“Electric Dragon 80000V” (エレクトリック・ドラゴン 80000V), Original Japanese Movie Poster 2001, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) Q232
Sale price$150.00
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster for Electric Dragon 80000V, the ferocious 2001 cult feature directed by Sōgo Ishii (later Gakuryu Ishii), one of the defining figures of Japanese punk and underground cinema. Starring Tadanobu Asano and Masatoshi Nagase, the film is celebrated for its assaultive visual style, industrial-noise energy, and compressed, high-voltage storytelling.
Printed for the film’s original Japanese theatrical release, this B2 poster perfectly captures the work’s raw, confrontational identity and is one of the most striking Japanese cult-film designs of the early 2000s.
Film background Released in 2001, Electric Dragon 80000V is a short but extraordinarily intense cyberpunk action film centred on the inevitable collision between two electrically charged outsiders: Dragon Eye Morrison (played by Tadanobu Asano) and Thunderbolt Buddha (played by Masatoshi Nagase). Running approximately 55 minutes, the film fuses manga-like stylisation, black-and-white urban imagery, distorted sound, and hyper-kinetic editing into a work that feels closer to a live wire than a conventional narrative feature.
A key title in late-period Japanese cult cinema, it occupies a distinctive place between experimental film, noise music, punk aesthetics, and graphic-novel futurism.
Poster design The poster is dominated by a violently graphic, high-contrast composition that immediately conveys the film’s energy. At left appears Masatoshi Nagase, his face merged with the image of a Buddha head, visually introducing the character of Thunderbolt Buddha. At right is Tadanobu Asano as Dragon Eye Morrison, rendered with wild hair, glaring expression, and altered yellow eyes.
Between them rises a towering red guitar, transformed into a central lightning-like icon, surrounded by explosive bursts of yellow and black. The image functions almost like a visual detonation, with the two protagonists facing one another across a field of electrical violence.
Across the top appears the English credit:
“A Film by ISHII Sogo”
Below the portraits, the poster carries the memorable English line:
“ASANO Tadanobu x NAGASE Masatoshi Are Blow Out!”
The title “ELECTRIC DRAGON 80000V” is rendered across the lower half in a jagged, aggressive display type, with the enormous red “80000V” acting as the poster’s main graphic anchor. The design is loud, confrontational, and instantly legible — entirely in keeping with the film itself.
About the film’s visual identity Few Japanese posters of the period embody their film so completely. The clashing black, white, yellow, and red palette; the violent radiating lines; the guitar motif; and the stylised portraits all translate the film’s themes of electrical overload, urban alienation, and punk confrontation into a single explosive sheet.
For collectors of Japanese cult cinema, cyberpunk, Sōgo Ishii, Tadanobu Asano, or Masatoshi Nagase, this is a particularly desirable and visually memorable theatrical poster.
Condition Excellent condition. Please review the photos carefully, as they show the exact poster offered.
This is an original 2001 Japanese theatrical poster, not a reproduction or reprint.
