Nerdly » ‘Ghost Killer’ VOD Review

08th Apr2026

‘Ghost Killer’ VOD Review

by George Thomas

Stars: Akari Takahashi, Masanori Mimoto, Mario Kuroba, Hidenobu Abera, Ayaka Higashino, Hiroto Honda, Ryu Ichinose, Sora Inoue | Written by Yugo Sakamoto | Directed by Kensuke Sonomura

If there’s one thing Ghost Killer understands from the jump, it’s that subtlety is overrated when you’ve got a ghost hitman possessing a college girl and punching people at lightning speed.

Directed by Kensuke Sonomura and starring Akira Takashi and Ayaka Hayashino, this 2024 Japanese action-comedy kicks off with a killer dying mid-job, only for his spirit to latch onto a bullet casing that ends up in the hands of an unsuspecting student. From there, it’s part buddy comedy, part revenge flick, and part “what if John Wick possessed an influencer-in-training?”

And yes, it’s exactly as daft and entertaining as that sounds.

The hook is simple but effective: she can see and talk to the hitman, but only when they clasp hands does he take over her body. Cue a petite college girl suddenly turning into a full-blown assassin, wrecking through a criminal organisation like she’s speedrunning a boss rush. It’s inherently ridiculous, and the film knows it. That’s half the charm.

Where Ghost Killer really delivers is in its action. Every 10–15 minutes, you’re hit with extended fight sequences that are more about style than realism. Fists fly so fast they blur into a flurry of motion, accompanied by exaggerated swishes that make it feel like a live-action anime. Are these fights grounded? Not even slightly. Do they look like choreographed sparring at times? Absolutely. But they’re undeniably fun, and crucially, they keep your eyes glued to the screen.

Tonally, the film leans heavily into comedy—more “cute chaos” than outright laugh-out-loud. Watching Hayashino’s character awkwardly come to terms with her new murder-happy passenger is where a lot of the humour lands, especially as she shifts from horrified participant to reluctant accomplice. There’s also a running gag where she refers to a group of hardened assassins as something closer to an “antisocial club,” which perfectly sums up the film’s offbeat energy.

Performance-wise, it’s a strong showing across the board. Hayashino carries the film with a likeable, slightly bumbling charm, while Takashi’s gruff hitman adds a nice contrast. Their dynamic—somewhere between odd-couple comedy and supernatural partnership—does a lot of the heavy lifting, making you actually care whether their revenge mission works out.

The story itself throws in enough twists and side tangents (including bizarre influencer “dates” that turn into fights) to keep things moving. It’s not unpredictable in a prestige-thriller sense, but it’s chaotic enough that you’re never quite sure what weird turn it’ll take next.

That said, Ghost Killer isn’t without its issues. The fight scenes, while entertaining, lack any real sense of impact. The hyper-fast hand movements and over-the-top sound design make it feel more like stylised practice than actual combat. It’s fun, but don’t expect bone-crunching realism. And, as with any subtitle-heavy film, you’ll need to keep up – dialogue comes thick and fast, which can occasionally pull you out of the action.

Still, these are minor gripes in what is otherwise a thoroughly enjoyable ride.

Ghost Killer isn’t trying to reinvent the genre. It’s here to deliver fast-paced action, quirky humour, and a concept that’s just bonkers enough to work. And on that front, it absolutely succeeds.