The Swan and the Bat (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

The Swan and the Bat follows Kuraki Kazuma and Shiraishi Mirei, the son of a murder suspect and daughter of the victim. As they investigate what happened, their fathers’ statements raise troubling questions about the case and challenge the certainty of the accepted truth.

The Swan and the Bat is a Japanese crime drama, family mystery and investigation story directed by Yoshiyuki Kishi and written by Kosuke Mukai. The film centers on two young people connected to a murder in deeply personal ways.

After a kind-hearted lawyer is found stabbed to death and a suspect confesses, the case appears settled. His son and the victim’s daughter, however, believe the details do not fully fit together. Their search for answers begins to unsettle the entire story.

The Swan and the Bat movie details

Story without spoilers

A lawyer’s violent death leads investigators to one principal suspect, whose confession seems to provide a straightforward resolution. Yet the suspect’s son, Kuraki Kazuma, and the victim’s daughter, Shiraishi Mirei, each notice inconsistencies in the words and behavior of their fathers.

Although they come from opposite sides of the case, Kazuma and Mirei decide to investigate together. Their partnership places the accepted version of events under scrutiny, as the question of what really happened becomes increasingly difficult to separate from the secrets surrounding both families.

What to expect

The film combines crime, drama, family conflict and mystery through a murder investigation shaped by suspicion and concealed information. Its central premise focuses on two people whose families are linked by the same case, giving the investigation a personal dimension as well as a search for evidence.

The story is based on a novel or book, and its structure revolves around a confession that may not explain everything. Viewers can expect a mystery concerned with hidden truth, competing perspectives and the gradual questioning of an apparently solved crime.

Cast and creative team

Hokuto Matsumura plays Kuraki Kazuma, while Mio Imada portrays Shiraishi Mirei. Tomokazu Miura appears as Kuraki Tatsuro, with Tasuku Emoto as Godai Tsutomu and Kou Maehara as Nakamachi.

The cast also includes Shikan Nakamura VIII as Shiraishi Kensuke, Haruka Igawa as Asaba Orie, Yoh Yoshida as Shiraishi Ayako and Jun Fubuki as Asaba Yoko. Yoshiyuki Kishi directs the film, and Kosuke Mukai is credited as its writer.

• Hokuto Matsumura as Kuraki Kazuma
• Mio Imada as Shiraishi Mirei
• Tomokazu Miura as Kuraki Tatsuro
• Tasuku Emoto as Godai Tsutomu
• Kou Maehara as Nakamachi
• Shikan Nakamura VIII as Shiraishi Kensuke
• Haruka Igawa as Asaba Orie
• Yoh Yoshida as Shiraishi Ayako
• Jun Fubuki as Asaba Yoko

Release and production context

The Swan and the Bat is a Japanese production from Shochiku, TV Man Union and Nippon Television Network Corporation. It is in Japanese and is listed with a release date of September 4, 2026. The supplied details classify it as a crime, drama, family and mystery film. No runtime is provided.

Production companies: Shochiku, TV Man Union, Nippon Television Network Corporation

The Swan and the Bat official trailer

Watch the official trailer on YouTube

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With its murder investigation, family connections and doubts surrounding a confession, The Swan and the Bat is built around the tension between an official explanation and the questions that remain behind it. The film’s focus on Kazuma and Mirei gives the mystery a clear human perspective without revealing how their investigation develops.

Film data:
TMDB