“Kill Bill: Vol. 1” / 「キル・ビル」, Original Japanese Movie Poster 2003, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) D257
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed for the Japanese release of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 / 「キル・ビル」, Quentin Tarantino’s highly stylised 2003 martial arts revenge film starring Uma Thurman.
Combining Japanese chanbara cinema, Hong Kong martial arts, spaghetti westerns, exploitation films, and anime, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 became one of the defining action films of the early 2000s and created some of the most instantly recognisable imagery in contemporary cinema.
Film background
A former elite assassin known as The Bride awakens from a four-year coma after being attacked and left for dead during her wedding rehearsal by her former employer, Bill, and the members of his Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.
Driven by revenge, she begins tracking down those responsible one by one. Her journey ultimately takes her to Tokyo, where she confronts yakuza leader O-Ren Ishii and her army of masked fighters, the Crazy 88, in the film’s celebrated House of Blue Leaves sequence.
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, the film stars Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen, Sonny Chiba, and Chiaki Kuriyama.
The film was a major critical and commercial success, praised for its bold visual style, eclectic soundtrack, elaborate fight choreography, and affectionate reinterpretation of international genre cinema.
Poster design
The poster uses an exceptionally bold yellow-and-black composition, dominated by a full-length portrait of Uma Thurman as The Bride.
She wears her iconic yellow leather motorcycle suit with black detailing, a visual homage to Bruce Lee’s costume in Game of Death, and stands calmly holding a gleaming Hattori Hanzō katana.
Behind her, the enormous words:
“KILL BILL”
fill almost the entire background in monumental black block lettering. The minimal colour palette and oversized typography give the poster an immediate, confrontational presence.
Across the top appears:
“THE 4th FILM BY QUENTIN TARANTINO”
emphasising the director’s auteur status and positioning the film as his fourth major feature.
At lower right, the Japanese title appears as:
「キル・ビル」
beside the small Hattori Hanzō lion emblem.
The lower margin carries the international ensemble cast in large black capitals, including:
UMA THURMAN
LUCY LIU
DAVID CARRADINE
DARYL HANNAH
MICHAEL MADSEN
SONNY CHIBA
CHIAKI KURIYAMA
The Japanese campaign website:
appears at lower left, while the theatrical opening date:
“10.25”
is printed prominently in orange at the bottom right.
The result is one of the film’s most iconic poster designs: graphic, minimal, and instantly associated with The Bride’s yellow suit and katana.
Release note
This poster was printed for the film’s original Japanese theatrical release in 2003.
It is an original period Japanese cinema poster, not a later reproduction or commercial reprint.
Condition
Excellent condition. A highly attractive example, with vivid yellow colour, deep black typography, sharp photographic imagery, and excellent overall display impact.
There are light signs of age and handling consistent with an original Japanese theatrical poster from this period, but overall it presents extremely well.
Reference: D257.
Please review the photographs carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale.
This is an original 2003 Japanese theatrical poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
It is now over 20 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
