Apocalypse Zero: Kakugo Complete DVD

A devastating earthquake has reduced 21st-century Tokyo to a wasteland crawling with grotesque monsters, mutated creatures, and beings of pure malevolence. In this ruined world, brothers Kakugo and Harara Hagakure were raised and trained by their father Oboro in the ancient martial arts of the Hagakure clan — and armed with the ultimate weapons of their grandfather's dark science: Fortified Armor Shells, living exoskeletons forged from the souls of fallen warriors. Kakugo received the Zero armor and dedicated himself to protecting what remains of humanity from the monsters overrunning the streets. But Harara's armor, Kasumi, carried something sinister within — and when its malevolent spirit took hold, it transformed Harara's body and filled him with a burning hatred for all of humankind. Now the only one with the power to stop him is his own brother, and neither the monsters in the streets nor the memories of their shared childhood will make that task any easier.

Apocalypse Zero is one of the most notorious and extreme OVAs of the 1990s — a two-episode splatterfest that has earned a fearsome reputation for its relentless graphic violence, bizarre creature designs, and unapologetically transgressive content. Based on Takayuki Yamaguchi's Weekly Shōnen Champion manga and directed by Toshiki Hirano, the OVA is animated by Ashi Productions with a surprisingly accomplished visual style beneath all the carnage. AnimeNation famously described it as arguably the most grotesque anime ever made, and Animerica honored it with a "Best Anime Splattervision" award. Not for the faint of heart — or stomach — but an essential piece of extreme 90s OVA history. Released in North America on DVD by Media Blasters.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Toshiki Hirano (Iczer-One, Dangaioh)
Original Manga: Takayuki Yamaguchi
Character Design: Keisuke Watabe
Studio: Ashi Productions
Music: Takashi Kudo

Cast:
- Koichi Yamadera as Kakugo Hagakure
- Megumi Ogata as Harara Hagakure
- Toshiyuki Morikawa as Haoka
- Yuko Miyamura as Megumi
- Masako Katsuki as Hamuko
- Shin-ichiro Miki as Additional Voices

DVD Features

- Media Blasters Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: 覚悟のススメ (Kakugo no Susume)
Runtime: ~80 Minutes (2-Episode OVA)
Director: Toshiki Hirano
DVD Release Year: 2001 (U.S. Release)
Original Release Date (Japan): October 23 – December 18, 1996
Publisher: Media Blasters (Anime Works)
Rating: Unrated (Adults Only — 18+)
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Action, Horror, Post-Apocalyptic
Themes: Sibling Rivalry, Exoskeleton Armor, Monster Slaying, Post-Apocalyptic Survival, Extreme Violence

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.