Picture: Netflix
Netflix has officially revealed it will be exclusively carrying the sequel to Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain later in 2025 with a first look to be unveiled in June 2025 at the Annecy Film Festival. Here’s what you need to know about Mononoke: The Movie – Chapter II – The Ashes of Rage (note that Netflix is labeling the movie slightly differently from its Japanese release: Mononoke the Movie: The Ashes of Rage) so far.
The first movie touched down on Netflix without much fanfare back in late November 2024, having already streamed the series since March 2023. The streamer was first attached to the movie through leaks in the summer of last year, where several upcoming Netflix Original titles were compromised through a third-party (a trend that’s continued throughout 2025, but from an internal Netflix website). The movie was no big hit for Netflix, failing to enter the weekly top 10s at all. According to the Netflix Engagement Report, it garnered 1.5 million hours watched globally (equivalent to 1 million views) between June and December 2024. To put that number in perspective, it ranked as the #2351 most-watched movie for the period. The series also saw a slight increase in viewership during the same period.
The sequel is led by Chief Director Kenji Nakamura and Director Kiyotaka Suzuki, with a screenplay by Asumi Atarashi and production by Koji Yamamoto. The cast features Hiroshi Kamiya, Yoko Hikasa, Haruka Tomatsu, Yuki Kaji, Cho, and Kenyu Horiuti. Animation is handled by studios Crew-Cell and EOTA.
Netflix hasn’t unveiled when it will release the movie, which was released theatrically in Japan in mid-March, beyond stating it’ll arrive sometime in 2025.
Alongside the confirmation that Netflix will stream the sequel, they’ve provided a pretty lengthy synopsis of what you can expect:
Shortly after the intense showdown in “Mononoke: The Phantom in the Rain”, the Medicine Seller appears once again, this time in the inner chambers of Ooku. Inside, things are shifting in the wake of the previous incident. Otomo Botan, a woman from a distinguished family, succeeds Utayama as the new director and begins enforcing a strict leadership style rooted in discipline and balance. This creates growing tension between her and Fuki, a seasoned courtesan who once enjoyed the exclusive favor of the emperor. Their rift deepens with each passing day.As the selection process begins for a guardian to look after the newborn child of the emperor’s wife, Empress Sachiko, an unexpected event suddenly turns Fuki’s situation upside down.Having given birth to an“unwanted child”seen as a threat by the elder councilor Ootomo, Fuki becomes the target of a web of conspiracies spun by the men in power.Conflicting motives and desperate attempts to“put out the fire”quickly spiral out of control. At the same time, a strange series of incidents begin, with people spontaneously combusting and being reduced to ashes. The Medicine Seller suspects the work of a Mononoke and sets out to contain it, but what he faces is a mysterious and ever-shifting threat that seems to move as a group. The real identity of this mysterious phenomenon is the children of the Fire Rat. Not only do they attack humans, but they also appear to be looking for their mother. However, she does not reveal herself easily. Why does the Fire Rat target those who would harm newborns? What tragedy drives her relentless sorrow as she sets herself ablaze? The Medicine Seller delves into the darkness lurking within the Ooku to solve the mystery, in search of the three requirements to ultimately cut down the Mononoke: “Shape”, “Truth”, and “Reason”.
An additional first look and more information will be coming for the upcoming sequel during the Annecy Film Festival in June, where Netflix will be showcasing numerous titles from their 2025 slate, including Fixed, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, 7 Bears, Long Story Short, In Your Dreams, and the new Stranger Things animated series.
As you may have also heard, a third movie is well into development with a planned release for early to mid-2026.. It’s part of an upfront plan for a trilogy of movies. No word on whether Netflix has the distribution to the third entry just yet, but given they’ve carried both so far, we would bet on yes.
Are you looking forward to catching Mononoke The Movie: Chapter II – The Ashes Of Rage on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
