Prisoners of the Ghostland 2021

In a devastated region of Japan, left in ruins after a catastrophic nuclear waste spill from a collision between a transport truck and a prison bus, lies a settlement known as Samurai Town. This town is under the iron grip of a corrupt Governor, who has uniquely blended elements of both modern and traditional Japanese society with the ruggedness of the old American West. To maintain his power, he keeps a harem of “granddaughters” as his sex slaves, forcing them into a life of servitude. Beyond the town stretches the Ghostland, a harsh wasteland inhabited by irradiated outcasts.

At the heart of this tale is Hero, a criminal who found himself incarcerated following a disastrous bank robbery, where his partner, Psycho, gruesomely murdered several innocent bystanders. Ironically, Psycho was aboard the prison transport involved in the crash, which inadvertently caused the disaster that led to their current plight.

One fateful night, Bernice, one of the Governor’s “granddaughters,” manages to escape with her friends Stella and Nanci, only to become stranded in the perilous Ghostland. In a desperate move, the Governor calls upon Hero, releasing him from prison to find Bernice. To ensure compliance, he outfits Hero with a high-tech bodysuit rigged to explode should he mistreat Bernice or fail to rescue her within five days. As he departs, Hero’s audacious defiance catches the eye of Yasujiro, the Governor’s samurai bodyguard and brother to one of the Governor’s adopted “granddaughters.”

Entering the Ghostland, Hero soon encounters a group of mutated men and experiences a harrowing accident that leads him to a cult-like enclave run by their leader, Enoch. There, he discovers Bernice in a state of trauma-induced catatonia. Just as he prepares to take her back, he accidentally triggers an explosive in his suit, resulting in severe injury. In a traumatic flashback, Hero realizes that Bernice was a child whose mother died during his escape from the police, and she was subsequently taken in by the very Governor he now serves.

As the story unfolds, Stella ventures back but is captured by the Governor’s men, leading to her execution at the hands of Yasujiro, which plants the seeds of rebellion in him against the oppressive Governor. After a deep revelation, Hero rallies the outcasts, along with Psycho and his fellow inmates, to revolt against their tyrant. Eventually, Hero and Bernice return to Samurai Town; however, their confrontation with the Governor escalates. In a climactic moment, Bernice’s friend Susie, driven by trauma, turns the tide with a devastating attack on the Governor’s guards.

In a final showdown, Hero faces off against Yasujiro, ultimately leading to his demise, while Bernice delivers justice by shooting the Governor. With their oppressor defeated and the outcasts now free, Hero, Bernice, and Susie witness Samurai Town burgeoning with fresh hope and life, signaling a new chapter for its inhabitants.