The first story follows Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy), a fierce Viking warrioress leading her son Anders (Damien Haas) and their clan to destroy the Krivichs. Ursa harbors a personal vendetta against the Krivich leader, Zoran, who was responsible for her father's death.
After a brutal battle between Ursa and Zoran, a Yautja suddenly appears and slaughters what remains of both clans.
The next chapter centers on two samurai brothers, Kenji and Kiyoshi (both voiced by Louis Ozawa), sons of a powerful warlord in feudal Japan. One day, their father demands a duel between the two to determine his successor. But Kenji, unwilling to fight his own brother, runs away. Kiyoshi, bound by honor, stays behind and accepts his father's title.
Years later, the brothers reunite, and a fateful duel begins.
Unbeknownst to them, a Yautja has been watching from the shadows, studying their combat. When one brother emerges as the clear victor, the Predator steps in to face the superior warrior in a deadly one-on-one battle.
The next part is set around 1941 to 1942, during the Battle of the Atlantic. This chapter follows fighter pilot John Torres (Rick Gonzalez).
While on a mission, John realizes the enemy aircraft they are fighting isn’t from Earth. It is actually a Yautja starship. Despite orders to stay grounded, John takes to the skies to warn his squadron.
But, it’s too late.
Outgunned and outmatched, John pushes his skills to the limit in a desperate dogfight to bring the alien vessel down.
In the final segment, all surviving “fighters” find themselves captured and taken to a distant planet ruled by the Yautja.
There, they are pitted against each other in a gladiator-style deathmatch. The goal? Prove themselves worthy to face the ultimate Predator warlord. Only the strongest will survive.
If there’s a movie that totally caught me off guard this year, it’s Predator: Killer of Killers.
When I think of Predator, the image that instantly comes to mind is a muscular and battle-hardened Arnold Schwarzenegger facing off against a technologically superior alien hunter in the middle of a jungle. I never imagined that the franchise would evolve into something as bold, exciting, and intergalactic as this.
Dan Trachtenberg already proved with Prey that there’s still fresh ground to explore in the Predator universe. By going back to the basics of storytelling: hunter versus hunted and focusing on a young Native American woman, he stripped the story down to its raw survivalist core. The primitive setting made the power imbalance between human and alien painfully clear, which added more weight to the hero’s journey.
Predator: Killer of Killers kind of follows the same strategy but expands the scope even further. Set in various ancient and low-tech environments, the film introduces three different heroes from different cultures and time periods. With no advanced technology on their side, these characters rely purely on skill, intelligence, and grit, making the hunt feel super intense and fun. It also deepens the lore by suggesting that the Predator species has been scouring the globe for centuries, seeking out the strongest warriors across civilizations. You can really appreciate the thread of mythos woven throughout, hinting at a larger, interconnected world of alien hunters. The final tease at the end hints at even bigger things to come!
Moreover, one of the smartest creative choices here is the medium. If I haven’t mentioned it yet, Predator: Killer of Killers is an animated film. Why? Because the scale of the action and the sheer brutality would’ve been nearly impossible to replicate in live-action without breaking the budget or the pacing. But the animation is visually bold, violent, and visceral.
It’s always exciting when a director clearly gets the franchise. If Alien has Fede Álvarez breathing new life into it, then Predator has found its champion in Dan Trachtenberg. What I love about him is that he’s not afraid to take risks, to shift tone or style, and more importantly, he respects and expands the original film while bringing something fresh and meaningful to the table.
Predator: Killer of Killers is easily one of the best animated films of 2025. If you’re looking to get hyped for Predator: Badlands and whatever else the franchise has in store, then this film is a must-see. You’ll definitely find something here that’ll keep you seated and ready for the next installment.
5/5
