Bayonetta: Bloody Fate
Anime adaptation of the Bayonetta game with Japanese voice cast.
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Bayonetta: Bloody Fate is a 2013 anime film from studio Gonzo, adapting PlatinumGames' 2009 Sega title *Bayonetta*. Fuminori Kizaki directed it, with Mitsutaka Hirota writing the screenplay. Unlike the original game, which used only English voice acting, this film marked the franchise's first Japanese-language dub. It hit Japanese theaters on November 23, 2013, and arrived on DVD and Blu-ray on February 14, 2014. Funimation handled the North American release, and the English dub brought back most of the game's original voice actors.
The plot follows the game's events with some changes to locations, sequence, and details. After waking from a 500-year slumber at the bottom of a lake with no memory, the Umbra Witch Bayonetta seeks her past while fighting Paradiso's angelic forces. Her journey leads to the isolated city of Vigrid, where she confronts the last Lumen Sage, Balder. He reveals himself as her father and plans to use her power—born of both light and dark—to trigger the apocalypse. Bayonetta kills him and fully regains her lost memories.
Ai Yokoyama designed the main characters, based on Mari Shimizaki's original game designs, with Shimizaki supervising. Hiroya Iijima handled the angel enemy designs, also drawing from the game's artwork. The theme song "Night, I Stand" was performed by Mai from Avex Entertainment. Jun Abe and Masato Kazune composed the rest of the score, with some reworked game tracks. For the English version, Funimation worked with Jonathan Klein and New Generation Pictures to bring back as many game actors as possible. Hellena Taylor, Bayonetta's voice, recorded separately in Surrey, England. The only original cast member not returning was Chick Vennera (Enzo), who had retired; John Kassir took over.
The film had a limited Japanese theatrical run starting November 23, 2013, with home video releases on February 14, 2014. Madman Entertainment licensed it in Australia, and Funimation in North America. A two-part manga adaptation by Mizuki Sakakibara ran in Kodansha's *Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine* on November 9 and December 9, 2013. Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku praised the film's beautiful action and streamlined story, calling it "the most 90s movie I have seen in a decade" and "even more over-the-top than the game was."
Quick Facts
- Ja Romaji
- Beyonetta Buraddi Feito
- Genre
- Adventure, fantasy
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film adapts the storyline of the original Bayonetta game with slight changes to locales, order, and details. It follows the Umbra Witch Bayonetta, who awakens after 500 years at the bottom of a lake with no memory, and journeys to the European city of Vigrid to rediscover her past while battling angels of Paradiso. She confronts the last Lumen Sage, Balder, who reveals himself as her biological father and plans to use her power to bring about the end of days. Bayonetta kills him and regains her lost memories.
Reader's Guide
Bayonetta: Bloody Fate holds significance as the first Japanese-voiced entry in the Bayonetta franchise, breaking from the original game's all-English voice acting. Its positive reception led to the Japanese cast reprising their roles in Bayonetta 2 and the special Wii U edition of the first game in 2014. The film was produced by Gonzo, with character designs by Ai Yokoyama based on Mari Shimizaki's original game designs, and angel designs by Hiroya Iijima. The English localization by Funimation involved recording Hellena Taylor's voice separately in the UK, as she had relocated. The only original game actor not returning was Chick Vennera as Enzo, replaced by John Kassir. A manga adaptation by Mizuki Sakakibara was published in two parts in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in November and December 2013. Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku praised the film's action and streamlined storyline, calling it 'the most 90s movie I have seen in a decade' and 'even more over-the-top than the game was.'
Did You Know?
- The film was the first Bayonetta media to be voiced in Japanese; the original game was voiced entirely in English.
- Hellena Taylor, the English voice of Bayonetta, recorded her lines for the dub at The Egg Recording Studio in Surrey, England.
More in Characters & Allies
Elsewhere in Bayonetta
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