KARŌSHI, Corporate Violence Revealed After Death from Overwork

KARŌSHI is an action thriller set in near-future Manhattan, where an outsider infiltrates a powerful company after a worker’s death and uncovers its violent system. Written and directed by Takashi Dos

KARŌSHI is an action thriller set in near-future Manhattan. In a society where corporate loyalty and cultural traditions have reshaped the order of everyday life, a worker dies and an unidentified outsider enters a massive corporation. The infiltration becomes the catalyst for exposing the violent system hidden beneath the organization’s orderly surface. Lionsgate plans to release the film in U.S. theaters on February 5, 2027.

Infiltration After Death

The story begins with a personal tragedy, but the stage for the conflict expands beyond one individual to the organization as a whole. The outsider is not someone who simply fills a vacant position, but a variable that shakes the corporation from within. As the film traces what was concealed after the worker’s death, it pits an environment that demands loyalty against the price of that loyalty.

Near-Future Manhattan

The film is set in a near-future Manhattan infused with Japanese cultural influence. Its central premise is that tradition does not remain merely urban decoration, but is connected to corporate discipline and power dynamics. Since it was initially described as “a corporate thriller with a samurai twist,” the tension of a corporate infiltration story is paired with the kinetic movement of the action genre.

Toshiyuki and the Ensemble

Toshiyuki Toshiyori wrote and directed the film, which stars Teo Yoo, Isabel May, Cynthia Erivo, Takehiro Hira, Giancarlo Esposito, and Bill Camp. 87Eleven Entertainment, with Chad Stahelski involved, and True North are credited as producers. The released trailer offers the first glimpse of the corporate order in this world and the clashes that follow the infiltration.