Special Thanks to Avery Guerra.
3Y Film, the studio behind notable independent kaiju and tokusatsu feature films such as The Great Buddha Arrival (2018), Nezura 1964 (2022), and Hoshi 35 (2023) has announced a brand-new project that is now aiming to crowdfund its budget. This time, it isn’t a Kaiju per say… but a real creature that actually existed! Titled Fukuiraptor, the film is based on the prehistoric animal that was native to Japan millions of years ago, Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis.
Translating to “Thief of Fukui” (the region it was discovered in), the dinosaur was the first carnivorous dinosaur in Japan to have its entire skeleton reconstructed. Characterized by its extremely large hooked claws, this dinosaur is believed to have lived in Fukui Prefecture during the Early Cretaceous period, approximately 140 to 137 million years ago. The film’s production aims to utilize the history and animal to express the power of dinosaurs and the charm of the region through special effects, promoting a “made in Japan” tokusatsu dinosaur film. Actors with ties to Fukui Prefecture and special effects will appear in the film, which is scheduled for release in theaters at the end of 2026.
Film Information
Movie “Fukuiraptor”
English title: Fukuiraptor
Running time: 60-80 minutes (planned)
Release date: Late 2026 (planned)
Synopsis
During his summer vacation, Yota, a boy living in a small town in Fukui Prefecture, sees something unbelievable deep in the mountains: a living, moving, real dinosaur, the Fukuiraptor. Yota, a dinosaur lover, teams up with his family to launch a “Fukuiraptor capture mission.”
Main Cast
Honami Sugawara as Yoko Nishi
Affiliated with Uncut.
Appears in TV dramas and streaming dramas on TikTok and other platforms.
She is also active in a variety of fields as an actor, appearing in corporate commercials and more. She was selected for this role through an audition.
Megumi Kobayashi as Sachiko Nishi
Born in Odate, Akita Prefecture, and raised in Yokohama. She starred in the 1995 film “100 Ways to Make a Lover” and the “Mothra” film series. Since 2006, she has been active as a singer under the name “meg.”
Notable Roles: Rebirth Of Mothra 1-3, Gamera: The Brave, Hoshi 35
Tsuda Kanji as Yosuke Nishi
Nishi Yosuke, who plays Tsuda Kanji,
is originally from Fukui Prefecture.
After working as a member of a small theater company, he made his film debut in Takeshi Kitano’s “Sonatine.”
Since then, he has worked primarily in films, but has also worked as a supporting actor in TV dramas and plays.
Notable Roles: Shin Godzilla, Gamera: The Brave, Geharha, The Great Yokai War, Kamen Rider, Garo
Other Cast Members
Ko Yoshida/Masanori Kikuzawa/Kazuma Yoneyama
Production Staff
Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Hiroto Yokokawa
Born September 19, 1988 in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture. Graduated from the Department of Sculpture, Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, and completed his graduate studies at the same university. His film “The Great Buddha’s Journey” (The Great Buddha Arrival) was released in theaters in 2018. He has since directed “Nezura 1964” in 2020, “Mysterious Cat Rhapsody” in 2022, and “Hoshi 35” in 2023. He is the representative director of Three Y Corporation.
Co-director: Kazuma Yoneyama
Originating from Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture. He has been involved in independent filmmaking since high school. He studied oil painting at Musashino Art University and is also active as a video creator.
He starred in and produced the 2020 film “Nezura 1964” and co-directed the 2023 film “Hoshi 35.” He also starred in “The Great Buddha Arrival.”
Assistant Director, Special Effects Director, and Director of Photography: Daisuke Sato.
Originally from Oita City, Sato is active as a sculptor and has also worked on film productions both in Japan and overseas, including directing the puppet period monster film “Narrow Mist Country” (Howl From Beyond the Fog) and special effects direction for “Kaminofude: The Island of Monsters,” (Brush of the God) directed by Tsuguzo Murase (Keizo Murase). In order to popularize monster modeling techniques, he also works to connect children with “monster modeling,” such as through workshops on making guignol figures. He is the representative of Los Gatos Works.
Brain and Script Supervision: Kensaku Sakai:
A broadcast writer who primarily works on variety shows.
In 2002, he planned and created the show “Fountain of Trivia: Wonderful Useless Knowledge.” In 2003, he was in charge of planning and composition for “Game Center CX.”
In the special effects field, he planned and created the show “Ultra Zone,” wrote the script for “Ultra Monster Walk,” and was the brain behind “The Great Buddha Pilgrimage,” “Nezura 1964,” and “Hoshi 35.”
Co-producer: Takashi Yasuda
Teaser Visual and Concept art: Takuma Asai
Logo design: Studio AtoZ
Production company: Three Y Co., Ltd.
Production cooperation: MRTS Co., Ltd./Los Gatos Works
Crowdfunding
Film production requires a huge amount of money. For this film, we will be conducting crowdfunding, and will use part of the necessary costs, as well as production costs for the rewards we will give to everyone.
Please support us here.
Photo courtesy of 3Y Film
©2026 3Y
Check out the announcement trailer below. According to the film’s Consulting Producer and Publicist, there are possible plans to expand the crowdfunding campaign for international tokusatsu fans, and there are pending announcements for a few notable Godzilla movie alumni that will be joining the cast!
Stay tuned for more independent tokusatsu coverage on Kaiju United.
External Links
Movie “Fukuiraptor” X (Twitter)
Movie “The Great Buddha Arrival” Official Website
Movie “Nezura 1964” Official Website
Movie “Monster Cat Rhapsody” Official Website
Movie “HOSHI 35” Official Website
Three Y Corporation Official Website
