Blood, Blades & Biehn: Why This Animated Predator Is a Franchise Killer (in a good way). Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)

This original animated anthology follows three of the fiercest warriors in human history: a Viking raider guiding her young son on a bloody quest for revenge, a ninja in feudal Japan who turns against his Samurai brother in a brutal battle for succession, and a WWII pilot who takes to the sky to investigate an otherworldly threat to the Allied cause.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbddYji1F8s

I just finished watching Predator: Killer of Killers, and I feel like I’ve been emotionally mugged by a Viking berserker, a disgruntled ninja, and a WWII fighter pilot with unresolved issues—and frankly, I loved every second of it. If Quentin Tarantino and H.R. Giger had a baby and let it be raised by the animators of Arcane while binge-watching Akira, you'd get something approximating this glorious, blood-slicked fever dream.

Now, before we dive in, let me just say: Michael Biehn is in this. MICHAEL. BIEHN. The Holy Trinity is now complete. After The Terminator, Aliens, and now Predator: Killer of Killers, Biehn has officially punched his card into the three greatest sci-fi action franchises of all time. He’s basically the patron saint of interstellar PTSD at this point.

So, what is Predator: Killer of Killers exactly? It’s an animated anthology - yes, animated, and we’ll get to that - told in three blood-soaked, visually arresting chapters. We’re talking a Viking warrior mom named Ursa (played by Lindsay LaVanchy) going full Beowulf after her village gets shredded like a guitar solo. Then we jump to feudal Japan with Kenji/Kiyoshi, played by Louis Ozawa, who’s apparently having a bad day at the dojo and decides that fratricide is the best way to resolve a succession dispute. Finally, we have Torres (Rick Gonzalez), a World War II pilot who gets a lot more than Luftwaffe when he ends up dogfighting a Predator in the sky like it’s the world’s most brutal Top Gun reboot.

Let’s talk style. This thing was animated using Unreal Engine - yes, the one you use to make video games where you forget to eat and accidentally ruin your marriage. It’s one of the first feature films ever to do so, and let me tell you, it works. The animation is as slick as a greased-up Xenomorph sliding down a Slip 'N Slide. There are moments where you’ll swear it’s live-action until the laws of physics throw up their hands and yell “Artistic license!” And the visual tone? It's like someone dipped Arcane into a bucket of Predator blood and sprinkled it with Akira-style panic attacks.

Let’s be clear here: this is not a movie for your nephew who still wears Minecraft pajamas. This is gloriously violent, unapologetically gory, and absolutely not afraid to show a Predator yanking a man’s spine out like he’s trying to win a carnival prize. The sound design is equally killer - literally. The classic Predator “click-click-click” is back, and every time I hear it, I instinctively check the trees and start mentally writing my will. Whoever mixed this thing deserves an Oscar and maybe a wellness check.

And for you Easter egg hunters? Predator: Killer of Killers is like a franchise scavenger hunt with bloodstains. The final scenes pay homage to Predator 2 and Prey in a way that made me do that dorky Leo DiCaprio point-at-the-screen meme in real life. If you're a fan, you'll feel seen - possibly decapitated, but seen nonetheless.

But look, no film is perfect. Let’s air out a few nitpicks. First off - more subtitles. Come on. I didn’t realize I needed to be fluent in Old Norse, 15th-century Japanese, and American pilot slang just to follow the plot. It’s like Duolingo: Death Edition. I get the cultural authenticity angle, but I didn’t sign up to do homework.

Also, while I appreciate Ursa being a fierce Viking mama bear with a bone to pick (and several to snap), let’s dial down the suspension of disbelief when it comes to her tossing grown men around like she’s in God of War. Even Thor would be like, “Hey girl, maybe lay off the protein powder.”

Still, these are tiny gripes in the grand tapestry of animated carnage. The anthology format keeps things brisk, the animation style is jaw-dropping, and the Predator mythology has never felt so mythic. The thematic undercurrent here - warriors across time grappling with violence, honor, and alien death machines with dreadlocks - is surprisingly thoughtful. You know, in between the arterial spray.

If you’re a fan of the franchise, this one’s a no-brainer. If you’re not, well... you might want to start working out, brushing up on your dead languages, and sleeping with one eye open.

Final Score: 7.8/10

Brutal. Beautiful. Biehn.

#PredatorKillerOfKillers #MichaelBiehnLegend #UnrealEngineFilm #ArcaneMeetsAkira #AnimatedViolenceFTW #PredatorFranchise #VikingVsAlien #NinjaCarnage #WWIIvsPredator #ClickClickBoom