Netflix’s Demon City ending explained: Is Sakata alive or dead?

Netflix's Demon City is a riff on Keanu Reeves' magnum opus revenge thriller film series John Wick. Like John Wick, the protagonist of the Japanese action film is Shuhei Sakata, a retired hitman who seeks revenge for the murders of his wife and daughter.

Based on the comic Oni Goroshi, Demon City premiered on Netflix on February 27, 2025. The movie sees Sakata getting framed for the murder of his family and ending up in the prison hospital for twelve years in a vegetative state. The murders were carried out by an organization named Kimen-gumi whose members wear demon masks.

After his return, he gets attacked by Kimen-gumi again, which sets off the killer in him once again as he embarks on a journey of vengeance. In doing so, he discovers a truth that changes his world. One question many might have is whether or not Sakata survives the ordeal. He dies, but not without putting up a fight.

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Shuhei Sakata survives the first fatal attack on him in Demon City

A still from Demon City (Image via Netflix)

In Demon City, Shuhei Sakata (Tom Ikuta) is a formidable hitman in Shinjo City, Japan. He has spent years killing hordes of enemies all by himself and wishes to leave the business to live peacefully with his wife, Aoi (Mai Kiryu), and daughter, Ryo (Ami Toma). He completes one last mission before his retirement, which is rather short-lived.

After completing the assignment, Sakata goes home. While he takes a shower before dinner, he hears noises from the living room and rushes out to find Aoi and Ryo being held hostage. Kimen-gumi, a group of individuals wearing demon masks, are the attackers who seemingly kill off Aoi and Ryo.

The goons leave the scene assuming Sakata died when they shot him. Luckily, he survives but ends up in a coma. He spends twelve years in a prison hospital after being wrongly convicted for his family's murder.

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How does Shuhei Sakata die in Demon City?

During his stay at the hospital, the city changed a lot under the leadership of a new mayor named Ryu Sunohara (Matsuya Onoe). However, the rate of unchecked crimes and disappearances has significantly increased.

Upon his return, Sakata is attacked by one of his former targets. He is rushed to the hospital where Officer Shinozuka (Masanobu Takashima), a member of Kimen-gumi, tries to poison him. Sakata regains consciousness and kills Shinozuka. He slowly remembers the unfair murders of his family and embarks on a quest for vengeance.

When he confronts Sunohara, the leader of Kimen-gumi, he learns that his daughter Ryo is still alive and under the care of one of the men from the organization who pretends to be her father. He tries to rescue her but Ryo shoots him through the shoulder with her bow and arrow since she does not recognize him.

Sakata runs away but is soon contacted by Sunohara who invites him to save Ryo from the Mahoraba Resort, a project that the mayor has been planning to launch soon. Sakata arms himself with his old rope and blade weapon and kills off hordes of men at the resort.

This time around, Ryo recognizes him and escapes from the situation with Sakata's former colleague and friend, Yoshifumi. After a bloody battle, Sakata kills off Sunohara as well. Just when one would think that it's over, Ryo's adoptive father arrives out of nowhere and shoots Sakata who dies in his daughter's arms.

A year later, Ryo returns and completes her vengeance by killing off Jin Sunohara, the twin brother of Ryu Sunohara who managed to escape Sakata. The film leaves Ryo's fate ambiguous as she drives away in the car her father once owned.

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Demon City is available for streaming on Netflix.