Baby Assassins

Lore & Background

The Baby Assassins series began with the first film, released in Japan on July 30, 2021. It introduces Chisato and Mahiro, two young women who work as contract killers and live together as roommates in Tokyo. After their handler instructs them to get jobs, they struggle with fitting into society due to their tendency to resolve social difficulties with violence. The second film, Baby Assassins: 2 Babies, was released on March 24, 2023, and follows the duo as they are hunted by fellow assassins Makoto and Yuri Kamimura. The third film, Baby Assassins: Nice Days, released on September 27, 2024, takes place in Miyazaki and pits them against freelance assassin Kaede Fuyumura. A ten-episode television drama series, Baby Assassins Everyday!, premiered on September 4, 2024, on TV Tokyo. A documentary, Documentary of Baby Assassins, was released on October 4, 2024, covering the making of the third film.

Reader's Guide

The Baby Assassins series is significant as a contemporary Japanese action comedy crime franchise that blends violent contract-killer narratives with themes of social adjustment and youth. All three films are written and directed by Yugo Sakamoto, with action choreography by Kensuke Sonomura. The series has garnered attention for its unique premise and energetic style, with The New York Times describing the first film as 'a colorful and wild blitzkrieg.' The second film featured a theme song by idol group Atarashii Gakko!, who also made a cameo appearance. The series expanded into television with a twelve-episode drama in 2024, and a documentary provided behind-the-scenes insight into the production of the third film. Its legacy lies in its combination of genre thrills with character-driven comedy, appealing to audiences interested in Japanese independent cinema and action-comedy.

Did You Know?

• The second film's theme song, 'Jyanaindayo,' was performed by idol group Atarashii Gakko!, who also made a cameo appearance.
• The third film, Baby Assassins: Nice Days, takes place in Miyazaki.

The Premise & Franchise Structure

Baby Assassins is a Japanese action-comedy crime franchise that centers on an unlikely duo: Mahiro Fukagawa, played by Saori Izawa, and Chisato Sugimoto, portrayed by Akari Takaishi. The two women work as contract killers for the organization that employs them, yet their real struggle is not the violence itself but the mundane friction of navigating everyday modern life. Their instinctive response to social awkwardness—resorting to physical force—drives the series' signature blend of dark humor and kinetic action. The franchise was conceived, written, and directed entirely by Yugo Sakamoto, giving it a singular creative voice from its inception. Distributed domestically by Shibuya Productions, the body of work spans three theatrical films released between 2021 and 2024, a twelve-episode television drama that debuted in late 2024, and a behind-the-scenes documentary. Together these projects form a compact but ambitious universe built around the chemistry of its two leads and their increasingly chaotic attempts to function as roommates, employees, and, ultimately, survivors in a world that keeps throwing new threats at them.

The Three Films & Narrative Progression

The first installment, released in Japan on July 30, 2021, introduces Chisato and Mahiro as Tokyo roommates who receive instructions from their handler to find civilian jobs. The comedy arises from their inability to complete ordinary tasks without escalating into violence, making every social interaction a potential bloodbath. Two years later, Baby Assassins: 2 Babies (March 24, 2023) raises the stakes by pitting the pair against two rival assassins, brothers Makoto and Yuri Kamimura, played by Tatsuomi Hamada and Joey Iwanaga respectively. The film also weaves in a musical thread, with idol group Atarashii Gakko! performing the theme song "Jyanaindayo" and appearing in a cameo within the story. The third entry, Baby Assassins: Nice Days (September 27, 2024), relocates the action to the prefecture of Miyazaki, where the duo must outmaneuver Kaede Fuyumura, a bloodthirsty and zealous freelance killer portrayed by Sosuke Ikematsu, in a desperate race to dispose of him before he kills both of them.

Creative Team & Production Consistency

A defining hallmark of the franchise is its remarkably stable creative core. Yugo Sakamoto serves as writer, director, and—on the first film—editor across all three theatrical entries, ensuring a unified tonal vision from script to final cut. Action choreography is handled consistently by Kensuke Sonomura, whose fight sequences anchor the physical comedy of each installment. Music production is overseen by Ken Matsubara in every film, while cinematographer Moritada Iju provides a continuous visual language across the trilogy. Executive producer Yusuke Suzuki has been a constant presence throughout the series, lending institutional stability to what is essentially a single-director vision carried across multiple years. The production also expanded well beyond the theatrical format: a twelve-episode television drama, Baby Assassins Everyday!, premiered on TV Tokyo on September 4, 2024, and a behind-the-scenes documentary directed by Akihiro Takahashi followed in October of the same year, capturing rehearsals and principal photography in Miyazaki Prefecture while featuring interviews with the lead cast, Sakamoto, Sonomura, and Suzuki.

Reception & Cultural Touchpoints

The franchise's critical reception, while still building, includes notable international attention. Robert Daniels of The New York Times praised the 2021 debut, characterizing it as "a colorful and wild blitzkrieg"—a description that captures the series' relentless, genre-blending energy. Domestically, the films have generated tangible fan engagement events; to mark the release of the second installment, a stage greeting was held at Shinjuku Piccadilly in Tokyo on March 25, 2023. The event brought together director Sakamoto, leads Takaishi and Izawa, antagonists Iwanaga and Hamada, Atomu Mizuishi, and the members of Atarashii Gakko!, who performed the theme song live before the audience. The 2024 documentary further deepened the franchise's cultural footprint by offering viewers an intimate look at the production process, including interviews with Takaishi, Izawa, Sosuke Ikematsu, Atsuko Maeda, Mondo Otani, and the key creative staff. Together, these touchpoints illustrate a franchise that has cultivated a dedicated following through both its on-screen spectacle and its real-world community moments.