The Karoshi trailer is out now, and it is every bit as brutal as action fans hoped. Lionsgate dropped the first official trailer for Karoshi today, 5 November 2026, just hours after confirming the trailer was on its way. In one minute and 45 seconds, the trailer turns an ordinary office job into a samurai bloodbath, and it already looks like one of the sharpest action teasers of the year.
Image Credit: Lionsgate — Official Trailer via YouTube
The film comes from John Wick producer Chad Stahelski, and the trailer wears that pedigree proudly. But Karoshi is not another John Wick clone. It is a lean, strange and stylish thriller about a company that treats loyalty like a religion and overwork like a virtue — until one outsider picks up a sword and answers back.
5 Thrilling Details the Karoshi Trailer Reveals
The Karoshi trailer packs a whole world into under two minutes. Here are the five moments that stand out most.
1. A city run by one company. The Karoshi trailer opens with a sweeping drone shot of the New York skyline and the Statue of Liberty, before a calm voice announces, “Welcome to Ikigai Technologies. This company has helped shape modern life for millions.” The company is not just a workplace in this film. It is the world.
2. A death on day one. The trailer’s most shocking beat comes early. An employee falls to his death, and his blood splatters across Isabel May’s character. It is the incident that cracks the company’s polished surface open, and it is the reason Hiro walks through its doors.
3. Hiro’s first day turns into revenge. Teo Yoo plays Hiro, a mysterious outsider who joins Ikigai Technologies as a new recruit. His first day as a recruit quickly becomes a violent quest for revenge against the oppressive system. The trailer shows him trading quiet office corridors for close-quarters sword fights, moving with the calm precision of a man who has done this before.
4. The samurai code runs the office. Takehiro Hira is seen addressing a crowd about how the company has reshaped modern life, and the trailer keeps returning to the idea of “the path of the samurai”. In Karoshi’s near-future Manhattan, corporate loyalty and Japanese cultural tradition have reshaped everyday life. Meetings, uniforms and rituals all carry the weight of an old code — and breaking that code has bloody consequences.
5. A lean, mean look. The Karoshi trailer is shot by cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski, whose work on Midsommar and Nobody gave those films their striking look. Here he frames the mayhem in a stark, minimalist colour palette that makes every splash of red land harder. The whole film runs just 88 minutes, so expect a tight, breathless ride rather than a bloated epic.
What Does Karoshi Actually Mean?
The title is not just a cool-sounding word. Karoshi is a Japanese term for death from overwork, and it sits at the heart of the film. A mysterious outsider infiltrates a powerful company after a worker’s death and exposes the violent system hidden beneath its polished surface. That is the official story in a line, and the trailer makes the theme impossible to miss: a company that works people to death, and one man who refuses to die quietly.
Karoshi Cast: A Heavy-Hitting Ensemble
The Karoshi trailer also confirms what a strong cast this film has. Teo Yoo, the quietly devastating lead of Past Lives, plays Hiro, trading intimate romance for relentless action. Isabel May stars alongside him, with Takehiro Hira, Bill Camp and Show Kasamatsu in key roles. Giancarlo Esposito and Cynthia Erivo round out the ensemble, and both bring serious weight to the project.
Behind the camera, Takashi Doscher wrote and directed the film. His earlier work includes Only and Still. Chad Stahelski produces through his 87Eleven Entertainment banner, the stunt-driven outfit behind John Wick, along with Jason Spitz, Alex Young and Nathan Kahane. Lionsgate will release the film in theatres.
Karoshi Release Date: When Does It Hit Theatres?
Karoshi will open in theatres on February 5, 2027. The date moved back by a week from the previously announced January 29, 2027, and the new poster confirms the February 5 date. The film has not yet been rated. We reported earlier today that the trailer was arriving today, and now that it is here, the countdown to February has properly begun.
Why the Karoshi Trailer Has Action Fans Excited
There are two reasons the Karoshi trailer is landing so well. First, the idea itself is fresh. A corporate thriller with a samurai twist, set in a Japan-influenced Manhattan, is not something audiences have seen before. Second, the people behind it know action. Stahelski and 87Eleven built the John Wick franchise on fight scenes that feel real, and Doscher’s trailer already shows that same care: short, sharp bursts of violence, no wasted motion, and a hero who fights like he means it.
At 88 minutes, Karoshi also promises something rare in modern action cinema: a film that gets in, hits hard, and gets out. If the trailer is anything to go by, February 5 cannot come soon enough.
Karoshi Trailer FAQs
When is the Karoshi release date?
Karoshi releases in theatres on February 5, 2027, through Lionsgate. It was previously dated January 29, 2027.
Who stars in Karoshi?
Teo Yoo leads the cast as Hiro, alongside Isabel May, Takehiro Hira, Bill Camp, Show Kasamatsu, Giancarlo Esposito and Cynthia Erivo.
Who directed Karoshi?
Takashi Doscher wrote and directed Karoshi. Chad Stahelski, the filmmaker behind John Wick, produces through 87Eleven Entertainment.
Where can I watch the Karoshi trailer?
The official Karoshi trailer is out now on Lionsgate’s YouTube channel. You can watch it in the player above.
Image Credit: Lionsgate — Official Trailer via YouTube
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