Bullet Train Explosion ending explained: Was the train stopped?

Bullet Train Explosion, also known as Shinkansen Daibakuha, is a Japanese action thriller movie directed by Shinji Higuchi. The movie premiered on Netflix on April 23, 2025, and is a legacy sequel of the 1975 film The Bullet Train, directed by Junya Sato.

Set in a high-stakes, fast-paced world, the film blends cutting-edge visual effects with intense drama, capturing the spirit of the original while introducing a fresh narrative for modern audiences.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers. Reader's discretion is advised.

Bullet Train Explosion features a talented cast, including Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as Kazuya Takaichi, Kanata Hosoda as Keiji Fujii, Non as Chika Matsumoto, Jun Kaname as Mitsuru Todoroki, Machiko Ono as Yuko Kagami, Hana Toyoshima as Yuzuki Onodera, and Takumi Saitoh as Yuichi Kasagi.

The plot of the movie centers on the Hayabusa No. 60 bullet train, which is heading towards Tokyo with a bomb strapped onto it. The train will explode if its speed goes below 100 kilometers an hour. The terrorist responsible demands a sum of 100 billion yen from the Japanese government in exchange for deactivating the bomb on the train.

When the train staff discover the presence of the bomb, they alert the authorities immediately. An evacuation plan is set up, where a vast majority of passengers are rescued, leaving just nine people on board. The passengers get to the back of the train in an attempt to pull off a highly risky move.

During a double-track switch, the last two carts of the train get detached from the rest of the train, putting a safe space between them and the bomb. The cart with passengers derails and eventually comes to a stop. The rest of the train keeps going straight and gradually loses speed, causing it to explode over an empty piece of land.

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Bullet Train Explosion: How are the passengers saved?

Bullet Train Explosion (Image via Netflix)

In the movie Bullet Train Explosion, the Hayabusa No. 60 bullet train has around 300 passengers that need to be saved before it reaches Tokyo. The rescue operation is led by Yuichi Kasagi, who decides to move the passengers into other coaches so that a few of the coaches can decouple and explode.

He also sends another bullet train to run parallel to the Hayabusa No. 60 so that passengers can be safely boarded onto the alternate train and escape the threat of the bomb exploding. Most of the passengers are rescued this way, leaving only a few behind.

At one point, there is an effort to connect a link between the tracks in Tokyo so that the train doesn't stop and explode in the heart of the city, killing a lot of people. This construction is interrupted, though, when the government does not provide approval and calls into question the jurisdiction of the Shinkansen operators.

In the end, Kasagi comes up with the brilliant idea of detaching the coach with all the remaining passengers currently inside it from the outside by switching the tracks twice. Earlier in the movie, this coach was confirmed not to have a bomb, so when it began to derail and slow down, there was no explosion. The rescue team enters the coach and finds that all nine passengers have survived.

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Who was the terrorist in Bullet Train Explosion?

A still from the movie Bullet Train Explosion (Image via Netflix)

In the beginning of Bullet Train Explosion, we are introduced to some interesting characters aboard the train. Some of them include a politician named Yuko Kagami, a YouTuber named Mitsuru Todoroki, and a student named Yuzuki Onodera, as well as train driver Chika Matsumoto and train steward Kazuya Takaichi.

When the student Yuzuki hears that the government might have an alternate plan to stop the train from reaching Tokyo, she moves away from the others to take a private call with her father. Once her father realizes she's safe on the train, he begins to theorize who the terrorist behind the attack is.

He says that the person responsible for this attack is probably the same person responsible for the 1975 attack, which is depicted in the movie The Bullet Train. Yuzuki's dad was present at the previous attack and suspects that this whole situation is an act of revenge due to the role he played in stopping the previous train from exploding.

However, in a twist of events, Yuzuki reveals that her father cannot kill the new bomber since she is the one responsible for planting the bomb. The schoolgirl reveals the motive for her actions by saying:

"Hearing you brag for years about putting a bullet in the bomber's head made me want to put a bullet in my own head, so I decided to plant my own bombs."

Turns out her father, a policeman at the time, lied about being a hero and stopping the train. The original bomber had actually blown himself up as a last resort to avoid going to jail. Yuzuki had devised the bomb threats to expose her father's lies.

Yuzuki then proceeds to activate a bomb in her father's living room, thereby ending his life. With her father dead and her mission complete, she calls up the authorities and tells them the secret to deactivating the bomb.

In the end, the investigation officers show her that the portal made by Todoroki had managed to generate 100 billion yen, proving that people will always unite for a greater cause. Yuzuki is arrested to face legal action despite her unfortunate reason. Masatoshi, the son of the previous bomber who provided Yuzuki with the bomb, is arrested as well.

Takaichi and Matsumoto, on the other hand, are hailed by the passengers and colleagues for their heroism in managing the crisis. Their prompt thinking and composure in the face of danger proved to be significant in maintaining people's safety. Their colleagues applaud their unrelenting commitment to duty, and they observe that their leadership contributed to averting panic among travelers.

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Bullet Train Explosion is available to stream on Netflix.