The revived Kika is captured and given a choice to go hunt down the Queen or die, as part of the Go Go Yubari law (because the infection started in Yubari, see…). The new PM Osawa is also the man who reconfigured Kika as a weapon. The prior Prime Minster was Hatoda (Minoru Torihada, who has a very interesting public persona…) and he supported the rights of the undead…until he was eaten by them! All thanks to Osawa killing him via zombie and then assuming control of Japan. In fact, every character who sympathizes with the undead is eaten by them in the end!
A zombie with a million swords stuck through his body, who has a sword fight with Kaito’s helltruck.
A sewn together stripper with multiple arms that are armed with swords at first and then later machine guns battles Kika.
Later Uncle Yasushi builds a zombie car out of body parts….complete with it’s own nitrous system! There is then a car chase and battle atop the cars. The whole thing is ridiculous fun, but just sets up how things get even more ridiculous when they reach the Queen Rikka, who strides upon thousands of zombies. Eventually thanks to missiles being used as rockets, Kika battles Rikka atop a plane made out of zombies that rains down zombie pieces as they battle.
Their battle is beyond the Queen vs human, this is a family thing that only a few dysfunctional family Thanksgiving dinners can prepare you for. The 18 years of repressed rage as Rikka destroyed and took everything from Kika come out, and Kika does not hold back in battling her mother, trying to reclaim the life she was never allowed to have.
During the battle in the city at the end as zombies rain down, there is a hastily put together sideplot with Asami as one of a pair of wall defenders also equipped with chainsaw swords. These scenes are missing in the international cut, and would not be missed. But I’m one of those dudes who likes to see the original versions of the films.
In the end, Helldriver is pretty fun. Obviously put a lot of thought into the idea, the film is jammed packed with trying to do too much. This causes the redundant and tacked on scenes. The cultural issues and arguments over zombie rights and political assassinations by zombies and zombie parts drug trade are all great ideas. But it can be a bit much. Luckily, much of the film is not stop zombie fighting action, so it is forgiven. Helldriver is very creative and wanted to create its own believable world. And it did, everything seems to fit together using the rules of the universe. Thanks to the action, creativity, and so muchness, Helldriver has supplanted the number one spot as my favorite Japanese gore flick.
And don’t forget to stay during the credits!
im watching the movie right now and i love it!!!!!!