WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3 DVD

Tokyo Bay, the near future. A series of brutal attacks on Labor operators have left bodies torn apart in ways no conventional criminal could manage. The case lands with two detectives from the Metropolitan Police: veteran Kusumi, world-weary and methodical, and his younger partner Hata, who falls for Saeko — a geneticist whose connection to a classified biological research project called WXIII begins to emerge as the investigation deepens. What they eventually uncover is not a criminal at all: Wasted Thirteen, the thirteenth and final subject of an illegal experiment to graft human consciousness onto a rapidly mutating biological weapon, now loose in Tokyo Bay, driven by hunger and the remnant of something that was once a person. When the government covers up the incident and the SVD's Ingram Labors are the only thing capable of containing it, the two detectives find themselves at the edge of a confrontation that neither their training nor their sense of justice prepared them for.

WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3 is the darkest and most tonally distinct entry in the Patlabor film trilogy — a creature feature and police procedural that sidelines the franchise's regular cast almost entirely and follows two new characters through a story that feels closer to classic tokusatsu kaiju drama than mecha action. Directed by Fumihiko Takayama and produced by Madhouse and Triangle Staff — with Triangle Staff going defunct during production, requiring Madhouse to complete the film, though both studios are credited — and produced by Mamoru Oshii in an executive role. Kenji Kawai returns for the score. The film was released theatrically in Japan on March 30, 2002 alongside the Mini Pato short film series. Geneon Entertainment released the film in North America in limited theatrical screenings on January 10, 2003, followed by the standard DVD release on April 8, 2003. The Ultimate Edition 3-disc set with Mini Pato shorts and Dolby 5.1 is also available separately.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Fumihiko Takayama (Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket)
Co-Director: Takuji Endo
Screenplay: Miki Tori
Executive Producer: Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor 1 & 2, Jin-Roh)
Original Franchise: Headgear
Studio: Madhouse / Triangle Staff (both credited)
Music: Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell, Jin-Roh, Patlabor 1 & 2, Vampire Princess Miyu TV, Hyper Police)

Japanese Cast:
- Katsuhiko Watabiki as Takeshi Kusumi
- Hiroaki Hirata as Shinichiro Hata
- Atsuko Tanaka as Saeko Misaki
- Ryūnosuke Ōbayashi as Kiichi Gotoh (Patlabor 1 & 2)
- Miina Tominaga as Noa Izumi (Patlabor 1 & 2, Tenchi Movie 2, DNA²)
- Toshio Furukawa as Asuma Shinohara (Patlabor 1 & 2, Urusei Yatsura 2, DBZ, Metropolis)
- Shigeru Chiba as Mikiyasu Shinshi (Patlabor 1 & 2, Gate Keepers, Metropolis, Urusei Yatsura 2)
- Issei Futamata as Shige (Patlabor 1 & 2, Oh My Goddess! OVA, Urusei Yatsura 2)

English Dub Cast (Geneon Entertainment):
- Richard Cansino as Takeshi Kusumi (Mahoromatic, Nightwalker, Rurouni Kenshin, Fushigi Yugi)
- Dave Wittenberg as Shinichiro Hata (Kurogane Communication, DNA², Love Hina Again)
- Kari Wahlgren as Saeko Misaki
- Daran Norris as Kiichi Gotoh
- Richard Epcar as Isao Ohta (Macross II, Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge)
- Kirk Thornton as Col. Goro Ishihara (Kurogane Communication, Saint Tail)
- Derek Stephen Prince as Shizuo Miyanomori (Ninja Cadets, Love Hina)

DVD Features (Geneon Standard Edition)

- Geneon Entertainment Previews
- Note: Ultimate Edition 3-Disc Set also available — includes Mini Pato shorts, Dolby 5.1 audio, and additional extras

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: WXIII 機動警察パトレイバー (Weisuteddo Sātīn Kidō Keisatsu Patorebā)
Runtime: ~105 Minutes
Director: Fumihiko Takayama
DVD Release Year: 2003 (U.S. Standard Release, April 8 — Geneon Entertainment); Ultimate Edition 3-Disc Set also available
Original Release Date (Japan): March 30, 2002
Publisher: Geneon Entertainment (Pioneer)
Rating: 13+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror, Police Thriller
Themes: Biological Weapon, Police Procedural, Tokyo Bay, Madhouse & Triangle Staff Co-Production, Darkest Patlabor Film

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.