Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis

Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis

Year: 1988

Runtime: 135 mins

Language: Japanese

Director: Akio Jissoji

ThrillerFantasyMysteryHorror

The reincarnation of a 10th century Japanese general haunts 1920’s Tokyo.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (1988)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (1988). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1912-1927 (Meiji to Taishō era)

The film starts in 1912 during the late Meiji period, a time of rapid modernization and political change. It then moves through 1923, the year of the Great Kanto Earthquake, and continues into 1927, when Tokyo’s modern infrastructure, like the Ginza Line, is being developed. The timeline spans the Meiji to Taishō transition, using historical milestones to ground its mythic conflict. This period captures Tokyo’s shift from imperial tradition to industrial ambition.

Location

Tokyo, Dairen

The story centers on Tokyo, a metropolis with a deep, haunted history that shapes its present and future. It frames Tokyo as a capital whose fate is tied to ancient rituals and protective rites. Dairen (present-day Dalian, in Manchuria) serves as a strategic backdrop where magical forces ripple through to Tokyo. The plot culminates in a city festival and the tension between preservation and catastrophe.

🏯 Haunted metropolis 🌊 Seismic history 🗺️ Historical capital

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:28

Main Characters – Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (1988)

Meet the key characters of Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (1988), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Shigemaru Kuroda (Bunshi Katsura Vi)

A revered feng shui master who becomes a key defender of Tokyo. He is pragmatic, protective, and deeply tied to the city’s luck and fate, working with the Tsuchimikado to counter Kato’s plan. He employs geomancy and the Chart of Eight Directions to anticipate danger and guide actions.

🧭 Strategist 🗺️ Mystic 🛡️ Protector

Yukari Tatsumiya (Haruka Sugata)

Descendant of Masakado whose lineage makes her a focal point of the conflict. She is targeted as a vessel for spiritual communication, and her pregnancy becomes a crucial plot point as it ties personal fate to the city’s destiny.

🧬 Heir 🧭 Target 🕯️ Stoic

Taira no Masakado (Masakado) [voice] (Shozo Iizuka)

The vengeful spirit of the ancient governor, Masakado haunts and guards his grave. His presence anchors the mythic dimension of Tokyo’s fate, and he rejects attempts to coerce him into action for Kato’s purposes.

👹 Spirit 🗿 Legend 🛡️ Guardian

Yasunori Kato (Kyûsaku Shimada)

A former Imperial Army lieutenant who seeks to destroy Tokyo by awakening Masakado’s spirit. He kidnaps Yukari to use her as a medium and pursues power at any cost, prompting a clash with Rohan Koda and Shigemaru Kuroda.

🔥 Antagonist 🗡️ Power-seeker 🧿 Occultist

Rohan Koda (Kōji Takahashi)

A skilled geomancer who locates Kato’s hideout and works with Shigemaru and Junichi Narumiya to trap the antagonist. He uses the Chart of Eight Directions as part of a coordinated magical defense.

🧭 Geomancer 🛡️ Ally 🔎 Investigator

Ogai Mori (Katsuo Nakamura)

A renowned physician who diagnoses Yukari as pregnant with Kato’s potential child, providing medical insight that interfaces with the mystical elements of the plot.

🧬 Doctor 🧭 Rational 🧪 Scientist

Junichi Narumiya (Shiro Sano)

An ally who helps coordinate efforts against Kato, using strategic knowledge and collaboration with Koda and Kuroda to defend Tokyo and disrupt Kato’s rites.

🧭 Ally 🗺️ Planner 🗡️ Strategist

Makoto Nishimura (Kō Nishimura)

A scientist summoned to assist with technological and magical barriers, including interaction with Gakutensoku, to support the construction efforts and defense of the city.

🧪 Scientist 🧰 Inventor 🗂️ Problem-solver

Torahiko Terada (Ken Teraizumi)

Appointed to manage the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line project; he seeks Nishimura’s expertise to push modernization forward, reflecting the era’s push toward infrastructure as a form of progress.

🧭 Planner 🛠️ Project Manager 🏗️ Builder

Keiko Tatsumiya (Mieko Harada)

A miko who defends Masakado’s grave and aligns with Shigemaru’s defense of Tokyo. She embodies ritual power and spiritual guardianship in the city’s conflicts.

🧿 Priestess 🛡️ Defender 🕊️ Healer

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:28

Major Themes – Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (1988)

Explore the central themes of Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (1988), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🏯 Tradition vs Modernity

The narrative pits ancient rites and spiritual guardians against rapid urbanization and scientific progress. Rituals defend the city and its sacred sites, while engineers and planners push forward with modernization. The tension reveals how a city can cradle its heritage while pursuing a future defined by technology and expansion.

🔮 Destiny and Power

Masakado’s legacy functions as a fate-bound force that others seek to control or resist. Characters wrestle with how much of Tokyo’s future should be steered by ancestral power versus human ambition. The struggle centers on who wields influence over a city that seems primed for either safeguard or ruination.

⚡ Destruction and Renewal

The Great Kanto Earthquake acts as a catalytic catastrophe that reshapes the city’s trajectory. Seismic forces are weaponized in a magical script, linking natural disaster to political and social upheaval. Yet the story also gestures toward renewal, as new infrastructure and cultural rituals emerge from the ashes.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:28

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Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis Summary

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Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis Summary

Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis Timeline

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Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis Timeline

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