
- The Cameo: After returning home from their missions, a dozen browser game characters, including Ichigo Hitofuri, Hakata Toushirou, and Souza Samonji, appear in the film's ending to meet the new Saniwa.
- 20 Touken Danshi from the browser game make an appearance behind Mikazuki Munechika in the opening scene of the sequel, but only Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, Yamanbagiri Chougi, Kogarasumaru, Horikawa Kunihiro, Ichigo Hitofuri, Heshikiri Hasebe, Higekiri, and Hizamaru have significant roles in the story alongside Mikazuki. The others briefly show up at the end to help in the extermination of the Historical Revisionists, along with some Touken Danshi from other citadels.
- Canon Foreigner: "Mumei" is revealed to be a Touken Danshi named Kurikara Gou, who has yet to be introduced in the browser game.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: It is implied that this is why Oda Nobunaga did not immediately behead Mikazuki after realizing he had "betrayed" him, instead simply allowing him to walk away without doing anything.
- Cast Full of Pretty Boys: The main cast consists exclusively of attractive men.
- Cast of Personifications: The main cast consists of legendary swords incarnated as humans. That said, there are several humans in the supporting cast, such as the Saniwa and historical figures.
- Casual Danger Dialogue: Mikazuki Munechika, as usual, enjoys calmly spouting quips in the midst of battles.
- Cherry Blossoms: Cherry blossoms appear frequently in both films, including when the Touken Danshi time travels and when Mikazuki drinks a concoction to heal his wounds in the first film's climactic battle. They are also in bloom in the second film when the Touken Danshi travel to 2012, despite the fact that the film is set in September.
- Commonality Connection: Nihongou and Fudou Yukimitsu briefly bond over their shared love of alcohol.
- Connected All Along: While anyone familiar with the sword's history is aware that Hideyoshi Toyotomi possessed Mikazuki Munechika at some point, it's not mentioned until Plot Twist when Mikazuki reveals that Hideyoshi brought the sword along with him to Oda Nobunaga's assassination, allowing Mikazuki to witness Nobunaga's true death as it was happening.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: In the first film, Heshikiri Hasebe is steeped in jealousy over Mikazuki spending time with the Saniwa and forbidding anyone else from visiting him, even claiming it's suspicious to justify his feelings. None of the other Touken Danshi seem to care, though, and Uguisumaru flatly tells him to stop complaining.
- Defiant to the End: Mori Ranmaru goes out fighting to protect Oda Nobunaga giving the latter the chance to escape in both the original timeline and after the Historical Revisionists intervention.
- Face Death with Dignity:
- It takes almost the whole movies runtime, but when Oda Nobunaga finally accepts his fate, he does so with dignity, kindly asking his blade Yagen Toushirou to help him make his death possible.
- Mikazuki Munechika was very ready to die after finally reaching limit while fighting off the Historical Revisionists, but was saved just in time by the other Touken Danshi.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: All of the Touken Danshi when they time travel back to 2012 in the second film. It's an odd example, though, because they're all several hundred years old and have lived through this year, but not in human form, meaning everything they experience is new to them.
- Flashy Protagonists, Bland Extras:
- Downplayed in the original film. While the Touken Danshi continue to stand out due to their technicolor hair and eyes, as well as their anachronistic clothing, Odo Nobunaga, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and Mori Ranmaru all wear flashy costumes, making them just about as visually interesting.
- Played Straight in the second film where the people from 2012 just look like ordinary humans, including the temporary Saniwa.
- Foreshadowing: Several times.
- Early in the film, the Saniwa jokingly is offended by Mikazuki Munechika's constantly referring to himself as a "old man" despite physically appearing much younger. This is initially played off as a joke and bonding moment between the two, but it later becomes plot important when it's revealed that the Saniwa's power is waning with his advanced age, and that his loss of power is weakening the protective barrier around the citadel, meaning he'll have to be replaced.
- Yagen briefly mentions that he has forgotten things about his past due to being burned in a fire, but that his memory isn't as bad as Honebami's, who had forgotten everything about himself. However, it is later revealed that Yagen's memory is worse than he thought, as he forgot he was burned in Azuchi Castle with Oda Nobunaga, not Honnouji Temple.
- As the group speculates on why Mikazuki would suddenly want to help Nobunaga, Yagen points out that Mikazuki was never owned by him, and that the group knows very little about him because he rarely talks about himself. Of course, Yagen had no idea that Nobunaga actually wanted to own the Mikazuki Munechika, but that his friend turned betrayer and murderer Hideyoshi Toyotomi had acquired it instead, bringing it to the burning of Azuchi Castle to gloat about it as Nobunaga burned.
- Forgotten First Meeting: Honebami was burned in a fire a hundred years before the story takes place, causing him to lose memories of his past identity, long-time friends, and even family when he reunites with them in the citadel.
- Friend to All Children: All of the Touken Danshi pretty readily accepted that their new master is a child, and in the ending, the group from the movie (plus Kurikara Gou) all whole-heartedly play games with her.
- Gender Reveal: The Saniwa in this film is an adult man although after being transferred out, he's replaced by a little girl.
- The Ghost: It is mentioned that there are more Touken Danshi in Honmaru than the ones shown in the movie, but because of how fiercely the Historical Revisionists have started to attack the various eras, they are all on their own missions. They all show up in the movies ending.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Heshikiri Hasebe is at his worst in the first film, not only being a control freak but also petulant and possessive of the Saniwa, even attacking Mikazuki when he jokes about his devotion to him. That being said, he does make a valid point about Mikazuki being overly secretive and how not informing the team about his plans does more harm than good, which even Nihongou agrees with. The film's plot twist, however, reveals that Mikazuki literally couldn't tell anyone about his plans without jeopardizing the entire mission.
- Healing Potion: Yagen gives Mikazuki one to heal from his injuries during the final battle. It’s effects are almost instantaneous.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Mikazuki tries to pull one off by returning the other Touken Danshi to Honmaru so he can deal with the HRA on his own, fully intent on dying to protect history, and very nearly succeeds. However, the Saniwa dispatches the Touken Danshi to retrieve him almost immediately, saving him from death just when he’s about to reach his limit.
- Hostage Situation: One happens briefly when Nobunaga holds a knife to Honebami's throat in a last-ditch attempt to threaten Mikazuki into helping him escape Azuchi Castle. He ultimately lets him go after Mikazuki gives him a "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
- Intercontinuity Crossover: Ishikirimaru from the Musical Touken Ranbu continuity shows up in the sequel's climax to help exterminate the Historical Revisionists.
- It's All My Fault: Mikazuki takes all of the blame for the Historical Revisionists very nearly successfully altering history onto himself, to the point of resigning from his position as secretary out of guilt.
- Last-Name Basis: Oda Nobunaga refers to Mikazuki exclusively as "Munechika" after accepting him as his escort.
- The Leader: Mikazuki Munechika, as Honmaru's secretary, serves as this to the other swords, supervising all of their activities and reporting directly to the Saniwa once their missions are completed. He is also the captain of the team that the Saniwa sends out to deal with Oda Nobunaga.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Except for Mikazuki and later Uguisumaru, the majority of the remaining citadel was purposefully kept in the dark about not only the fact that the ] Saniwa was losing power and entering the process of being transferred out of the citadel to be replaced, but also that Oda Nobunaga's death happened in a different way than that was historically recorded, with them only discovering both at the end of the film.
- Made of Iron: In combat, the Touken Danshi are incredibly resilient and can withstand wounds that most people would consider fatal. That said, they are not invulnerable; it simply takes longer for them to go down in a fight. The climactic battle is the best example of this, as Mikazuki powers through multiple stab wounds, a gunshot wound to the shoulder, and other fatal injuries, but only decides to give up when he has exhausted himself.
- Make Wrong What Once Went Right: The story kicks off with the Historical Retrograde Army attempting to mess with time, prompting the Touken Danshi to be dispatched by the Saniwa to stop them.
- The Medic: Yagen serves as this for his unit, and can be seen patching up Yamanbagiri and Honebami’s injuries after the Akechi Mitsuhide incident.
- Modern Stasis: The film is set in 2205, but the setting of Honmaru is very traditional, with no sign of technology, futuristic or otherwise. The Saniwa appears to have some access to Magitek that informs them that Oda Nobunaga is still alive, however.
- The Movie: It serves as the first and live action films for the Touken Ranbu series.
- Muscles Are Meaningless: Physically, Mikazuki doesn't appear to be any stronger than the other swords in his team, but where they struggled against the enemy Oodachi's blows, he is able to stop one of his blows one-handedly and without exerting any effort.
- Mysterious Past: Discussed with Mikazuki. When trying to figure out why Mikazuki would suddenly want to help Oda Nobunaga despite having nothing to do with him historically, Yagen mentions that they barely know anything about him, and Yamanbagiri agrees, as Mikazuki never talks about himself, adding to the mysterious aura surrounding his character.
- Mythology Gag: In the final confrontation with the enemy Oodachi, Mikazuki blocks one of it's blows one-handedly, and without exerting any effort. Wouldn't be the first time, as he also did this in years before in Katsugeki/Touken Ranbu
◊. - Naïve Newcomer: Honebami Toushirou. Not only has he recently manifested in Honmaru, appearing after the team has completed their initial mission, but he is also unaware of the importance of preserving history, openly questioning it.
- Naked People Are Funny: Hideyoshi Toyotomi shows to Hasebe and Nihongo why he was given the nickname "Monkey" by Nobunaga: he has two red baboon-like marks on his asscheeks, which Nobunaga saw when they were bathing together. Then he attempts to assassinate them for lying to him about Nobunaga's death.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: The Plot Twist reveals that the Historical Retrograde Army, like the Touken Danshi, had no idea how Oda Nobunaga was actually supposed to die, and thus nearly all their attempts to defy his death ended up helping Mikazuki ensure that he would meet his destined end. Their biggest blunder was "Mumei" telling Nobunaga to spread the word about his survival rather than allowing him to remain in hiding, which resulted in Hideyoshi Toyotomi assassinating him at Azuchi Castle, just as history (according to this movie) intended.
- Non-Action Guy: The Saniwa and Uguisumaru. The latter is also a Touken Danshi, but he prefers to stay behind and drink tea rather than go on missions with the others. Uguisumaru does step up when it’s time to protect Honmaru, however.
- Obfuscating Stupidity:
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who spent most of his screen time as a joke character who seems oblivious to everything until he reveals that he knew Hasebe and Nihongou were lying about Oda Nobunaga's death. Then he tries to have them assassinated so that he can kill Oda Nobunaga himself at Azuchi Castle.
- In an effort to trick Oda Nobunaga into accepting him as his escort despite Nobunaga's sneaking suspicion that he has ulterior motives, Mikazuki also employs this method when alone with him. It works, although Nobunaga still doesn’t fully trust him.
- Our Time Travel Is Different: In that the characters do not use a time machine to travel back in time, but rather one-time-use teleportation orbs. They toss them into the air and the time travel is almost instantaneous.
- Out of Focus: After the first mission, Fudou Yukimitsu spends a good chunk of the film offscreen after being told to rest in Honmaru by the Saniwa.
- Petal Power: When the Touken Danshi use their teleportation orbs, cherry blossom petals rapidly swirl around them, just before the actual time travel begins. Cherry blossom petals also swirl around Mikazuki when he drinks a potion to heal himself during the final battle.
- Plot Twist: The "correct" history did not include Oda Nobunaga dying in the Honnouji Incident. He actually escaped Honnouji Temple thanks to Ranmaru and went to Azuchi Castle, where he was destined to die by fire and suicide after being betrayed by his former friend Hideyoshi Toyotomi. As an added twist, not only was Mikazuki never assisting Oda Nobunaga in defying his fate, but he was also the only one who knew about the "correct" history because he was there to witness it.
- Poor Communication Kills: A lot of friction within the unit, particularly between him and Hasebe, could have been avoided if Mikazuki had been honest about his intentions from the start... or so you think until it's revealed that there was no way Mikazuki could tell his teammates the truth without jeopardizing his plans.
- Popular History: The first live-action film sets itself up as another retelling of Oda Nobunaga's downfall at Honnouji Temple, only to reveal itself as a critique of popular history recorded in textbooks in the climax, and has a particularly mind-bending take on what actually happened to Nobunaga at the end of his life.
- The Quiet One:
- Honebami. You could probably count the number of times he speaks in this film on two hands.
- The new Saniwa in the first film is completely silent.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The unit sent to deal with the Honnouji Incident is one of the most disorganized in the Touken Ranbu series. Mikazuki is shady, distant, and secretive, Hasebe is petulant and jealous, Honebami has no idea why he's fighting or why protecting history is important, both Yagen and Yamanbagiri are socially isolated from the others, and Fudou Yukimitsu is a depressed drunk. Nihongou is the group's only somewhat rational member, and that's only because he wants to believe Mikazuki has good intentions after coincidentally overhearing his conversation with Uguisumaru. Beyond Nihongou's attempts to play the open-minded peacekeeper, there is no sense of trust, camaraderie, or understanding between anyone in the group compared to previous teams. That said, they all still have the same goal in mind: to do whatever it takes to keep history on the right track.
- Really 700 Years Old: Every Touken Danshi is hundreds of years old, with Mikazuki Munechika being over a thousand, but none of them visually appear to be much older than 25. As well, their mental maturity levels seem to vary.
- Real Name as an Alias: When Oda Nobunaga decides to have Mikazuki accompany him to Azuchi Castle and asks what he should call him, Mikazuki uses his real name. Oda Nobunaga recognizes the name and asks Mikazuki if he means the famous sword, to which his only response is "interesting." Given that Oda Nobunaga already suspected Mikazuki isn't human, having previously asked him if he's the same species as "Mumei," which Mikazuki didn't confirm or deny, it's unclear whether he knew that Mikazuki is literally the sword Mikazuki Munechika, or if he simply thought it was interesting that he chose the name of a sword as an "alias".
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Historical Retrograde Army are easily identifiable by their glowing red eyes. The same goes for anyone that has the misfortune of being brainwashed by them.
- Reverse Psychology: Mikazuki convinces Oda Nobunaga to accept his fate by telling him that his death as the Demon King was fitting in comparison to his increasingly desperate attempts to defy it.
- Running Gag: Mikazuki chastising the Historical Revisionist Army men for entering residences wearing shoes, and then kicking their asses over it.
- Secret-Keeper: Throughout the movie, Mikazuki has to keep the secret of the Saniwa losing their magic and thus needing to be replaced, as well as the secret of Oda Nobunaga's true death, which causes conflict between himself and the members of his unit. Uguisumaru also becomes a "secret keeper" after Mikazuki reveals the truth to him.
- Sequel Hook: The film concludes with the Touken Danshi entertaining their new Saniwa while Mikazuki muses with the old one about having more to cherish and protect now. The film did receive a sequel after this, which was released in 2023, although it has nothing to do with the characters from the citadel of the first film.
- Sixth Ranger: Kurikara Gou becomes this to the team at the end of the film, as he assists them in defeating the enemy Oodachi and can be seen playing with the Saniwa with them.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: At the end of their first mission, the group stands outside Honnouji Temple, discussing Nobunaga's fate as it burns down, without Mikazuki, who is still inside at the time. Then, one shot later, he's suddenly behind them, telling them it's time to go home while smiling calmly. They all turn around to look at him, as perplexed as the audience at how he got there so quickly. The second film implies that Mikazuki can outright teleport, although it's unclear if that's what he did here.
- Suddenly Voiced: While the HRA are usually unvoiced throughout the series, the enemy Oodachi the Touken Danshi encounter can talk and it sounds terrifying.
- The Chosen Many: There is no single Saniwa chosen to protect history, but rather many assigned to different citadels, each with their own Touken Danshi, although the first film only focuses on one. The second film expands on this concept with the introduction of temporary Saniwa, then revealing at the end that anyone has the potential to become a Saniwa so long as they have the ability to hear the voices of tsukumogami.
- Talking Is a Free Action: The characters sure have a lot of casual conversations while the buildings they’re in burn down around them.
- Team Power Walk: Happens at the beginning of the film when the Saniwa lists the Touken Danshi who will be accompanying Mikazuki to Honnouji Temple.
- Token Female:
- The new Saniwa at the end of the film is one of the only relevant female characters introduced in the Touken Ranbu series since it’s inception, as well as the first canon female Saniwa.
- Also Kotone and Mitsuru in the second film, who become the temporary Saniwa of Mikazuki Munechika and Heshikiri Hasebe, respectively.
- Undying Loyalty:
- Mori Ranmaru, Oda Nobunaga's attendant. He even dies fighting trying to protect him.
- Kurikara Gou also feels the same way about his former master Akechi Mitsuhide, which causes him to snap out of his brainwashed state and save him from execution by Oda Nobunaga.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Zig-zagged. Oda Nobunaga is the only character to notice how strange the Touken Danshi look and immediately, and correctly, guesses that Mikazuki Munechika is the same species as "Mumei". No one else seems to notice, though.
- Unwitting Pawn: Downplayed in the case of Oda Nobunaga. He isn't stupid, and he's immediately suspicious of Mikazuki's motives when he suddenly decides to help him, but ultimately has no choice but to accept Mikazuki's help since most of his allies are dead. Still, he has no idea why Mikazuki is escorting him to Azuchi Castle until Hideyoshi's assassination attempt begins, at which point he is forced to accept his fate due to having no means of escape.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Mikazuki, as expected. His intentions are good, but he keeps his unit in the dark about everything, from the Saniwa situation to how he plans to deal with the Oda Nobunaga situation, causing dissent and conflict within the unit. It was later revealed that he kept the truth hidden from everyone because revealing it would jeopardize his plans, especially if the Historical Retrograde Army found out and attempted to prevent Oda Nobunaga's death from happening again.
- Wham Shot: The curtain rolling back and revealing that the new Saniwa is a little girl in the films ending.
- You Can't Fight Fate: Oda Nobunaga learns this the hard way. He is told by "Mumei" that the "correct" history that he avoided was his committing suicide in Honnouji Temple and having his remains burned to nothing there, only for Mikazuki to lead him to Azuchi Castle where he was actually supposed to die, with everything happening the same way - being betrayed by a former friend, the fire, being cornered by his enemies, and finally, being forced to commit suicide.
Tropes Pertaining To The Sequel
- 20 Minutes into the Future: Downplayed. 2205 has an antiquated feel and lacks the modern conveniences and technological advancements that the Touken Danshi encounter when they time travel back to 2012. Even the Touken Danshi's ability to time travel isn't really a technological advancement since it seems to be done with magic.
- 20 Minutes into the Past: A good portion of the movie is set in 2012 due to Yamanbagiri Kunihiro being taken to that time period by Shuten-Douji.
- Adaptational Dye-Job: Mikazuki's eyes are dark blue in this film, rather than a dark blue to light blue gradient, and he does not have the yellow crescent shape under his pupil. However, there is a close-up of his eyes where crescent shapes do appear after Yamanbagiri is kidnapped, implying that the crescent only shows up at dramatic moments or in high stress situations in this continuity.
- Advertised Extra: Ichigo Hitofuri, Horikawa Kunihiro, Kogarasumaru, and Honebami Toushirou are heavily featured in the promotional materials for the film, but the story itself doesn't actually give them much to do, as they spend the majority of the movie in the citadel while Mikazuki (mainly) and a few other Touken Danshi have adventures around 2012.
- All Myths Are True: Rather than just being the legend it's implied to be in other Touken Ranbu works, Shuten-Douji is a real oni that becomes one of the major antagonists of the film after cursing and kidnapping Yamanbagiri Kunihiro.
- Alternate Self: While taking place in the same universe, Mikazuki Munechika, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, and Honebami Toushirou come from different citadels than the versions seen in the first film. This film's Heshikiri Hasebe is also from a different citadel than this Mikazuki, though it is unclear whether he is the same Hasebe from the first film's citadel or not.
- Ambiguous Ending: The film ends before it can show if Kotone was successful in summoning Mikazuki Munechika again.
- Audience Surrogate: All of the temporary Saniwa can be read as the various types of people who could become interested in Touken Ranbu, tying into one of the major themes of the movie that anyone can be a Saniwa.
- Badass in Distress: Yamanbagiri Kunihiro spends much of film being mind controlled into villainy by Shuten Douji.
- Bittersweet Ending: History is saved, and Yamanbagiri Kunihiro is released from the curse, but the Touken Danshi have to leave their temporary Saniwa behind to return to their original citadels, and the Government of Time erases the memories of everyone from 2012 so that history can unfold as intended. However, the Touken Danshi promise not to forget their temporary masters and thank them for everything before leaving. The film concludes with Kotone wandering through the Tokyo Museum and stumbling upon Mikazuki Munechika again in sword form again, who asks her to call his name. She does, and the film cuts to black before it is revealed whether she was able to summon him.
- Clap Your Hands If You Believe: Mikazuki explains that demons are born from the human imagination and grow stronger by collecting and appropriating people's memories. This is also true for Tsukumogami, who can manifest only when they are remembered by people, and disappear when they are forgotten.
- Cloudcuckoolander's Minder:
- After reluctantly accepting the role of being Mikazuki Munechika's temporary Saniwa, Kotone (unwillingly) becomes his chaperone, trying to keep him out of trouble with ordinary people while also introducing him to many modern-day conveniences.
- In a reverse of the above, Heshikiri Hasebe becomes his temporary Saniwa Mitsuru's minder, although he has far less of a handle on her due to their incompatible personalities.
- Excuse Plot: The sudden plot point where Touken Danshi need temporary Saniwa to be summoned in 2012, temporarily bonding them to a random human with Saniwa powers. While this aspect of the story was clearly added to push the theme that anyone can be a Saniwa, no matter who they are, their age, or where they come from (In Japan, anyway), it contradicts the first film (and pretty much every other entry in the franchise) where the Touken Danshi only needs to be summoned by one Saniwa and can operate in any time period otherwise.
- Extreme Doormat: Kagami, who is disrespected and bullied by his coworkers. In the end, Yamanbagiri Chougi stands up for him.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: The Touken Danshi are sent from 2205 to 2012 to find Yamanbagiri Kunihiro and have some difficulty adjusting to the time due to not only being forged in time periods that lacked the modern conveniences they encounter, but also due to being from the future which also, for some reason, lacks these conveniences. Funnily, despite being one of the oldest swords, Mikazuki Munechika adjusts to 2012 fairly quickly, thanks in part to the hip Kotone guiding him around, but also because he's so laidback that nothing phases him.
- Humans Are the Real Monsters: After being rescued by Mikazuki and his team from the Historical Revisionists, Minamoto no Yorimitsu and his team proceeded to slaughter an innocent village full of people after deeming them demons, which is depicted in all of it's gruesome, bloody detail. Meanwhile, despite the malicious legends surrounding him, Shuten-Douji is portrayed as sympathetic. He is first encountered by Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, severely injured by Minamoto no Yorimitsu's men and mourning the loss of his village. The only reason he curses Yamanbagiri Kunihiro in the first place is because of his inability to accept that this is how history unfolds, as well as because of Yamanbagiri's unsympathetic (from his perspective) reaction to his and his peoples fates.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia:
- Aya, Kotone's childhood friend, becomes comatose after having her memories stolen by the Historical Retrograding Force. After her, it's shown that this is beginning to happen to many people throughout Tokyo.
- In the end, the Government of Time erases everyone from 2012's memories of events that occurred throughout the film history so that history can play out as intended.
- More than Mind Control: Zigzagged. Yamanbagiri Kunihiro was brainwashed into working for Shuten-Douji, but he also developed an attachment to him as his temporary Saniwa and felt obligated to serve and protect him, making breaking free of the curse more difficult.
- Mythology Gag:
- Mikazuki Munechika says quite a few of his voice lines from the browser game.
- Konnosuke is once again absent despite the heavier use of special effects, but the Konnosuke statues from the first film are brought back in reference to him.
- New Powers as the Plot Demands: Despite not being shown to have this power in the first movie (which takes place in the same universe) or in any other continuity, Mikazuki Munechika is shown here to be able influence people to do what he wants and uses this ability to make ordinary people in 2012 ignore his presence or to cover Kotone when she's caught doing something suspicious, making it a pretty convenient plot device for how he would be able to get around the then-modern day without people questioning it, especially since he's very obviously carrying around a sword (which is illegal in Japan).
- Non-Action Guy:All of the temporary Saniwa, as they seem to lack even the first movie Saniwa's ability to create protective barriers, meaning that the Touken Danshi they have temporary control over spend most of the movie protecting them from Historical Revisionists. Justified, however, as, outside of having Saniwa powers, they really are just ordinary people dragged into the film's plot.
- Ordinary High-School Student: Kotone is introduced as a typical high school student with a fairly normal group of friends who she's in the Light Music club with… But she also just happens to have the ability to hear the voices of tsukumogami, making her a candidate to become a Saniwa, and her chance encounter with Mikazuki Munechika while walking home one night would bring her normal life to an abrupt halt.
- Out of Focus:
- The real Saniwa in this film is more like a plot device to show the devastating changes happening in 2205 as a result of the Historical Revisionists meddling and is barely in the movie. He doesn't even have any speaking lines.
- Beyond Kotone, the other temporary Saniwa only show up around 40 minutes into the film and are comparatively given little screen time.
- Nearly every advertised Touken Danshi not named Mikazuki Munechika or Yamanbagiri Kunihiro is barely in this movie, to varying degrees:
- After the films prologue, Ichigo Hitofuri and his group stay behind in 2205 to observe changes, while Mikazuki Munechika travels to 2012 to find Yamanbagiri Kunihiro. Unfortunately for them, the majority of the film's events take place in 2012, so whenever they appear onscreen again, it's for a brief, expository scene. They don’t even go to 2012 until the film's final climactic battle against the Historical Revisionists.
- Yamanbagiri Chougi, Heshikiri Hasebe, Higekiri, and Hizamaru are the only Touken Danshi who are in 2012 from their debut scenes, but they don't actually show up with their temporary Saniwa until around 40 minutes into the movie. Their screen time is also spotty, as they only show up for important scenes and after their introductions and aren't that developed.
- Pillar of Light: This is how it looks when the Touken Danshi time travel, accompanied by a burst of swirling cherry blossoms.
- Present Day: A good portion of the sequel is set in 2012.
- Public Domain Artifact: The real Mikazuki Munechika blade as it's displayed in the Tokyo Museum is used as a plot device throughout the film.
- Rainbow Motif: Rainbows are used to represent both the tsukumogami's voices and the Saniwa's ability to hear them.
- Rescue Arc: Most of the film focuses on Mikazuki Munechika's journey to the past to find Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, who went missing during a mission.
- Reverse Cerebus Syndrome: While it still has its dramatic moments, this movie has a far more lighthearted, playful, and comedic in tone than its predecessor, which was far more serious.
- Summon to Hand: Inverted; Mikazuki throws and teleports to his sword in combat more than once throughout the film.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Mikazuki reveals that the reason Historical Revisionists don't target more recent eras is because, in contrast to ancient times where technology was limited, people in modern times take pictures and record everything, making it more difficult for the Historical Revisionists to perform any major operations without anyone discovering it.
- Talking Weapon: Due to her Saniwa abilities, Kotone can still hear Mikazuki speaking to her even when he reverts back to sword form.
- Tokusatsu: While the original film plays out more faithfully like a normal Touken Ranbu adaptation, the sequel film draws heavily from this genre.
- Too Dumb to Live: Wasn't very smart of Yamanbagiri Kunihiro to essentially tell a pretty pissed off Shuten-Douji "That's just how it goes" after he confided in him about how unfair his village's fate was. Fortunately for Yamanbagiri, this only gets him brainwashed and kidnapped, rather than killed, as Shuten-Douji could have done, because Yamanbagiri Kunihiro clearly did not see him as a threat enough to draw his own sword as a safety precaution.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Inverted. When Mikazuki time travels to 2019, people immediately notice how out of place he looks, with some girls mistaking him for an actor and wanting to take selfies with him.
- You Are Too Late: Mikazuki finds Yamanbagiri Kunihiro just in time to watch him being cursed and kidnapped by Shuten Douji and is powerless to do anything about it.
