Out of the shadows and onto the screen, Predator: Killer of Killers hits like a guttural battle cry and it’s one of the freshest animated films I’ve seen in a long time. This isn’t just another spin on the Yautja mythos; it’s an anthology trilogy of pure, unrelenting intensity, stitched together with sweeping lore and razor-edged direction.

Each chapter is a standalone warrior tale; distinct in tone, palette, and time but threaded by a singular cosmic terror: the Predator. This isn’t Earth’s story. It’s a Predator story told through the most dangerous humans who ever lived.

The Shield - Scandinavia, AD 841
We begin in the windswept fury of the Viking Age. Warrior-queen Ursa leads her son Anders on a brutal campaign of revenge against the rival Krivich tribe. Steel meets blood under northern skies, but something far more ancient and ruthless stalks their warpath. A presence beyond their gods. What follows is a savage encounter that tests not only their survival but their very understanding of what it means to be a hunter. The fights in this first chapter deliver some of the most brutal, blood-soaked Viking rage ever seen in animation.

The Sword - Feudal Japan, 1609 - 1629
Next, we journey to Japan’s twilight era. Twin brothers Kenji and Kiyoshi, born nobles, are pitted against each other by their father. Kenji flees to become a shadowy shinobi; Kiyoshi embraces the throne. Two decades later, their paths collide beneath the cold moonlight of betrayal and they soon face a Predator. The duel against the alien becomes a crucible of brotherhood.

The Bullet - World War II, 1942
Finally, we soar into the skies of wartime Florida. U.S. Navy pilot Johnny Torres is sent to investigate a mysterious aircraft crash deep in the Everglades. What begins as a reconnaissance mission turns into a tactical, high-octane dogfight in the sky, only this enemy isn’t from any Axis power. Precision, instinct, and pure aerial ferocity collide with something far more advanced and far more interested in the pilot than the plane. For the first time, we witness the sheer brutality of Predator aerial tech unleashed in the skies and it’s as relentless as it is terrifying.

Finale - Predator Homeworld Arena
And then, everything converges. The stage where the rules of battle are twisted into spectacle. These warriors weren’t just the fiercest of their time, they were trophies, handpicked for a final, ritual proving ground.

The animation thoroughout this show is stunning. Each timeline has its own aesthetic logic, Lighting, and pacing all come together in a way that respects both myth and medium.

To animate violence is easy.

To animate meaning into that violence that takes reverence.

P.S. a few former students worked on this show at The Third Floor.